Softimage 3D: Difference between revisions
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==Features== |
==Features== |
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The Softimage|3D feature set was divided |
The Softimage|3D feature set was divided between five menu sets: Model, Motion, Actor, Matter and Tools, each corresponding to a different part of the 3D production process:<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.erimez.com/misc/Softimage/Softimage3D_Brochure.pdf | title = On Powerful Wings, Imagination Soars | publisher = [[Microsoft]] | type = brochure | year = 1996}}.</ref> |
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[[Image:Softimage Creative Environment 2.66 - Render Dialogue.png|thumb|left|Softimage Creative Environment 2.66 - Matter module with Render Setup dialogue box]] |
[[Image:Softimage Creative Environment 2.66 - Render Dialogue.png|thumb|left|Softimage Creative Environment 2.66 - Matter module with Render Setup dialogue box]] |
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'''Model:''' Tools for |
'''Model:''' Tools for creating spline, polygon, patch, and [[NURBS]] primitives (later releases also included [[Metaballs]]). Boolean operations, extrusions, revolves, and bevels, as well as lattice deformations and relational modeling tools. [[Subdivision surface]] modeling was available via a third-party plugin from Phoenix Tools called MetaMesh. |
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'''Motion:''' Animation of objects and parameters via keyframes, constraints, mathematical expressions, paths, and function curves. Animatable cluster and lattice deformations. |
'''Motion:''' Animation of objects and parameters via keyframes, constraints, mathematical expressions, paths, and function curves. Animatable cluster and lattice deformations. Motion capture through a variety of input devices. |
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'''Actor:''' Rigging and |
'''Actor:''' Rigging and animation of digital characters using skeletons, as well as dynamics tools for physics simulations of object interactions. Included [[inverse kinematics]] and weighted / rigid skinning. |
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'''Matter:''' |
'''Matter:''' Creation of materials and rendering images for output. Standard features included 2D and 3D textures, field rendering, fog, motion blur, and raytracing. |
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'''Tools:''' Utilities for viewing, editing, and compositing rendered image sequences and importing/exporting |
'''Tools:''' Utilities for viewing, editing, and compositing rendered image sequences, color reduction, and importing/exporting images and 3D geometry. |
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==Credits== |
==Credits== |
Revision as of 18:18, 20 November 2019
Developer(s) | Softimage, Co. |
---|---|
Initial release | 1988 |
Stable release | 4.0
/ August 2001 |
Operating system | Windows NT, IRIX |
Type | 3D computer graphics |
License | Proprietary |
Website | softimage |
Softimage|3D is a discontinued high-end 3D graphics application developed by Softimage, Co., which was used predominantly in the film, broadcasting, gaming, and advertising industries for the production of 3D animation. It was superseded by Softimage XSI in 2000.
History
In 1986, the National Film Board of Canada filmmaker Daniel Langlois, in partnership with software engineers Richard Mercille and Laurent Lauzon, began developing an integrated 3D modeling, animation, and rendering package with a graphical interface suited for visual artists. The software was initially demonstrated at SIGGRAPH in 1988 and was released for Silicon Graphics workstations as the Softimage Creative Environment™.[1] Its character animation tools expanded substantially with the addition of inverse kinematics in the second release, which was used to animate the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.[2]
Softimage Creative Environment was adopted by major visual effects studios like Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain for use in their production pipelines, which also typically included software from Alias Research, Kroyer Films, Angel Studios and Pixar Animation Studios Inc. as well as a variety of custom tools. In 1994, Microsoft acquired Softimage, Co. with the intention of bringing high-end 3D animation software to its burgeoning Windows NT platform, and subsequently rechristened it "Softimage|3D."[3] In January 1995, Softimage|3D was announced as the official 3D development tool for the Sega Saturn.[4]
The first Windows port of Softimage|3D, version 3.0, was released in early 1996.[5] Softimage|3D Extreme 3.5, released later that year, included particle effects and the mental ray renderer, which offered area lights, ray tracing, and other advanced features.[6] 3D paint functionality was added a year later in version 3.7.[7]
In the late 1990s, Softimage Co. began developing a successor to Softimage|3D codenamed "Sumatra," which was designed with a more modern and extensible architecture to compete with other major packages like Alias|Wavefront's Maya.[8] Development was delayed during a 1998 acquisition by Avid Technology, and in the summer of 2000 Softimage|3D's successor was finally released as Softimage XSI.[9][10] Because of Softimage|3D's entrenched user base, minor revisions continued until the final version of Softimage|3D, version 4.0, was released in 2002.[11]
Release history
Version | Platform | Release date | Price | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Softimage Creative Environment 1.0 | SGI | Jan 1989 | - | Beta debuted at Siggraph '88, v1.0 commercial release in 1989[12] |
Softimage Creative Environment 1.65 | 1989 | - | Added texture mapping | |
Softimage Creative Environment 2.0 | 1991 | $30,000 | Introduced Actor module, IK, constraints, deformation lattices | |
Softimage Creative Environment 2.6 | 1993 | - | Added clusters, weighted envelopes. Used in Jurassic Park[13] | |
Softimage 3D 3.0 | SGI / WinNT | Jan 1996 | $7,995 | First Windows release |
Softimage 3D 3.5 | May 1996 | $7,995, $13,995 (Extreme) | Introduced Extreme edition (particles, metaballs, mental ray) | |
Softimage 3D 3.7 | Apr 1997 | $7,995, $13,995 (Extreme) | Added 3D paint, NURBS surface blending | |
Softimage 3D 3.8 | Apr 1998 | $4,995 | Added animation sequencer, polygon/color reduction tools | |
Softimage 3D 3.9 | Mar 2000 | $1,995, $3,995 (Extreme) | Improved envelope weighting, updated GUI | |
Softimage 3D 4.0 | May 2002 | $1,495, $2,495 (Extreme) | Added multi-UV texturing, vertex colors. Final release |
Features
The Softimage|3D feature set was divided between five menu sets: Model, Motion, Actor, Matter and Tools, each corresponding to a different part of the 3D production process:[14]
Model: Tools for creating spline, polygon, patch, and NURBS primitives (later releases also included Metaballs). Boolean operations, extrusions, revolves, and bevels, as well as lattice deformations and relational modeling tools. Subdivision surface modeling was available via a third-party plugin from Phoenix Tools called MetaMesh.
Motion: Animation of objects and parameters via keyframes, constraints, mathematical expressions, paths, and function curves. Animatable cluster and lattice deformations. Motion capture through a variety of input devices.
Actor: Rigging and animation of digital characters using skeletons, as well as dynamics tools for physics simulations of object interactions. Included inverse kinematics and weighted / rigid skinning.
Matter: Creation of materials and rendering images for output. Standard features included 2D and 3D textures, field rendering, fog, motion blur, and raytracing.
Tools: Utilities for viewing, editing, and compositing rendered image sequences, color reduction, and importing/exporting images and 3D geometry.
Credits
Feature Films
- 1988: Akira, Oliver & Company, My Neighbor Totoro, Technological Threat, Tin Toy
- 1989: All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Abyss, The Little Mermaid, Knick Knack, Kiki's Delivery Service, Cranium Command, Back to the Future Part II, Ghostbusters II, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- 1990: The Rescuers Down Under, Jetsons: The Movie, Predator 2, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Back to the Future Part III, Total Recall
- 1991: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Beauty and the Beast, Rock-a-Doodle, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Rover Dangerfield, Muppet*Vision 3D
- 1992: Aladdin, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Porco Rosso, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Bebe's Kids, Off His Rockers, The Lawnmower Man, Sleepwalkers, Alien 3
- 1993: Jurassic Park, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Once Upon A Forest, Hocus Pocus
- 1994: The Mask, The Lion King, The Swan Princess, Asterix in America, A Troll in Central Park, Felidae, Forrest Gump, Thumbelina, Pom Poko, The Pagemaster, Stargate
- 1995: Balto, Casper, Jumanji, Pocahontas, La Cite des Enfants Perdus, The Pebble and the Penguin, Whisper of the Heart, Aaron's Magic Village, Toy Story, A Goofy Movie, Village of the Damned
- 1996: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Space Jam, James and the Giant Peach, Beavis and Butt-head Do America, Muppet Treasure Island, Hugo the Movie Star
- 1997: Hercules, Anastasia, Princess Mononoke, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Titanic, Cats Don't Dance, Men in Black, The Fearless Four, The Fifth Element, Flubber, Geri's Game, Starship Troopers[15]
- 1998: Mulan, Quest for Camelot, Godzilla,[16] The Prince of Egypt, The Rugrats Movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, Antz, Armageddon, Blade, A Bug's Life, Small Soldiers, It's Tough to Be a Bug!
- 1999: The Matrix,[17] The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Tarzan, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Iron Giant, The Nuttiest Nutcracker, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, Pokémon: The Movie 2000, The King and I, Toy Story 2, Fantasia 2000
- 2000: The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, Pokémon 3: The Movie, Titan A.E., The Emperor's New Groove, Help! I'm a Fish, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, Dinosaur, An Extremely Goofy Movie
- 2001: Aida of the Trees, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Jurassic Park III, Spirited Away, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Celebi: Voice of the Forest, The Trumpet of the Swan, Barbie in the Nutcracker, The Happy Cricket, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Monsters, Inc., Shrek
- 2002: Lilo & Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Treasure Planet, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias, Hey Arnold!: The Movie, The Cat Returns, Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, Barbie as Rapunzel, Santa vs. the Snowman 3D, Ice Age, Eight Crazy Nights, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Men In Black II
- 2003: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Finding Nemo, Barbie of Swan Lake, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Brother Bear, Rugrats Go Wild, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions
Television
- Hello! Lady Lynn
- Ranma ½
- Sally the Witch
- The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
- Sailor Moon
- Floral Magician Mary Bell
- The Moxy Show
- Hilbur & Co
- ReBoot
- Jim Henson's Animal Show
- Liquid Television
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- South Park
- Spider-Man
- The Legend of Snow White
- Wedding Peach
- The Story of Cinderella
- Cutie Honey Flash
- Yume no Crayon Oukoku
- Teletubbies
- Sesame Street
- The VeggieTales Show
- Wheel 2000
- Pokémon
- Rolie Polie Olie
- Jay Jay the Jet Plane
- Macaroni Tout Garni
- Himitsu no Akko-chan
- Fancy Lala
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Ojamajo Doremi
- Teletoon Advance
- One Piece
- Di Gi Charat
- Love Hina
- Hamtaro
- Super GALS!
- Prétear
- Galaxy Angel
- TopCat Live!
- Molly, Star-Racer
- Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat
- Tokyo Mew Mew
- Les Vacances de Piwi!
- Princess Tutu
- Naruto
- Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart
- Dessine avec Piwi!
- The World of Narue
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
- Di Gi Charat Nyo!
- Sonic X
- Saiyuki Reload
- Barbie TV commercials
- My Little Pony G2 TV commercials
- Fisher-Price TV commercials
- Disney Princess TV commercials
- Toys "R" Us TV commercials
- Play-Doh TV commercials
- My Little Pony G3 TV commercials
- The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
- Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?
- Playhouse Disney TV station IDs
- Nick Jr. TV station IDs
- PTV (PBS) TV station IDs
- Télétoon TV station IDs
- Rede Globo TV station IDs
- SBT TV station IDs
- Rede Manchete TV station IDs
- Rede Bandeirantes TV station IDs
- RecordTV TV station IDs
- Piwi TV station IDs
- Toonami TV station IDs
- Beast Wars: Transformers
- Beast Machines: Transformers
- Futurama
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast
- Star Wars: Clone Wars
- Time Team
- Digimon Adventure
- Digimon Adventure 02
- Digimon Tamers
- Digimon Frontier
Games
- Virtua Fighter[18]
- Wipeout
- Resident Evil
- Resident Evil 2
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
- Daytona USA[18]
- Ecco: The Tides of Time
- Shining Wisdom[19]
- Star Wars: Dark Forces
- Star Wars Arcade
- Super Mario 64[20]
- Wave Race 64[21]
- Sailor Moon Super S
- Mario Kart 64
- Super Mario RPG
- Crash Bandicoot
- Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
- Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
- Crash Team Racing
- Spyro the Dragon
- Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
- Spyro: Year of the Dragon
- Nights Into Dreams...
- PaRappa the Rapper
- 3D Movie Maker
- Crazy Taxi
- Dark Cloud
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape
- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
- Shadow of Memories[22]
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3
- Sonic & Knuckles
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Sonic the Fighters
- Sonic Jam
- Sonic R
- Sonic Adventure
- Sonic Adventure 2
- Sonic Heroes
- Yoshi's Island
- Yoshi's Story
- Bomberman 64
- Bomberman Hero
- Bomberman 64: The Second Attack
- Star Fox 64
- Casper
- Wing Commander 3
- Wing Commander 4
- Final Fantasy VII
- Riven[23]
- Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!?
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Um Jammer Lammy
- Claw
- Conker's Bad Fur Day
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro
- Mario Party
- Mario Party 2
- Mario Party 3
- Mario Party 4
- Mario Party 5
- Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
- Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
- Animal Crossing
- The Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction
- Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
- Ratchet & Clank
- Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
- The Mark of Kri
- No One Lives Forever
- Silent Hill
- Silent Hill 2
- Silent Hill 3
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
- Donkey Kong 64
- Bloody Roar
- Bloody Roar 2
- Bloody Roar 3
- Bloody Roar Extreme
- Bloody Roar 4
- Digimon World
- Digimon World 2
- Digimon World 3
- Dino Crisis
- Dino Crisis 2
- Dino Stalker
- Dino Crisis 3
- Killer Instinct
- Dance Dance Revolution (1998-2002)
- Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers
- Kingdom Hearts
- Pac-Man World
- Pac-Man World 2
- Pikmin
Direct-to-video
- VeggieTales (1993-1999)
References
- ^ Softimage: 16 Years of Leadership and Innovation, Softimage, archived from the original on 2002-10-15.
- ^ 3D Software Reviews: Softimage, Jeremy Birn.
- ^ "An Acquisition by Microsoft", The New York Times, Feb 15, 1994.
- ^ "Sega and Sony Announced their 32-Bit Systems for the U.S.". Electronic Gaming Monthly (68). Ziff Davis: 89. March 1995.
- ^ Microsoft Delivers High-End 3-D Animation Software for Microsoft Windows NT (press release), Microsoft, Jan 16, 1996, archived from the original on 2011-12-29, retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ^ Microsoft Introduces Major Upgrade to Softimage 3D (press release), Microsoft, May 16, 1996.
- ^ Softimage 3D Version 3.7 for Windows NT and IRIX Platforms Now Shipping (press release), Microsoft, Apr 7, 1997, archived from the original on 2009-05-02, retrieved 2007-10-13
- ^ Softimage's Next-Generation 3D System, SUMATRA, Introduces Non-Linear Animation (press release), 1999
- ^ The Long and Lonely Death of Softimage, DigitalArts
- ^ "Softimage Co. Announces First Customer Shipment of SOFTIMAGE/XSI Version 1.0; Softimage Grants 17,000 Licenses of Next-Generation 3-D Animation Software", Business Wire, Find articles, May 30, 2000.
- ^ Softimage Slashes 3D price, Broadcast now, Jun 12, 2002
- ^ Helen Shortal (Apr 1992), Private Revolution: SOFTIMAGE Animation Software Breaks New Ground
- ^ Remembering Softimage, fxguide, Mar 4, 2014
- ^ On Powerful Wings, Imagination Soars (PDF) (brochure), Microsoft, 1996.
- ^ "Softimage 3D Used in All Three Motion Pictures Nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects". press release. Microsoft. February 11, 1997. Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ "2006 Siggraph Softimage Demo".
- ^ George Borshukov. "Manix Shines in "The Matrix"".
- ^ a b "Saturn Aims for SoftImage". GamePro. No. 79. IDG. April 1995. p. 147.
- ^ "Shining Wisdom". Next Generation (11). Imagine Media: 157. November 1995.
- ^ Softimage Used by Game Developers to Create Award-Winning Games (press release), Microsoft, April 28, 1997.
- ^ "Tidbits...". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 96. Ziff Davis. July 1997. p. 26.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20010303171749/http://eg.nttpub.co.jp/news/20010126_02_03w.html, archived from the original on 2001-03-03
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(help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Frequently Asked Questions", Myst and Riven Illustrated.
External links
- Softimage (official website).
- Softimage – 3D Interactive Interface (tutorial), Thomas Steffen Noerregaard Olesen.
- Softimage (user's site and archive), USA: UIUC.
- Softimage – 3D Tutorials, DE: Uni Düßeldorf.
- 3D tutorials, Ed Harriss.
- 3D Software Reviews: Softimage, Jeremy Birn.
- "3-D Animation Blossoms on NT", Byte.
- Carlson, "Lesson 8", A Critical History of Computer Graphics and Animation, USA: OSU, archived from the original on 2014-06-18, retrieved 2007-10-13.
- The Long and Lonely Death of Softimage, DigitalArts.