Octane X for Mac with AMD!!! Tweet

[Weezer]

So, we gonna get that detailed forum post proposed a few days ago? It's now a few days later...

[hobirchina]

I think the post should be published on July 17, you read that right, they said that July 17 is actually just the post date of the post, and may talk about current progress and some features. It will not be the release date of the OctaneX software itself!

[hobirchina]

So, we gonna get that detailed forum post proposed a few days ago? It's now a few days later...

According to some news about the release time of OctaneX, OTOY is an ambiguous answer every time, let us misunderstand that OctaneX will be released soon. In order to maintain a certain flow and heat, this is a pure business behavior. No one but OTOY himself knows the actual software release date. It is estimated that the distance is very far, and it may even appear after two or three years.

[jenue]

Its releasing in 8 days no worries.

[Weezer]

Wow, so another day closer to a major release and still... nothing. No build up, no fanfare. Just some minor ramblings on a sub-forum. Quietest release ever.

[nibbler]

Why we still wait. A thesis.

We all love Octane and some of us are "still forced and bounded" on mac. But I am wondering why this release is so different to all others before, in a disappointing way.

We should therefore separate two things: Apple Octane X Stuff and Otoy Octane stuff – even in this forum.

I made this observation in the otoy-forum the past years:

Otoy Octane stuff – even Octane Apple release related –  is regulary very reliable, engaged and spotted on time. Information delivered are valid, published 1st hand (eg. aoactar) from otoy team and discussed with customers directly. Releases come in time, when announced and the in-between-phase or dev-phase communication is mostly transparent. If something happens, which prevents publishing, its articulated and explained. Evidence is the open discussion showed in this forum. At a glance – very good customer understanding and empathy. Bravo!

BUT ... Apple-Octane X related information seems to be the complete opposition: vague, hesitant, not reliable. No transparency, 2nd and third hand community rumours instead of first hand facts. Looking at 35 pages of entries regarding a relevant new business model – a prepared re-enter of apple in Pro-grahics with o-toy as partner – seems a very disappointing communication desaster.


What do we learn?

It seems, that there is a correlation between Apple directly involved into Otoy products compared to "non-involved" Apple/PC/Unix Otoy releases.

I do not blame Otoy. Because they held word in the past. I call it customers- trust, fullfilled. But. as long as they are bounded to Apple, there may be processes, we do not know, preventing the release publication.

Provocative thesis: When Apple gets involved, suppliers and partners should be awared to not getting their own identity damaged by Apple Corporation mindset, intransparency and ignorance. The whole MacPro (2019) projects showed this very impressively. The result is an overpriced monster, no one can effort, at redicilous rudimentary software based starting points. Apple should do what their marketing declares: listen to the Pro-customers. Deliver SOLUTIONS (Remember: "we love software") when they need it (CGI & Motion industry: not 10 years too late). Enable strategic software partners. At the end they both want to sell usable stuff to – US.

Its different than selling billions of generic iphones/ipads to generic customers. Its about creatives avantgardes business, efficiency, economics of thousands small and medium creative offices, millions of freelancers and only a few mayor CGI production plants within the creative industry. Not a mass market. But a special: the digital avantgarde.

Solution/Conclusion:
Anyway: its an desaster not releasing Octane X, but telling about releases and shifting permanently. But sadly it fits into the "Apple Macpro" macro-picture.

To Otoy: be aware but stay true. Tell, act, keep your authenticity.
To Apple: Think different! Change your behaviour! Value your partners. They will prepare the reeinter in your lost segment. Listen. Do.

To both of you, Otoy and Apple:
Be true to your customers AND DELIVER. Its not fun investing thousands of dollars into soft/hardware combination, with an open end: having an insecure feeling about future and sustainability of this invest.
Especially in these times of rapid change!

Do it better next time: Thanks for keeping the good, and avoiding the bad in future.

[slingbacker]

That’s beautiful mate.

[DERJUNG]

Sounds like next week the last update for Catalina "10.15.6" will probably be released, or not? beta4 is not GM... anyway, hope Octane X should finally work with it. I'm really curious to see if that will work for us non closed beta Users.
But then I need a license Hope the post explains in detail how this works if you bought a Mac Pro 2019 and get the license for one year for free. Because honestly, I wouldn't want to spend money on a (maybe buggy) beta version yet, and I would rather test a demo.

[hobirchina]

Seriously, I am not surprised. Even if he really released it, I would not be surprised. This is a big trap.
In the field of graphic animation, even though OctaneX is released, MacOS still has a big gap compared with Windows.
Apple Computer and MacOS have always been a very small user base. After months of crazy waiting, OctaneX madly tested my bottom line. I admit that I'm lost, I don't want to wait anymore, and there are hardly any Apple computer users around us using 3D animation and graphics rendering workers. I will also give up MacOS completely.


Apple said at WWDC2020 that it will take two years for Mac computers to transition from Intel to ARM. If so, will the ARM integrated GPU be used for general graphics computing in the future? Rendering speed is bound to greatly lag behind CUDA. Who knows, Apple may not care at all. Apple’s move will further open up collaboration between MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, AppleTV OS and WatchOS.

The field of using Metal for high-performance graphics computing may be marginalized or abandoned, so there is no hope of developing Metal GPU renderers on MacOS. I think OTOY can see this too.

Therefore, users who want to use MacOS for GPU graphics rendering may need to think about it, because even if Apple still retains the higher-performance MacPro while using the existing GPU specifications, this is a small number of people. In other words, in the future 3D graphics rendering field, MacOS may gradually be abandoned!

In the rest of the world, I don’t know. Among the Chinese user base, Mac users do not exceed 0.1% of the users who have been working with GPU renderers such as Octane and working in 3D graphics. According to the current situation, this proportion will be further reduced.

[nibbler]

Got the point, and it makes me nervous. And gets me start thinking in scenarios:

If Apple Arm based computer will launch, even the newest Apple intel systems will be no more supported in a very short time period - as history motorola/intel transition teached us.

More and more I am doubting Octane X / MacPro switch – I do not see any advantage of waiting ... for what?

The current facts are frustrating - and the perspective is not better:

Insecurity 1. An price/performance related overpriced Inel based MacPro2019 hardware ...
Insecurity 2. with currently NO running official serious 3D (Octane) support
Insecurity 3. in 2 years eventually completely outdated/less supported intel based systems ...
Insecurity 4. coming with beta stadium metal beta driver for AMD only aso. ...
Insecurity 5: The moment a final HW/SW combination solution will be on market (2021?), there will be new ARM hardware again, and everything starts from beginning, back to zero?

I must act now. I cannot deliver "Beta" creativity or "Beta" CGI ... I must deliver final state high performance results to my clients.

For me its all about software: I will stay on Octane. I can run Octane immediately on PC/Windows or unix. Without investing 20k min for hardware (each single system!) and without owning a few pieces of stylish silent trash within two years time period. Unfortunately OSX is currently for my workflows the most intuitive platform – fast, logic, simple, user friendly. If I was hardware independent – OSX as Software only – I'd allread switched the hardware. And they know it!

Talking about sustainability: all my 3d CGI macs are mid 2010 cheesegraters, tuned up to 128 gb ram, Multiple 1080TIs. 2x6core Intel Celerons etc. It works pretty well, since Octane started support for Macs. After 10 years of sleeping Apple is even after MacPro launch still so "off" digital creatives demands...

Time to face the truth as an Apple fanboy – one of those last standing: Apple has ruined it. And all started with the "We wont support NVidia anymore" nonsense. What a slap into the loyal apple customers face.

Hey Otoy: whats your opinion to this. Whats your Apple strategy for 202x?

Its all so quiet ....