Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/860302
www.postmagazine.com 9 POST AUGUST 2017 SIGGRAPH 2017 NEWS SAN RAFAEL, CA — Leading up to SIGGRAPH 2017, Autodesk released a series of updates for its media and en- tertainment tools, including Autodesk Media & Entertainment Collection, Autodesk Maya, Shotgun, Arnold, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Flame. Engineered to streamline and accelerate production on films, TV shows, games and immersive ex- periences, the new releases include improvements and user-requested enhancements that connect creative workflows and teams, helping them bring engaging stories to life for a worldwide audience. "The continued growth of AR and VR and steady flow of new produc- tions from Netflix, Amazon and oth- ers, mean animation and VFX houses are in more demand than ever," notes Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president, media & entertainment, Autodesk. "We're focused on helping our cus- tomers create, connect and compute faster and more efficiently so they can balance their increasing project loads with tighter schedules and budgets. Everything we're showing at SIGGRAPH streamlines production and equips artists with the tools to handle nearly any creative scenario." To build on the value, flexibility and simplicity the Autodesk Media & Entertainment Collection pro- vides customers, new subscription benefits will be added, including Cloud Rights and SketchBook for Enterprise. Additionally, Media & Entertainment Collection subscribers can take advantage of an Arnold five-pack promotion. Maya 2018 offers additional char- acter creation, motion graphics, and rendering functionality. Improvements have made character creation easier, faster, and fun. The motion graphics toolset now includes dynamics and new instancing capabilities. Maya 2018 is available with the latest version of Arnold, including new features and core architecture improvements. Shotgun has introduced features to simplify workflows, make it easier to integrate creation tools with Shotgun, and strengthen security. The latest updates in Shotgun 7.3 continue to build on Shotgun's secure and reliable foundation for studios by adding improvements that make it easier for site administrators to run and manage Shotgun. Shotgun 7.3 features include smart data retention for improved site performance and community-driven enhancements including improved ac- tion menu items (AMIs) and the ability to restart your own site. Arnold 5.0.1 includes new function- ality like AOV shaders for cryptomatte workflows, thin film for standard surface shader and additional updates and optimizations. Arnold 5.0.1 is available with the latest versions of Maya and 3ds Max or as a plug-in for additional DCC applications. The newest update to 3ds Max adds VR authoring tools for design visualization artists and generalists; 3ds Max interactive, a VR engine that simplifies the creation of immersive and interactive architectural visual- izations; and additional UX and UV unwrap improvements. Flame Family 2018.2 introduces new creative tools that enhance artist productivity and expand pipeline integration possibilities. Some new features in Flame 2018.2 are Pybox, a python script- able software handler for processing images via external renderers; projector func- tionality, map inputs and a contextual menu in action; smart merge for the connected conform workflow; and the ability to drive the batch environment via scriptable commands. In related news, Autodesk's Shotgun Software company an- nounced the winners of its fourth annual Pipeline Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in pipe- line tool development. This year's winners are DreamWorks Animation, for the DWATV Credits Tool; Visual Concepts, for the NBA 2K17 Facial Animation Pipeline; and Psyop for Cryptomatte, which automatically creates ID mattes using information already available at render time. AUTODESK UPDATES CONTENT CREATION TOOLS FREMONT, CA — Blackmagic Design (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com) has announced Fusion 9, a major update to its visual effects, compositing, 3D and motion graphics software. Fusion 9 has been designed to support the latest workflows and features new VR tools, entirely new keyer technolo- gy, planar tracking, camera tracking, multi user collaboration tools and more. Fusion 9 is available today and was demonstrated at Blackmagic Design's SIGGRAPH booth at the LA Convention Center earlier this month. Fusion 9 is a massive new release with a VR toolset. Customers get a full 360-degree true 3D workspace, along with a new panoramic viewer and support for popular VR headsets. Working in VR with Fusion is completely interactive. With GPU acceleration, customers can wear a headset and interact with elements in a VR scene in realtime. Fusion 9 also supports stereoscopic VR. In addition, the new 360-degree spherical camera renders out complete VR scenes, all in a single pass and without the need for complex camera rigs. The new planar tracker in Fusion 9 calculates motion planes for accurately compositing elements onto moving objects in a scene. Planar tracking data can also be used on rotoscope shapes. Fusion 9 also features an entirely new camera tracker that analyzes the motion of a live action camera in a scene and reconstructs the identical motion path in 3D space for use with cameras inside of Fusion. Fusion can also use lens metadata for proper framing, focal length and more. The new delta keyer features a complete set of matte finesse controls for creating the cleanest possible keys while preserving fine image detail. There's also a new clean plate tool that can smooth out subtle color variations on blue and green screens in live-action footage, making them easier to key. Blackmagic Design also announced a price reduction for Fusion Studio from $995 to $299. BLACKMAGIC DESIGN OFFERS FUSION 9 WITH VR TOOLS