The news that Softimage will be acquired by Autodesk marks the end of an era. The past 20 years, developing software alongside Softimage has been a dynamic time, full of innovation and healthy competition. Starting with character animation in 1988, Softimage has advanced the industry in many areas. I would personally like to thank my contemporaries for their past contributions to the CG community. Since this news was first announced, discussion on the forums has been lively and has evoked a wide range of emotions. In some of the posts, the role of Houdini and Side Effects is being discussed and I wanted to address some of the speculation about who we are and where we are going. A Commitment to Innovation
I am very proud of Side Effects’ track record and enjoy putting new and exciting technologies into the hands of artists. The developers at Side Effects have always embodied a spirit of innovation and enjoy helping studios meet the day-to-day demands of CG production. Houdini’s procedural node-based workflow continues to play an important role in the CG industry, and each and every day I am impressed to see what Houdini developers accomplish. Given the recent news, I can’t help but think about our own past innovations including a product called ICE (Interactive Compositing Environment) which we released in 1992, many years before XSI users first started building networks with nodes. Houdini's Growing Community Today, interest in Houdini is growing due in part to fully integrated dynamics, a much more artist-friendly UI and more affordable prices. Equally important is how well Houdini works with other software, with support for the FBX interchange format and integrated Python scripting. For years, 3D animators, visual effects artists and technical directors have turned to Houdini to tackle a wide range of production challenges. It is great to see how the community has grown over the last few years to include so many smaller Boutique studios and independent artists. Our commitment to our customers is exemplified in our personal approach to technical support. Our support team is friendly and willing to share their production know-how. We often work with customers, even new customers, to prototype solutions for upcoming shots. Most importantly, we release daily builds of Houdini which means that you don’t have to wait until the next dot release to see your issues addressed. Win a Copy of Houdini Master! We encourage artists who are looking for a less corporate way of doing business to try out Houdini Apprentice which gives you virtually full access to Houdini Master for personal use. As an added incentive, anyone who tries out Houdini and then sends me their first impressions [250-300 words] before Midnight EST on November 30th, 2008 at will be entered in a draw to win a copy of Houdini Master and a one year Annual Upgrade Plan valued at over $10,000 USD. To enter, send 250-300 words describing your experience and include a screen grab or scene file showing your work-in-progress to verify that you have been trying out Houdini. The screen grab is for verification purposes only and will have no effect on the outcome of the draw. The one good thing about the end of an era is that a new one begins. At Side Effects we are looking forward the exciting road ahead and welcome you to join us on the journey.
Kim Davidson
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As an independent company, our mission today remains the same as it has been for the last 20 years – a focus on innovation and delivering the best tools for CG artists working in production. Our independence allows us to shape our own destiny and we plan to continue working this way.
