Debunking the Top 10 Reasons to Try XSI

While browsing CGChannel the other day, I saw a post that they had to a set of demo videos that XSI has done to convince 3DS Max users to migrate over to XSI. As a pretty hardcore 3DS Max user I am always curious to see what other applications are doing, so I took the time to check out the XSI presentation.

Overall I wasn't very convinced that I should need to upgrade to XSI. While the presenation was ok and it showed off some of the more powerful features that XSI has at this date, I also felt that the information presented was pretty subjective at best. How So? Well for the most part it seemed to be aimed at nieve 3DS Max users who are still using 3DS Max from 4 or 5 years ago, or guys that haven't even purchased a clue with regards to how 3DS Max has changed and advanced over the past few years.

As such here is my commentary on the "Top 10 Reasons to Try XSI"

Reason 1: Non-Destructive Everything

I can definately see why they listed this as their first feature because in the past 3DS Max had some issues with being non-destructive and its unfortunately a stigma that for the most part doesnt apply.

For the most part Max is actually pretty much non destructive too unless you are making some massive changes to your 3D model (something that the XSI videos do not demonstrate). Making changes to your model by moving verticies, adding or deletiving faces, adding or deleting edge loops, changing your UVW data on top of or below your rigging and animation data really isnt that destructive in Max either.

Final Verdict... this used to be an issue in the past but with the latest releases its not much of one anymore.


Reason 2: Gigapolygon Processing

Ah Gigapoly watchambob, how you are the darling buzzword that XSI loves to throw out there and tout like you are some golden child darling that has no peers. Yes, XSI can and does process a scary amount of data, something that is pretty useful to artists in any field, but there is a catch. Its not something that XSI does exclusively and its a pretty common thing for most applications on the market.

3DS Max can actually handle a shit load of data, as of Version 9 there were some core rewrites to the system that allows it to display and allow you to edit some complex meshes with ease. Sadly this is one of those things that means a big deal to the end user but Autodesk marketing has a tough time marketing.

Final verdict... Now I am not debating which system is better. The XSI system to my knowledge, at this time, is a bit better than what Max 9 can do, but its not a hands down feature beater like they are trying to claim here.


Reason 3: Modeling that Feels Like Sculpting

Ehhhh? So you can take some subdivisional surfaces and move some lower level data around, how is this "modeling that feels like sculpting'? This is simple vertex manipulation combined with sub-div surfaces.

Modeling that feels like sculpting would be a system like Modo or Zbrush (or a bunch of other new sculpting 3d modelers that are coming out) or to a lesser degree the Paint Deformation feature in 3DS Max.

Final verdict... wow talk about grasping at straws here. If there was a reason to make you not want to switch this would be it. This isn't intuitive sculpting like they said, just plain jane old school mesh manipulation.


Reason 4: Delta Referencing

So basicly this feature allow you to have one scene reference another so that one guy can be working on the game model, another guy on a gun, another guy on the scene and another guy on some animations. Then when changes are done they are propogated back to your scene so you can see what's going on. Wow this sounds a lot like the Xref system in 3DS Max to me.

Final verdict... ok this point it feels like they are grasping at straws here. Another feature that really isn't compelling me to want to try XSI. Sure the idea of referencing other files is great, but 3DS Max users already have that.


Reason 5: Scripting & Development Standards

I think I was most disgusted at this listed feature during the presentation. Basicly it says that XSI lets you use a bunch of different languages commonly used in more traditional programming so that people arent using obscure languages (which I assume they mean maxscript).

Sure maxscript is proprietary, but its also object oriented and its not difficult for anyone with half a brain to figure out how to use it. God I know how to use it and I hate to program. Also Maxscript works with C#/.net and has since version 9.

Final verdict... while supporting multiple languages for scripting is nice. IMHO this isn't a big deal to artists. To technical directors, yes. But to artists, no. Lets also face the fact that when it comes to programmers, one language is pretty much just like the other aside from some semantics. As such learning one language or another isn't a huge deal.


Reason 6: Animation Mixer

Mix animation clips together and user curves to blend from one animation to another just like the Motion Mixer in 3DS Max! Wow be still my heart and sign me up for a copy of XSI!

Honestly, Motion Mixer has been an option in 3DS Max since Character Studio and has been a feature available within Max since the inclusion of Character Studio in version 7. Also since version 9 motion mixer has been available (along with animation layers) for pretty much all animation done in Max.

Final verdict... ok at this point I am ready to turn off the presentation. It feels like someone is trying to sell me my own bag of groceries and tell me that I am getting a great deal. Like I said, I have motion mixing in Max and have had it for a long time.


Reason 7: Asset Resuse Made Simple

This system basicly shows the XSI GATOR, a system for sharing data from one model onto another. Max users already know this as the Projection modifier, so I honestly do not need to say much more.

Final verdict... Yes this is a good feature, but since I have it in Max already and have had it for quite some time its not something I give two shits about seeing as a compelling reason to change.


Reason 8: Render Passes

Ooh finally we get into some VFX users of XSI, where IMHO XSI really exceeds. But oh wait, more of the same old same old being repackaged. This time its render passes. Blah blah blah, you can setup your file for render passes without needing to make into multiple files. Once again my brain screams "you can do this already in 3DS Max".

Final verdict... of all the cool things XSI does that Max doesn't do you choose something as common as render passes. God you guys need to do some research here. Max does render passes already! In fact there have been some very brilliant VFX shots done in film with 3DS Max because 3DS Max has render passes.


Reason 9: The Illusion Compositor

Wow finally a feature that 3DS Max does not have! The compositor looks cool, reminds me a lot of Combustion and it comes with the tool. Cool.

The only negatives I have to say is that for the most part in VFX (unless you are talking small studios), compositing is best handled by a seperate application and is usually done by a specialist or a video editor. So whether or not the compositor gives you the full bag of tricks like you would get from the other AVID editing applicaitons, Combustion, Shake or a solution from Adobe is another question.

Final verdict... a cool tool and a cool option. Great for smaller studios that need this much power, but for the most part I also think its something that would be lost on the majority of studios too.


Reason 10: Custom Display Host

Back to game development we go, presented with a really poor demonstration of running your game's renderer in the XSI viewport. You are told that its a great option to have since you can see your effects with regards to how they will look in the game engine but there are some problems with this logic IMHO.

The biggest one is that so much of what makes a good scene in the game engine is controlled by the game engines own logic, not its rendering system. As such you aren't really getting the whole shebang.

The second problem is that no matter what, you aren't ever going to get the same render results in your 3D application as you do from your game engine. They are designed differently and fundementally operate differently. You can get similar looking results, but IMHO I would rather have a "show tool" or "model veiwer" that is a stripped down version of my game engine that simply loads models for testing things like this.

Final verdict... a nice option to have but fundementally a waste of time to implement and work with. Like I said, artists would rather have a stripped down version of their game engine to test models with than a native WYIWYG viewport tool.


As you can tell I wasn't impressed by the presentation. Maybe I am getting the wrong thing and the XSI tools can do a lot more than I am giving them credit for doing, but for the most part there are 2 maybe 3 reasons that are partially worth considering. Now with that said I ahve seen XSI do some things that 3DS Max doesn't do at this time, but sadly none of them were displayed here as a reason to switch, which I feel is an oversight by the XSI marketing team (that is unless they are trying to target the few studios that have never upgrading for the past 5 years).