Avid Elastic Reality
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[edit] Elastic Reality
Elastic Reality was a warping and morphing software available on Windows, Macintosh and Silicon Graphics workstations. The product was discontinued in 1999, but some of its technology is still available in Avid|DS.
The workflow of the application is based around drawing source and destination curves or shapes onto an image using bézier curve tools. The software then automatically generates an animated distortion of the the image, commonly called a warp. If the warp is used to blend two images together, the effect is called morphing. Elastic Reality made its name with the ease of use of its tool, and the quality of the resulting warps. Other warping tools have typically offered a simpler warping and morphing based on animating points on a grid, which can require significantly more work from the artist to animate distortion of organic shapes such as human faces.
The application also featured basic color correction and image compositing tools, as well as the ability to keyframe the motion of bézier shapes in groups and onto motion paths, and could be used for motion graphics effects not typically associated with morphing. The application supported 8-bit and 16-bit images, and image sequences.
[edit] Origins
The product was originally created by ASDG of Madison, Wisconsin, which renamed itself Elastic Reality Inc, in 1994, following the success of its product. The company was acquired by Avid Technology in march 1995. The product was rebranded Softimage Elastic Reality after Avid separately acquired Softimage in 1998. Before 1994, ASDG had started on the Amiga, and produced an image processing application called Art Department Professional (ADPro), and in 1992 introduced] a precursor to Elastic Reality called MorphPlus. Other software products included Image Independence (graphic file conversion and scaling), ASDG Abekas driver, Lightning F/X (for lightning effects (Later called Avid LFX)) and NSA(No Strings Attached) for removing wires from live action effects.
As early as 1994, Elastic Reality for SGI version became the de facto morphing system in the film and broadcast industry, and contributed to hundreds of feature films and television effects, including "The Mask" and "Batman Forever." [1]
[edit] Awards
Perry Kivolowitz and Garth Dickie, received a 1996 Technical Achievement Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the development Elastic Reality special-effects software[2]
[edit] Development
[edit] Release history
| Version | Company | Hardware | O/S | Release date | Price | Comments / Significant changes (selected) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MorphPlus | ADSG Inc. | Amiga | Amiga OS | 1992 | 49$ | ||
| Elastic Reality 1.0 | ADSG Inc. | MacOS | 1993 | 995$, promo 345$ |
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| Windows | august 1994 | 495$ | 1st Windows release. Comes with a transition generator (stand-alone) called TransJammer. Byte "Best of Comdex" award at COMDEX. Similar to SGI version 1.3 plus some compositing features of the SGI 2.0 release | ||||
| Elastic Reality 2.0 | Elastic Reality Inc. | SGI | october 1994 | 5,000$ | Additional compositing tools not found in the Mac version (multiple matte types and composite stages). Regional color-correction and matte boolean
operations. |
||
| Elastic Reality 3.0 | Avid Technology Inc. | IRIX | 1996 | 3,000$ | |||
| Windows | April 7, 1997 | 999$,495$,299$ | |||||
| MacOS | July 3, 1997 | 999$,495$,299$ |
[edit] See also
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