Yeah, I think Apple needs to make an announcement soon! I'm getting worried that they'll never recover their market share once everyone goes Nuke or Toxic. If they make it a Motion on steroids, they'll loose their entire current Shake market guaranteed. Motion is okay for some quick particle renders for throwing in a FCP project, it has some neat features like the Audio behaviors and such. But it's really a motion graphics app, hence the name - it's not called Composite.
I'd like for Phenomenon to utilize all 8 cores and 20 GB of RAM in my system, not just when rendering via QMaster (which keeps breaking and is useless on my system), but utilizing the full power in the program for RT effects, with GPU access too, and maybe even leveraging Nvidia's newly acquired Physx tech for use in particles, collsion, etc. I'll be very disappointed if they don't also update FCP when Snow Leopard comes out next year to a 64 bit version to use more RAM and more than 25% utilization which it seems to top out now on my octo core. I've recently gotten back into AE since CS3 was released, and man Adobe puts Apple to shame; CS3 is BLAZING on my octo-core and uses ALL 20GB, not running out of RAM like FCP which hits it's limit at 3.5 GB. Oh, while I'm at it, I should mention that Apple really needs to fix the QT gamma issues that are hindering FCP - this is a MAJOR problem when delivering digital files to clients who all use AVID.
Shake is great, I'm using it on a very heavy FX scene, but I gave up on trying to use Quicktime files of any codec since 10 bit is broken and ProRes is wonky in Shake. But it's aging and needs new features and a better interface (with scroll bars that react to the scroll wheel please).
I'd like for Phenomenon to be able to interface with PC render farms (FCP support would be great too!). We're setting up a large Deadline based render farm at work to handle rendering for 3DSMax, Maya, AE, Fusion, Particle Illusion, and it even supports Quicktime! But it offers Shake PC support, not Mac, and no Final Cut, Motion, etc. It does support Nuke and Toxik.
Apple, please throw us a bone. When Shake was EOL, didn't Apple mention that they're working on a new compositing system based on Shake tech w/ the whole Shake team devoted to it? I mean, it's not just user speculation, conjecture and rumors, correct? So just give put out a press release already to hang onto the rest of us Shake users who are now at the point of seriously considering Nuke and Toxik.
Re: Phenomenon RANT by Aaron Neitz on Jun 26, 2008 at 12:01:52 am
IMHO: Whatever Apple may (or may not) produce will probably not be able to compete with the high end compositors of today.
Rumor is that a lot of the Shake team left (like Ron going to Nuke), and the niche that high end VFX encompasses isn't really Apple's core business. They're a pro-sumer/pro level company that makes software for the same... I just don't think they have the need to chase us.
In the meantime Nuke and Fusion are being actively developed by companies who's entire world is focused on VFX and it shows in their products.... FCP, for instance, still lacks a lot of professional depth and development and sometimes seems more suited to small projects than complicated ones. Sure a lot of us have leveraged FCP and Apple video products into a very effective systems, but not without a lot of our own ingenuity, jimmy rigging, and support from the Cow.
I still love Shake, though. It is SUCH A PAIN that 10bit and QT's just don't work. You gotta convert your files into .iff sequences
Re: Phenomenon RANT by Arnie Schlissel on Jun 26, 2008 at 6:25:30 pm
[Brad Buss]"When Shake was EOL, didn't Apple mention that they're working on a new compositing system based on Shake tech w/ the whole Shake team devoted to it?"
Unless they made some mention of it in the EOL announcement, I don't think that Apple has ever made any announcements about a replacement for Shake.
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
http://www.arniepix.com/
Re: Phenomenon RANT by Aaron Neitz on Jun 27, 2008 at 8:22:58 pm
True, but I think the assumption is why would you buy out a product that was in heavy rotation in the VFX industry just to kill it?
My personal Friday Edition Opinion: Apple was totally stoked to get into high end VFX at first. But then they started to learn that high end VFX need some rather esoteric approaches and software implementation to get things done: A Motion upgrade with some extra menus would be laughed out of town. The Shake team said "Well, that's how it needs to be or you're wasting your time in VFX," Apple said "Oh... well see ya, iPhone is making us plenty of money and we don't need you."
