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<\/p>\nIBC, held annually in Amsterdam in September, offered a chance to catch up on the latest technology and trends in the broadcast and film world.<\/p>\n
A key trend was the increasing power of the GPU and its effect on the creative pipeline. An example of this was demonstrated on the\u00a0AMD<\/a> stand by\u00a0StudioGPU<\/a> in the form of MachStudioPro. Bundled with AMD’s new $1,800 ATI\u00a0FirePro V8750 graphics card, this $5,000 production solution can seamlessly bolt into software suites such as Maya, 3ds Max, Google Sketchup Pro, ArchiCAD and Rhino to provide real time rendering in a virtual production environment. The MachStudio Pro software fits into the creative pipeline after all 3D models are produced and provides lighting, cameras, materials, compositing and finishing capabilities. The workflow can be likened to a virtual 3D real-time studio environment, allowing artists and TDs to work with lighting, camera views and multi-point perspectives for a real-time view of frames as they would appear in the final rendered format. Version 1.2 of the $5000 product was launched at the show, with demonstrations including a fully rendered ambient occlusion pass updating almost instantly when a scene camera was moved and dramatic real time displacement mapping using a sub-pixel geometry tessellation process supported on the V8750.<\/p>\n The software can also run on NVIDIA cards, but the hardware-based geometry tessellation is exclusive to qualified ATI graphics workstation cards. It can increase the polygon count exponentially, in some instances to more than one billion polygons, without any material drop in the render speed.\u00a0MachStudioPro also offers specialised shaders for car paint, reflection and sub surface scattering, as well as realtime material creation and stereoscopic camera support.<\/p>\n NVIDIA<\/a> meanwhile used IBC to premiere the Quadro Digital Video Pipeline, an integrated, GPU-based platform for real-time acquisition, processing and delivery of high-resolution video. Based on the CUDA parallel computing architecture, street prices range from $5,000 to $8,000.<\/p>\n Among the products offered by\u00a0AJA <\/a>was the Ki Pro, a highly portable tapeless device that records files to the 10-bit Apple ProRes 422 codec direct from any camera. The company was also showing off its KOMA range of routers, which won two awards at IBC 2009. With a small form factor, the KUMO 1604 and 1616 routers offer features like SDI, HD-SDI and 3G SDI compatibility, as well as web-browser control over a LAN, so allowing integration into any post and production environment. The routers won the Broadcast Engineering IBC Pick Hit Award, as well as the TV Technology Europe STAR (Superior Technology Award Recipient) Award.<\/p>\n Still in I\/O territory,\u00a0Bluefish444<\/a> was showcasing its Epoch and Create cards at the show. Supporting Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, Epoch is a range of 2K\/HD\/SD PCIE SDI & 3D stereoscopic capable video capture cards containing new hardware scaling technology and an onboard routing software that enables up, down or cross conversion of any input or output video signal to\/from Epoch. A 4 lane PCIe bus interface allows multi channel full duplex operation, while other new features include 12 bit SDI processing, embedded audio and embedded time code. The company also introduced its Create range of cards, which feature onboard 12 bit video processing and Sinc(x) hardware scaling that combine to enable real-time format conversion.<\/p>\n Autodesk<\/a> was demonstrating its colour grading solution, Lustre 2010, which offers a substantial increase in grading power, according to Bruno Sargeant, Autodesk Television Industry Manager, Media & Entertainment. Colourists now have access to 48 layers, with unlimited shapes per layer, so increasing the systems control over final colour and lighting effects. There\u2019s also a new integrated Degrain tool and Grade Bin which will save significant time in the finishing process. Sargeant also highlighted the new support in Lustre 2010 for MXF with Avid DNxHD files as well as RSX file support, which enhances the RED camera workflow in Lustre.\u00a0 These attributes also form part of the offerings in the 2010 Extension 1 releases for Flame, Inferno, Flare, Flint and Smoke. The extensions further improve interoperability between Flame and Smoke and Lustre with the introduction of bidirectional multilayer timeline exchange and cross product codec compatibility. There\u2019s also a new Substance generator, easy to use presets, expanded format support and general workflow and productivity improvements.<\/p>\n Autodesk has also just launched the Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010, which includes 2010 versions of Maya, MotionBuilder and Mudbox, as well as featuring an integrated compositing component in the shape of Toxik. There\u2019s an alternative version of the suite that replaces Maya with 3ds Max 2010, as well as Animation Suite versions for Maya and 3ds Max which only feature MotionBuilder as the extra package. Autodesk claims buying the suites will provide up to a 35% saving over the RRP of previous product offerings.\u00a0Also on the launch pad is Softimage 2010, which includes a complete Face Robot toolset, new GigaCore III architecture, Expanded ICE capability and new tools to enhance productivity. The Foundry's Ocula 2 boosts productivity and ultimately helps deliver a more rewarding stereoscopic viewing experience.<\/p><\/div>\n Another big draw at IBC 2009 was\u00a0The Foundry <\/a>booth, where the company was previewing Nuke 6.0. This will incorporate a completely new shape rotoscope and paint toolset based on a rewritten core curve library and new RotoPaint node. The Foundry also released details of NukeX 6 which will further add an integrated 3D camera tracker, automated and manual lens distortion tools and FurnaceCore plug-ins. Also showing was a\u00a0new release of Ocula 2.0, an update to the collection of plug-in tools to address common problems experienced with stereoscopic imagery in post production. \u00a0Considerable workflow improvements offer better control for the calibration of stereo sequences, including new algorithms to perform image corrections and disparity map generation. The toolset also gains additional functionality with the ability to generate disparity maps from CG depth maps, and depth maps from live-action stereo footage.<\/p>\n The Foundry also hosted Florian Gellinger of Berlin-based\u00a0Rise FX <\/a>showing how the pre-viz animation created for Matthias Glasner’s This Is Love could be directly implemented in the Nuke workflow, while Image Engine<\/a> showed how Nuke helped in the creation of the vfx for Neill Blomkamp’s\u00a0District 9. Image Engine\u00a0demonstrated Nuke\u2019s unique workflow by showing how 3D elements were output as rendered passes onto 2D cards and stacked in the 3D compositing space. Among the tools Image Engine\u00a0developed for the film was a position pass tool in Nuke, which gave open EXR data for the position of a model in world space. This data was used to generate a point cloud which when combined with a beauty pass created what appeared to be, in Normal Map fashion, a highly textured model that could be lit and used in setting up scenes.<\/p>\n Another of the significant trends at IBC was a noticeable move to provide higher quality video on demand, particularly Web based HD delivery mixed with interactive content. This was a strong theme in\u00a0Microsoft’s<\/a> announcements, which included details of the forthcoming release of Silverlight 4 and Live Smooth Streaming, which enables delivery of interactive, high-definition-quality content over HTTP. As well as being able to able to take advantage of Smooth Streaming, Silverlight 4 will include native multicast support and support for offline digital rights management (DRM) powered by Microsoft\u2019s PlayReady technology.<\/p>\n Adobe<\/a> was also keen to demonstrate content protection credentials with its Flash Access 2.0 technology. Previously known as Adobe Flash Media Rights Management Server, this scalable solution will ship early next year and will provide robust protection of audiovisual content through the Flash Player. Flash Access 2.0\u00a0supports distribution of standards-based MPEG 4 (H.264) content as well as the FLV file format through a variety of distribution mechanisms, including progressive download, streaming and download for local playback. Protected content can also be played back in rich Internet applications (RIAs) that run outside the browser using Adobe AIR.\u00a0Adobe was also promoting CinemaDNG, aimed at defining an industry-wide open file format for digital cinema files and ensure easy file archiving and exchange. Adobe has made CinemaDNG plug-ins for After Effects CS4 and Premiere Pro CS4 available online on Adobe Labs. Adobe Story is a collaborative script development tool designed for creative professionals, producers, and writers working on or with scripts and screenplays<\/p><\/div>\n Another product was gathering interest off to the side of the Adobe booth, in the form of Adobe\u00a0Story, an online and offline collaborative script development tool. Available now on Adobe Labs<\/a>, Story allows information, such as script location and character biographies, to be captured or entered. The metadata will automatically flow into other products in the Creative Suite Production Premium toolkit, improving the efficiency for capturing clips and editing footage. The metadata can also help viewers discover and search through content online to find their favourite characters, episodes or scenes.<\/p>\n Stereoscopic 3D was a huge theme at the show, with products being launched for capture, cleanup and compositing of the dual streams captured by cameras in stereo rigs. Richard LaBerge, Exexcutive Vice-President, CMO for 3D stereo broadcasting developer\u00a0\u00a0Sensio<\/a>, told me that CGI creatives need to start learning the tools now, as he expects a surge in S3D productions by the third quarter of 2010.<\/p>\n One such stereo capable tool is Mystika from\u00a0SGO. It had one of busiest of booths at IBC, with Soho animation house\u00a0Bird Studios<\/a> and London-based HD and stereoscopic specialist\u00a0On Sight <\/a>both purchasing Mystika, the company’s high-end postproduction system at IBC.Describing himself as a big fan of Mistika,Ian Bird, Principal of Bird Studio, said: \u201cit should help us to reach new creative heights with our current stereoscopic 3D\u00a0projects that are starting immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest version of Mystika incorporates real-time tools for grading, compositing and repairing stereoscopic images, including processes to adjust inter-ocular camera distance and correct geometry and colour errors between the left and right streams.<\/p>\n “Bird Studios will be using it when mixing stereoscopic animation with stereo live action, as Mystika is the ideal tool to tackle all the issues that crop up in that scenario,” said\u00a0Giles Parker, MD of SGO’s reseller\/installer\u00a0Pixelution<\/a>. “It’s very fast and has an open architecture that makes it easy to work with existing applications.\u201d<\/p>\n Alioscopy<\/a> was showing off its\u00a0proprietary autostereoscopic HD monitor system on the Autodesk stand. \u00a0The system negates the need for 3D glasses and comprises of a lenticular HD monitor and the Mix 8 plug-in for rendering multiview content out of Maya and 3ds Max.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firedbydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/oculaGrab1.jpg?resize=600%2C375&ssl=1\" "\\"oculaGrab1\\"")
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