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The studio that makes Evangelion moved from 3DS Max to Blender as their primary 3D software according to this article: https://www.blender.org/user-stories/jap

The studio that makes Evangelion moved from 3DS Max to Blender as their primary 3D software according to this article: https://www.blender.org/user-stories/japanese-anime-studio-khara-moving-to-blender/ https://www.blender.org/user-stories/japanese-anime-studio-k...

adamhartenz 10mo ago
The fact you can point out specific examples of when Blender is used says a lot. It tells me it is the exception.
- frontfor 10mo ago
  Agreed. You haven’t really won until it stops becoming noteworthy and “oh look X is using Blender!!” Nobody talks about how Linux dominates the server space anymore. Nobody talks about how “git is winning” or getting “battle tested”. These are mundane and banal facts. I don’t believe the same has happened to Blender yet.
MichaelEstes 10mo ago
That is not a very big studio or very big production, Blender falls over in the pipeline department. It’s a constantly changing API that doesn’t allow for the extensibility needed to get a major project out the door, just the fact that only a Python API is provided is enough for most people who have worked on massive scenes with massive amounts of data to consider it a non starter.
- wlesieutre 10mo ago
  I'm sure "major project" is a subjective label, but Flow made headlines earlier this year with an Academy Award (Best Animated Feature) and Golden Globe (Best Animated Feature Film) https://flow.movie/ https://flow.movie/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZccxuj2RY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZccxuj2RY https://www.blender.org/user-stories/making-flow-an-interview-with-director-gints-zilbalodis/ https://www.blender.org/user-stories/making-flow-an-intervie...
  - jsheard 10mo ago
    Flow is good filmmaking expressed through low-tech production, which is totally valid, but it doing a lot with a little isn't going to stop Disney from one-upping themselves with the next Zootopia movie so Blender needs to handle that angle too if it's going to become a catch-all solution for all kinds of production.
    - wlesieutre 10mo ago
      For sure, it was made by a small team and rendered on a single computer using the Eevee renderer (the fast partially-rasterization one). It's a major project, just not an enormously huge bleeding edge major project. Here's hoping Blender can keep on rolling toward those types of capabilities.
- _bent 10mo ago
  Not disagreeing that usage in large productions is something that Blender isn't really designed for, but I don't think that it's for a lack of Python API features (if a studio wants something specific it could just maintain an internal fork) or the ever changing Python API surface (the versions aren't upgraded during a production anyways)
- mixmastamyk 10mo ago
  VFX studios have been using Python APIs for twenty+ years, backed by C. They were one of the first industries to use it. That's where I learned it, around the turn of the century.
- forgotoldacc 10mo ago
  Saying Evangelion isn't big is like saying Minions are some irrelevant little flick. Evangelion is quite possibly the biggest series in Japan for 3 decades running. You won't find a person who has not seen it to some extent. Evangelion goods are sold everywhere at all times. You really cannot escape it. For the biggest series in Japan to use Blender is a huge sign to the rest of the industry in one of the most risk-averse countries that yes, it's good enough.
  - krapp 10mo ago
    A relevant opportunity may not occur again so here is a great video by Red Bard on whether it's possible to live entirely off of Evangelion merchandise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Qr9rztRw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Qr9rztRw4 tl;dw: probably.
  - john_minsk 10mo ago
    How is Evangelion still running if the series was finished and even alternative ending was produced?
    - forgotoldacc 10mo ago
      The same way Star Wars was still running in between the original series and the prequels. It had an active fan base and lots of side content that was constantly being produced.
  - VanTheBrand 10mo ago
    Minions do use Maya though to be fair.
- john_minsk 10mo ago
  Is there any good test scene that one can download to "test" capabilities of different software? Sorry if it is an ignorant question
- underscoremark 10mo ago
  > constantly changing API that doesn’t allow for the extensibility You pick a (stable) version, and use that API. It doesn't change if you don't. If it truly is a _major_ project, then constantly "upgrading" to the latest release is a big no-no (or should be)! And these "most people" who are scared of a Python API? Weak! It should have been a low level C API! ;-)
  - mroche 10mo ago
    > And these "most people" who are scared of a Python API? Weak! It should have been a low level C API! ;-) I wouldn't frame it as "scared". The issue is that at a certain scene scale Python becomes the performance bottleneck if that's all you can use. > You pick a (stable) version, and use that API. It doesn't change if you don't. If it truly is a _major_ project, then constantly "upgrading" to the latest release is a big no-no (or should be)! This is fine if you only ever have one show in production. Most non-boutique studios have multiple shows being worked on in tandem, be it internal productions or contract bids that require interfacing with other studios. These separate productions can have any given permutation of DCC and plugin versions, all of which the internal pipeline and production engineering teams have to support simultaneously. Apps that provide a stable C/C++ SDK and Python interface across versions are significantly more amenable to these kinds of environments as the core studio hub app, rather than being ancillary, task specific tools.
    - underscoremark 10mo ago
      If you had multiple shows in production, I would expect that standards be set to use the same platforms and versions across the board. If the company is more than a boutique shop, I would expect them to have a somewhat competent CTO to manage this kind of problem - one that isn't specific to Blender, even! Also, if the company is more than a boutique shop, I would hope it would be at a level and budget that the Python performance bottlenecks would be well addressed with competent internal pipeline and production engineering teams. But then again, if the company is more than a boutique shop, they would just pay for the Maya licensing. :-) Small timers, boutique shops, and humble folks like me just try to get by with the tools we can afford. On a related note, though: I built a Blender plugin with version 2.93 and recently learned it still works fine on Blender 4. The "constantly changing API" isn't the beast some claim it is.
- cthalupa 10mo ago
  3.0+1.0 was the highest grossing box office release that year in Japan and has a worldwide fanbase. The original series + End of Evangelion are considered by many critics and fans to sit among the best anime series of all time, and the Rebuild movies were absolutely huge. Personally, I think they pale in comparison to the original series and lose a lot of what makes Eva special and interesting to begin with, so I'd kinda love to dump on them a bit, but... it's about as big of a production as it gets in the anime industry. They're of course nowhere near Pixar level or similar, but it is clearly an example of Blender being battle tested by a serious studio on a serious project.

adamhartenz 10mo ago

The fact you can point out specific examples of when Blender is used says a lot. It tells me it is the exception.

frontfor 10mo ago
Agreed. You haven’t really won until it stops becoming noteworthy and “oh look X is using Blender!!” Nobody talks about how Linux dominates the server space anymore. Nobody talks about how “git is winning” or getting “battle tested”. These are mundane and banal facts. I don’t believe the same has happened to Blender yet.

MichaelEstes 10mo ago

That is not a very big studio or very big production, Blender falls over in the pipeline department. It’s a constantly changing API that doesn’t allow for the extensibility needed to get a major project out the door, just the fact that only a Python API is provided is enough for most people who have worked on massive scenes with massive amounts of data to consider it a non starter.

wlesieutre 10mo ago
I'm sure "major project" is a subjective label, but Flow made headlines earlier this year with an Academy Award (Best Animated Feature) and Golden Globe (Best Animated Feature Film) https://flow.movie/ https://flow.movie/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZccxuj2RY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZccxuj2RY https://www.blender.org/user-stories/making-flow-an-interview-with-director-gints-zilbalodis/ https://www.blender.org/user-stories/making-flow-an-intervie...
- jsheard 10mo ago
  Flow is good filmmaking expressed through low-tech production, which is totally valid, but it doing a lot with a little isn't going to stop Disney from one-upping themselves with the next Zootopia movie so Blender needs to handle that angle too if it's going to become a catch-all solution for all kinds of production.
  - wlesieutre 10mo ago
    For sure, it was made by a small team and rendered on a single computer using the Eevee renderer (the fast partially-rasterization one). It's a major project, just not an enormously huge bleeding edge major project. Here's hoping Blender can keep on rolling toward those types of capabilities.
_bent 10mo ago
Not disagreeing that usage in large productions is something that Blender isn't really designed for, but I don't think that it's for a lack of Python API features (if a studio wants something specific it could just maintain an internal fork) or the ever changing Python API surface (the versions aren't upgraded during a production anyways)
mixmastamyk 10mo ago
VFX studios have been using Python APIs for twenty+ years, backed by C. They were one of the first industries to use it. That's where I learned it, around the turn of the century.
forgotoldacc 10mo ago
Saying Evangelion isn't big is like saying Minions are some irrelevant little flick. Evangelion is quite possibly the biggest series in Japan for 3 decades running. You won't find a person who has not seen it to some extent. Evangelion goods are sold everywhere at all times. You really cannot escape it. For the biggest series in Japan to use Blender is a huge sign to the rest of the industry in one of the most risk-averse countries that yes, it's good enough.
- krapp 10mo ago
  A relevant opportunity may not occur again so here is a great video by Red Bard on whether it's possible to live entirely off of Evangelion merchandise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Qr9rztRw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Qr9rztRw4 tl;dw: probably.
- john_minsk 10mo ago
  How is Evangelion still running if the series was finished and even alternative ending was produced?
  - forgotoldacc 10mo ago
    The same way Star Wars was still running in between the original series and the prequels. It had an active fan base and lots of side content that was constantly being produced.
- VanTheBrand 10mo ago
  Minions do use Maya though to be fair.
john_minsk 10mo ago
Is there any good test scene that one can download to "test" capabilities of different software? Sorry if it is an ignorant question
underscoremark 10mo ago
> constantly changing API that doesn’t allow for the extensibility You pick a (stable) version, and use that API. It doesn't change if you don't. If it truly is a _major_ project, then constantly "upgrading" to the latest release is a big no-no (or should be)! And these "most people" who are scared of a Python API? Weak! It should have been a low level C API! ;-)
- mroche 10mo ago
  > And these "most people" who are scared of a Python API? Weak! It should have been a low level C API! ;-) I wouldn't frame it as "scared". The issue is that at a certain scene scale Python becomes the performance bottleneck if that's all you can use. > You pick a (stable) version, and use that API. It doesn't change if you don't. If it truly is a _major_ project, then constantly "upgrading" to the latest release is a big no-no (or should be)! This is fine if you only ever have one show in production. Most non-boutique studios have multiple shows being worked on in tandem, be it internal productions or contract bids that require interfacing with other studios. These separate productions can have any given permutation of DCC and plugin versions, all of which the internal pipeline and production engineering teams have to support simultaneously. Apps that provide a stable C/C++ SDK and Python interface across versions are significantly more amenable to these kinds of environments as the core studio hub app, rather than being ancillary, task specific tools.
  - underscoremark 10mo ago
    If you had multiple shows in production, I would expect that standards be set to use the same platforms and versions across the board. If the company is more than a boutique shop, I would expect them to have a somewhat competent CTO to manage this kind of problem - one that isn't specific to Blender, even! Also, if the company is more than a boutique shop, I would hope it would be at a level and budget that the Python performance bottlenecks would be well addressed with competent internal pipeline and production engineering teams. But then again, if the company is more than a boutique shop, they would just pay for the Maya licensing. :-) Small timers, boutique shops, and humble folks like me just try to get by with the tools we can afford. On a related note, though: I built a Blender plugin with version 2.93 and recently learned it still works fine on Blender 4. The "constantly changing API" isn't the beast some claim it is.
cthalupa 10mo ago
3.0+1.0 was the highest grossing box office release that year in Japan and has a worldwide fanbase. The original series + End of Evangelion are considered by many critics and fans to sit among the best anime series of all time, and the Rebuild movies were absolutely huge. Personally, I think they pale in comparison to the original series and lose a lot of what makes Eva special and interesting to begin with, so I'd kinda love to dump on them a bit, but... it's about as big of a production as it gets in the anime industry. They're of course nowhere near Pixar level or similar, but it is clearly an example of Blender being battle tested by a serious studio on a serious project.