boujou product range expands with new release2d3 announces boujou silver bullet and bullet SD
10 May 2007, Oxford, UK: 2d3, the leading developer of visual effects software and part of Oxford Metrics Group plc (LSE: OMG), today announced the general release of boujou silver bullet and boujou bullet SD, the latest products in its highly successful boujou matchmoving range. The new products have been launched in response to overwhelming demand from smaller studios for tracking software that is available across a wider price range.
Derived directly from boujou 4, silver bullet and bullet SD share the same robust and accurate feature tracking and camera solving engines. The new releases are aimed to meet the needs of customers by offering the automated power and ease of use of boujou across a wider price range.
Phil Elderfield, Product Manager at 2d3 said: "silver bullet has really been created for the high-end entertainment market - mostly professionals who will already be familiar with boujou 4. The major enhancements from previous versions mean that a wider range of shots can be solved by combining its automated workflow with the new, advanced manual tools.
"bullet SD is also fully automated and includes a lot more features than bullet 2. It is ideal for studios with demanding shots and equally demanding budgets but who don't have a need for High Definition support. It's definitely the more affordable option - perfect for smaller studios and students."
The new features of boujou silver bullet and bullet SD include:
The ability to create a 3D mesh. Meshes can be built based on the 3D predictions and with these you can start to create 3D terrain or surfaces to cast shadows on
Use of a graph display. The graph display will help assess the quality of camera solves
Automated radial distortion correction. It calculates a radial distortion correction factor automatically without the use of calibration lines or lens grids
Advanced feature tracking parameters. It supplies a range of advanced parameters that allow adjustment of the feature tracking engine, to improve automated feature tracking. These include identification sensitivity and feature size options
"boujou's capabilities as a pioneering automated tracking application, have been demonstrated in film, TV, commercials, scientific and forensic reconstructions, simulations and more," said Nick Bolton, chief executive of Oxford Metrics Group. "The new bullet product range now allows us to reach out to the smaller up-coming studios and we're really excited about the great work that will be produced as a result."
For more information on boujou silver bullet and bullet SD please visit www.2d3.com.
boujou silver bullet is priced at $5,000 and boujou bullet SD $1,000. Both will be available to order direct from 2d3 or through its network of resellers.
Ends
About boujou
Launched in 2001, boujou (boo-zhoo) was the first fully automated camera calibration and tracking system. Using advanced adaptive algorithms developed from vision science research, the application removes previous limitations on what is achievable in effects production by allowing 3D professionals to derive complex camera tracks and calibration data from film and video material automatically without the need for manual tracking input.
boujou has made a major contribution to high-profile television and film productions, music videos and commercials by facilitating the creation of visual effects that seamlessly combine live action and 3D. In 2002, 2d3 was awarded with a Primetime Emmy Engineering Award for boujou, which is also used for games development, architectural visualization and industrial design projects.
boujou three and boujou bullet run under Windows, Apple Mac OS X and Linux Red Hat on standard PC hardware.
About Oxford Metrics Group
Oxford Metrics (LSE: OMG) is a group of technology companies producing image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defence, life science and engineering industries. Be it for capturing the movements of actors (for the movie industry), sportsmen (for video games or improving team performance), children with Cerebral Palsy, rehab patients and animals (for medical, life science and research industries) or virtual reality displays (for engineering and development), the Group has the world leading market position and a strong international reputation for precision instruments.
Founded in 1984, the Group's headquarters are in Oxford, UK, and has offices in California and Colorado, USA. It has customers in over 50 countries and is a quoted company listed on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange. The Group trades through three operating subsidiaries - Vicon, the world's biggest motion capture and movement analysis company, 2d3, a manufacturer of specialised image understanding software for entertainment and defence applications and Geospatial Vision, our 3D mapping business.
Oxford Metrics' global clients in science, medicine, sport, engineering, gaming, film and broadcast include major hospitals and research facilities such as Guy's Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Loughborough University, engineering industry leaders including Ford Motor Company, BMW, Airbus, Caterpillar, and Toyota, and in the entertainment sector, Sony, Industrial Light and Magic, The Moving Picture Company (MPC), Sega, Nintendo, UbiSoft, EA, Square Enix and many others.
For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit www.omg3d.com, www.vicon.com, www.2d3.com or www.geospatialvision.com.
Press contact:
Hayley Roberts / Sean Fleming
Clarity Public Relations
Tel: 0870 950 9670
Email: press@claritypr.co.uk