Imagineer Systems announced a strategic partnership with 2D-to-3D stereo conversion company Legend3D. The company recently completed an innovative R&D initiative, optimizing integration of its mocha Pro planar tracking technology with Legend3D’s proprietary VFX tools.
The new workflow features mocha Pro fully integrated into the Legend3D conversion and visual effects pipeline in its Southern California and India facilities.
For 2D-to-3D conversions, mocha Pro is used for multiple processes including segmentation and clean plating – the process of recreating and filling in background pixels that do not exist in the 2D version. This custom development gave Legend3D access to Imagineer’s engineering team, resulting in a streamlined workflow for mocha Pro and Legend3D’s internal systems. With support for up to 325 artists, Legend3D represents the largest mocha Pro installation to date.
“When we began talking with Imagineer, we realized fairly quickly that it made sense strategically to partner closely with them as their technology and engineering capabilities would ideally fit our proprietary pipeline,” explained Anthony Lopez, director of IT at Legend3D. “With the custom integration work complete, mocha conforms soundly with the rest of our technology and allows us to extract data in the form that works best for us. It fits hand in glove with our existing workflow.”
“Legend3D is well known to Hollywood studios for delivering the highest-quality stereo 3D film conversions and visual effects,” said Ross Shain, chief marketing officer, Imagineer Systems. “Imagineer’s planar tracking, roto and object removal tools found in mocha Pro are very useful in assisting the technical process of converting a film from 2D to 3D.”
Legend3D has relied on mocha for several films including The Smurfs 1 & 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Amazing Spider-Man and Life of Pi. Matthew DeJohn, stereo VFX supervisor at Legend3D, explained that “Even without the custom development, mocha is an extremely powerful visual effects tool. mocha helps us refine the final compositing pass and is an essential tool for that process. It’s a best-of-breed software.”
“The development project with Imagineer went extremely well, as the team was very collaborative in customizing mocha to fit Legend3D’s unique needs,” said Jared Sandrew, Legend3D creative director. “We were able to have an open discussion to ensure the software would smoothly integrate into our processes and help us increase efficiency in our conversion workflow. We see Imagineer as a strategic partner, and we look forward to continuing development with them as we work on new feature films and other high-profile projects.”
