The results are in from CGenie’s user survey on 3d artists satisfaction with the software they use. Above is a graph of the overall satisfaction scores for each software. It’s interesting to see that Blender (the open-source 3d graphics package) consistently tops the list in most of the categories listed from new features to value. Of course some of this is not surprising considering that Blender is free. The offerings from Autodesk (namely Maya and 3ds Max) are grouped over and over at the lowest rungs of ladder. The survey results also include some choice comments from users in which the Autodesk products take quite a beating from those who toil in front of them day in and day out. Like these…
Maya: I’m forced to use this software to make a living but I resent it every minute.
and
3ds Max: A lot of the times it feels like the developers do not listen to the artists. Some tools that have been in max for ages and always had problems, they are just left as they are… Come on let’s fix the old stuff clean up the code and then move onto the new stuff.
It seems the open source model is outpacing the bloated development cycles of the big boys. It’ll be interesting to see if they can find a way to catch up.
LINK to the full survey on CGenie
Seems that the Golden State has finally wised up and started offering some of the same tax credits other states and countries have given up to movies and tv shows for years. The deal is that Cali will give back 20% of below the line costs capped at a $500 million dollar payout over the next five years. The tax credit also does not extend to films with a budget over $75 million (you heard me Stretch Armstrong:The Movie).
