While not having a stand at this year’s NAB, the GenArts/Sapphire guys popped onto the Discreet Booth for some demos, in coming week’s we’ll be publishing an article with GenArts founder and head genius Karl, but this week GenArts announced that the
most popular Sparks set on FFI will now also be available for Shake.
Cambridge, MA (April 24, 2002) – GenArts, Inc. announces the release of
Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple’s Shake(tm) and Tremor(tm) compositing
platforms. Sapphire Plug-ins high-end visual effects are widely respected
for their superior quality and versatility. They have been used extensively
in feature films such as The Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Final Fantasy,
The Matrix, Star Wars- Episode I, and Titanic.
John Nugent, Compositing Supervisor at Weta Digital, says, “Sapphire
Plug-ins is an excellent package that helped us make The Lord of the Rings.
Its availability on Shake is great news!”
Photon VFX recently purchased Sapphire Plug-ins for their Shake and Tremor
systems. “Sapphire has been a pivotal component of our effects arsenal for
years,” says Ron Roberts, VFX Supervisor. “In fact, the availability of
Sapphire Plug-ins on Shake and Tremor was one of the determining factors in
purchasing these products. When it comes to effects work, our artists just
can’t live without Sapphire.”
Sapphire Plug-ins provides digital artists with a collection of over 200
state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects. They fully
integrate into the Shake and Tremor production environments, offering a
comprehensive suite of tools and effects that can transform any shot. They
are resolution-independent, include multi-processor support for faster
rendering, and run on Windows, Linux, Irix, and Mac OS X. Effects in the
package range from everyday tools such as Glows, EdgeRays, LensFlare, Glint,
Blurs and RackDefocus, to more exotic effects like Lightning, FlysEye,
JpegDamage, HalfTone and Textures. With many intuitive options and
parameters, there’s no limit to the number of looks that can be created.
“The Sapphire Plug-ins package is an essential component for any composite
I’m doing. They work seamlessly with Shake and give me the edge that’s
otherwise missing,” says Michael Wills, Senior Animator/Designer at Tech TV,
who recently purchased Sapphire for their Shake system.
Gray Marshall, Visual Effects Supervisor at Gray Matter FX, has already used
Sapphire Plug-ins with Shake on several feature film projects. He adds,
“With Sapphire, I can now go far beyond just what can be done in Shake. They
add that something extra to make a composite come alive.”
Sapphire Plug-ins can be purchased directly from GenArts and through the
Shake reseller network. For a free trial of the software, go to
http://web.genarts.com.