After getting your head around the basics, the XSI interface is very intuitive.ĮXP contains all of the usual modelling tools weve come to expect from the latest 3D packages, but theyre faster, more refined, and more suited to those who favour a creative workflow that allows them to change their mind on the spur of the moment and not have to start again from scratch. Like any 3D package, it can be somewhat disconcerting at first, but taking the time to read through the manual and figure out where everything is will pay off quickly. Initially, the most striking feature of EXP is the distinctive Softimage interface.
Those who choose to download EXP will be opening the doors to a myriad of professional tools and features. Its high-end features will be welcomed by everyone from animators to visual effects artists, illustrators to game developers, post-production artists to general 3D hobbyists. Im looking forward to the results of the explosion of content and creativity well be seeing posted to the gallery on our Website.īecause Softimage has such a wide array of uses in so many types of digital media, EXP is a package that will be of interest to artists from every corner of the industry. According to Michael Stojda, managing director of Softimage, Everyone from professional digital artists to 3D enthusiasts will benefit from the advanced learning tools of the EXP and also from the community created to support it. The release of EXP has opened a door for anyone enthusiastic about animation and 3D.
US$69.95 is a fair price to pay for anyone serious about learning a serious animation package. For those of us new to Softimage, this will prove a worthwhile investment, as getting your head around such an advanced piece of software can often prove challenging. The EXP Learning Kit a 470 page book of tutorials and a media CD with all of the necessary scene files on it can be purchased separately. This time around, Softimage have opted to place EXP on the Web available as a free download, or it can be ordered on a CD from the Softimage Website (priced at US$14.95). The two-pack CD contained the SOFTIMAGE|XSI 2.0 Advanced system, full documentation and a video-based training module. EXP is the successor to the XSI Experience CD, which was released this time last year. Last month Softimage released XSI 3.0 EXP a free version of SOFTIMAGE|XSI 3.0 available for download from their Website. In fact, if you want to produce animation with an industry standard program, it doesnt even have to set you back a penny. So today we find that these high-end packages are more accessible than ever. Once upon a time software like this was out of reach for the aspiring animatorthe several thousand-dollar price tag was slightly off-putting! But those days are gone the prices of animation packages have gone down, and down, and down.
This is a company that has been there from day one developing a creative 3D environment that has set the standard in all of the packages we see on the market today. Since 1986, the company has paved the way forward in the world of digital media creation, helping to set milestone after milestone in the field of visual effects and animation building a set of tools that enabled artists and filmmakers to realise their dreams in the most astonishing ways. For years the word Softimage has been synonymous with high-end professional 3D animation.