Initial thoughts on ASP 6

InfoCentral · Post by **InfoCentral** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:23 pm

I just don't see how you put software in a retail box and say its not a final release?

synthsin75 · Post by **synthsin75** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:28 pm

InfoCentral wrote:I just don't see how you put software in a retail box and say its not a final release?

My thoughts exactly! But I'll refrain from going into details, as I'm afraid the forum police will come round me up.

banjar · Post by **banjar** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:01 am

heyvern wrote:
I don't really have a problem bringing up issues. Many of the issues you and others have pointed out are legitimate and valid. It's the constant between the lines "commentary" that goes along with it that is driving me CRAZY!

We ALL WANT AS TO BE GREAT! We want it to succeed and become a Toonboom killer. So say that you want a fix for the batch render. Suggest how to improve it...

... but leave out the absolutely unneeded COMMENTARY and personal accusations and condescension that is in every one of your posts. You CONSTANTLY make disparaging remarks over and over about Mike's skills as a programmer, Smith Micro's "lack of vision" and incompetence. Every post regarding AS 6 has a note of contempt.

It's getting OLD. It's getting REALLY REALLY REALLY FREAKING OLD. We know already. We know. You think AS is the Titanic, the greatest ship ever built... and that Mike is the captain. Fine we get it. We know.

I well understand that you want to spend more programming time on the "flashy" features that will sell AS. I was in the business for 3 decades and know how things work.
If you tell us ONE MORE FREAKING TIME how many dagnab freaking god awful years of freaking experience you have.... I will have an aneurysm. Blood gushing out my ears and nose... veins on my head throbbing... my head will explode like a "Scanners" movie.

Are you still in the business anymore? Or did all of your coworkers heads explode and you had to quit?

If you are so much better at this than Smith Micro and Mike Clifton then go make your own animation program. Then when YOUR customers call you names and UNJUSTLY CRITICIZE YOUR SKILLS on YOUR forum we'll see the reaction you have....

... of course no one will ever complain at all because YOUR applicationa are 100% PERFECT on the first version. You never have to do any updates or patches because all of the features you will ever need are in the first version. There are no bugs in your application because of your decades of experience...

... decades and decades of experience... my god it feels like I'm experiencing them all right now.... oh god my head is about to explode...

-vern

Jeeze, Vern, you missed your meds again today, didn't you? Relax. It's called Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Opinion. Get used to it since it makes the world a better place.

Personally, I like and benefit from such commentary. It gives greater insight into the problems and cogitations involved in solving the problems.

I'm not a programmer except for Flash Action Script. But those were legitimate complaints and legitimate solutions.

Don't freak out, but my own opinion on the new release is this: Smith Micro is obviously dropping the ball. They have a great program but they are pinching pennies and short-changing their customers, while not hiring enough programmers to properly write the necessary code. Smith Midro are a bunch of cheap skate computer entrepreneurs who only buy other people's program and spend their time marketing. Probably because they are only interested in selling to hobbiests and little kids, they really are not interested in pushing ASPro into the professional animation market.

With so few of the requested and necessary changes added to the new version, I don't have time for this. I just bought a copy of Toon Boom Animate. I might as well tough it out on the learning curve and put my time and talent into a professional product backed by a company that is interested in professional animations and the needs of professional animators. ASPro is great but it is not being supported by people with enough vision. Bye-bye all, you are a great bunch of folks.

mkelley · Post by **mkelley** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:31 am

Banjar,

I'm sorry we're losing you. Despite my sharing most of your opinions and complaints about SM, and despite my feelings that AS 6 could have been even better with just a little more listening to the folks who try and make money at this stuff, I still think AS is head and shoulders above anything the ToonBoom people have ever come up with.

I particularly think the scripting in AS 6 gives me hope that we can overcome some of those problems and needs -- but I hear you about not being a programmer and I do think there's part of me as a programmer that feels more comfortable working around those things.

You may still want to keep AS in mind as you work your way up the steep slopes of learning TB -- there's no reason why the products have to be mutually exclusive, and you may find there are things you can do with AS you'll never be able to do (or not very easily or well) with TB. But at the very least keep an eye open here from time to time to see if/when AS 7 is released that Mike doesn't address more professional areas -- I get the feeling we are RIGHT on the verge of seeing a definite product split along the hobbyst/professional lines in that regard.

And take care and have fun! That's really the bottom line -- if you can have fun with TB then you're doing the right thing (I couldn't and believe me I've tried on more than one occasion).

InfoCentral · Post by **InfoCentral** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:30 am

mkelley wrote:You may still want to keep AS in mind as you work your way up the steep slopes of learning TB --

I think they have made great progress in producing learning material and besides that there are now third party videos.

dazza101 · Post by **dazza101** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:53 am

mkelley wrote:Banjar,

...snip

-- I get the feeling we are RIGHT on the verge of seeing a definite product split along the hobbyst/professional lines in that regard.

Maybe, but that's a big call, from Mike personally, and more to the point, SM in providing $$$ to the development of the program. I would love to think this would be the case, but the reality is that SM still make the majority of their revenue from software for the wireless industry. They may want to make a greater commitment to their newly acquired consumer products, but that's a major change in the allocation of their R&D budget, so don't expect it to happen overnight. Of course, we can hope, and good sales of AS 6 would certainly help the cause...

The400th · Post by **The400th** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:50 am

I just bought a copy of Toon Boom Animate. I might as well tough it out on the learning curve

You do know there's a free PLE version of Animate, don't you? It has no time limit, so you can learn the software without paying for it. And make your buying decision AFTER you have properly evaluated it.

You don't even have to worry about the current cheap deals because Toon Boom ALWAYS repeat them in one way or another.

I just can't see the logic behind buying it, and THEN learning it, when you don't have to.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:51 am

Well, my first impressions are WOW. Totally stokefied. TOTALLY awesome. Drawing tools feel much better, I'm using a Cintiq, and the SEQUENCER! YAY! No more fiddling with keyframes when moving scenes along the timeline - and the AUDIO is ALSO moveable! YAAAAAAY!

Just wondering where the rotate layer through x and y buttons are.