Apple acquires high-end 3D company

brussell · February 6, 2002 6:42AM

I saw today on <a href="http://www.macminute.com"; target="_blank">http://www.macminute.com</A>; that Apple bought <a href="http://www.nothingreal.com/"; target="_blank">Nothing Real</a>, described as a high-end 3D company whose software was used to make the Lord of the Rings.

Animation Studio Pro?

applenut · February 6, 2002 6:44AM

[quote]Originally posted by BRussell:

I saw today on <a href="http://www.macminute.com"; target="_blank">http://www.macminute.com</a>; that Apple bought <a href="http://www.nothingreal.com/"; target="_blank">Nothing Real</a>, described as a high-end 3D company whose software was used to make the Lord of the Rings.

Animation Studio Pro?<hr></blockquote>

maybe they need people to make OpenGL half decent?

either way, this (software) combined with the raycer (hardware) purchase could be interesting. plus the rumors of G5s plus the new amazing Geforce 4Ti, hmmmmm

buonrotto · February 6, 2002 7:10AM

3D Studio Pro?

We'll work on the name.

Sounds like their stuff is workflow-oriented more than the primary modeler or renderer. Does anyone have more info on the two titles as their website is essentially down?

[added: ah, showing my complete ignorance. I saw animation and just assumed... I done me homework now. No wonder I never heard of it.

]

[ 02-06-2002: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]

airsluf · February 6, 2002 10:30AM

nostradamus · February 6, 2002 10:41AM

[quote]Nothing Real L.L.C. is a high-end software provider of quality imaging tools. The company designs compositing solutions focused towards the film, video, broadcast and HDTV needs of digital content creatives. SHAKE is Nothing Real's award-winning compositing software product line. Shake is a general-purpose image manipulation toolset that provides users with a low-cost, high performance compositing solution without the need for specialized hardware. It features a graphic user interface that emphasizes intuitive "process-tree" control features for the most complex image manipulation tasks. This interface, in combination with its speed and quality, enables creatives in film, HDTV, broadcast, post-production and multimedia a powerful and interactive tool to quickly manipulate high-resolution images in conjunction with the creation of composites, effects and animations. TREMOR marks the most significant new compositing system to be introduced by Nothing Real. It is modeled as a front room, client-based solution, engineered to handle the most demanding needs of HDTV, commercial video and broadcast production professionals. Tremor features real-time I/0 in 601 and HDTV format, including 1080p24. The technology for Tremor is built around a new, simplified and streamlined interface. It incorporates mature and production proven technology based on the rendering engine of Nothing Real's flagship product Shake? - considered to be one of the industry's fastest and most powerful rendering engines. Tremor is an integrated software/hardware solution running on Hewlett-Packard computers with storage supplied by Ciprico.<hr></blockquote>

3D? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

You'd probably need some red-blue glasses if you want 3D.

[ 02-06-2002: Message edited by: Nostradamus ]

airsluf · February 6, 2002 11:14AM

leonis · February 6, 2002 11:56AM

For Apple acquiring those high end software companies...fine. Absolutely fine

But if they are running on underpowered hardware like their PowerMac is a real joke....

macgregor · February 6, 2002 12:31PM

This sounds alot more broadcast oriented than animation oriented.

super · February 6, 2002 12:57PM

[quote] Tremor features real-time I/0 in 601 and HDTV format, including 1080p24. <hr></blockquote>

[quote] Tremor is an integrated software/hardware solution running on Hewlett-Packard computers with storage supplied by Ciprico. <hr></blockquote>

Now this is interesting. Could apple be putting togther a high-end workstation capable of HDTV and 601 uncompressed I/O ? Will the software features of Shake and Tremor be built into Final Cut Pro, or share a tight integration ? Sounds promising.

rexicult · February 6, 2002 1:27PM

Basically, Shake Is kinda like After Effects or Combustion on Crack. It is the best Application hands down in the Film industry for compositing. It really has nothing to do with 3d animation, or editing.....it is purely for FX compositing (bluescreen, camera tracking, FX, and integration of Film composites). I really dont think we will see it incorporated into Final Cut Pro....i think it will be a new app that works with final cut. Apple is trying to take over the high end world. They are succeding in the editing world, now the compositing world, and there are rumors of them working on an audio app to compete with Digidesign Pro Tools, all they need then is to buy Alias Wavefront.

wrong robot · February 6, 2002 1:32PM

apple has video editing covered, and they have photoshop covered, 3D would be a (semi) logical step to move to next, not necessarily though since there are ALOT of markets and areas apple doesn't have covered,it would be nice if instead of branching out and being cutting edge all the time, for a change, apple would focus on making their current machines capable of 100 times what they currently are. but then again, it is nice to say to a pc user who is wowing over something that he got on his comp and then saying "yea apple made that like 2 years ago...where have you been?"

sizzle chest · February 6, 2002 1:39PM

Rexicult is right, this isn't 3d, it's 2d. It's motion graphics compositing for film & video.

telomar · February 6, 2002 2:13PM

[quote]Originally posted by AirSluf:

First they buy Raycer who does 3D hardware then Maya is ported to X, then they buy a top end 3D compositing package. Soundl like they are going after SGI's market in a big way. But there ain't no way even a dual 1.0 G4 is going to run those at speeds/$$ performance folks are going to be happy enough to leave Linux or Irix for. Apple is up to something and betting big on it. Timing is the question, dominance in Hollywood is the apparent goal.<hr></blockquote>

Apple is always up to something

The hardware is coming. Might finally shut up some people too... <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> Ok maybe people will always complain

whisper · February 6, 2002 2:43PM

[quote]Originally posted by sizzle chest:

Rexicult is right, this isn't 3d, it's 2d. It's motion graphics compositing for film & video.<hr></blockquote>

What exactly is "motion graphics compositing"? Is it related to blending multiple layers of images, some of which may be partialy transparent (which is supposedly part of why Quartz is slow)?

super · February 6, 2002 3:20PM

It's the hardware that's part of the tremor package that interests me. Right now there's only the cine-wave card from Pinnacle that can do HDTV on the mac(i know AJA and Digital Voodoo will have cards shipping soon). If Apple had an integrated workstation with FCP/shake at it's core and the ability to do HDTV I/O i'd certainly be interested. All that leaves is high speed storage and you're done.

scottib · February 6, 2002 8:30PM

Didn't Apple purchase a company that makes software specializing in transferring video to film in the past year? Is teleceine the correct term for the what the software does?

Perhaps we should track Apple's procurements in the past 18 months or so; it may give us the master plan.

giant · February 6, 2002 9:39PM

[quote]Originally posted by rexicult:

there are rumors of them working on an audio app to compete with Digidesign Pro Tools.<hr></blockquote>

Who says they want to compete with Digidesign? Didn't you notice that the new |HD system is strictly mac, at least for now? If that doesn't show that Apple hardware already dominates the audio indudtry, I don't know what does.

outsider · February 6, 2002 10:21PM

For high end 3D they better bust out with the big iron. I'm not talking G4 either. If the G5 isn't ready then they should get the POWER4 to run some Really high end PowerMacs. One MMC module holds 4 processors (8 CPU cores) and couple that with some really fast RAM (either DDR333 or DDR-II400) and maybe a Quadro4 or FireGL. It's not uncommon to sell highend 3D machines for $50,000 and up.

sizzle chest · February 6, 2002 11:34PM

[quote]Originally posted by Whisper:

What exactly is "motion graphics compositing"? Is it related to blending multiple layers of images, some of which may be partialy transparent (which is supposedly part of why Quartz is slow)?<hr></blockquote>

That's sort of it. It's a means for taking multiple (flat, 2d) picture elements and creating a sort of moving or evolving collage of these elements, along with other elements like text. Special effects (movements, fades, filters) might be applied to one or all of the elements individually or together.

The system looks at all the elements you're using, and all your "instructions" for how to interleave & collage them, and how everything moves over time, and it renders a composite motion graphic out of all those elements.

sizzle chest · February 6, 2002 11:37PM

[quote]Originally posted by giant:

Who says they want to compete with Digidesign? Didn't you notice that the new |HD system is strictly mac, at least for now? If that doesn't show that Apple hardware already dominates the audio indudtry, I don't know what does.<hr></blockquote>

Pro Tools (the high end pro stuff, not the consumer level gear like the 001 interface and LE and "free" software) seems to be about 99% Mac, even though Windows versions are available.

I've heard plenty of rumors that Apple was considering buying out Avid, and since Avid owns Digidesign, that would give Apple undisputed ownership of the top pro platforms for both pro audio and desktop video. Of course, that's just a rumor, but I've heard it from several people in both the audio & video sides of things.

leonis · February 7, 2002 12:24AM

Adobe now must be really mad

First Final Cut Pro vs Premiere

Now "Apple (milk) Shake"

vs After Effects

Tomorrow we will see the new announcement from Adobe : "We will stop the development of Photoshop for Mac"

Apple acquires high-end 3D company

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