The 3D software created for Lord of the Rings is being discontinued – for a strange reason
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Another famed legacy piece of 3D modelling software is bowing out. Autodesk has announced that it's…
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Another famed legacy piece of 3D modelling software is bowing out. Autodesk has announced that it's discontinuing Mudbox, the digital sculpting software originally created for Wētā FX (then Wētā Digital) during the production of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.For 20 years, Mudbox has been used for concept art, game development, visual effects and motion graphics, although a lack of updates in recent years saw its importance fade. That's led to some raised eyebrows over Autodesk's reason for finally killing off the program. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King VFX | Weta Digital - YouTube Watch On Mudbox was first used as a fully fledged product for the 2005 film King Kong. Wētā artists Andrew Camenisch, Dave Cardwell and Tibor Madjar then left the VFX studio the next year to found Skymatter, which developed the software as an independent product.Latest Videos FromCreative BloqWatch full video here: Two decades after the launch of the public beta in May 2006, Autodesk has confirmed that its lights out for the software that it bought in August 2007. The company, which also owns the animation software Maya, says sales and renewals of three-year subscriptions ended on 7 August. Monthly and annual subscriptions will cease to be available on 7 November.The reason why? According to the FAQs on the Autodesk website, the decision was made "Due to no significant feature enhancements since Mudbox 2019".Some see that as a curious way to describe it since it was Autodesk's call not to make any feature enhancements. It also makes it sound like a death that was decided some time ago.In its heyday, Mudbox was seen as the state of the art in multi-resolution digital sculpting. Its creators were commended at the 2014 Scientific and Technical Academy Awards. Autodesk developed the software further with regular updates into the mid-2010s.Get the Creative Bloq NewsletterSign up to Creative Bloq's daily newsletter, which brings you the latest news and inspiration from the worlds of art, design and technology.But the last major addition was a dynamic tessellation system in Mudbox 2018.2. Six subsequent annual updates has no new features to cite (our Mudbox 2025 review from a couple of years ago remains a valid overview of Mudbox 2027 today). (Image credit: Xhon Hysenaj)Despite that lack of new features, the software continued to be sold on a subscription model rather than a one-off purchase. It currently costs £105 a year, fairly accessible for Autodesk but, at the same time, a steep price in the long-term for something that's not getting new features. The fact that there were artists still paying for it is testament to the loyalty the program inspired in some users.Many praised Mudbox for being intuitive and easier to pickup than Maxon's ZBrush, widely seen as the leading program for digital sculpting. ZBrush's non-standard workflow presents a steep learning curve for newcomers. Instead, Mudbox has a layer-based workflow that feels familiar to artists coming from other software.Some artists feel that this potential was never fully realised."This is the saddest software death since Softimage|XSI," one person writes on X. "Mudbox was so amazing and could have been so much more.""One of the great 3D tragedies is that Mudbox lost all development steam and was never allowed to become a true competitor to ZBrush. It's so much easier to use, and has crazy potential," another artist agrees."Heartbreaking. I learned the basics of cg sculpting in Mudbox in my sophomore year of undergrad before moving on to Zbrush," another artist recalls fondly.The 2027 edition of Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment Collection product bundle will be the last to include the software. Anyone who had a subscription to Mudbox or the Collection on 7 August will get a five-year subscription to Mudbox 2027 to give them time to find a replacement. This will include technical support and security fixes for the first three years.Do you have fond memories of Mudbox, or are you not surprised to see it go? Let me know in the comments. TOPICS Joe FoleyFreelance journalist and editorJoe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango. View More You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout LATEST ARTICLES 1 Has the world been too harsh on Disney's Hexed? 2 AI will have the biggest impact on the future of gaming, developers say 3 Sir Brian May gives Queen fans a fright with bizarre AI tribute band 4 Are Chromebooks finally good enough for university students? 5 This $240 office chair is supremely light and packs a boingSource: Creative Bloq AI Art — Published — Category: Image AI