Hi Eugen - thanks for the feedback. Creation is a framework for building tools, it is not an application like Softimage or Maya. Modules like Flora are extensions to the framework, they are not complete applications. We provide the functionality to enable a TD, TA or programmer to build custom, high-performance tools. The point of Flora is not to cover everything you describe out of the box. We could build that, but we'd charge over $5k per license and have to introduce a pretty tightly defined workflow.
What Flora provides is the building blocks for building your own, highly specialized, vegetation tool quickly and easily. Simply put - if I asked ten people for their ideal vegetation tool, I'd be amazed to see agreement between even two of them (beyond a magic 'make a tree' button that reads your mind!). What we seek to do is provide the 80% of functionality that is generically valuable, along with open access to our code and PyQt hooks so that the last 20% is not painful to develop. The last 20% is where all the differences occur - not in the 'it needs to be high-performance', 'it needs to be cross platform', 'it needs to be procedural' layers. Now, a 3rd party developer may come to us and say they want to build the tool you describe below - our technology enables them to be high-performance, cross-platform and fully integrated into Softimage, Maya, Arnold (and more as we/others add to the list). This allows them to concentrate on specific functionality related to the problems they wish to solve with their tool. This tool may completely different goals to the vegetation tool that a studio wants to build with Flora. The workflow provided is not considered as definitive, it's considered as a sample, because we don't believe there is a generic workflow that covers every requirement. Thanks again for the comments, Paul On 30 January 2013 13:32, Eugen Sares <softim...@keyvis.at> wrote: > Hi Paul, > what to expect from the ideal plant system: > > - being able to choose from a vast range of existing plants presets. > > - no import/export hassle of huge meshes. Everything is generated > on-the-fly in the host app (XSI). > > - edit/adapt procedurally in XSI to be able to manufacture plants exactly > to fit the scene/geometry, with realtime feedback during everything. > Do I understand this right: Flora a standalone-app built with creation > platform, and also a plugin embedded into XSI? > > - growth animation/dynamics/fracturing/collisions etc. are not 100% my > party, but who knows, and it sure might be for others. > > - save presets for later use or for others, maybe also cross-platform, > because the pool of artists creating more plants would be greater. > > There's no option yet for XSI fulfilling all of this. > T-Gen is pretty much the only decent plant system plugin for XSI (some ICE > experiments aside), but as I mentioned, it lacks a good library. > XFrog e.g. comes with a plugin for Maya and Cinema4d, not for Softimage. > It has a standalone app, too, but that is old and terrible. > Onyx has those weird standalone-apps the plant preset files are generated > with and then imported in e.g. 3ds max, where some minor tweaking is > possible. > Those two companies also provide plant presets as part of their business. > I understand if you don't want to do that yourself, but it would be highly > desirable then to have some 3rd party do the job. > There are other systems, but none of them is no-nonsense... > > Flora seems to be the next candidate... > Best, > Eugen > > > > Am 30.01.2013 17:25, schrieb Paul Doyle: > > Hi Eugen - thanks for the feedback. At this stage we do not have plans to > provide plant libraries with Flora. It should be noted that the trees in > the demo videos were purchased from TurboSquid and then used to create the > pieces for procedural generation. As for importing - if you have purchased > an asset I assume you have the rights to use it in other applications. If > so, then as long as it's in a common format like obj then it will be fine > (that's how we got the turboquid trees in). > > The goal of the module is to make it easy to procedurally generate, > tweak/edit, simulate and render trees - the authoring of the original plant > pieces is something we leave to artists. I actually think it's non-ideal > that each system comes with it's own library - surely the ideal model is > one that will work with any asset you want to use? We literally browsed > TurboSquid, picked a few trees that were interesting, bought/downloaded > them and used them in the demos the next day. > > The other key element here is that the whole system is open - a TD can dig > into the code and adapt any part of the system to project requirements. > Over time we may see some of this customer effort merged into the main > Flora codebase. > > Thanks, > > Paul > > On 30 January 2013 06:07, Eugen Sares <softim...@keyvis.at> wrote: > >> Hi, >> Flora... *like* >> Plant generation for Softimage was always less than ideal... hopefully >> this is going to change now once and for all! >> >> Please allow me some positive critics: the plants in the demo do not look >> too convincing yet. I know it's early... >> Don't forget: any decent plant generator needs a decent plant library. >> Any plans? Even botanically "correct"? I think this is an important point. >> Might depend on your target audience... if it's the bigger studios, there >> might be more time and money to create whatever is needed, but freelancers >> (like me) mostly need something ootb quickly, and might not have time to >> start from scratch (tried...). Of course being able to create new plants, >> adapt existing ones and simulate them is also key. >> >> Did you think about an importer for, say, greenworks XFrog or Onyx Trees? >> Is this technically and legally feasible? >> This would be a real "killer" feature, since there are no decent SI >> import plugins for those confessedly old but extensive and nice libraries, >> and it might help pick up the pace quickly. >> >> There's T-Gen as well, as you know, but development stalled years ago. I >> wonder why. Maybe also because of the lack of a good library? >> >> >> Your change of business model I think makes much sense. Includes a >> broader audience of clients now, not just the coding-savvy. >> Best wishes and much success!! >> Eugen >> >> >> Am 30.01.2013 11:07, schrieb Dan Yargici: >> >> Sounds great! Seems like a way more sensible way of doing things to me! >> >> DAN >> >> >> On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 4:54 AM, Leonard Koch >> <leonardkoch...@gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> That looks like a good model. >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 3:41 AM, Nick Angus <n...@altvfx.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Genius… >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> *From:* softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto: >>>> softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com] *On Behalf Of *Paul Doyle >>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, 30 January 2013 4:09 AM >>>> *To:* softimage@listproc.autodesk.com >>>> *Subject:* Introducing Creation: Flora (and a business model shift) >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Hi everyone - I'm pleased to share some news with you. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> *Creation: Flora* >>>> >>>> We've been working on a new vegetation system that we think you'll like >>>> - we call it Creation: Flora. The system covers procedural generation of >>>> vegetation (trees, grass, ferns, bushes, flowers etc), editing once >>>> generated, simulation/animation, is integrated to Maya and Softimage, and >>>> is integrated with Arnold for rendering. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Demo trailer: https://vimeo.com/groups/fabric/videos/58470126 >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> More information: http://fabricengine.com/creation/flora/ >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> This system will be made available as a separate module, which brings >>>> me onto the second part of this - business model changes. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> *Creation and Creation Modules* >>>> >>>> The short version: we're selling the core platform at $250 per seat, >>>> per year ($750 to purchase outright). We're selling modules separately for >>>> things like vegetation, crowds, hair and other 'niche' systems. >>>> >>>> Long version that explains why we're doing it: >>>> http://fabricengine.com/2013/01/creation-and-creation-modules/ >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Paul >>>> >>>> CEO at Fabric Engine Inc >>>> >>> >>> >> >> > >
