Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 19.1
Fusion Studio 19 extends support for USD workflows in the compositing software. The video above was recorded in DaVinci Resolve 19.0, which includes a version of the Fusion toolset.
Originally posted on 30 April 2024. Scroll down for news of the Fusion Studio 19.1 update.
Blackmagic Design has released Fusion Studio 19.0, the latest version of its 3D compositing software.
The update adds IntelliTracker, a new AI-based point tracker, a new Multi Poly tool for rotoscoping work, and extends the software’s support for USD-based workflows.
Also available inside DaVinci Resolve 19
A version of the Fusion toolset is included in DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic Design’s colour grading, editing and visual effects software, version 19 of which has also just been released.
DaVinci Resolve gets more promotional support than Fusion Studio – at the time of writing, the Fusion Studio 19 product webpage lists features from an earlier release – so the video above is for DaVinci Resolve 19.0, but the features shown should be common to both apps.
Tracking: new AI-based IntelliTrack tracker, plus support for the Resolve FX Surface Tracker
New features in Fusion Studio 19.0 include IntelliTrack, a new point tracker powered by Neural Engine, Fusion Studio’s machine learning system, for tracking objects or stabilizing footage.
In addition, Fusion Studio now supports DaVinci Resolve’s Resolve FX Surface Tracker and Resolve FX Object Removal features.
Rotoscoping: new Multi Poly tool and updates to the Shape tools
For rotoscoping, a new Multi Poly tool (shown above) makes it possible to create multiple roto masks in a single node.
In addition, all of the Shape tools now support motion paths, and there are two new nodes: sText, for adding text to shape-based node trees, and sBSpline, for creating spline shapes.
Performance improvements include a speed boost of “up to 3x” in Magic Mask.
USD workflows: new nodes for editing textures and importing and rendering volumes
The update also extends the new USD-based workflows introduced in Fusion Studio 18.5.
Fusion Studio 19.0 adds four nodes for manipulating textures directly in a USD scene without having to edit the source file: uTexture, uTexture Transform, uShader, and uNormal Map.
There is also a new uVolume tool (shown above), for importing, shading and rendering volumetric effects like fire and smoke in OpenVDB format.
Fusion Studio 19.1 Update! Get new Fusion titles and effects, better handling of interlaced media, support for USD 24.08, USD scene export from compositions and more! Download now from https://t.co/FD9oXxIycF pic.twitter.com/sM3TEwPv2T
— Blackmagic Design (@Blackmagic_News) November 12, 2024
Updated 13 November 2024: Blackmagic Design has released Fusion Studio 19.1.
The update further extends USD workflows, adding a new uExport node for exporting USD scenes from compositions, including geometry, materials, animations, cameras and lighting.
Users can choose to export in scenes in .usd, .usda, .usdc, and .usdz format, and to export specific nodes in the source tree as a hierarchy of linked USD files.
New Switch and uSwitch tools for toggling between variant inputs for a composition
The update also adds new Switch and uSwitch tools for toggling between multiple input sources for a composition, designed for standard and USD environments respectively.
Both support any number of input connections – although only for one output from each of the input sources – and work with “most types of tools”, including Shapes and 3D.
Updates to OpenColorIO color management workflow
Other new features include OCIO Display, a new tool for applying customised Display transforms from a sourced OCIO config file.
It can also auto-detect any attached monitors, and provide additional transforms based on the ICC profile provided by the user’s operating system.
It is also now possible to use OCIO CDL transforms to view LUTs.
Other changes
For roto work, the Multi Poly tool’s viewer toolbar gets new controls for adding polygons and B-splines to the tool’s list, making it possible to begin drawing a new shape in the viewer.
The TimeSpeed node gets a new Freeze Frame control, making it possible to capture a specific frame from a video clip and hold it for the duration of a composition.
The update also improves performance with projects featuring multiple or long paintbrush operations, while Fusion resize is now “up to 3x faster”.
Pricing and system requirements
Fusion Studio 19.1 is available for Windows 10+, Rocky Linux 8.6 and macOS 13.0+. New licences cost $295.
The Fusion toolset in the free edition of DaVinci Resolve has a maximum image resolution of 16k x 16k and lacks network rendering capabilities. See a feature comparison table.
Read a full list of new features in Fusion Studio 19.1 in the online release notes
Read a full list of new features in Fusion Studio 19.0 in the online release notes
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