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Autodesk has released news they are buying a substantial share of Softimage's business unit.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
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Autodesk has just bought Softimage!
Autodesk and Avid announced that they have signed an agreement for Autodesk to buy all of the assets of Avid’s Softimage business unit for approximately US$35 million.
CGSociety just got off the phone from Marc Stevens, general manager of Softimage, VP of AVID and Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk M & E in Montreal, in a 1-on-2 interview.
"The acquisition of the Softimage business unit has been in the pipeline for quite some time, with dialogue beginning many, many months ago," said Marc Stevens. The discussions began well before SIGGRAPH in LA. It became clear to them, and many other people, that "the two companies were developing increasingly similar packages, and that working together would be more beneficial to everyone involved. The game industry is expanding, and there is common ground to be played upon."
They also assured me that all of those products on the Softimage line will stay in development, to make sure that the team continues to give people choice. "Why not partner together and get the speed of development going," added Marc Stevens.
Both Marcs were adamant that the community would benefit from the move. The only thing that will change will be the name at the top. It is up to the community now to see what the shake-out holds for their workflow.
“Softimage has been developing state-of-the-art 3D technology for more than 20 years, and its products are recognized as best-of-breed in the entertainment industry,” said Marc Petit, “Upon the completion of this acquisition we will be adding Softimage technology and products to our portfolio, and welcoming one of the most talented teams in the industry to Autodesk M&E. Both will help us accelerate the work of our Games Technology Group, as we build the next-generation of real-time, interactive 3D authoring tools for games, film and television.”
Upon completion of the acquisition, Autodesk intends to continue developing and selling Softimage’s core product line, while integrating certain Softimage technology into future versions of Autodesk solutions and products. Autodesk plans to acquire and continue developing the following Softimage products:
* SOFTIMAGE|XSI: Including XSI Essentials, XSI Advanced, XSI Academic, XSI Mod Tool and the XSI software development kit. XSI is production-proven 3D animation software for games, film and television. It offers a complete 3D modeling, animation, rendering and development environment for visual effects and custom tools. * SOFTIMAGE|Face Robot: A complete software solution for easily rigging and animating 3D faces. Face Robot enables studios to create life-like facial animation at incredible speeds. * SOFTIMAGE|Cat: This advanced character animation system is a plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max software. It is intended to be integrated into the 3ds Max product line. * SOFTIMAGE|Crosswalk: This interoperability solution is intended to be integrated with Autodesk’s own interoperability technology.
Petit commented: “As we have demonstrated since the acquisition of Alias in 2006, we’re committed to giving our customers choice when it comes to their 3D tools. We plan to maintain and grow the Softimage product line, and through Autodesk FBX provide better interoperability between Softimage products, 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya. FBX also provides interoperability between Softimage products and our specialized applications such as Autodesk Mudbox, Autodesk MotionBuilder, Autodesk ImageModeler and Autodesk Stitcher, as well as numerous third-party applications.”
Petit concluded: “At Autodesk, we care deeply about 3D technology; we know users invest a lot of time and energy into mastering their favorite 3D product. To all 3D artists out there, I want to tell you that we understand your passion for the creative tools you use daily, and that with Autodesk, you can choose your passion.”
Softimage was founded in 1986 by Daniel Langlois and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Softimage develops 3D technology for the film, television and games markets. Its flagship product is SOFTIMAGE|XSI, an extensible 3D animation software solution used by leading media and entertainment companies, including Digital Domain, Ubisoft, SEGA Corporation, CAPCOM, Animal Logic and The Mill. Autodesk Media & Entertainment provides animation, visual effects, editing/finishing and color grading solutions for the 3D market, including entertainment and design industries.
Kudos to Bob Bennett for the early morning news tip!
