Autodesk Flame 2020 incorporates tools that automate the process of isolating objects in moving footage, making it easier to quickly pull rough mattes for VFX and compositing.
Autodesk said new computer vision, photogrammetry and machine-learning techniques have been incorporated in Flame, allowing the forthcoming version of the software to extract motion vectors, Z depth and 3D normals from image sequences.
Flame 2020 Z Depth Map Generator
Autodesk
Products in the Flame Family 2020 line will include a Z Depth Map Generator that analyzes live-action scenes and generates depth maps that can be used to apply effects based on distance from camera in color-grading or look development.
Flame 2020 Human Face Normal Map Generator
Autodesk
A new normal map generator has been trained to automatically recognize human faces, Autodesk said, which will have implications for color correction, relighting, retouching and beauty work centered on human performers. And a new refraction feature allows a 3D object to create distortion in the background of a scene based on its material characteristics.
A productivity enhancement called Automatic Background Reactor is only available on Linux, but aims to keep projects moving by triggering background rendering automatically whenever a shot has been modified. Flame, Flare and Flame Assist 2020 will also support Open FX plug-ins as batch/BFX nodes or directly on the Flame timeline, as well as for Cryptomatte rendering.
Licensing has been tweaked as well, with monthly, yearly, and three-year single-user options available for Linux. Customers on single-user licenses for Mac will be able to transfer their license to Linux, Autodesk said.
Flame, Flare, Flame Assist and Lustre 2020 will be released on April 15 as a free upgrade for users with a current Flame Family 2019 subscription, Autodesk said. A one-year subscription to Flame is $4,205.
