Mac OS X and Windows users can now download the beta version of Fusion 8 Studio

The new Fusion 8 Studio beta platform continues to develop all the tools included in the free program and adds others, such as optical flow for resynchronization tasks, image repair, color smoothing and transformation of different images.

The beta version of Fusion 8 Studio, the special effects and graphic animations program, is now available for download on the website Blackmagic Design, for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.

The new Fusion 8 Studio beta platform continues to develop all the tools included in the free program and adds others, such as optical flow for resynchronization tasks, image repair, color smoothing and transformation of different images. In addition, it has rendering capacity in resolutions higher than UHD and incorporates stereoscopic functions to convert 2D content to 3D, as well as compatibility with plug-ins developed by third parties, remote automation capability and Avid Connect, which allows users to operate the program directly from Media Composer timelines.

Projects created with the free version of Fusion are compatible with Fusion 8 Studio, regardless of the platform on which they were created. It also includes the Generation tool, a file organization, version tracking, and shot review and approval program that supports multiple users.

In turn, this version allows users to install an unlimited number of rendering nodes on additional computers for free, thus eliminating considerable license purchase costs. In this way, people dedicated to the professional production of feature films and television programs in major studios will now be able to streamline processes, distributing rendering tasks among all the computers connected to their network, with no user limit.

A very present tool in Hollywood

Fusion has been one of Hollywood's favorite tools for special effects and graphic animation for more than 25 years and has been used in thousands of feature films and television projects, including Mars, Thor, Edge of Tomorrow, the trilogy of the hunger games, Grimm, The Fall of the White House y Battlestar Galactica, among others.

Fusion makes it easy to create sophisticated special effects quickly with its innovative nodal interface. Nodes are small icons that represent different masks, filters, and other functions related to image processing. These can be connected in any order to create an unlimited number of effects and are organized like a flowchart to save users the need to search for different elements among countless overlapping layers. Unlike other timeline-based applications, Fusion makes it easy to view any part of a project and make necessary adjustments by simply clicking on a node.

With a variety of built-in tools, users can apply masks, track objects, rotoscope, retouch images, animate titles, and create stunning particle effects in a three-dimensional workspace. Likewise, Fusion allows you to import 3D models, point clouds, different planes or even three-dimensional scenes in their entirety from other programs such as Maya, 3ds Max or Lightwave and render these elements without errors. On the other hand, tools that take advantage of the additional information contained in pixels to create depth of field effects allow adding or modifying volumetric elements such as fog, lights or texture reflections in rendered objects, using normal maps or positioning passes that facilitate the generation of surprising environments in just seconds.

Jeremy Nelson, composition supervisor at Flash Film Works, whose list of merits includes features such as Spy, Barely Lethal, Defiance o Clash of the Titans He points out that "we have been using Fusion for years and we are happy to see the path the product is taking. The possibility of using it with Mac or Windows operating systems really opens up the possibilities of use for both networking and individual work environments. I like the turn that Blackmagic is taking."

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, acknowledges that "Fusion 8 has had an overwhelming impact. The beta version of the program provides new tools for the production of high-quality feature films, television programs and commercials. What is extraordinary is that, unlike other special effects and mobile graphics programs, people who use Fusion 8 Studio on major projects with a large number of users get a networked rendering solution at no additional cost, allowing them to modify shots more efficiently."

After Mac OS X and Windows, the Linux version of Fusion 8 Studio is planned during the first quarter of 2016.