Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 9, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
DP: Where is the market likely to move and what consequences will that have for Autodesk?
Patel: At Siggraph we presented our 3D products, and at IBC our system products followed. At the center for us is the different handling of data, whether one wants to make a film, a commercial or broadcast. The output channel is playing more and more of a role, whether it is the Internet, television or the big screen. Naturally, our customers are becoming more demanding. They want even more mature effects and they want more effects. The consequence is that production pipelines have to be pushed to their limits and further optimized. Here it becomes apparent that we address two markets at once with our products. On the one hand, there is the independent market, where creatives come together to produce a specific product and subsequently separate again. Only a minimum of time is available here. Efficient pipelines are needed, and this is where the focus lies in our releases. On the other hand, we have the absolute high-end market with pioneering special effects. Here, the path of also supporting the Linux system proved completely right in order to save production costs. Just a few years ago, the components for our large systems such as Flame were very expensive, but now the prices of these components, such as graphics cards, are falling. We can now offer a highend system at significantly lower cost than before. That represents a clear advantage for the customer. We see major growth in Eastern Europe and Asia.
DP: Toxik was once built as a server system and now a stand-alone version follows. Why?
Patel: Toxik was made for the compositing market. After Apple withdrew Shake from the broad market, we see very good opportunities for Toxik. When we launched the server version of Toxik, Shake was still fully in the market. Here we placed great emphasis on collaboration between the systems. There are repeated rumors that Apple is working on a successor product, but so far no Shake successor has been released. That is good for us. The new Toxik version is a stand-alone product at an attractive price.
DP: Maya had great success because of the PLE version. Will there be a PLE of Toxik?
Patel: At the moment there is no Personal Learning Edition (PLE). We will see what the future brings in this market. But we have numerous education and training materials for beginners that are well received. It takes time to establish a product in this market.
The full interview can be found in the new DIGITAL PRODUCTION 06:07 on page 19. DP has been available at newsstands since 26.11.2007.
Further links:
- Autodesk Toxik
