Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

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Mindi Flyth
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:08 pm

Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Mindi Flyth »

I bought Muvizu a few years ago, back when Digimania was still running, and I had big plans for the program. I was going to use it to make movies, comics, all sorts of stuff. I hadn't gotten too far when Digimania promptly went under. I reluctantly gave up on Muvizu, thinking I could find some other program that would do what I needed.

Well, I've looked and looked, but I haven't found any other program that works for me. The closest is Moviestorm, but it's in a state even worse than Muvizu. (It's kind of scandalous that company is still charging so much for what seems to be abandonware.) I've looked at Blender and IClone and programs like that, and I just can't make heads or tails of them. They feel more like math homework than making art, they're just too technical for me. Source Filmmaker has potential, but it seems like it has a steeper learning curve than Muvizu and I hear its users complaining about it being old, busted and abandoned too! I want something both powerful and comprehensible, and I keep coming back to Muvizu.

But Muvizu is obviously in bad, bad shape. I'm not sure if I can find my old license, and I don't know if I can even purchase the program now. It sounds like it's been all but abandoned, and it's a struggle to even buy a license anymore. I really don't want to put a lot of work into a program if it's just going to disappear in a year or two. (I used to make cartoons with Xtranormal, and that's exactly what happened to me with that program.)

So, I'm wondering if it's even worth getting started with Muvizu and I could really use your feedback. Just how hard is it to buy the program and the various packs at this point? If Meshmellow totally abandons the program and shuts down the website, will it still be useable somehow? Is there enough of a fan community to keep this program going for years to come, or is it basically a sinking ship? (This forum doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot of traffic, which seems like an ominous sign.)

I want a program I can understand, that can do decent 3D animation I can use for commercial purposes, and that won't just vanish on me six months after I've gotten started. Is Muvizu that program, or would some other program be better?

WallyB
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Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:05 pm

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by WallyB »

Hi Mindy,
I am checking out Muvizu at the moment for teaching purposes and I currently think that it is worth using. As to your Muvizu key, if you bought it before May 2017 you should be able to retrieve it by going to 'http://www.muvizu.com/Profile/yourmuviz ... MyProducts'.,

Cheers,

Rob.

WallyB
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Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:05 pm

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by WallyB »

P.S. Do you still have Muvizu installed on a PC?

Mindi Flyth
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:08 pm

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Mindi Flyth »

I have it installed on my previous PC. I think I installed it in 2016-ish. That PC is barely functioning and my current PC is a refurb, just about at the end of its life, so I'm planning to get a replacement before long. I'd probably wait to install Muvizu on my next PC, if that's even an option.

I'd be really interested in packs like the Asian characters and South Asian characters, which I didn't get a chance to install before Digimania went belly-up. Would it be possible for me to buy and install stuff like that at this point, or would it just be an exercise in frustration?

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Geoff Clarkson
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Location: Shropshire UK

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Geoff Clarkson »

This site and the Zuchat Facebook group was set up and run by a bunch of us Muvizu enthusiasts around the time that Digimania folded. No surprise then that some of us love it and continue to use it to make movies. In comparison to its rivals, Muvizu is now rather old-fashioned and limited in its range of functions. For ease of learning and use, and the appeal of its characters I think it is the best around. To get the best out of it for making movies you do need to use it with other software such as a compositor and an editor.

For stunningly realistic 3-D stuff with all the bells and whistles then go for Iclone or one of those. The characters can be made to do every possible action but I find them cold and unfriendly, and this is true of the cartoon characters they supply as well. Of course there is a huge range of assets available for these programs and they are developing. Muvizu is not going to be developed any further. The Chinese outfit that bought Digimania have done so to sell it as it is in the Asian market, they are not coders or developers.

Those of us that use Muvizu regularly have found work-arounds for many of its limitations. It’s genius is how quickly you can work with it. Muvizu is excellent if your main interest is using animation for storytelling. Once you have your license it will continue to work, as long take some certain steps if your transfer to a new machine, you will find help for that here.

WallyB
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:05 pm

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by WallyB »

re Muvizu licence:

If you can't get your key from your Muvizu account, your other option would be to recover the licence file from your existing installation of Muvizu. There should be a file called 'C:\Program Files\Muvizu Play\MuvizuGame\Licence\playplus.lic'. The presence of this file is what activates Muvizu and it is created by the initial activation process. Take a copy of this file and keep it somewhere safe. You could now experiment with your old computer (The licence file is specific to one computer, but there is a way around this) by reinstalling the same version of Muvizu offline and copying the licence file back into the correct place. This should give you an activated copy of Muvizu without going online. If this works you could then try with the latest version of Play.

Rob.

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Ikes
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Ikes »

Hi,

I am also looking for software similar to Muvizu, because I think there will never come an update for it. I believe I found something interesting to keep an eye on. It's called Inva3d and looks very promising. This software looks like it's the same as a Chinese version I found a year ago, called Fantasy FilmEngine, but could not purchase that. According to steam this inva3d will launch at 1 October. On their website it says it will cost $80,- Steam

Here is a short video about Fantasy FilmEngine in Chinese.
https://youtu.be/lFW-LoTy6TI

Mindi Flyth
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:08 pm

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Mindi Flyth »

Ikes, Inva3d looks fantastic and I'm really intrigued by it... although it makes me a little nervous that so little info is available about it or Filmengine. I looked for video tutorials about either program, and I couldn't find anything. I also wonder about the actual characters. All the video and screengrab stuff I could find for either program just showed a faceless robot character or that one anime girl. I don't know if you can create new characters within the program, if you have to create them within another program and then import them, or what.

Inva3d is a tantalizing possibility, but I'm not ready to jump in yet. Clearly the tech exists to make a good, consumer-level 3D animation program. They were already doing it years ago, with Muvizu and Moviestorm, but now there's a real gap in the market. Inva3d looks like it might be a real contender, but until we know more I'm hesitant to invest a lot of time in it. (If you're still interested in buying it, it looks like they're taking Paypal. I'm holding off until I can find some actual reviews somewhere.)

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drewi
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Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by drewi »

Muvizu will never die will it? Gulp!
Thanks for this information Ikes, New software is always interesting.
I'm eager to explore and have been clicking the download button for weeks.
1st of 0ctober has come and gone but i
Intend to carry on clicking. :)

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Ikes
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Location: The Netherlands

Re: Serious question: Is it worth getting started with Muvizu?

Post by Ikes »

Hi,

I've looked all over the place too for more info, but there is little to find and all in Chinese. A year ago there where a lot more video's about filmengine, but they seem to have all vanished from the net. Indeed there is very little info about character animation or tutorials, but what I understand is that you can import fbx models and animate them in Inva3d with bones. You probably need to create your models and skeleton in other 3D software and then import it. A week ago it said on the steam website that it would launch on October first, but now that is gone and I'm not sure when it becomes available. I'm keeping an eye on it for more info to shows up.