Re: So long, Toxik. by Kenneth La Rue on Aug 11, 2009 at 8:32:35 pm
I just want to point out that the name Toxik may be going away but the technology that was Toxik is now part of Maya 2010. And that technology could be put in other applications owned by Autodesk.
Re: So long, Toxik. by Alan Okey on Aug 11, 2009 at 11:36:25 pm
[Kenneth La Rue]"I just want to point out that the name Toxik may be going away but the technology that was Toxik is now part of Maya 2010. And that technology could be put in other applications owned by Autodesk."
Ken, I only hope that this doesn't signal Autodesk's exit form the standalone desktop compositing market. It would sadden me to see the great tools found in Combustion and Toxik become only available in a bundled product.
In any case, I know that many others agree with me when I say that your outstanding training videos have been a great source of information and inspiration to us all. I hope we can continue to benefit from your experience and insight. Thank you.
Re: So long, Toxik. by Kenneth La Rue on Aug 14, 2009 at 6:03:24 pm
Alan,
I have heard already that Autodesk is killing Toxik but that is not true only the name. I understand why people might think that and the only way we, Autodesk can prove we are not killing the technology is to continue to develop it and add the features that users are requesting and that is what we are doing. I'm working directly with the development team on new tools and features. In fact I'm not even part of sales anymore I am part of the development team.
While Toxik is no longer sold as a standalone product anyone can still by it. If you want to use the technology that was Toxik buy a seat of Maya. It is the same price as what Toxik 2009 was. But now for $3500.00 (US) you get Maya Composite plus Maya 2010 and MatchMover 2010. And there is only one version of Maya now, no more “Complete” and “Unlimited”. You get the full package of Maya which used to cost $5000.00. I know the 3ds max users are saying what about me. All I can say is you need to trust the fact that Autodesk IS listening to its clients.
BTW The Street Productions, Inc will have Maya Composite training DVDs for sale within the month.
Re: So long, Toxik. by Alan Okey on Aug 14, 2009 at 6:54:46 pm
[Kenneth La Rue]"You get the full package of Maya which used to cost $5000.00. I know the 3ds max users are saying what about me. All I can say is you need to trust the fact that Autodesk IS listening to its clients. "
Ken, it's good to know that the Toxik user base won't be abandoned. What about Combustion? Toxik has some great compositing tools and an amazing UI, but it unfortunately lacks some of Combustion's video-oriented tools that I need for my work. If Maya Composite were to inherit Combustion's frame buffer support and excellent text operator, it would be a great upgrade for me as a Combustion replacement.
If Autodesk decides to retire Combustion, I hope they realize that many loyal Combustion users would seriously consider upgrading to Maya Composite if only it incorporated Combustion's tools. Obviously MC is superior to Combustion in terms of its image quality (float bit depth, HDR, etc.) and compositing tools, but it lacks some of the tools that are necessary for artists working in video and broadcast. It would be a real shame to see Combustion's video-oriented tool set be abandoned.
I understand that behind the scenes, there may well be a fundamental shift in Autodesk's strategy regarding video and broadcast. They may wish to only offer products at the Advanced Systems level in that market space and not compete with products like After Effects on the desktop. That's fine, but I really think that Autodesk needs to make an announcement regarding its plans for Combustion, and soon. There are some rather significant bugs in Combustion that need fixing. I think that the decent thing for Autodesk to do would be to let current Combustion owners know if the product they bought will ultimately be fixed or abandoned. If Combustion is going to be abandoned and no bug fixes are forthcoming, I think it would be more ethical for Autodesk to EOL it now than to keep selling it in its current state.
