Thursday, April 14th, 2011 Posted by Jim Thacker

Fusion 6.2 adds tools from Emmerich blockbuster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXE_iovifmk
Features developed by VFX studio Uncharted Territory for work on upcoming Roland Emmerich thriller Anonymous, have been incorporated into Fusion 6.2, including new volumetric compositing workflow.

eyeon Software has released announced a packed point update to Fusion, incorporating features developed for work on new Roland Emmerich thriller Anonymous.

Fusion 6.2 boasts a new ‘deep compositing’ volumetric toolset, developed in conjunction with VFX studio Uncharted Territory for use on the movie.

Other new features include a system for dimensionalising 2D footage for stereo viewing, and updated RED camera support.

The developer is also now billing the package as ‘supercomputing compositing software’ on the strength of its support for OpenCL, enabling calculations to be performed on mixed networks of CPUs and GPUs.

With The Foundry’s Nuke still making only limited use of GPU accleration, it will be interesting to see what headway Fusion 6.2’s new features enable it to make on its chief rival and de facto industry standard.

PRESS RELEASES (Excerpts)
eyeon Software Inc., a worldwide leader in visual effects software, today announced the latest release of their Supercomputing compositing software, Fusion™ 6.2.

Since eyeon Software’s inception in 1996, the company has always been an innovator in the advancement of software based on artist and industry requirements. Leading the industry with GPU acceleration and OpenCL development, eyeon Software has always been trusted to provide the very best tools within the best possible milieu. Moving Fusion’s technology to a GPU-based architecture within a supercomputing environment has provided a link to a more effective way of working for both artist and studio.

The Fruits Of Collaboration
Working with Uncharted Territory on Roland Emmerich’s new film “Anonymous” put eyeon Software back in touch with their production roots. This film allowed both eyeon and Uncharted Territory to develop technology for visual effects that break ground for quality and speed.

“Uncharted Territory partnered with eyeon to develop VFX technology for Roland Emmerich’s film ‘Anonymous’. Working directly with the team at eyeon allowed us to test, create, and implement new tools in a very short time frame that enabled us to make our workflow more efficient, get more iterations and therefore be more creative. I am excited that these unique tools are now being released in Fusion.”
Marc Weigert, Executive Producer & VFX Supervisor, Co-Founder, Uncharted Territory

In tandem with the production team, a new Deep Compositing toolset was developed to enhance the post production process for the film. In their determination to provide today’s most efficient pipeline, eyeon is proud to include these technologies in Fusion 6.2.

Deep Compositing
Lateral thinking brings a different approach to generating volumetric effects and atmospherics. By putting these into the compositing phase, the production process provides far greater finishing artistry. The new Volume Mask tool, for example, is distilled from the Anonymous production to provide a versatile control over World Position Passes (WPP).

“Nothing reminds us more of how important it is to understand the work that’s being done than rolling up our sleeves and jumping back into production. Uncharted Territory provided the perfect testing ground to gear development where filmmakers need it most, in the hands of the artists. Stay tuned for the full Anonymous story and release of ultimate technology from the Uncharted Territory and eyeon team.”
Joanne Dicaire, Executive VP of Sales & Marketing, eyeon Software Inc.

Significant changes were made to Fusion’s architecture to ensure a more sustainable production model for studios worldwide. Far more than volume effects, the isolation of 3D areas within the images remain fixed in moving scenes therefore no animated masks or tracking are required. Occluding using WPP gives the correct real world blending and integration into the scene. Coupling this with Fusion’s comprehensive model and scene importing and relighting capabilities takes finishing to a new level.

Fusion 6.2 Features
In addition to the advancements pioneered with Uncharted Territory, the development team at eyeon is always employed in the evolution of Fusion’s already prolific toolset. Many upgrades have been executed to ensure the equanimity of both artist and studio. Following are some of the enhancements you can expect:

  • Fusion x64 for Linux, which includes OpenCL Supercomputing
  • The Volumetric Masking Tool and Fogging Tool are part of the Deep Compositing toolset described above.
  • QuickTime support for Fusion x64 and Timecode, also greater than 8bit/channel codecs
  • Particle System updates with Particle Fuses and OCL Particle Fuses. Improved particle evaluation to provide more accurate and stable simulations.
  • 3D Renderer updated to render World Position Pass channels.
  • WPP technology allows the creation of a stereoscopic version from a single camera render.
  • RED R3D support updated to the latest version, which includes Epic and Scarlet support, as well as all the latest color science and controls, such as support for REDColor2 color space, REDGamma2, and REDlogFilm gamma.
  • SVG importing, Scalable Vector Graphics are the open standard for 2D vector specs that are exported by a large array of applications and can now be imported directly into Fusion.
  • OpenCL improvements include a new Rays Tool and the ability to add a second low cost graphics card just for OCL supercomputing.
  • Several unique macros, such as AlphaEdgeCCv, BlurredEdgesRestoration, and PrepareTexture.

Read a full list of new features on eyeon Software’s website