LOS ANGELES, Aug 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Academy Software Foundation – the leading film industry organization promoting the development of open source software for image creation, visual effects, animation and sound technologies – today announces OpenFX as the latest hosted project. OpenFX, first developed in 2004, is a popular open source plug-in standard that enables interoperability between image processing tools in the VFX industry.
Originally designed by Bruno NicolettiOpenFX serves as an open, extensible C API that defines an industry-wide common interface between image-based visual effects plugins and host applications. This makes it easier for creative applications to support a variety of plugins as well as for plugin developers to support many host applications, reducing proprietary development and industry fragmentation. By creating an interoperable ecosystem of plugins, OpenFX has become the reference standard for visual effects and video processing software makers. Leading software solutions including Autodesk Flame, Foundry Nuke, Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve and Fusion, Sony Catalyst and MAGIX Vegas Pro, Assimilate Scratch, Filmlight Baselight, Boris FX Sapphire and Silhouette, RE:Vision Effects and others support OpenFX commercial plugins. By running the same plugins on multiple editing, video processing, and VFX applications with little or no customization, OpenFX makes it easier for artists to access a wider set of tools.
“OpenFX is the work of savvy engineers focused on developing a standard for interoperability in the image-based software ecosystem. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Foundation,” shared David Morin, executive director of the Academy Software Foundation. “In a world where interoperability is more important than ever, OpenFX will contribute to our growing community and benefit from the resources of the Academy Software Foundation.”
OpenFX was previously run by the non-profit Open Effects Association, which will disappear. The existing directors – Gary Oberbrunner, Pierre JasminPeter Huisma, Dennis Adams, John Paul Smith – will join the technical steering committee of the project at the Academy Software Foundation.
“We are very excited to be a part of the Academy Software Foundation and the added visibility and infusion of new ideas and contributors that come with it,” said Oberbrunner. “With the support of the Foundation, we expect to be able to add new features faster, improving the overall image-based VFX ecosystem across the industry.”
Currently on version 1.4, new features are already in the works for OpenFX version 1.5, which is expected to be released later this year. Most notably, the team recently added an overlay character suite so that the host application and plugin can automatically negotiate and agree on the desired graphics API (e.g. OpenGL, DirectX, Vulkan, Metal, or others).
Developers interested in learning more or contributing to OpenFX can visit: https://tac.aswf.io/engagement/#OpenFX.
Companies interested in supporting the Academy Software Foundation’s mission can learn more and become a member at: aswf.io/join.
About Academy Software Foundation
Developed in collaboration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Linux Foundation, the Academy Software Foundation was established to provide a first-class home for open source software developers in the film and wider media industries to share resources and collaborate. working on technologies for image creation, visual effects, animation and sound. The Academy Software Foundation is home to DPEL, MaterialX, OpenVDB, OpenColorIO, OpenEXR, OpenCue, OpenTimelineIO, Open Shading Language, rawtoaces, and Rez. For more information about the Academy Software Foundation, visit: https://www.aswf.io/.
Contact:
Emily Olin
Academy Software Foundation
(281) 380-9661
SOURCE Academy Software Foundation
.