Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/110591
edit from a reel of clips and immediately go in to trimming them. With the timeline open you can drag clips from the desktop right into the timeline. This is a huge improvement. I have wanted this one feature since 2006. I have always done editing on the Flame, and even as cumbersome as it always was, it worked. With the new capabilities of the timeline, this is truly becoming a heavy-duty edit and effects machine. There is even a tab at the bottom for Batch, a direct line to the heart of the system. Batch, to me, is Flame. I do everything in Batch. It is an all-encompassing module with endless possibilities. I have been a diehard Batch user since 1998. You have access to almost every tool in the software from this one place. Batch has seen some enhancements in this release as well. You can convert a full Batch into a BFX clip and drop it into a timeline. Rendering in Batch has now been sped up thanks to GPU/CPU processing. With the new always-active library on screen, getting clips into a set-up is instant, unlike before where you left the module, went into the library, selected clips, and then came back. The new snapshot functionality is very handy to have. You can click snapshot and save your current workspace. How is that different that saving a set-up? Well, snapshot not only saves the set-up of nodes and animation, but it copies all the clips into the folder with the setup.This means when you archive it back in later, you can bring in the snapshot file and it takes all the clips with it. No longer do you need to archive in a project to make sure you have all PRODUCT: 20th Anniversary Edition of Flame Premium 2013 WEBSITE: www.autodesk.com PRICING: Exclusively available to current subscription customers, the Flame Anniversary Edition is customizable. See local resellers for subscription pricing. · The always active library · Instant access to Batch · Features the Smoke timeline NEVER STOP LEARNING It's important to note that there are many other features that were introduced with the main Flame Premium 2013 release. The software has come a long way in the last few years. Autodesk has been listening to users and implementing features that become more common in everyday use. There is a great set of tutorials online for users to watch and learn all the new features and how to adapt there current skill set to the new workflow — http://www.fxphd.com/news/ flametraining. I highly recommend going through the tutorials. There are so many new things to learn, and while many users insist on simply getting on the box and playing around to figure it out, unless you read the manual and/or watch the videos, you are doing yourself a disservice. In recent years there has been a lot of software out there to do similar tasks of the Flame. Autodesk has merged the Smoke and Flame together to make for a super-software. There is no other product on the market that offers such a diverse toolset in one place, period. The other contenders offer many pieces and parts of what is inside the Flame. If you need a fast moving, creative toolset with editing capabilities, then try Autodesk Flame 2013 20th Anniversary Edition. It is the big iron, must-have tool for anyone serious about editing and effects. the growth and evolution of Flame. I started with Inferno, which faded down into Flame, then there was Fire, which burned out into Smoke. Now Flame and Smoke are united as one application. On the higher end there will be Flame Premium and Lustre still standing. I feel the next logical progression will be to incorporate Lustre into Flame as well. For Smoke users, Autodesk will still be offering Smoke on Mac, which was just released after a long public beta that drew in many new users to the platform. According to Autodesk, the pricing of a full Flame 2013 Premium system is based on currency and system configuration. Autodesk also works with a number of resellers, whose prices vary. The package lends itself to customization, giving artists the ability to build the system to their exact specifications, affecting the final cost. That said, the US MSRP for a full, turnkey Flame Premium 2013 system, which includes hardware, software and storage, is $164K. There is also Flare. Current owners of Flame can buy a second system for $6K (software only). This is great for current owners who can now offer more without a big expense. Smoke on Mac 2013 costs $3,495 for the standalone version, and in my opinion is a steal, as well as a gateway drug to getting to Flame. To keep software current you must have subscription, and those costs vary depending on the product. WHERE NEXT? It is amazing to have seen and been part of VITAL STATS the clips in your set-up. I like this one a lot. Have any questions for Fred Ruckel? He can be reached at fred@rucksackny.com www.postmagazine.com Post0213_046-47-Review FlameRAV4finalREADUPDATED.indd 47 Post • February 2013 47 1/24/13 4:48 PM