IMAGICA Corp. has added 15 seats of Autodesk Toxik software to its post-production pipeline, along with training from Autodesk Consulting. Autodesk has also released the first feature extension to the Toxik collaborative visual effects and compositing software. This extension, called Blend and Comp, contains tools that make frequent digital compositing tasks easier.
Earlier this year, IMAGICA began offering digital intermediate services with its Discreet Lustre digital color grading system and Autodesk Stone Shared storage area network. Yasuo Nishi, exec officer/gm of IMAGICAs Motion Picture division, said, Weve adopted Autodesk Toxik in order to ensure that our digital post-production process is stable and robust. We plan to use it on five projects in the near future. The Toxik software will improve the way multiple artists work together on these projects.
Thus, Toxik enables IMAGICAs team to manage multiple project assets, improving the teams post-production workflow. Created for multi-user collaboration, Toxik software integrates an Oracle relational database that supports constant synchronization between all systems. Artists, technical directors and visual effects supervisors can open and review the compositions on which other artists are working. Versions are tracked automatically, and compositions can be created on multiple systems while simultaneously being linked together for centralized reviewing and rendering.
IMAGICA provided Autodesk with valuable feedback on Toxik software development from the early stages, along with 27 other post-production facilities. IMAGICAs expertise in distributed environments and image processing tool development was instrumental in shaping Toxik softwares collaborative functionality and application program interface (API).
Toxik softwares flexible, modular architecture enables Autodesk to frequently deliver Toxik extensions, along with periodic full-version releases. Extensions are toolsets made available in advance of full-version releases to Toxik customers on valid subscription contracts. The new Blend and Comp extension includes 11 tools developed in response to customer feedback:
* Blend and Comp: Used to composite front and back Red Green Blue Alpha (RGBA) images. While most compositing tools reduce to compositing a front layer over an opaque background under the direction of a matte image, this tool offers full support for RGBA images for both the front and back inputs, and computes an RGBA result.* Blend Alpha, Broadcast Safe, Comp Alpha, Drop Shadow, Glow, Media, Median Alpha, Orient, Out of Range and Unsharp Mask: These visual effects and utility tools simplify day-to-day compositing tasks.
Autodesk Toxik digital compositing software is used to create feature film visual effects. Toxik software is ideal for multi-artist film studio and post- production pipelines. Designed with a creative user in mind, Toxik image processing capabilities are built around its Ultra-High Resolution Interaction and High Dynamic Range Imagery core, allowing users to work interactively and intuitively with virtually any visual media, regardless of bit-depth or image size. Toxik software also offers integrated asset tracking, collaboration and versioning capabilities that fully automate the complex task of tracking shot and element iterations while providing a complete history of how any shot in a project progressed from inception to final output. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/toxik.
Autodesk Inc. (www.autodesk.com), which recently acquired Alias, is the leading software and services company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, digital media and wireless data services fields. Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
