Andy Shafran, svp of Thomson, says, “We are a big believer in a revolution that’s happening in the way animation is developed, and the way professionals are trained. There is a constant acceleration in the software development world. There’s also a real opportunity to migrate over to new tools and current generations of tools. Two years ago, we started publishing a series of books for animation, our ‘Inspired series,’ geared towards professionals and aspiring professionals. Our partnership with Softimage is the natural extension of the resounding success our animation books have had. Experience XSI 4 will explain how to effectively use XSI to create compelling and lifelike characters across disciplines — whether in gaming, animation, feature film or simulation software.”

Learning communities share a strong belief in the direction of the industry. Mesmer Animation Labs in Seattle has been training a variety of clients on Softimage’s software since 1994. The center offers a range of classes, books, DVDs and streaming videos to bring students, teachers and professionals up to speed on the newest technology.

XSI 4 takes a leap in technology. The innovations in this version offer an improved mental ray renderer. © 2004 Mesmer Inc. and Anthony Rossano.

Anthony Rossano, instructor and ceo of Mesmer, says, “The question is one of degree, whether it’s easier to use one tool or another. Easier frequently means there are more iterations possible; you can do the same thing over and over. Quality becomes a function of how rapidly you can iterate. That’s the distinction between a high-end tool and a low-end tool. LightWave, for instance, probably never became real big in the film business, with a few exceptions, because there’s too much of a distinction between the modeling and animation sections of the program. It made it difficult to go back and forth between the two. Maya has extremely good iteration; it’s pretty quick to go back and forth. And XSI is making things even faster. Maya has made inroads [in the industry] because it was out four years before XSI. But Softimage is the high-end tool of choice for film production.”

For complex visual effects, the mantra in the United States is often to use Alias Maya for features and Discreet 3ds max for games. However, for much of the rest of the world, including Asia and Europe, Softimage is already well established in both moviemaking and game development.

Rossano believes that the current price drop is not what is encouraging people’s interest in XSI. There is always a free learning version available, and tomorrow’s professionals are being introduced to the software through schools. Rossano says, “What really drives interest is the intangible buzz for what is being produced... what high-profile projects are being done by companies that people respect.” Knowing that XSI is used in such production houses as ILM, Valve and DreamWorks certainly goes a long way in confirming its viability.

Softimage’s Morgan concludes, “The market pressures are to the point now where artists are having to get more quality work done in a shorter period of time — for less commercial payback. Retail prices aren’t going up, so it’s really the only way out of the conundrum: high-level tools that offer the same kind of power and flexibility, but with a greater ease of use. Artists have to be able to use our software quickly, and to feel comfortable producing a good amount of work with a sense of dignity and job fulfillment. That means tools that let them focus on their creative problems. That’s the overriding goal for us. Hopefully we’re succeeding there.”

Greg Singer is an animation welfare advocate, eating in Los Angeles.