Autodesk cuts prices of Flow Studio subscriptions
Autodesk has shaken up the pricing for Flow Studio, its AI-powered online platform for inserting 3D characters into video footage, formerly known as Wonder Studio.
The update introduces a new Free subscription tier, which watermarks output, although it can also be used as an AI motion-capture service.
In addition, the cost of the existing Lite and Pro subscriptions has been reduced, and Autodesk has introduced a new Standard subscription tier midway between them.
In related news, Pro subscriptions are now available as part of Autodesk’s Media and Entertainment product collections.
An AI-powered CG film-making platform that can export scenes to Blender, Maya and UE5
Launched in 2023 as Wonder Studio and acquired by Autodesk the following year, Flow Studio is an AI-powered, cloud-based platform for VFX and animation work.
It provides an all-in-one solution for inserting CG characters into video footage, tracking the motion of a live actor, replacing them with a CG character, and automatically matching the lighting of the character to the background.
As well as the final rendered video, Wonder Studio generates clean plates and alpha masks for the actor, camera tracks, and motion-capture data.
The data generated can also be exported as a 3D scene to Blender, Maya and Unreal Engine, or in USD format for use in applications like 3ds Max, Houdini or Unity.
New Free subscriptions can be used for AI motion-capture
One of the main changes in today’s update is the new Free subscription tier.
It watermarks output, so it’s essentially a trial edition, rather than something you could use for commercial work, although it does include Flow Studio’s AI motion-capture functionality.
That means that it’s possible to extract hand and full-body motion data from video footage of an actor, and export it in FBX format; or to export facial animation as a Blender scene.
Flow Studio services are charged on a credit basis, with the 300 credits/month included with Free subscriptions equating to around 30 seconds of AI mocap.
Prices of Lite subscriptions reduced, at the cost of a reduced feature set
In addition, the price of the existing Lite subscription tier has been reduced.
Lite subscriptions, which used to cost $19.99/month or $203.88/year – actually the original early access prices, which were never discontinued – now cost $10/month or $80/year.
However, the features available with the Lite tier have also been reduced: it is no longer possible to export character passes, PNG image sequences, or USD scenes.
Lite subscriptions also no longer include the ‘Wonder Tools‘ – standalone services for camera tracking and removing actors from footage to create clean plates.
In addition, the number of credits included with Lite subscriptions has been reduced from 3,000/month to 2,100/month.
New Standard subscription tier with an almost-full feature set
Autodesk has also introduced a new Standard subscription tier, which costs $45/month or $360/year.
It provides 6,000 credits/month and access all of the features of Flow Studio, with the exception of the option to export character passes and PNG image sequences.
Price of Pro subscriptions reduced
Finally, the price of Pro subscriptions, which provide 12,000 credits/month and access to the complete feature set, has been reduced from $99.99/month or $1,019.88/year to $95/month or $765/year.
Alongside the price changes, Flow Studio officially becomes “part of the Autodesk ecosystem”, so existing subscriptions won’t renew once you reach the end of your subscription term.
To continue using Flow Studio, you will need to take out a new subscription via Autodesk’s new product website.
Now part of Autodesk’s Media and Entertainment product bundles
In separate news, Flow Studio is now part of Autodesk’s Media and Entertainment subscription bundles.
The bundles, which cost $345/month or $2,790/year, include Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold, Golaem, Mudbox, MotionBuilder, ReCap Pro, in addition to the Pro edition of Flow Studio.
Since we last wrote about Flow Studio, Autodesk has also added the option to use its AI motion capture capabilities to export MetaHuman body animations to Unreal Engine.
Price and system requirements
The Autodesk Flow Studio platform is browser-based, and runs in Chrome or Safari. It does not currently support mobile browsers.
Processing video consumes credits, provided as part of free or paid subscription plans. You can find details of current pricing in the story above.
Read more about the new pricing for Flow Studio in Autodesk’s online FAQs
See a comparison table of the new Flow Studio subscription tiers on the product website
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