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Open source 3D software has made massive leaps forward in recent years. Specifically, the 3D modeling tools in Blender are on par with, if not better than, any

by valine 11y ago

Open source 3D software has made massive leaps forward in recent years. Specifically, the 3D modeling tools in Blender are on par with, if not better than, anything Maya or 3ds Max has to offer. I don't see SaaS working out for Autodesk unless they can find new ways to differentiate themselves from open source offerings.

Silhouette 11y ago
I don't see SaaS working out for Autodesk unless they can find new ways to differentiate themselves from open source offerings. The thing is, they differentiate themselves from open source offerings by having a massive ecosystem and guaranteed compatibility across your whole production pipeline because everyone else is using them as well. Just as Microsoft have with Office and Adobe have with Creative Cloud, Autodesk have a degree of market dominance because of community and networking effects, regardless of any features or usability or pricing issues. However, unlike Office or CC users, there are probably relatively few professionals using Autodesk products who operate in isolation or only need to share data within their own small group, which makes it much harder for any disruptive newcomer to challenge their position.
CyberDildonics 11y ago
> the 3D modeling tools in Blender are on par with, if not better than, anything Maya or 3ds Max has to offer. This is unfortunately untrue. In fact saying that this is untrue is downplaying it, this could not be further from truth and is ridiculous to even consider. Anyone who has used all of these programs knows how incredibly awkward blender is to use. Even moving an object around or saving a scene is a disaster so forget about cranking through shots in a studio under a deadline. If blender was better, studios wouldn't pay thousands for licenses of other closed software. They do though, and that should tell you something. Animation studios large and small don't have money to burn but the truth is that the tools make a huge difference in productivity and blender is not even in the same league as commercial tools.
- valine 11y ago
  I will admit it's pretty subjective. I will also be the first to admit Blender takes a lot of getting used to. But as someone who has used both Maya and Blender extensively, I can confidently say I much prefer Blender for most modeling tasks, retopology, etc. It also has some very wonderful UV unwrapping tools. If you haven't used Blender recently, you might want to take another look at it. It is a radically different tool than it was two years ago.
  - hengheng 11y ago
    It certainly is. They keep adding user interface paradigms all the time.
  - CyberDildonics 11y ago
    I've used it in the last month. Maya's weak point is also modeling (although it is used for modeling quite a bit for some reason). Manual 3D modeling is also basically a solved problem. It is everything that comes after that that can throw a wrench into the process.

by valine 11y ago

Silhouette 11y ago

I don't see SaaS working out for Autodesk unless they can find new ways to differentiate themselves from open source offerings. The thing is, they differentiate themselves from open source offerings by having a massive ecosystem and guaranteed compatibility across your whole production pipeline because everyone else is using them as well. Just as Microsoft have with Office and Adobe have with Creative Cloud, Autodesk have a degree of market dominance because of community and networking effects, regardless of any features or usability or pricing issues. However, unlike Office or CC users, there are probably relatively few professionals using Autodesk products who operate in isolation or only need to share data within their own small group, which makes it much harder for any disruptive newcomer to challenge their position.

CyberDildonics 11y ago

> the 3D modeling tools in Blender are on par with, if not better than, anything Maya or 3ds Max has to offer. This is unfortunately untrue. In fact saying that this is untrue is downplaying it, this could not be further from truth and is ridiculous to even consider. Anyone who has used all of these programs knows how incredibly awkward blender is to use. Even moving an object around or saving a scene is a disaster so forget about cranking through shots in a studio under a deadline. If blender was better, studios wouldn't pay thousands for licenses of other closed software. They do though, and that should tell you something. Animation studios large and small don't have money to burn but the truth is that the tools make a huge difference in productivity and blender is not even in the same league as commercial tools.

valine 11y ago
I will admit it's pretty subjective. I will also be the first to admit Blender takes a lot of getting used to. But as someone who has used both Maya and Blender extensively, I can confidently say I much prefer Blender for most modeling tasks, retopology, etc. It also has some very wonderful UV unwrapping tools. If you haven't used Blender recently, you might want to take another look at it. It is a radically different tool than it was two years ago.
- hengheng 11y ago
  It certainly is. They keep adding user interface paradigms all the time.
- CyberDildonics 11y ago
  I've used it in the last month. Maya's weak point is also modeling (although it is used for modeling quite a bit for some reason). Manual 3D modeling is also basically a solved problem. It is everything that comes after that that can throw a wrench into the process.