FrameForge 3D Studio
Encyclopedia
FrameForge Previz Studio (formerly FrameForge 3D Studio) is previsualization
storyboard
software for writer
/directors
of film
, video and advertising content.
The software creates virtual cameras, actors and objects in photo-accurate 3D scaled sets for previsualization. FrameForge creates data rich animations and exports these sequences for use at all stages of production for both traditional 2D shoots and, with the introduction of version 3, stereographic 3D shoots too.
that automatically formatted his text into screenplay format. He packaged these macros and sold them under the name Script Perfection. The macros evolved into the stand-alone program called ScriptThing and was eventually exclusively licensed for sale by Screenplay Systems under the name of Movie Magic Screenwriter. Schafer followed up with other software designs including the program FrameForge 3D Studio.
User Interface design simulates a ‘Multi-Camera Control Room’, a virtual studio allowing users to build and amend rooms and spaces, place cameras, props and actors in a desktop computer using familiar “drag’drop'n'move” commands. FrameForge comes pre-set for standard and custom film sizes plus popular prime lens collections which obtain accurate setup data while the user explores multiple camera angles, shots, lenses and choreography.
The software comes with over 800 unique objects and actors that relate to each other like real world counterparts. Drag an actor to a chair and he sits, drag a gun or cigarette to a hand and it will be held, dresser drawers pull open and trees can lose their leaves. Further, actor features like ‘reach-for’ and ‘look-at’ simplify posing that can be modified down to a single finger's joint.
By Keith Kolbo, Digital Media Net Moderator
Posted May 23, 2006
http://amediaprof.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=50
FrameForge 3D Studio 2: Giving Users What They Want
By Rick DeMott, managing editor of Animation World Network
Posted May 4, 2006 in VFXWorld.com an Animation World Network publication
http://www.vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=319b255d&atype=articles&id=2871
FrameForge 3D Studio 2: 3D World Magazine
By Christopher Kenworthy
Posted March, 2006
http://frameforge3d.com/3DWrld-med-res.pdf
American Cinematographer Magazine
By Jay Holben, ASC Tech Editor
Posted July 2006
http://ascmag.com/new_products/July2006/#prod94
HD Magazine
By Staff
Posted April 22, 2010
http://www.definitionmagazine.com/journal/2010/4/22/frame-forge-3d-software.html
System 10.3 (to run Version 2)
System 9.1 (to run Version 1*)
Previsualization
Previsualization is a function to visualise complex scenes in movie before filming. It is also a concept in still photography...
storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
software for writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
/directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, video and advertising content.
The software creates virtual cameras, actors and objects in photo-accurate 3D scaled sets for previsualization. FrameForge creates data rich animations and exports these sequences for use at all stages of production for both traditional 2D shoots and, with the introduction of version 3, stereographic 3D shoots too.
Background
The program was designed by filmmaker Ken Schafer and his San Diego based software company Innoventive Software, LLC. A graduate of New York University's film program, Schafer started software programming in the 1980s by creating an extensive system of macros for WordPerfectWordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
that automatically formatted his text into screenplay format. He packaged these macros and sold them under the name Script Perfection. The macros evolved into the stand-alone program called ScriptThing and was eventually exclusively licensed for sale by Screenplay Systems under the name of Movie Magic Screenwriter. Schafer followed up with other software designs including the program FrameForge 3D Studio.
The Software
FrameForge supports both Mac OS X and Windows Operating Systems. The software comes with resources that allow the construction of dimensionally precise 3D spaces (sets) that can be seen in an optically-correct manner from any POV. The data of this technical idiom is calculated by the software and recorded automatically when any frame is stored. The user however, controls the composition of the image with more familiar terms which cinematographers and directors use such as pan, tilt, crane, dolly, zoom, depth of field and f/Stop. This makes for unrestricted exploration of the created 3D space in a non-technical way.User Interface design simulates a ‘Multi-Camera Control Room’, a virtual studio allowing users to build and amend rooms and spaces, place cameras, props and actors in a desktop computer using familiar “drag’drop'n'move” commands. FrameForge comes pre-set for standard and custom film sizes plus popular prime lens collections which obtain accurate setup data while the user explores multiple camera angles, shots, lenses and choreography.
The software comes with over 800 unique objects and actors that relate to each other like real world counterparts. Drag an actor to a chair and he sits, drag a gun or cigarette to a hand and it will be held, dresser drawers pull open and trees can lose their leaves. Further, actor features like ‘reach-for’ and ‘look-at’ simplify posing that can be modified down to a single finger's joint.
Other Features
- Instant rendering of multiple camera POVs with OpenGL Hardware Acceleration, Texture Sharing and other optimizations
- Room Builder Drag’n’draw generation of your set with sizable walls, windows, doors and overall dimensions
- TrueOptix optically-correct Depth of Field depiction with user controllable f/stop and point of focus settings
- KeyFrame ‘Tweening:’ The automatic creation of averaged in-between frames creating camera and actor movement animations
- Export to QuickTime, PDF and Flash Animation formats
- Actor Pose Control
- Partial Pose selection to select ‘in between poses’
- Full Facial expressions plus facial modifiers and phonemes
- Body and Facial Morphs (Fat, thin, gaunt face, roman nose, etc.)
- Can be aged from 20-60 yrs
- Numerous Hair and Clothing options
- "Reach For...", "Look at..." and "Match Eyelines…" functions
- Exact on-set distance reporting and measuring of set objects
- USB Game Pad Interface allows control of the program from a standard joystick USB Game Pad or a proprietary Director's Pad* (sold separately)
- Native VRML Object Creation support with options to create ‘hinged’ part objects
- Importation and association of script documents from script formatting and popular word processing software
Reviews
FrameForge 3D Studio 2: From StoryBoards to Pre-VizBy Keith Kolbo, Digital Media Net Moderator
Posted May 23, 2006
http://amediaprof.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=50
FrameForge 3D Studio 2: Giving Users What They Want
By Rick DeMott, managing editor of Animation World Network
Posted May 4, 2006 in VFXWorld.com an Animation World Network publication
http://www.vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=319b255d&atype=articles&id=2871
FrameForge 3D Studio 2: 3D World Magazine
By Christopher Kenworthy
Christopher Kenworthy
Christopher Kenworthy is an Australian writer and film director. He is the director of The Sculptor.In 2004 he directed The Dream Sequence, a series of experimental web-based films...
Posted March, 2006
http://frameforge3d.com/3DWrld-med-res.pdf
American Cinematographer Magazine
By Jay Holben, ASC Tech Editor
Posted July 2006
http://ascmag.com/new_products/July2006/#prod94
HD Magazine
By Staff
Posted April 22, 2010
http://www.definitionmagazine.com/journal/2010/4/22/frame-forge-3d-software.html
Macintosh
G3 processor 500 MHz or higherSystem 10.3 (to run Version 2)
System 9.1 (to run Version 1*)
- Included on CD
External links
- Innoventive Software website
- Ten Minute Walkthrough of FrameForge 3D Studio 2
- Wikibooks Movie Manual on Storyboarding
- Wikiversity - Lesson on 3D Storyboarding