SUMMARY: Mature software adds even more interactivity and power. Flame’s rep as a "Hero Box" is well-deserved.
TARGET APPS
High-end commercials, film effects, fancy broadcast promos
WHAT IT COSTS YOU $155,000 (range)
WHAT’S COOL
Automagic stabilization teamed up with world-class 3D tracking improves upon an already near-perfect capability.
WHAT’S MISSING
With its steep learning curve, Flame is not an app for casual users. While 60% of the pipeline is not yet compliant with the 16-bit OpenEXR graphic file format which can take advantage of significantly higher dynamic range, we were told that’s on the way.
Specs
HP xw8600 quad-core Intel®-based workstation
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® operating system
NVIDIA® Quadro FX 5600
AJA 2K PCI-X HDIO, BOB for 8/10-bit 4:4:4 ITU-R 601 standard definition, and SMPTE 292M HDTV I/O
Support for all resolutions, including SD, HD, 2K and 4K
Smart Advice
Where you once might have had to add 100 lights to a scene, now you can do the same thing with five. Using Flame’s GPU-based OpenEXR capability, now there’s a lot more dynamic range at your fingertips. You can even blow out the lighting or go negative by subtracting light from the scene.
Use Flame’s new GPU-based SDI video output to show your clients results on a broadcast monitor. This feature also lets you output video for render-free mastering.
Join us at the top of the content-creation pyramid for the latest version of Autodesk Flame, version 2009, Extension 1. This Linux-based effects and 3D compositing software running on an HP xw8600 workstation with two Intel Quad-core processors is so powerful, it’s known as the "Hero Box" of high-end production facilities. I expect the hero worship to intensify, now that Flame has been enhanced even more with this new release.
High-End Tracking
The centerpiece of Autodesk Flame has been its remarkable image tracking capabilities; they’re even better in this new version. The software can follow any object in the frame in three dimensions, based on up to 1,000 points per pass, and does it with uncanny speed and accuracy. Flame draws upon this unique tracking ability to energize its high-end toolbox, tightly integrating such gems as its best-of-breed image stabilization, and its ability to attach a mask to perfectly-tracked image elements.
Bringing it all together is Flame’s speedy interactivity, letting artists and their clients see (and immediately modify) the results of any of a myriad of effects they can add to those tracked objects. Now, with ever-faster processors, GPU-powered effects and more features brought up from its sister editing application, Smoke, we noticed that Flame is more powerful and versatile than ever.
3D Object Tracking
The heaviest new juju injected into Flame is its enhanced 3D object tracking. If there’s both a moving object in a shot and a camera move, the software can accurately track both movements at once. Click the Track icon, and Flame quickly busies itself with the mind-boggling work of figuring both the motion of the camera and a moving object. This can be used to either add or remove objects from the scene, matching up the camera’s movement and giving you complete control of the scene and everything in it. Team up this capability with Flame’s speed, masking and effects capabilities, and you have a powerful synergy that’s unmatched. It’s simply remarkable.
Auto Stabilization
That 3D object tracking algorithm enables another impressive new tool, Auto Stabilization. Now the process of selecting a point of reference for stabilization is simplified, where Flame automatically selects the best group of points instantly, resulting in even more sophisticated image stabilization. It’s as simple as selecting Analyze, and immediately the best points for stabilization are selected, marked with tiny green plus signs. It’s a whole lot easier than the manual method from previous versions, and it’s even more accurate.
Particle Presets
One of the most welcome new features inside Flame 2009’s Extension 1 is a group of 3D particle presets. Instead of creating a 3D particle effect from scratch, there’s now a whole palette of effects pre-made. It’s quick and easy to pick out, say, a rain or snow effect and apply it instantly to a composite. The completely 3D particle effects have been in the Flame software for years, but now there are 89 presets that you can instantly add (hey look, there’s even a VU meter effect!), and they interact with the 2D layers in a composite just like the manually created ones have always done. This is a boon for those of us who aren’t rocket scientists, letting us use and easily modify these canned presets and giving us a starting point for interactively trying fancy effects in front of clients. "Can I have a tornado coming in here?" asks the client. "Yes, you can," I tell him, and dial it up immediately, to his astonishment. Thanks, Flame.
We Like
We’re just scratching the surface here — there are dozens more refinements added in this new release. A recurring theme is to simplify Flame’s workflow, and add more powerful features to its already-formidable feature set. With Flame’s enhanced 3D tracking, new effects presets, better timeline tools and newfound GPU-based interactivity, Flame is more accessible, while retaining its awesome power. Looking ahead, Autodesk is moving in a direction of even more real-time interactivity attached to Flame’s powerful feature set. This 2009 Extension 1 release hints at more GPU-based and 16-bit floating point processing to come, and we can’t wait to see it. Meanwhile, we agree that Flame has earned its street cred as a Hero Box.
Here's a 3D scene rendered in OpenEXR. Several lights are being used to show the ability to relight the scene, taking advantage of the extended dynamic range available in the OpenEXR format.
Action UI showing a composite created from three 3D particle presets—"leaves," "bubbles" and 'sparks." Notice on the right is the 3D workspace inside of Action, with a 3D camera icon.
The green pluses on the footage are the tracking points, and on the left of the interface is the batch node tree, including the Auto Stabilize mode.
Flame's multilayer timeline borrows from brandmate Smoke. Here's the 3D particle dematerialize effect.
This is the particle preset selection menu. On the left of this Particle Preset selection menu are various particle preset categories; on the right is a graphical preview of the effect.
Comments (5) for "Autodesk Flame 2009"
1.
I thinks it's safe to say that you like it.
Posted by Paul Carlin on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 @ 09:58 PM
2.
If you like v2009 you will love the latest ver 2010 that was debuted at NAB. Check it out at the Autodesk Web Site under Media & Entertainment!
Posted by Phil on Monday, May 11, 2009 @ 01:04 PM
3.
The big question is what does it cost?
Posted by Alan on Monday, May 11, 2009 @ 08:34 PM
4.
The big question is what does it cost?
Thats how we determine ROI
Posted by Rich Epstein on Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 07:39 AM
5.
@ Alan and Rich, did you read this part?
WHAT IT COSTS YOU $155,000 (range)
Posted by brad isdrab on Thursday, November 11, 2010 @ 06:17 PM
