Autodesk releases new versions of its visual effects, editing and digital colour grading systems

Autodesk has released new versions of its visual effects, editing/finishing and digital colour grading systems. Used to create high-value feature film and television content, Autodesk’s systems have enabled digital artists to realise their ideas on major projects, including 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Fantastic Four', 'Spider-Man 2', 'The Sopranos' and the 'CSI' franchise. The new systems will be showcased at the Autodesk stand (#1700) at the SIGGRAPH exhibition in Los Angeles, August 2-4 2005.
New versions include Autodesk’s Discreet Fire 7.0 and Discreet Smoke 7.0 editing systems, Discreet Inferno 6.5, Discreet Flame 9.5 and Discreet Flint 9.5 visual effects systems, and the Discreet Lustre 2.6 digital colour grading system. Autodesk’s SGI-based Fire, Smoke, Inferno and Flame systems feature a new 64-bit architecture, delivering superior performance in handling the increasingly large and complex data sets of today’s digital media creation.
Beta tester Brad Wensley, a Smoke and Flame artist at CBC Media’s Studio 57, commented on his experience with the Discreet Smoke 7.0 system: “Autodesk has thought of everything for working in larger resolutions, including making the user interface on colour correctors transparent over the larger frame sizes. Add to this their unbelievably intelligent keying technology and you’ve got a formidable artistic toolset. This kind of thinking makes the artistic side of the equation jump to the front row where it belongs, and puts technical details in the background, out of the artist’s view.”
Long Island-based CBC Media is currently using its Smoke and Flame systems on a Nike television spot.
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