Boris FX Acquires Imagineer Systems

Planar-Tracking Technology Will Be Integrated Over Time with Boris Continuum Complete

Boris FX is buying Imagineer Systems, maker of the Academy Award-winning planar-tracking software Mocha. Imagineer is expected to continue operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Boris FX, with John-Paul Smith, CEO of Imagineer since 2009, continuing to lead the Mocha team from its Guildford, U.K., headquarters and Imagineer's Ross Shain becoming chief marketing officer of both Boris FX and Imagineer Systems.

Read StudioDaily's review of the latest release of Mocha Pro.

"The breadth and depth of both companies' technologies will allow us to quickly build powerful new visual effects," said Boris FX founder and CEO Boris Yamnitsky in a prepared statement. "The acquisition expands global coverage, better serving customers worldwide, with staff located in the U.K., New York, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, Australia." Current staff and "basic organizations" will remain in place at both companies, Boris FX said.

Boris FX is best-known, of course, as the maker of Boris Continuum Complete (BCC), a wide-ranging set of plug-ins for editing and compositing. The companies said that Mocha Pro will continue to be developed by Imagineer Systems as a standalone VFX tool; over time, they plan to integrate Mocha's tracking technology into BCC, where it will eventually also offer planar tracking directly from the timeline. Imagineer's existing bundle relationships with companies including Adobe and Quantel are not expected to change, the companies said.

"Joining the Boris family is a huge opportunity to bring Mocha's world-class planar tracking to Boris Continuum Complete users, giving artists and editors the tools they need where they need them the most," said Smith.

Boris FX published a list of "frequently asked questions" about the acquisition at its website.

Imagineer's Smith, Shain, Philip McLauchlan, and Allan Jaenicke received a 2013 Science & Engineering Oscar for creating Mocha, which has been used in feature films including The Hobbit, Black Swan, and The Amazing Spider-Man. A limited version of Mocha is bundled with Adobe After Effects CC.