The Pixel Farm launch PFHoe DV tracking application

The Pixel Farm, a company focused on innovation in the field of high-end digital postproduction, has announced the release of PFHoe.
This latest tool is an extremely cost effective DV tracking application for the Mac and Windows platform, aimed at DV hobbyists and budding CG artists. For the first time it is possible for those wanting to learn about match moving or experiment with matching computer graphics to video footage, to use cutting edge tools without the price tag to match.
Using core technology developed for PFTrack - the industry leading tracking and analysis system - PFHoe provides a tremendous amount of power via a very simple to use, intuitive interface. An import Wizard guides the user through importing and setting up the DV footage by explaining the parameters that are needed to successfully track a shot. The simple one click tool set provides an environment, which will produce great results - even for the most inexperienced user. Like its big brothers PFTrack and PFMatch, PFHoe is able to solve any kind of camera motion, including zooms and nodal pans
Richard Spöhrer, Managing Director of The Pixel Farm, said: “With PFHoe we are delivering something we have wanted to do for a long time - providing those who can’t afford our professional systems with a great set of tools to either learn about camera tracking or produce their own projects. Building on our knowledge in the professional market we have included cutting edge technology and while PFHoe is limited to DV use, it is not, in any way, technologically limited. We are already seeing our products leap ahead of the competition in terms of functionality and PFHoe includes new technology that even professional systems twenty times the price don’t have.”
PFHoe also features additional tools, including a unique automatic lens distortion correction tool, support for importing mattes from third party applications, simple edit tools to modify tracking data and quality graphs to aid the user in making data editing decisions. Distortion corrected DV resolution footage can also be exported as a QuickTime or AVI for proper matching of 3D objects into the scene in third party compositing applications.
Camera data can be exported to common CG packages with 3D support via a range of plug-ins working under an API to facilitate future support of new applications. PFHoe comes with a single exporter, chosen when purchasing the software, with the option to purchase additional export format support as and when needed.
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