Look into your crystal ball and tell me what you see? - Page 2

# 16 26-11-2003 , 12:22 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2003

Location: Toronto

Posts: 79

in keeping with the original topic, houdini seems powerful enough to be one of the top competitors. Also it's non-commercial version rules....(very unintrusive watermark).

I think "resuseability" is key for the future of animation and houdini's node networks are amazing.

"Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there...with open arms, and open eyes" - Incubus

Quote

# 17 26-11-2003 , 12:51 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: with PonysGirl

Posts: 2,573

so how dose the houdini's nodes differ from maya's ? (pulls up a chare)

Quote

# 18 26-11-2003 , 07:29 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2003

Location: Toronto

Posts: 79

I've just started learning houdini recently...but here goes: you work more intimately with houdini's nodes...like every operation is a node but the cool thing is you can redirect the connections or branch them so a node could be used numerous times within the same workflow, and each node has display flags so you can go back and try something new in another branch without being destructive.

then, you can package your created network up into a node itself with your own input or output and reuse that! For example you can create a your own cartoony bounce node that takes geometry as input, and the output is that geometry will fall and squash and stretch while bouncing as with any geometry you give it.

I haven't really touched maya's node system or the connection editor too much but they seem to be pretty burried and less flexible.

I guess houdini's workflow is better visually represented and is safer since you can branch to a new path to test out something and if you didn't like it you can go back to your original branch...or you can converge the two to create something new.

However, houdini master right now is 17,000 USD which is crazy since it doesn't seem to have cool things like fur/artisan etc..

oh yeah...I saw a subd head tutorial for houdini that seemed to have total disregard for quads...and it smoothed nicely! pretty crazy.

"Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there...with open arms, and open eyes" - Incubus

Quote

# 19 26-11-2003 , 02:03 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: with PonysGirl

Posts: 2,573

ok cool. not so cool about the price. and disregard for quads, I don't know rather that is a good or bad thing.. LOL

Quote

# 20 26-11-2003 , 04:40 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Jun 2002

Location: Germany

Posts: 276

My vote goes out to XSI for sure. Haven't tried it for myself, but by observing the market, it's easy to tell that the userbase is constantly growing.

And taken into account that more and more shops not just integrate XSI into their pipeline to go along with Maya, but even replacing Maya with it, I think it's pretty clear that XSI is set to make it to the top.

MAX I don't know...

Then there is Houdini for sure...

Yet on the Maya side of things, there is a strong need for some serious overhauls and streamlining the whole thing.

Which seems rather unlikely to me, as Alias lately have more interest in making some hard'n fast selling. They go for the shiny stuff, all the while forgetting about things like reliability and workflow, general stuff that happens under the hood.

Like Jordi Bares (of Mill TV fame) said, just some month ago:

"I truly think that it's already way ahead of it's main competitor, Maya. At the end of the day, my personal impression is that with XSI, I do it faster, better, and with more fun. There's no need for strange workarounds, and once you enter into it, there is no way you go back to whatever your previous tool was."

All that said, five years is a mighty long time, especially in terms of software/hardware developement...

Subdivide and conquer!

Free your mind, and your ass will follow!

Quote

# 21 26-11-2003 , 09:45 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Jan 2003

Location: Zurich/London

Posts: 663

I know 5 years is a long time. That's why you need to use the crystal ball. Go on get the dust of it.

What is Alias thinking? DO you think they have given up? I mean dumping a software from 7000 to 2000.
I did read that they are going to do a tie up with Brazil Renderer.
I wish good luck to Maya cause they will need it.

grrrr

Quote

# 22 26-11-2003 , 11:52 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Jun 2002

Location: Germany

Posts: 276

I don't believe that Alias has struck some kind of deal with Splutterfish...where's the point?

They have just started to integrate Mental Ray into Maya (and still have a long way to go by doing so), and the inclusion of just another renderer won't help to sell the software.

There's more to be done than pumping in more of the shiny stuff.

The core application needs some lifting, as does the workflow.

Like you said: Alias will be in serious need of some luck a little further down the road.

Subdivide and conquer!

Free your mind, and your ass will follow!

Quote

# 23 27-11-2003 , 12:38 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: with PonysGirl

Posts: 2,573

you guys must be really good with modeling, animating,, etc, etc, . I'm no noob (maybe) but I still haven't found anything that maya will not do for me..

I hope this dosn't come off rude. I'm just makeing a observation.

Quote

# 24 27-11-2003 , 01:01 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Jun 2002

Location: Germany

Posts: 276

Hmmmm...

You really don't have to be a master at all these things to bump into lots of silly Maya glitches.

Sure, Maya does all you can ask for, but sometimes you have to take some rather funny routes to get what you want.

And by looking at XSI tuts (for example), I can see that XSI does not ask you to balance you mouse on the tip of your nose while stepping out a polka on your timeline to get things done.

So to speak... user added image