CompuServe Messages

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I share your distaste for bloated software and your feeling that integration and consistency translates into creative freedom. I don't want features for the sake of having features I want a coherent solution to a particular problem – in this case the problem of creating 3D models. To illustrate, look at how the solution to the problem of creating 2D vector illustrations has evolved (on the Mac, because I am familiar with it and you mentioned it). FreeHand and Illustrator have competed against one another for many years now to offer a solution to the same problem – the problem of creating 2D vector illustrations. The thing that I find most striking is how their respective evolutions have resulted in a shared feature set rather than trivial, distinguishing gimmicks. Neither of them has really stooped to "feature-frenzy" to distinguish themselves in the marketplace. They have both converged on named, lockable, hideable layers for example. I see this as two companies with a high level of integrity arriving, after a number of years, at a professional solution to a specific problem. A similar, mature solution may not exist at the moment for 3D software. Nevertheless, I still want some degree of coherence. In my opinion, the core package of features ought to include things like the ability to "deform" objects (the ability to "stretch", "reshape" and "twist" objects should be operations that follow logically from a single, well-defined deform tool). I will not buy these basic functions from a third party. I don't want to be faced with the situation where I am deprived of these essential functions because the company has gone out of business, the functions no longer work with a new version of the core product, or any number of other reasons I could think of. I agree that 3DS is reasonably priced. I agree that the upgrades are reasonably priced. I am willing to pay MORE for the upgrades if the core feature set is beefed up and made more coherent. I won't buy a mish-mash of adhoc semi-solutions from a bunch of different third party suppliers. Autodesk was correct in attempting to include splines in the core package. (As I mentioned in my earlier message, I had placed my order for the upgrade until I heard that they had pulled this feature). Some sort of parametric curve package has to be central to modern 3D modeling programs.