Autodesk to buy Alias for $182 million
by Joseph Euan · in Artist Corner · 10/04/2005 (8:33 pm) · 15 replies
In case you didn't already hear....
Autodesk to buy Alias for $182 million
Leonard Teo, 4 October 2005
In a surprise move, Autodesk has announce the intention to acquire Alias for $182 million cash. The acquisition is expected to take between 4-6 months to finalize.
At the press conference today, both companies explained the desire to integrate and provide value for their respective customer bases by complementing each other's product lines, which will soon be operating under the common Autodesk banner. While both companies share a clear vision of the possibilities and value proposition for customers, it was obvious that the full details of the acquisition/merger have yet to be worked out as both companies were notably silent about such issues as staffing, relocation, branding and such, preferring to focus on the value of integrating the product lines instead. Doug Walker, President of Alias, mentioned briefly his intention to work through the acquisition process till it is finalized, before moving on to other ventures.
In the immediate term, no changes are planned for both companies, which will continue with their respective product releases while the acquisition takes place over its 4-6 month period of settling. It was also said that the products in the immediate term were to remain separate and autonomous, with a development focus on integrating workflow and interoperability between the previously competing products.
More info at features.cgsociety.org/story.php?story_id=3166
*Starts thinking about the name "3DS Maya"* ;)
Autodesk to buy Alias for $182 million
Leonard Teo, 4 October 2005
In a surprise move, Autodesk has announce the intention to acquire Alias for $182 million cash. The acquisition is expected to take between 4-6 months to finalize.
At the press conference today, both companies explained the desire to integrate and provide value for their respective customer bases by complementing each other's product lines, which will soon be operating under the common Autodesk banner. While both companies share a clear vision of the possibilities and value proposition for customers, it was obvious that the full details of the acquisition/merger have yet to be worked out as both companies were notably silent about such issues as staffing, relocation, branding and such, preferring to focus on the value of integrating the product lines instead. Doug Walker, President of Alias, mentioned briefly his intention to work through the acquisition process till it is finalized, before moving on to other ventures.
In the immediate term, no changes are planned for both companies, which will continue with their respective product releases while the acquisition takes place over its 4-6 month period of settling. It was also said that the products in the immediate term were to remain separate and autonomous, with a development focus on integrating workflow and interoperability between the previously competing products.
More info at features.cgsociety.org/story.php?story_id=3166
*Starts thinking about the name "3DS Maya"* ;)
About the author
#2
10/05/2005 (1:08 am)
Holy crap! O_O @_@
#3
10/05/2005 (6:28 am)
"MAYAX" seemed to be the favorite around here.
#4
if you're running max at home you might get this letter too from them :
Autodesk/Alias Announcement
and the official thing from autodesk site:
Autodesk and Alias Press release
10/05/2005 (11:53 am)
"MAYAX" sounds great :P, how about the company name itself ?? "AUTO-ALI" "ALI-DESK"if you're running max at home you might get this letter too from them :
Autodesk/Alias Announcement
and the official thing from autodesk site:
Autodesk and Alias Press release
#5
In either case, we'll have to wait and see what happens. This could be either good or bad.
10/05/2005 (12:11 pm)
Yep. I got the letter/press release this morning. I had passed out in the couch infront of the tv for a couple of hours and saw it when I had just woken up, thought someone was pulling my leg =). Completely unexpected.In either case, we'll have to wait and see what happens. This could be either good or bad.
#7
It will probably be much easier to move content between the two programs too.
10/05/2005 (12:51 pm)
Hopefully some of the features from maya will leak into max, and of course the other way around. My guess is; better, but perhaps not cheaper tools.It will probably be much easier to move content between the two programs too.
#8
but lack of competition kinda outweighs that...
10/05/2005 (12:56 pm)
From a 3d guy point of view im thinking of the fact i might have more job opportunities due to more people using max.. that and compatability issues will be less relevant..but lack of competition kinda outweighs that...
#10
Always liked Max's interface. I'd be freaked out if I was a Maya man though... Not saying that anyone should, just that I would because I'm like that.
I was hoping for Max's price to go down. I doubt it will happen now... Is anyone other than Autodesk happy about this?
10/06/2005 (7:26 pm)
Max's interface and Maya's graphics / features would be a nice combonation...Always liked Max's interface. I'd be freaked out if I was a Maya man though... Not saying that anyone should, just that I would because I'm like that.
I was hoping for Max's price to go down. I doubt it will happen now... Is anyone other than Autodesk happy about this?
#11
10/07/2005 (2:40 am)
Nope, we probably won't see any price reductions on max any time soon. As I said, better, but not cheaper, tools.
#12
http://www.highend3d.com/articles/columns/4.html
10/08/2005 (11:44 am)
There are no plans to merge the products, at least in the short term. "We will maintain separate development teams, make no changes to resource commitment, funding the development of each product separately while moving forward. no changes whatsoever..." http://www.highend3d.com/articles/columns/4.html
#13
heh.. that's funny. I have always been the other way around. Hate Max interface and love Maya's. To each his own, I guess. :)
Fredrik S
Affectworks
10/13/2005 (2:37 pm)
"Always liked Max's interface. I'd be freaked out if I was a Maya man though... Not saying that anyone should, just that I would because I'm like that."heh.. that's funny. I have always been the other way around. Hate Max interface and love Maya's. To each his own, I guess. :)
Fredrik S
Affectworks
#14
10/13/2005 (3:19 pm)
I hated Max at first but have grown to really really like it. It's very intuitive to me. I think many others feel the same, at least in terms of liking the interface. And the universal complaint about Maya is the interface from what I've heard. But to each his own. 
#15
At IGC we talked about this subject in length amongst ourselves and other people. Cracking the usual "Mayax" or "Maxya" jokes when we could through some very healthy conversations and speculations (since it all really is speculation over what will happen). Overall though our discussions really came back to the following subjects (all of which we felt were positive for 3D artists):
1) The real gem of the deal is Studio Tools and not Maya. For those of you who do not know, Studio Tools is essentially the defacto standard for 3D modeling for use in manufacturing.
2) We all felt that the resources Autodesk has to fund R&D will benefit both Max and Maya teams. Especially Maya since we all felt that its development had become rather stagnent after release 3 came out.
3) Our general concensus on what will happen to the products basicly amounted to everything cool from Max and Maya will be migrated and integrated into the 3D application that Autodesk showed off at Siggraph this year. This would allow both groups to migrate forward to a new application with the strengths of both.
4) Agressive pricing doesn't always pay off in the end. It may benefit some end users that may not have been able to afford the application normally, but there really isn't a strong market out there to provide 3D to the masses. Its a small niche market.
5) We were all intreged by the possibility of combining many of the Max and Maya tools could bring towards making your 3D application your one stop shop for generating advanced shaders and bitmaps for those shaders. In many ways this is the future of market.
6) We all agreed that Avid is in a heap of trouble (for various reasons from market share, to patents, to R&D budgets and of course the companies interest in making and supporting a 3D application) and Lightwave will continue on trucking as it always has.
7) The Alias name should be kept, it sounds cooler than Autodesk Media & Entertainment and has more history behind its name :)
Logan
10/14/2005 (8:36 am)
I find it rather funny to look at the gamut of responses from various people: Some are spelling out doom, some don't care and others think that its going to be a great thing. At IGC we talked about this subject in length amongst ourselves and other people. Cracking the usual "Mayax" or "Maxya" jokes when we could through some very healthy conversations and speculations (since it all really is speculation over what will happen). Overall though our discussions really came back to the following subjects (all of which we felt were positive for 3D artists):
1) The real gem of the deal is Studio Tools and not Maya. For those of you who do not know, Studio Tools is essentially the defacto standard for 3D modeling for use in manufacturing.
2) We all felt that the resources Autodesk has to fund R&D will benefit both Max and Maya teams. Especially Maya since we all felt that its development had become rather stagnent after release 3 came out.
3) Our general concensus on what will happen to the products basicly amounted to everything cool from Max and Maya will be migrated and integrated into the 3D application that Autodesk showed off at Siggraph this year. This would allow both groups to migrate forward to a new application with the strengths of both.
4) Agressive pricing doesn't always pay off in the end. It may benefit some end users that may not have been able to afford the application normally, but there really isn't a strong market out there to provide 3D to the masses. Its a small niche market.
5) We were all intreged by the possibility of combining many of the Max and Maya tools could bring towards making your 3D application your one stop shop for generating advanced shaders and bitmaps for those shaders. In many ways this is the future of market.
6) We all agreed that Avid is in a heap of trouble (for various reasons from market share, to patents, to R&D budgets and of course the companies interest in making and supporting a 3D application) and Lightwave will continue on trucking as it always has.
7) The Alias name should be kept, it sounds cooler than Autodesk Media & Entertainment and has more history behind its name :)
Logan
Torque Owner Andrew Hull
Or Maya Max even!