Note
from The Editor: Because FrameForge 3D Studio 2
is so powerful, both Chris and I reviewed this software
together. As Chris is a 3D designer and graphic artist,
he had the unique ability to come at it from the graphic
design and traditional storyboard artist's perspective.
As I have a background in directing and design, I was
able to look at it from a director's perspective, noticing
the unique ways it could be used solely by the Director
and Cinematographer. (Ironically, my background as a 3D
game reviewer actually factored in nearly as much as my
directing skills.) To prevent this review from getting
confusing, generic descriptions of different areas of
the software will be in normal print, whereas Chris' special
input will be in italics and my special input will be
in bold.
FrameForge
3D Studio 2 is the follow-up offering from Innoventive
Software to their original best-selling storyboard software.
Folks who keep track of the industry may recall that the
folks at Innoventive were the original creators of Movie
Magic Screenwriter. After they sold the Movie Magic
franchise, Innoventive focused specifically on creating
uber-powerful storyboarding software. Their first release,
FrameForge 3D Studio, was a robust storyboarding
software that had lots of options, though it suffered
from limited 3D resolution and fairly basic actor customization
limits. Limitations aside, because it allowed filmmakers
to play with cameras in a truly 3D environment and work
on blocking, it proved to be very popular. Well, now the
folks at Innoventive have worked their butts off to take
the concept of 3D storyboarding to the next level, focusing
on a new technology they call PreViz.
For
those not in the know, PreViz is a much more photorealistic
rendering, which can also speed up if you have a better
video card. Additionally, they've worked to simplify room
construction, give you more customizable options for altering
actors' body types, add wounds and scars to people, let
you use depth of field effects, and a variety of other
options.
Were
they successful in their endeavors? Yes...for the most
part. What do we mean by that? Well, suppose someone tried
to create a full world simulator. Even if they do an amazing
job on their first (or second) time out, there are going
to be a host of things missing or that don't quite work
right because of how enormous the task of simulating the
entire world is. Well, this is Innoventive's second foray
into storyboarding and they have made incredible bounds
in the realm of simulating an entire world. Of course,
there are still some of things that still need to get
polished up with this version of the program and some
things that need to be added in future versions of the
program. The good news is that, due to Innoventive's flexible
updating model, many changes can still be made in the
program before the next version needs to come out. The
even better news is that not only CAN Innoventive update
their program as is needed, the folks at Innoventive are
the sort of folks that actually DO update their program
as their clients request or make problems known to them.
(Ken Schafer, Innoventive's president, actually added
muzzle flashes to the official release due to a comment
I made when Chris did the preview of Frame Forge 3D
Studio 2 a couple issues ago.)
With
that said, we'll break down the great things that they've
put into this program, the things that could use some
polishe, and the things we would really like to see in
Frame Forge 3D Studio 2.5 or 3!
Ease
of Use
Innoventive really wanted to streamline the ease of use
in the newest edition of the FF3DS and they made
massive strides in this area.
One
thing that really helps is the addition of the new room
builder program. This allows you to construct an entire
set with an architectural plan view, including window
symbols with adjustable heights, customizable entrances
with easily changeable hinge locations, and a variety
of other actual schematic touches.
I
had a background in drafting and architecture before I
got into film, so I really appreciated how accurate the
drafting option is, yet it's simple enough that non-architectural
people can easily understand it. (Once they stop making
80' long rooms, that is! The starting blueprint view is
a bit zoomed out, you see.) Plus, you could easily print
out the blueprint design and pass it on to an actual architect
if you get to a film with a large enough budget that you
could have an entire set built to spec.
