The Foundry launches Furnace 3

Leading visual effects developer The Foundry kicks off 2006 with the launch of Furnace 3 for Shake, a major product release including brand new image processing plug-ins designed to significantly enhance workflow and productivity for Shake artists.
Furnace, available for Linux and OSX, is already a popular suite of image processing tools, designed to tackle every day compositing tasks, and the new release delivers Shake artists with an additional 10 plug-ins, many of which automate time-consuming processes in the creation of digital visual effects.
Furnace 3 is the result of continual research by The Foundry into advanced image processing algorithms, notably motion estimation technology, and benefits from The Foundry’s comprehensive roots-up knowledge of the post production industry. The new plug-ins include a sophisticated DeBlur solution, which automatically removes motion and out-of-focus blur, MatchGrade for automatic colour histogram matching, and Tracker, a multi-point tracker which can track the most challenging regions within a moving image.
Since its launch in 2002, Furnace is now deployed by the world’s leading post production facilities including Double Negative, Rhythm & Hues, Weta Digital, Pacific Title and Art Studio, Moving Picture Company, Cinesite UK, Framestore CFC, Animal Logic and Gray Matter.
“With Furnace 3 the toolbox just expanded again,” said Mike Seymour, InCase Sydney, and co-founder of FXguide.com. “The Foundry provides real image-processing tools I can actually use in production. Now with Furnace 3 – this is my No.1 plug-in/spark requirement on new systems.”
"Furnace is one of the most advanced toolsets available for Shake artists” commented Simon Anderson, Photon VFX, New Zealand. "Furnace 3 gives you a superior collection of plug-ins that deliver quick and easy solutions to every day tasks, giving you great results and saving hours.
I wouldn’t be without it.”
The Foundry products are widely acclaimed across the industry, having recently been used by digital artists on a wide range of projects including, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Batman Begins', 'King Kong', and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'.
(CD)