Fab has taken all of the great things about Quixel bridge and removed them. It’s clear this is only about monetization and not truly about convenience since Bridge worked very well as an asset browser. Not to mention the fact that it was a stand alone app which allowed for quick and easy customization of your export to whatever your preferred 3D software is.
You have effectively removed that ease of use with this marketplace. You’ve taken the worst parts of SketchFab, and the worst parts of Bridge and then combined them to create this amalgamation of a marketplace. Here are the basic things that artists need for a seamless workflow on your platform:
- Easy export from the marketplace/ asset browser to their preferred 3D software
- Accessible customization of the asset properties (File type, texture size, texture file type, etc.)
- Usable search feature that actually filters things properly.
- No AI generated content, or at the very least a way to completely filter it out of the search. I have no interest in getting an asset clearly generated by AI.
All four of the things I just listed Quixel Bridge had. If you wanted to make an all-in-one marketplace that’s fine, but at least make it functional on release. And don’t get rid of a widely used, and highly functional software for no reason. If you wanted to monetize bridge assets that’s fine as well, but at least keep them in Bridge since it functions properly. This would have been far better for artists if you had expanded Bridge’s functionality. You could’ve even rebranded it and kept the same base functionality and interface. I guess that earth shattering idea didn’t cross the simple mind of the thick skulled corporate jack*ss in charge (Pardon my french).
This switch has given me (and I imagine many other people) a massive hit to my workflow, and slowed me down significantly. I don’t even care that I can’t use the Quixel assets for free in UE anymore, I just want them to be easy to use. It’s not like you don’t already have that framework, bridge has been using it for years.
I know this isn’t gonna do much but at least some other artist might see it and agree.
Greed destroys creativity. You’re supposed to create things for your customers not your shareholders.