Continuum Complete Sparks Features

Ease of use features

• Categorical filter listings
• Multiple clip inputs for every filter
• On-screen widgets with numeric read-outs included with every filter

Technologies used

• OpenGL
• Optical Flow
• Pixelchooser
• Motion Tracker
• Preset looks for each filter
• Built-in electronic help system on every filter
• Multi-resolution support

Infrastructure

• Unlimited undo-redo control for each filter
• Built-in web link to BorisFX.com for free updates

Categorical Filter Listings

The BCC package is split into two volumes or sets of filters and each Volume is in turn broken down into 4 categories. The purpose of the categories is to make filter selection easier and faster. For instance, in Volume one, we have the following categories: Colors and Blurs, Effects, Lights, Wipe Transitions. If the operator knows in advance that they are going to need a blur filter, they know that it is contained in the Color and Blurs category, thereby reducing the amount of time and energy spent scrolling through the list of filters to find the Blur filter.

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Multiple Clip Inputs for every Filter

All filters in the BCC product feature multiple inputs, a separate input clip for the front, back and matte, making some compositing chores easy and fast. To achieve the same result would otherwise require several steps and renders.

Front image input clip	Back image input clip
Matte input clip	Result of front, back, matte and filter effect

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On-screen widgets with numeric read-outs for each filter

Each filter in BCC features on-screen controls, which are also known as widgets, which for instance can be used to position the pixelchooser or a light source, without having to take your eyes away from the image.

Below: examples of on-screen light widgets – observe alphanumeric position read-out in white text onimage to the top right of the position widget.

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OpenGL

In terms of technologies employed in the BCC product, there are several filters in the package that utilize native OpenGL hardware rendering, which was actually originally pioneered and developed by SGI, enabling the filters to render with very little overhead. The following filters feature OpenGl hardware assisted rendering, Glint, Glare, Glitter, Lens Flare, and Lens Flare Advanced. The Glint, Glitter and Glare filters each offer the ability to automatically move across the surface of the image to which they have been applied to emulate real-world scenes. The movement of these filter effects is based upon the luma values inherent in the image itself. For instance, when the Glint filter has been applied to a rippled or moving water surface, the Glints (star shaped specular highlights) move along with the water ripples.

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Optical Flow

A common effect in motion graphics is to adjust the speed of a clip, either by slowing it down or speeding it up. While this features is offered by several filter developers, most of the packages offered for Discreet Advanced Systems rely upon a technique known as frame blending, where several frames adjacent to the current frame are composited over each other and then blended together to create inter-frames thereby generating the impression of over-cranked cinematography or a slow-mo effect. BCC incorporates a technology called Optical Flow to re-synthesize completely new frames based upon the movement of pixels from one frame to the next. The result is that clips processed with this technology are always razor sharp and clean, as opposed to the blurred image that is generated with frame blending. Disable change tracking. The filters that feature this technology are BCC Optical Flow and BCC Motion Blur.

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Pixelchooser

Many filters in the BCC product also feature a totally unique built-in masking system, called the Pixelchooser. This easy to use system enables the operator to select an optional clip input, which is used by the filter to matte out part of the image thereby containing the filter effect to the areas of the image not covered by the matte. The pixel values of the matte input can be manipulated by the operator on the fly, which again makes short work of the process of adjusting the matte in a front room situation where the client is often present. The Pixelchooser also features a masking system that enables the user to augment the matte or alone with the matte feature disabled. The masking feature has horizontal and vertical masking and blending, as well as gradients and shapes for containing the effect to a square or oval area within the image.

1st frame of effect, mask covers image.	Animated Pixelchooser gradient mask.
Glow effect with Pixelchooser mask	Last frame of effect with mask completely off

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Motion Tracker

Most filters in the BCC product feature a built-in motion tracker, which can be used to control the position of the Pixelchooser mask or matte, or in the case of the filters in the lights category, the position of the light source of the filter effect. This makes attaching a light, for instance, to a moving object something that can be completed inside of the filter itself in one easy step as opposed to having the perform multiple renders and use the systems Action node to achieve the same result.

Below: examples of the Rays Textured filters’ light source being locked to the front of the car using the built-in motion tracker.

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Preset looks for each Filter

Every filter in the BCC package includes a variety of presets, which enable the operator to quickly come up with several variations on the default filter settings. In addition to this, each filter features a built-in load and save mechanism that enables the operator to save the current state of the filter for future retrieval and reuse. The presets do not include any keyframe data and should be thought of as a way to save off static filter effects. These presets can be shared between hosts by copying the preset file to the target system, making it easy for a facility to replicate an effect in a finishing system that was generated in pre-viz on a low end or desktop compositing or editing application.

Below: examples of two different preset looks from the BCC Film Process filter applied to a clip – a Bleach Bypass simulation on the left and an effect simulating Fluorescent film shot in daylight on the right.

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Built-in electronic help system on every filter

All filters in the BCC package feature built-in electronic help files that are accessed by the click of a single button in the filter UI. The help pages are crossed linked so as to provide easy reference to functions such as the pixelchooser or motion tracker features.

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Multi-resolution support

All filters in the BCC package offer support for 8 or 16 bit color processing. This means that clips that have been imported into the host system at higher bit depths retain all of the high-level color information post processing by BCC filters.

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Unlimited undo-redo control for each filter

There are times when setting up an effect when the operator will make one or more moves and then decide to go back to a previous state of the filter. While in any of the filters or Sparks, Discreet Advanced Systems do not natively offer any facility to the operator that would enable them to trace back through changes they have made in the Sparks filter. With that in mind, each filter in the BCC package includes a custom-built undo-redo feature that enables the user to step back or forward as far as they need during the effects creation process to facilitate easier effects creation.

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