Thursday, November 14th, 2019 Posted by Jim Thacker

Autodesk ships Flame 2020.2


Autodesk has released Flame 2020.2, the latest update to its compositing, VFX and finishing software, adding new machine-learning-driven tools for isolating human heads and bodies in a shot.

The release also updates the Compare tool, making it possible to store unlimited reference images.

The other members of the Flame product family, cut-down assistant editions Flame Assist and Flare, and colour grading tool Lustre, also get 2020.2 updates.

A new AI-driven workflow for automatically isolating people in footage
Continuing the trend esablished by the previous releases in the 2020 series, Flame 2020.2 adds new tools trained using machine-learning techniques.

This time round, it’s two new modes in the Semantic keyer added in Flame 2020.1: one for automatically identifying and creating animated mattes for human heads, and one for bodies.

The mattes can then be used for quick grading or lighting work, or for background replacements.

Store unlimited reference stills in the Compare tool
The update also overhauls Flame’s Compare tool, making it possible to store an unlimited number of reference stills and compare them with the current viewport.

The interface has also been updated, with a new Compare Modes box for switching between Angle Split, Blend, Grid and Difference modes, the latter uniting the old Diff and Diff Clamped options.

Other changes include the option to convert 3D Text and 3D Shape objects to regular geometry, better import and replace workflow for FBX and Alembic files, and new Substance PBR presets in the texture library.

In addition, Flame, Flame Assist and Flare now support Blackmagic Design SDI amd HDMI Preview cards on CentOS. You can read a full list of changes via the links below.

Pricing and availability
Flame 2020.2, Flame Assist 2020.2, Flare 2020.2 and Lustre 2020.2 are available for CentOS 7.2/7.4 Linux and Mac OS X 10.12+ on a rental-only basis.

Flame is available directly from Autodesk with subscriptions costing $525/month or $4,205/year. Autodesk’s website now directs users to local resellers for the other products.

Both Flame Assist and Flare cost $2,240/year for a single-user subscription or $3,920/year for a multi-user subscription; Lustre costs $6,305 for a multi-user subscription.


Read a full list of new features in Flame 2020.2 in the online documentation
(Also covers Flare and Flame Assist)

Read a full list of new features in Lustre 2020.2 in the online documentation