Re: Industry needs more xsi artists!

["Oliver Heijmans" <oliver(at)topixfx.com>]

Referencing isn't like maya,  where you can reference "animation" files 
into other files,
which for production pipeline is a neccesity. (*if your doing a movie 
production and working with 100 -200 people on files)

For games or small groups,  etc,  it's fine.

I hope ASCII and better Referencing, gets implemented, cause that's what 
makes Maya so powerfull.

Very curious about how other pipes, are setup.

O.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nicolas Langlois" <nicolasl(at)buzzimage.com>
To: <XSI(at)Softimage.COM>
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 11:55 AM
Subject: Re: Industry needs more xsi artists!


> This is so true.... I remember the days when I arrived at Hybride. Fresh 
> from 4 years of production with Maya. I cursed XSI all day long. I though 
> it was mediocre and unstable until I realized XSI doesn't necessarily work 
> like Maya. Once you get your head around the way XSI and it's architecture 
> works, you realize how potent and capable it is. But you need to open your 
> eyes to the new ways of working. This is part of the re-training that 
> should be offered to professionals.
>
> my 2 cents,
>
> this thread is already too long! :S
>
>
>
>
> Graham Bell wrote:
> > a very good point Kim and certainly something I see alot, especially on 
> > the games side of things.
> > Guys will often try and follow the exact same workflow they used in 
> > Maya/Max, when they first start using XSI, and when they hit the first 
> > hurdle they become frustrated.
> > But also another area also worth looking at, is actually showing people 
> > what the software can do before they use/adopt it. It can be often very 
> > easy when demoing to show the really cool stuff, and why not, it is damn 
> > good. Often when artists are looking at software, they're not too 
> > familiar with, they will start to look for the same features they know 
> > and recognise. If they aren't shown them, then confidence in the software 
> > can drop. And often, especially in games, these features are just 
> > standard modelling tools, which although not very exciting to some, 
> > relate to their everyday job.
> >
> > I've been receiving some feedback from customers and non-customers on 
> > what they've been shown in the past and what they actually need to see, 
> > and we're looking into ways on how we can maybe tackle the issue from the 
> > demo end as well, before training becomes a real need. Certainly the 
> > material that Jen will be rolling out soon, should give us the best 
> > possible material to follow through with.
> >
> >
> > Graham Bell
> > Technical Games Specialist - Softimage
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "kim aldis" <xsi(at)kim-aldis.co.uk>
> > To: <XSI(at)Softimage.COM>
> > Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:42 AM
> > Subject: RE: Industry needs more xsi artists!
> >
> >
> > > Another area of training is in-production training, Jen. The number of
> > > studios opting for XSI but unable to find experienced XSI users are 
> > > opting
> > > for the next best thing; experienced production staff with no XSI
> > > experience. So you get the 'XSI is really crap at doing <X>, I can only 
> > > do
> > > <Y> in Maya'. You need people at studios like that to turn the statement
> > > into 'bugger me, I didn't know you could do that. Hmm, actually XSI does 
> > > <X>
> > > and <Y> better than all the rest, and it does <Z> too'
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM [mailto:owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM] On
> > > > Behalf Of Jennifer Goldfinch
> > > > Sent: 29 August 2007 22:45
> > > > To: XSI(at)Softimage.COM
> > > > Subject: RE: Industry needs more xsi artists!
> > > >
> > > > Hi Kris et all -
> > > >
> > > > Recently, I was given the responsibility for working on expanding
> > > > training material and edu programs at Softimage. At first glance, to be
> > > > honest, it felt like a chicken & egg dilemma. The first thing we did
> > > > was
> > > > add in-box training material with version 6, thanks to our partners at
> > > > Digital Tutors, to make sure that the SW at least shipped with a
> > > > learning tool. It was also a priority to keep in contact with other DVD
> > > > producers out there to make sure they had an updated license, to make
> > > > sure they were on beta, etc, etc, etc.
> > > >
> > > > The next bigger issue that needed to be addressed was schools and
> > > > training facilities -and as you know, many out there only teach Maya
> > > > and
> > > > or max. This proved to be frustrating at first, but upon digging deeper
> > > > and having actual discussions with the schools and program leaders,
> > > > many
> > > > are keen on teaching XSI, they just want to make sure there are studios
> > > > who use it. Many educators felt for years that there weren't enough XSI
> > > > shops out there. Ok - yet we hear from clients all the time that they
> > > > need people. (like this thread). PLUS new accounts want to use XSI, but
> > > > are concerned about having a pool of trained users out there.
> > > >
> > > > So after the v 6 DVD, the next step was to build material to offer
> > > > schools & trainers an opportunity to train their staff, as well as have
> > > > comprehensive material for internal training programs for our new and
> > > > existing clients who have expressed the need for this type of material
> > > > to our sales teams.
> > > >
> > > > Soooo.. we have just spent the last few months working with a very
> > > > talented XSI artist and trainer to develop professional-level XSI
> > > > training material.
> > > >
> > > > Yesterday, I received a drive with 45 GIGS totaling over 37 hours of
> > > > training, complete with scene files, scripts, mocap data, etc. A couple
> > > > of my colleagues here who have started to dig into it here keep
> > > > emailing
> > > > me.. "wow, I didn't know that..."
> > > >
> > > > This is not curriculum, rather it is an intense set of tutorials for
> > > > the
> > > > professional 3D user to be able to transition to XSI and become
> > > > familiar
> > > > and comfortable with what the software has to offer. In addition to
> > > > nearly 40 hours of videos, we also have written outlines to go with
> > > > each
> > > > module of the material. This is to help emerging markets build their
> > > > own
> > > > localized training material. It's a full featured "Train the Trainer /
> > > > Train the Professional" program focused to help expand our market, your
> > > > studios and our partners' business.
> > > >
> > > > We are actually taking the material on the road in Asia to train
> > > > artists
> > > > and schools in Seoul and Shanghai and then Mumbai, and will be looking
> > > > at training events in key markets like NYC and Soho at a later date.
> > > >
> > > > Now I have to figure out the packaging and recompression of 45 GIGS.
> > > >
> > > > Oh - and if our trainer wants to reveal himself to the list, be my
> > > > guest. :)
> > > >
> > > > The training material roll out will come very soon - its my HIGHEST
> > > > priority following SIGGRAPH.
> > > >
> > > > jen
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM [mailto:owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM] On
> > > > Behalf
> > > > Of takita
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 4:10 PM
> > > > To: XSI(at)Softimage.COM
> > > > Subject: Re: Industry needs more xsi artists!
> > > >
> > > > Kris Rivel wrote:
> > > > > For most places...they don't want to fix what isn't broken.  They may
> > > > > or may not know that there are superior tools out there but the
> > > > bottom
> > > >
> > > > > line is that they are there to make money.  Their current pipeline
> > > > > works and they won't change it unless something can significantly
> > > > save
> > > >
> > > > > them money in production costs.  Hopefully, with Softimage's new
> > > > > pricing scheme and possibly Moondust, things will change.  If you can
> > > > > break it down and show just how much time and money you can save with
> > > > > software A vs. software B, then the superiors might consider it, even
> > > > > if it does mean re-training some of their team.
> > > >
> > > > Not to bring up an old dead horse but you have to figure in the student
> > > > factor in to it, and as of late and most schools are still very heavily
> > > > biased towards Maya.  Yet the same as in the production houses, those
> > > > are large and difficult ships to turn around.
> > > >
> > > > Don't forget also that the biggest expenditure for any production goes
> > > > toward salaries, so it makes sense that management may regard the
> > > > student pool as a potential resource to be tapped and where potential
> > > > savings can be made.
> > > >
> > > > -T
> > > >
> > > > ---
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> --
>
>
> Nicolas Langlois
> Senior/Lead Rigger/TD
> Buzz Image
>
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