Site Search
Join Muvizu
Messages in this topic - RSS

Home ? Feedback ? Instead of waypoints...

pages: 1 2 | the topic is closed
27/07/2011 16:09:10

Wizaerd
Wizaerd
Posts: 122 		Danimal wrote:
I've seen across numbers of threads the notion to "pay for more features." I'm pretty sure the Muvizu team always replies to this with "Muvizu will always be free." Honestly, I hate software that tiers its features. Make it as is and sell it for a price. Or in this case, give it away for nothing. Let me choose what I want to use, not your price structure.

I'm speaking way out of turn here, but I don't think that the Muvizu team hasn't implemented the features we want because we're not paying for them, more like it's just taking them time to get them implemented correctly.


I wasn't really suggesting that Muvizu change their model, if they want to keep it free, I'm sure they have their reasons, and I'm good with that. I was merely trying to demonstrate that for what Muvizu is capable of currently, and with the right type of features added, it is more than capable of competing with the applications that cost. As I stated, I've been more than productive with Muvizu after a week or so, whereas I've owned every version of iClone since verion 2.5, at significant cost, and have never been productive with it. It Muvizu did cost, I'm be more than willing to pay for it, based on that fact alone. I wasn't saying "hey I'll pay you if you add these features..."

Although truth be told, free software does have one detriment about it. We all know that the Muvizu devs are very vocal and resonsive to our needs, requests, and "demands" (heh heh heh), but typically in a free software model, the philosophy is "hey, you don't like what we've added, or not added, go somewhere else, it's not like you bought this..." I've even seen other users of free apps say things like "what do you expect, it's free after all..." (agian, let me reiterate, I am not saying the Muvizu guys (and gals??) are like this at all.

Free software typically has a poor reputation, espcially free applications with great features. People's conception is "it's free, it must suck...". I work as a software developer myself, and even in my company we've lost potential sales because they customers thought our software was too cheap, so it must not be al that capable.

Errr, I kinda lost my train of thought... So I'll drop it... The point was I am gald Muvizu is free, I'd still be willing to pay for it, but that's not a bribe to get things added...
permalink
27/07/2011 16:14:57

Wizaerd
Wizaerd
Posts: 122 		toonarama wrote:
Wizaerd wrote:

Keyframes are most certainly not a Flash thing, they are a standard element of any type of animation,


Yes I knew that! I was just trawling around the 'net for a definition of the differennce between KFs and WPs

PS Wizaerd - how you getting on with hitfilm as i'm thinking of purchasing too?
edited by toonarama on 27/07/2011


Truth be told, I love the concept, and it is most certainly more affordable than something like Adobe's After Efffects, but it is still a bit of a perfromance dog. My experience with the demo was positive, so I purchased the Ultimate version, then tried to actually do something for real with it, and it would barely run. I updated my video drivers, and it got better, but it still much faster and easier for me to use Vegas Home Studio 11. I don't really mind my purchase, because like the Muvizu guys, FXHome is very responsive, and are always working on making it better and more efficient.

I plan on doing some more with it over the weekend, to get a much better feel for it's performance limits. Although I am also considering a new computer as well, since mine is several years old and most likely obsolete. Ugh, the speed of obsolesence with computers is most irritating...
permalink
27/07/2011 17:55:31

DanimalMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Danimal
Posts: 477 		Wizaerd wrote:
the philosophy is "hey, you don't like what we've added, or not added, go somewhere else, it's not like you bought this..."


I think most pay software has this attitude in spades as well. "Don't like it? Who cares, we got your money, sucker!" Anything ever created by Adobe come screaming to mind here. Especially the "sucker" part.

I'm glad we were able to concur that the "waypoints" and "keyframes" we were talking about were, in fact, the same thing. I guess that's what I get for only doing 3 seconds of research on waypoints. ROFLMAO
permalink
27/07/2011 19:02:19

DreekoMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dreeko
Posts: 1257 		Waypoints (as I see them)would be a physical position marker visible on the set just as a walk path is visible when you move a character who's movement has been animated.

Keyframes are markers visible only on the timeline which denote where in time the waypoints appear/move

That's how I see things anyway

Cheers

D
permalink
28/07/2011 11:44:49

Luscan
Luscan
Posts: 176 		Wizaerd wrote:
Although truth be told, free software does have one detriment about it. We all know that the Muvizu devs are very vocal and resonsive to our needs, requests, and "demands" (heh heh heh), but typically in a free software model, the philosophy is "hey, you don't like what we've added, or not added, go somewhere else, it's not like you bought this..." I've even seen other users of free apps say things like "what do you expect, it's free after all..." (agian, let me reiterate, I am not saying the Muvizu guys (and gals??) are like this at all.

Free software typically has a poor reputation, espcially free applications with great features. People's conception is "it's free, it must suck...". I work as a software developer myself, and even in my company we've lost potential sales because they customers thought our software was too cheap, so it must not be al that capable.


I like it when conversations go this way because I get to bang my drum about Free (notice the capital f) software and Open-Source.

Free software and free software are two different things. Free with a capital F is open source and allows users to download the program for free where as free (without the capital f) is what Muvizu is - you don't pay for it but you can't modify how it works.

Open Source Free is getting more and more interesting as people realise that it's still possible to make money from giving away your software. I believe that because all software can be copied an infinite number of times (you can right click, copy and paste any folder that contains an application or something as many times as you want) all software is without monetary worth. That's not to say it doesn't have any value - things are only valued at what the owner/user/possessor of the item ascribe to it (your childhood teddy bear is naught but fluff and fabric but to you its value is immeasurable).

What more and more Free software companies are realising is that they (under GNU licensing) can charge for support and feature implementation. I know at least four companies at the moment that will let you download their source code, all their test documentation, bug reports, minutes of their internal meetings and their applications for free. You don't even have to ask their permission - they just assume that people will do this and they're okay with it because the Worth of the infinitely reproducible software is zero.

So these companies charge for extra things. They charge for things that can't be reproduced quickly or easily and provide added Value to their product - you can e-mail them, if you bought a support contract, and say 'hey, our web client is broken! Help!' and they'll have an answer for you in a day or so. Hell, a friend of mine that works at one of these companies just spent four days doing on-site support for a company in Hawaii (and, notably, he requested a weeks holiday whilst he was still out there the cheeky sod).

This is something that is absolutely terrifying to the old school giants of the software world. Can you imagine phoning up the head of Microsoft Office development and saying "Hi, I bought your word processor and now I want it to let me add 3D lettering to my documents. Can you make that happen?" and instead of having them yell at you and ask how you got their number have them say 'Yeah, sure, we'll add that to the list'? What's great about Muvizu is that you -can- ask for that stuff and it -will- get added to the list of things to do eventually.

Added value isn't something just that software companies do - one of the most common added value things I can think of that just about everyone interacts with on a daily basis is breakfast cereal. Rice Crispies are my favourite breakfast cereal and it costs like £2 a box. The rice probably cost £2 for a a quarter ton. The added value is the fact that they managed to puff up the rice and turn it from a bowl of cylindrical carbohydrate bombs into something that goes really well with milk. That's what you're paying for there.

Just my two cents. Isn't it amazing what two cents can get you?
edited by Luscan on 28/07/2011
permalink
28/07/2011 12:04:54

freakmoomin
freakmoomin
Posts: 272 		Wow! im gonna be looking out for that capital F from now on
permalink
28/07/2011 13:58:54

Luscan
Luscan
Posts: 176 		It's one of those things that it's really difficult to not feel massively positive about.
permalink
pages: 1 2 | the topic is closed

Home ? Feedback ? Instead of waypoints...

About

Media

Legal

Muvizu

Muvizu is easy to use 3D animation software that allows anyone to create high quality animations quickly and easily. Muvizu’s animation engine is ideal for storytellers, animators, teachers and businesses looking to engage, enchant and delight audiences with animated content.