Reelmotion

[jimnokc]

Where did the Reelmotion folks go???? I've been looking at the demo for a week and then decided it was cool enough to buy. But when I called I got a different company who said they had moved out. I asked if she knew who was supporting ReelMotion and she said "no one, they just dropped the product."

Very disappointing, it was a rather unique way to animate vehicles and such!

[krugerm]

Did you manage to find a copy? If so, where from? Have they got any more copies? Anyone willing to sell second-hand?

[jimnokc]

I've contacted Motional Realms, now Rainbow Studios, and have been informed that they no longer sell this product.

Since Motional Realms didn't seem to have more than ReelMotion (unless I missed something), I'm not really sure what Rainbow Studios actually acquired!

I wanted to let everyone who's been reading this know. I've kept Kruger updated via private mail, but thought I would share this info with the rest of the community.

[colkai]

So what happened to the concept?
Although I couldn't afford it, I always thought it was a neat bit of software!

[jimnokc]

Essentially, the company that aquired Motional Realms decided it wasn't worth the level of effort. They apparently make games (console games I think) and can make more money with the same level of effort. Due to certain legal reasons they cannot turn the code over to another developer.

I'm hoping folks like Steve Worley and Andy Frerking are reading this thread. Sounds like a perfect empty niche for a LW plug-in to fill.

The bad thing is that ReelMotion wasn't just for LightWave, it was for any program that could import BVH data. It had plug-ins for Max, Maya, LW, and Cinema 4D (I think).

I have only played with the demo, talk about annoyed when I found out I could download a demo for software that wasn't for sale! The coolest thing about RM was the human factor. Sure you can animate a car driving down the street, but with RM you could hook up the old joystick-compatible steering wheel and drive it yourself. The car's animation would look more natural. The same with flying. A plane usually banks and turns a bit as the pilot lines up with the runway, the pilot pulls the nose up when he's about 50 ft over the runway and then pretty much stalls and drops the final few feet. That's a lotta keyframing, or simple to do with RM.

I spent hours yesterday looking for a user copy, no luck. Sure, I found somebody who carries shrink-wrapped new copies of Canoma! And look at how long it's been "not for sale!" I also tried to find something similar, no go.

I'm willing to bet that Worley knows these algorithms off the top of his head, maybe we should just all bug him to make his next big plug-in a ReelMotion replacement! :)

*Not responsible for annoying emails sent to Steve Worley!