Code names for Softimage release through the years.
Thanks to Luc-Eric for the suggestion and the information.
“When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Hubble (reference models), Big Bang (handling large number of objects), Spliff (new shader IDE authoring environment) were projects that were developed independently of any release and then merged into a release when they were ready.
Moondust was the node-based particles project that grew into ICE.
Stardust and Apollo were projects that never came to fruition or were folded into other work.
Text version of the codename listing:
| Softimage 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack | Minou |
| Softimage 2012 | Felix |
| Softimage 2011 Subscription Advantage Pack | SideCar |
| Softimage 2011 | Aprilia |
| Softimage 2010 | Supernova |
| XSI 7.5 | Bimota |
| XSI 7 | Ariane |
| XSI 6.0 | Pioneer |
| XSI 5.1,5.11 | Gemini |
| XSI 5.0 | Zanzibar |
| XSI 4.2 | Mercury |
| XSI 4.0 | Mallorca |
| XSI 3.5 | Jail |
| XSI 3.0 | Orléans |
| XSI 2.1 | Hair |
| XSI 2.0 | Ibiza |
| XSI 1.5 | Minorca |
| XSI 1.0 | Sumatra |
eX-SI 
Don’t forget about Moondust!
Hi Joe Thanks for pointing that out, I updated my graphic.
Nice!
The following projects should be added too:
Proton (Pioneer): python enhancement and .NET sdk support
Rosebud (FaceRobot release): SDK support for FaceRobot.
Splice (Supernova): geometry, port state notif and custom type API support for ICE Custom nodes.
-mab
i loved moondust codename! thanks for making this.
I don’t think the internal code names of projects matter. what’s important is the code name of the *releases*. Moondust was just a project and not a release, but at least some beta tester did test a build called Moondust, afaik. Splice, Proton? Never really heard of those
True, but “Moondust” has a “special place in our hearts” as the new upcoming greatness it represented somehow got known to the public at an early stage under that name… I think it’s the codename most people knew beforehand… (except for maybe “Sumatra”) 😉
I had a copy named “Moondust” on my portable at the time when I was at Stan Winston Studio.
We were working on an internally produced feature film which ultimately become “The Deaths of Ian Stone” and we had to pull off a specific effect that was nigh impossible in XSI 6, yet relatively straightforward using a simple node graph.
It was an ideal test condition for Moondust, even in that early state of development (before the demo at Siggraph). After many warnings about likely instability, no documentation, no support, etc, we decided it was worth the risk, considering we simply couldn’t do what we needed to do without it.
And it worked! Without so much as a glitch. Despite being an alpha, non-release.
What’s funny (or sad depending on how you want to look at it) is how easy it is to pull off so many complex effects now using ICE (nee Moondust). And how much our power as Softimage users has grown along with access to this kind of tool kit. I am almost embarrassed to look back at those early effects that required squeezing every ounce of creative problem solving, and could only go so far. In such a short period of time, XSI had gone from being an effects weakling (in all honesty, somewhat of a joke from an industry perspective) to an amazing, robust, simulation powerhouse… because of the fruits of project Moondust.
Phase 1 of Hubble was also released to some customers as part of an escalation contract. Softimage already had ref models but this was the revamp that introduced the delta system. Work on the ref model system continued after that, but I’m not sure whether that was officially considered part of Hubble or rolled into another project.