SynthEyes 3-D Camera Tracker: High Performance, Not High Price.

* Malvern, PA. January 6, 2004.

Andersson Technologies LLC is pleased to announce its affordable new SynthEyes(tm) 2004 camera tracking software, offering a full slate of professional match-moving features. SynthEyes performs both fully automatic tracking, including background batch processing, as well as efficient supervised tracking. Camera tracking enables effects such as 3-D character insertion, virtual set extension, matte painting insertion, architectural previsualization, crash reconstruction, and transparent effects.

SynthEyes has been used on major features, including Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, Miracle, Bad Boys 2, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider; television series such as Power Rangers and CSI:Miami; as well as national commercials.

But, its price of only $349 US brings it not only to Hollywood effects houses, but regional and local commercial studios, production and effects studios worldwide, independent film producers, architects, and "prosumers."

* Features

SynthEyes' high-performance capabilities begin with its automatic tracking and solving. A 100+ frame DV shot can be tracked and solved in under a minute, even on a sub-GHz processor.

The powerful solver tackles not only single-camera setups, but object tracking, camera plus object tracking, multiple objects, multiple cameras including reference stills, zooms, tripod shots, and lens distortion. A light solver helps match the lighting. Point constraints accurately align the coordinate system, or the scene can be manually positioned.

The flexible workflow allows supervised tracking to be easily combined with automated tracking. Tracker and object display graphics quickly identify problem areas for touchup or filtering. Solutions can be quickly refined and extended as trackers are added, modified, or removed. 

User interface features include scrubbing RAM playback with 3D object overlay, a viewport configuration manager, and user-selected coordinate axes. For more details on the extensive feature set, see the web site at https://www.ssontech.com.

* Compatibility

An export scripting language, Sizzle, is another key strength, making new exporters routine. Users can modify exporters to suit, or add new ones for their own proprietary software.

SynthEyes exports to most common 3-D computer graphics and compositing packages. CGI programs currently include Maya, 3ds max, Lightwave, Animation:Master, and Cinema 4D. Among compositing programs, Flame and Inferno are now supported; After Effects, Commotion, and Nuke are anticipated shortly. Additional exporters are likely as well, please inquire.

Images can be imported in Targa, Cineon, DPX, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, SGI RGB, AVI, DV, MPEG, and QuickTime(tm) movie formats.

SynthEyes runs on Windows XP, 2000, ME, and 98. A processor of 1 GHz and 500 MB RAM is suggested but not required.

* Pricing and Availability

SynthEyes may be purchased now at https://www.ssontech.com for $349 US for download, with a CD $10 extra shipped to the US, $15 international. Quantity discounts are available.

A free SynthEyes demo version may be downloaded from the web site.