Computer Graphics World

November 2008 8 Autodesk to buy Softimge. e news came during a wild and scary late October week in the world economy, and in certain cor- ners of the content creation world, those words were as surprising and game-chang- ing as a stock market plunge (or rise, or rise and plunge). ere are Softimage customers who are not going to be happy about this news, but Autodesk, for its part, promises to do right by Softimage. e company plans to take advantage of Softimage's technology to build out its game development tools. In a phone interview, Marc Petit, Auto desk senior vice president and head of the Media and Entertainment Group, con tends that this deal comes at the perfect time for Autodesk, as the 3D industry is undergoing revolutionary changes. What is defi nitely a sign of tough times is the size of the deal. Autodesk is acquiring Softimage for $35 million. is isn't a huge amount for Autodesk, but it does put some dollars in Avid's pocket. To keep things in perspec- tive, Autodesk acquired Alias, in another deal that surprised the industry in 2006, for $197 million. Past to Present ings weren't always this way for the com- pany. Softimage has long been considered the boutique tool for 3D content creation. Daniel Langlois founded the company in Montreal in 1986, and Montreal is where it has stayed through several upheavals. In the early days, it seemed like all glamour as the sophisticated Canadians sold their high-priced tools to the peo- ple who really needed them and appreciated what they could do. Softimage brought new animation capabilities to 3D modeling; it was one of the fi rst to introduce in- verse kinematics, the ability to animate characters by connecting rigid segments and joints—that is, connecting the thigh bone to the leg bone. But then the fi rst wave of democratiza- tion started to happen, and the boutique was under siege. e largest upheaval was the acquisition of Softimage by Microsoft for $130 million in 1994. At that time, Microsoft was battling SGI on the worksta- tion front and hoping to entice profession- als off RISC-based workstations with Unix operating systems and on to Windows NT. Softimage, which was sold with SGI work- stations, was bait. And, it was one of the fi rst high-end content creation tools to be ported to Windows NT. ere, it went head-to-head with 3D Studio, which was ported to Windows NT in 1995 (from MS DOS, no less) and renamed 3D Studio MAX at the time. Microsoft was working on a grand vision to have end-to-end products in content de- velopment—especially television produc- tion, as visions of digital television began to dance in industry heads. e company was promoting Softimage tools for content creation in TV, combining 3D content, video, audio, and HTML. But in the end, Microsoft really didn't know what to do with a 3D modeling and animation company. However, it did do a good job of selling the idea of intertwined tools for audio, video, 3D content, HTML, and whatever else might come along, and Avid bought Softimage in 1998. At the time, the deal was reported to be worth $285 million, and Microsoft took a stake in Avid. at was then. In recent years, Softimage has done a lot with very little, thanks to a hardworking team in Montreal who hap- pen to love the city—and Softimage. Soft- image has been willing to make big bets to keep its code up to date with the competi- tion, and Avid has supported the group. Softimage's engineering talent runs deep. As with all big bets, the Softimage division has taken some hits, but its engineers believe they have built a solid development plat- November 2008 8 ■ ■ ■ ■ News Analysis Softimage's XSI 3D content creation software has loyal followers in the entertainment markets.

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