Will there ever be just one "Super Program"?
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I've been reading up on the new features in Zbrush 3.5, and have looked through the never ending debates on which modeling programs to use, and I always wonder if it will ever get to a point where one program will incorporate everything an artist needs. (Modeling, sculpting, unwrapping, texturing, animating, lighting, etc.)
So what do you guys think? Will it ever reach the point where there will be one end-all be-all program that will be used by pretty much everyone? Or is this just a dumb question.
So what do you guys think? Will it ever reach the point where there will be one end-all be-all program that will be used by pretty much everyone? Or is this just a dumb question.
Replies
I'd kill someone if I had to animate in ZBrush. Same goes for lighting.
Autodesk Legion
No, no. That's the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.
Also, to answer the original question:
God, I hope not. Competition breeds innovation. Companies that aren't forced to innovate produce shitty products and tools. Shitty products and tools bring down the level of work that's possible in their given area.
I think that Autodesk is already on the verge of monopolizing the 3D modeling and animation market and that's why I'm glad that companies like Pixologic are making strides in new ways we can interact with software and 3D models.
Sorry, I'm a fucker then. I prefer alt+mmb click to frame up. Customization is the key to happiness. App makers who can't provide enough of that can drink my booty sweat (/hands autodesk a big ol can of it).
Blender has no photo editing features that are like photoshop if any what so ever and not everyone can afford Max and Maya, we just have to make do...
haha, really? I haven't used Blender since high school. And even then I modeled using boxes and spheres, ha. So I apologize for any ignorance on my part, it wasn't intentional.
is blender any good now? I thought it was cursed like all other open source projects with a development team and userbase that has no idea about what professional level software requires?
People like their Pepsi/Coke arguments too much in this industry.
Anyway, as for one piece of master software, I doubt it. Even if only because a lot of people are pretty reluctant to actually switch software.
small size people.
Wait, what package is that? That's not the default in modo, xsi, max, maya or silo.
No no It's twenty fu-kin three!
I think zbrush is in the lead as far as all in one's go, at least when the new updates come out.
http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/core/
Looks like an app for modelers. Apparently the interface is designed with some Nokia OS? Supports CSS options and is fully customizable, things like that. I haven't read all of the crap on it yet.
I felt like I was using the operating controls of the large hadron collider.
but yes, bug free programs first plz.
But I couldnt hesitate of asking for a Software that would have the controls and workflow of Maya, the modeling pleasure of Silo, the amazing features in Zbrush, the easy to do Topogun, the viewport and windows of XSI in just ONE. Of course, impossible
Again there is no motivation for anyone to put in that level of work.
I'd settle for each app being configurable to each others control scheme and universal features enforced.
http://www.vimeo.com/3365942
The reason why some of the guys here keep mentioning Blender, is because you can do everything you just described in Blender, right now. Build your low-poly mesh, sculpt it out into a high-res mesh, unwrap your original low res mesh, create a texture, paint on that texture by painting directly to the 3D model in the 3D viewport, or just switch to image mode and paint directly on the texture, with the changes reflected in the 3D viewport. You can even render out your tangent normal map, and then apply it to your model for rendering. Hell, you can even rig and animate your model, and use it in Blender's built-in game engine. It even supports your wacom. Right now.
Now, the reason why it hasn't become a "super program" that everyone uses is because the program is simply not for everybody. This is why no "super program" has ever really emerged. There will always be dissenting opinions on usability, style, etc... Simply having a kick-ass feature set is not enough.
It also seems like Blender puts features in long after they've been pioneered? Kind of hard to woo an audience away from their apps of choice when you show up late to the pot luck, don't bring anything new and double dip.
So yes, it can be used as a painting program. But it doesn't have the layers or filters most people expect from a a painting program, so most people don't use it for that. If they wanted to make its painting features comparable to the GIMP or Photoshop, they would have to spend years focusing on just that feature, and all of the other features would be put on hold. That isn't the direction that Blender community wants the program to go in, so they don't.
Blender isn't a commercial application, so it isn't really trying to woo anyone away. As long as they get a decent amount of donations every year, they don't give a damn what kind of sales or userbase other programs have. They don't sell the program, so they aren't really competing with commercial applications.
I guess its the made by commity mentality, any idea to wild or unique is shouted down and normalized by the many voices.
Elephant's Dream added "several new features such as an integrated node-based compositor, hair and fur rendering, rewritten animation system and render pipeline, and many workflow tweaks and upgrades were added into Blender especially for the project..
Big Buck Bunny added "Improvements in hair and fur rendering, the particle system, UV mapping, shading, the render pipeline, constraints, and skinning. Also introduced during the project was approximate ambient occlusion."
Durian, which is currently in production, is planned to improve particles and effects and increase the efficiency of sculpting.
This keeping in touch with the artists also allows the developers to find out what isn't working. There used to be a seperate Face Mode in the 3D window, for unwrapping use, but it was later merged with Edit Mode out of redundancy. Meanwhile, half of you guys are still stuck with a useless Edit Mesh. More impressively, 2.5 will be a complete recode to speed the whole thing up, make the UI more customisable, to add custom hotkeys (very custom! Maya and Max can't compete, from what I've seen so far) and easier scripting, as well as a ton of other features.
On top of that, it's very stable and bug-free. 2.49b just got released the other day, full of bug-fixes for problems nobody even ever had. I've only once found a real bug that I could replicate, but my version wasn't up-to-date and it had been fixed in the newer one.
If you're looking for software that adds halfassed stuff at random and then never looks back, you're more likely to find its authors in San Rafael, California than in Amsterdam.
Which isn't saying that Blender is the end-all-be-all software. It's hard to put a single quality label on it; sculpting and 3D painting aren't up to the levels of dedicated applications and its mesh editing tools are getting outdated. On the other hand, it has some fancy UV mapping tools (it introduced LSCM) and its Modifiers may be better implemented than Max's. It's not quite up there yet, but for every step that Autodesk's software makes, Blender takes a leap.
I only make that assumption through general obsevations(maybe they are flawed), it need not even be a bad thing. Zbrush has a unique peculiar interface which turns off some new users from it. Blenders interface was not a product of design, but now it appears they are normallziing it to fit with a common image.
Its good software with solid functionality but I've seen peoples voices squashed when their idea does not fit with the commity's view. Which depending on the idea may be a good or bad thing.
What aesir described is basically what I meant by a "super program". But just to clear things up, I'm not for or against the idea. I was just was curious how everyone else felt about the idea. And it wasn't really a "should they or shouldn't they make a program like this", but rather, will it ever happen?
I was thinking of this because I was watching the Zbrush 3.5 videos and saw all the new hard surface modeling tools, which blew my mind. Up until now I have been devoted to 3ds Max when it comes to hard surface, but now I may have to rethink that.
So uhhh...you just keep those cans on hand at all times then?