Softimage (.hrc, .xsi)

Autodesk Softimage or simply Softimage (formerly also Softimage | XSI) is a full-featured 3D graphics editor owned by Autodesk, which includes the capabilities of 3D modeling, animation, and special effects. This software is mainly used in the creation of cinema, video games, as well as in the advertising industry to create characters, objects, and environments.

Released in 2000 as a successor to Softimage | 3D, Softimage | XSI was developed by Canadian-based company Softimage, Co., which later became a subsidiary of Avid Technology. On October 23, 2008, Autodesk purchased from Avid the Softimage trademark and 3D animation assets for about $ 35 million, resulting in Softimage Co. ceased to exist as a separate company. In February 2009, Softimage | XSI, as a result of rebranding, became Autodesk Softimage.

Autodesk will no longer release new versions of Softimage.

ICE (Interactive Creative Environment) – an intensively developing interactive creative environment – a visual interface for expanding the program’s capabilities and quickly creating procedural effects through the use of data flow diagrams based on nodes (nodes). Working with particles, special curves (strands), geometry, including the topology of polygonal objects, kinematics and many other data, parameters and attributes of the scene. In the ICE environment, several solutions are implemented to simulate various physical effects, the main advantages of which are procedurality, flexibility, high performance and quality. ICE allows the artist to implement solutions of any complexity without writing code.
64-bit multithreaded architecture.

Customizable workflow. Softimage has many tools that allow users to customize the program according to strict requirements. A large number of options and settings allows artists and teams to build an effective pipeline, with the ability to make changes at any stage of work.
Powerful and convenient polygonal modeling, as well as procedural modeling in the ICE environment.
Interaction with other Autodesk packages.
Tools for creating a skeleton and character animation.
Nonlinear animation with Animation Mixer, a tool that allows users to mix animation clips and layers in the same way as non-linear video editing software.

Creating complex Real Time shaders and materials.
Rendering and cameras are the most complete among 3D programs integration with the mental ray visualization system, support for batch visualization and visualization from the command line. The most complete mental ray shader library.
Physics and dynamics of particles and geometry:
Classic Softimage tools for the dynamics of solids (on the PhysX or ODE engines), soft bodies and fabrics.
The integrated extension Syflex, for the miscalculation of a fabric. In the form of ordinary operators or tools in the ICE environment.
Solid body simulators on the PhysX and Bullet engines in the ICE environment. Applicable to particle simulation.
Lagoa engine operating in the ICE environment. Creating the effects of soft bodies, tissues, particles, fluids, with the possibility of complex control. There is a large base of ready-made effects.
Also in the delivery are examples of assets implemented from simple ICE components (Verle)

Tools for creating, adjusting and rendering hair dynamics (Shave and a Haircut). Also Strands elements created in the ICE environment.
Powerful tool for facial rig and Face Robot animation. To work with key animation and mocap.
Stereo camera.
Built-in composer and player.
JScript, VBScript, Python support for scripting.
Detailed SDK.