IllusionCatalyst

Frequently Asked Questions (maybe not so...)

Why did you write IllusionCatalyst?

I love the creative process in computer graphics, but I hate every repetitive task. The dragon you can see in my personal website was modeled before the development of IC.Shape. It was enough for me to say I couldn't move points here and there one by one anymore. The machine, being it software or hardware, must do what I want, not the contrary. I wrote IllusionCatalyst scripts to have my own instruments, to do the work the way I like, enjoying the creative process and setting aside most of the tedious mechanics.
This is my way to gain a spot in the community. I'm not one who can write a thousands posts on a forum, or do breath taking, stunning art (yet). I therefore decided to create something useful that artists can put into action to do even better artworks in less time, or with less struggling against the software. It's a real pleasure for me to think I somehow took part in the process of making art.

Why did you release IllusionCatalyst for free?

IllusionCatalyst required months of learning and coding. I'm quite satisfied with the results, and it would have been a waste to keep it only for me, so I decided to make a release. I left it free because I wanted to reach the widest audience and thinking about commercial issues is an accessory annoying matter for me. I prefer to commit to artists' generosity.
IllusionCatalyst is a new script, the better way to make it known is to let people freely get, try, use it. Diffusion would be halted if obstacles were put before the first contact. I dislike the shareware formula, since time to try something new is always really short and never in the right moment. The most disappointing thing is to see the trial period expired just the day before the one you are free.

Is IllusionCatalyst really cost-free?

Yes, it is. IllusionCatalyst 1.x.x is cost-free and can be used in production environments, as stated in the license. There are some reasons why I left the script code readable. First and foremost you can hide everything but ideas. It doesn't really matter to me what's the code function to do this or that, the most important thing is what to do. So I could encode the script making it unreadable, but what's the deal? Could I have hidden IllusionCatalyst functionality, interface or instruments behavior? The answer is obviously negative. Every programmer could have in any case reproduced what I coded, maybe even better. I learnt MaxScript from its reference and from the code written by others prior to me. Again, why should I have masked the source code? I'm still the copyright owner anyway, so please abide by the license and don't hesitate to ask any question you like.

Are you planning to develop a commercial version of IllusionCatalyst?

Are you trying to use (overuse) artists for free like beta-testers to fix IllusionCatalyst?

Absolutely not. I thoroughly tested every IllusionCatalyst script in practical sessions trying to figure out strange and wrong uses too. There are for sure bugs I don't know and didn't catch yet, since it's almost impossible for a single person to write more than twenty thousand lines of flawless code. Please report any bug through the bug page of this website. Anyway, I would have never released IllusionCatalyst if I hadn't considered it somehow finished and ready for action, and I'm pretty scrupulous. Development is anyhow still in progress, as you can see in the info page of this website.

Are you trying to get (steal) ideas for free from artists to develop IllusionCatalyst?

Can a gift be a stealing? I developed IllusionCatalyst upon personal needing, and it works well for me. Now I released my scripts and they may not perfectly fit the purpose, since everyone has his own approach to the same problem. I would like to make IllusionCatalyst fun and suitable for the widest audience. To achieve this result I wish to hear from you what you think, like or dislike about my work, and what you miss. This is not a campaign to harvest ideas for free, I got a full page of ideas to develop that could alone take me busy for months, in example: "relaxed draw", "sewer and stitch", "IC.Skin", "IC.Rig"...

Why the "Donate" button in your website hasn't been working so far?

This is a tricky question. It is the first time I release something, and I didn't have any idea about what to expect regardless of the intrinsic value of IllusionCatalyst. I never intended this work as a way to make money, on the contrary it is a bit difficult for me to accept them so I kept the button disabled for around a month from release. I wanted to give you all the time to try, criticize, and decide after the heat of the moment to reward or not my effort.

Once I set up a model with IllusionCatalyst - i.e. IC.Face - am I bound to your script forever?

No, you're not. Consider IllusionCatalyst as a booster of standard 3ds Max functionality, not a substitutive tool. A model set up with IllusionCatalyst works without problems on any other computer having or not it installed. Its MacroScripts are like organized sets of standard instructions. Everything it does can be reproduced by hand, it would only require a much longer time. IllusionCatalyst offers a lot of shortcuts to speed up the set up and management of various stages in the CG pipeline, but never seizes your work.

Your script is awful, slow and dumb, and doesn't even make coffee...

I would like to make clear what IllusionCatalyst is not, with particular regard to IC.Shape. IllusionCatalyst isn't meant to transform 3ds Max in a displacement modeling program. It is based on the 3ds Max capabilities and core. It won't ever substitute softwares like Pixologic ZBrush or Autodesk Mudbox. IC.Shape sculpting instruments are conceived to make easier shaping Editable Poly surfaces from low to medium polygon count. Anyway, it's free.

Your script is awesome, speedy and brilliant, even if it doesn't make coffee...

IllusionCatalyst brings into 3ds Max some new features, while other are inspired by other software behavior. What is always original, in my opinion, is the approach to these concepts. I wished to show the attitude I got in problem setting and solving. Being an industrial designer I'm accustomed to define plain as well as unexpressed needing and then try to find the most comprehensive answers. I attempted to figure out what would have been better from the user point of view. Even if it doesn't make coffee, it would hopefully help you to save the time to get a tasty mug. Thank you.

Who are you?

I'm just one who is walking his way to make what he likes most his professional life. I'm an industrial designer, but more than this, I'm a very curious and scrupulous guy. I learnt the most from self teaching, like computer graphics and programming. What I'm actually able to accomplish is shown in my personal website, and I'm actually studying to improve my skills. I set as a goal to take part in the next year Dominance War with a worthy competitive 3D artwork. In the meanwhile I'm looking for job, willing to relocate, where I can speed up my professional growth by facing real and wide-ranging challenges. I don't like to do always the same thing and become highly specialized, there's nothing more mind stimulating than put myself to the test on new applications, as well as knowing and being able to manage the whole practical art creation process, from concept to animation rendering and compositing. I know it's quite an ambitious task, but I guess it can be managed stepwise.