Marquee Users Now Include Wenders, Herzog, Trumbull
At NAB last week, IRIDAS announced SpeedGrade NX, a new version of its stereo-3D, dailies, and finishing tool that replaces SpeedGrade DI, SpeedGrade XR, and FrameCycler DI, rolling the functionality into a single product.
SpeedGrade’s real-time algorithms can output up to 8K uncompressed RAW at 30 fps. SpeedGrade NX supports the ARRIRAW format natively, implementing ARRI-specified color science rather than external SDKs, CEO Lin Kayser told StudioDaily. Support for the Red EPIC is in beta. Other supported RAW cameras include Phantom, Weisscam, Silicon Imaging, Ikonoskop, and Indiecam.
Kaiser noted that a Hobbit-like workflow with increased frame rates wouldn’t be a problem for SpeedGrade NX, which handles up to 60 frames of stereo cinema footage in real time – in fact, he said, VFX pioneer Douglas Trumbull is using SpeedGrade as part of his new 120fps Showscan Digital system, which debuted at the Digital Cinema Summit on the eve of NAB.
While he was in name-dropping mode, Kayser mentioned that SpeedGrade’s stereo tools were used on Pina 3D, from director Wim Wenders, and on Cave of Forgotten Dreams, from director Werner Herzog. The DualStream stereo-3D tools have been further refined for this release. SpeedGrade NX runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and starts at $19,999.
IRIDAS also showed the new version of FrameCycler DDS, a playback, conform and review tool that has a big customer base in 2D-to-3D conversion facilities. FrameCycler DDS 2011 adds parallax adjustments, mirroring, and – this is a big one for users with well-customized pipelines – support for Python scripting. FrameCycler DDS 2011 runso n Windows, Mac and Linux and sells for $8,100.
Finally, beta tests of a new 2D and 3D finishing system called Lumetri are starting in May, with an official product launch planned for IBC. “It’s not a Flame-killer,” Kayser said, explaining that the new product will not be a real-time compositing environment. Built for use with tablets and control furfaces, it will employ new algorithms for analyzing, identifying, and eliminating problems with stereo 3D imagery, and will also support that new IIF-ACES color-management workflow we’ve been writing about lately. Look for more details on Lumetri later this year.
Kaiser noted that a Hobbit-like workflow with increased frame rates wouldn’t be a problem for SpeedGrade NX, which handles up to 60 frames of stereo cinema footage in real time – in fact, he said, VFX pioneer Douglas Trumbull is using SpeedGrade as part of his new 120fps Showscan Digital system, which debuted at the Digital Cinema Summit on the eve of NAB.
While he was in name-dropping mode, Kayser mentioned that SpeedGrade’s stereo tools were used on Pina 3D, from director Wim Wenders, and on Cave of Forgotten Dreams, from director Werner Herzog. The DualStream stereo-3D tools have been further refined for this release. SpeedGrade NX runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and starts at $19,999.
IRIDAS also showed the new version of FrameCycler DDS, a playback, conform and review tool that has a big customer base in 2D-to-3D conversion facilities. FrameCycler DDS 2011 adds parallax adjustments, mirroring, and – this is a big one for users with well-customized pipelines – support for Python scripting. FrameCycler DDS 2011 runso n Windows, Mac and Linux and sells for $8,100.
Finally, beta tests of a new 2D and 3D finishing system called Lumetri are starting in May, with an official product launch planned for IBC. “It’s not a Flame-killer,” Kayser said, explaining that the new product will not be a real-time compositing environment. Built for use with tablets and control furfaces, it will employ new algorithms for analyzing, identifying, and eliminating problems with stereo 3D imagery, and will also support that new IIF-ACES color-management workflow we’ve been writing about lately. Look for more details on Lumetri later this year.
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Topics: Feature
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