Combustion is "dead"...

[Ross68]

(Please, sorry for my bad english) What is the Adsk choice for desktop users?
Toxik is now Composite and it's bundled with Maya and Max: if someone (like me) don't uses Maya or Max and they are not necessary to its worlflow, what is the choice? Swithching to other motion-graphics|composite application costs the same price to buy Maya or Max more or less... But why i must translate my workflow from my 3d-app to Maya or Max? i'm a Softimage user, this is an Adsk 3d-software too but there is not Composite bundle for it and there is not any new improvements to integrated SI-compositor (FX-Tree) even though ICE node-based workflow environment give a "natural way" to improve it... Anyway, it was seems as more simple to continue the development of Combustion (it was a great program) or Toxik as standalone package but the Adsk strategies seems to be others... (maybe Combustion had become a competitor for the same own high-end video-FX applications like Flame, etc.?...) An hyphotesys could be a Flare porting to Windows and Mac or a new application aimed to motion-graphics (i don't believe to Composite will be a motion-graphics application too but it will remains a compositing tool substantially) but they are very difficult solutions: high-end appz are Linux (UNIX) based and it's probable a porting on the Mac (UNIX based) as well as Smoke now but a Windows version require a complete recoding...
What is the future for motion-graphic desktop-users? Switching to other softwares or buying Maya or Max just to use Composite?

[rohit]

i think you should use whatever fits your budget and workflow. if u still have a combustion license, and it still does what u need to do, keep using it.....if u need more advanced tools and u know they will not be available anymore, [ kinda like a shake situation ], then move onto another software.

[andy_dill]

As cynical as this may sound, it's not like there's a lot of new tech showing up in composting software (other than stereo workflows), so while Combustion may not be actively developed, it'll still provide you with plenty of life.

[rohit]

exactly..same goes with shake.

[Ross68]

Thank You very much.
Substantially, i'm a freelance with very limitate resources, motion-graphics is not my first job and Combustion give all the tools i needs about motion-graphics up till now, both with Softimage FX-Tree too in compositing area. I'm sure Combustion was ended by Adsk for monetary reasons only and Toxik was developed in composite direction principally not too much for motion-graphics capabilities... Without both, Adsk offer very expensive (in all senses) high-end tools like Flame and Smoke or buying Maya or Max even though it'ld be not necessary for some users... It's a bit strange: from Adsk there are Flame, Flare, Inferno, Smoke, all UNIX-based and Toxik|Composite bundled with Maya and Max (not to Softimage) for desktop users which there isn't any real alternative to After FX, Fusion, etc...

[Luis]

I totally agree with Ross. Combustion is a great application, I don't know you guys but I think is quite hard to do motion graphics with a node tree ap like Toxik. Toxik is wonderfull in shot basis compositing but not so user freindly when it comes to do motion graphics.
The problem is that with Combustion gone there is not much alternatives besides AE(I still love the Autodesk interface so I won't move there).
In reference to the Rohit comments before... I know we can keep using Combustion for a while but, correct me if I am wrong, with new operating systems coming up in the future the application will become more and more unstable since, I guess, they won't release support for C*.
Talking about Toxik, I think stills lacks of a good paint and particles like C*. Hope they can fix that in the future.
Cheers

[Ross68]

Thanks Luis.
I agree about i like Adsk user-interface and i don't like AE, and i think more users agree with it.
Moreover i think if Toxik|Composite got a complete paint-system and particle-emitters it'ld be a great application, the real "minor brother" of Flame... But i think it's more difficult to be it because Maya got nParticles and "artisan"+paint-FX and maybe particles and paint they're not the priority for Maya users... (i think the same will be for Max in the next future...). Toxik|Composite goes to shot-compositing direction substantially. The problem i think is its bundling with Maya and Max: why i must buy a Maya or Max license if i don't use it, just to run Composite on my desktop? And also, why not Softimage? It's an Adsk 3d-app too like Maya and Max but there isn't Composite for it and there is not any sort of improvements to Fx-Tree (SI built-in compositor, good tool but never touched from its first release...). I think it'ld be more simple to continue C* development; if not, Toxik was the successor: if Adsk want give more "attention" to it, it'ld be bundled it to the various "suite" packages at a more affordable price for all users (like Motion-Builder and Mudbox), not only Maya and Max users... Maybe Adsk had other strategies which we don't know up till now...
(sorry for my bad english)

[alexudell]

I still keep my copy of c4 with me on every freelance gig, just in case.

Additionally, I have become more versed in AE and Motion out of necessity.

As combustion runs better under Windows than it does on Mac....I've been toying with running it under Parallels and similar configurations.

Essentially, as computers get faster and as long as you have access to the "OS" you need....you can potentially run combustion right along side other apps.

The big limitations will be color space support and 32 bit memory addressing.

But honestly, in most instances where combustion fits as a tool, it hasn't affected me yet.

It is just so perfect in such a wide variety of situations, it's hard to let go.

Alex

[rohit]

finally a positive answer from someone.

I still keep my copy of c4 with me on every freelance gig, just in case.

Additionally, I have become more versed in AE and Motion out of necessity.

As combustion runs better under Windows than it does on Mac....I've been toying with running it under Parallels and similar configurations.

Essentially, as computers get faster and as long as you have access to the "OS" you need....you can potentially run combustion right along side other apps.

The big limitations will be color space support and 32 bit memory addressing.

But honestly, in most instances where combustion fits as a tool, it hasn't affected me yet.

It is just so perfect in such a wide variety of situations, it's hard to let go.

Alex

[Ross68]

I still keep my copy of c4 with me on every freelance gig, just in case.

Additionally, I have become more versed in AE and Motion out of necessity.

As combustion runs better under Windows than it does on Mac....I've been toying with running it under Parallels and similar configurations.

Essentially, as computers get faster and as long as you have access to the "OS" you need....you can potentially run combustion right along side other apps.

The big limitations will be color space support and 32 bit memory addressing.

But honestly, in most instances where combustion fits as a tool, it hasn't affected me yet.

It is just so perfect in such a wide variety of situations, it's hard to let go.

Alex

I totally agree.
And also i had noticed C* runs better under Win than the Mac me too. On my actual rig (intel core2quad, 8gb ram, quadro fx580, 2x250gb s-ata2 raid 0; not a powerhorse but a basic good machine for my purposes...) C* runs very smooth even though is still a 32bit app fundamentally.
However, C* start to show the signs of time in some aspects... A new version was very auspicable but there will not be... Anyway i notice C* is still a very good tool about motion-graphics capabilites for many users (me too)...
In all cases, if Adsk was decided Toxik as C* successor, it was very good with improved C* motion-graphics tools and remaining it as a standalone application, but Toxik is now Composite, bundled with Maya and Max and it's a shot-compositing application (more like Shake and Nuke, less than AfterFX...) not able to motion-graphics purposes...