Orad Hi-Tec Systems has announced a brand-new version of its ProSet virtual studio system which allows the insertion of semi-transparent objects into the virtual studio, thus removing one of the last barriers to photorealism on virtual sets.
The company states that, until the new technology debuted, virtual studios suffered from the fact that virtual objects placed in front of real objects had to be always completely opaque. Transparent objects made the actors and real elements of the virtual studio look translucent.
Orad’s new solution allows the insertion of semi-transparent 3D graphical elements into the virtual studio by separating the alpha and graphics from the background enabling complete multilayer compositing. ProSet enables the object in the foreground to have a separate alpha and graphics input from those in the background, providing full control over the transparency of the foreground object without affecting the other elements in the virtual studio.
The new version of ProSet is also equipped with a soft garbage matte feature. Often in virtual studio productions, the camera pans out of the blue or green box area, and this off-box area is typically masked using a garbage matte. However the edges of the blue box are frequently visible on the composite image as visible lines, making the difference in brightness between the keyed area and garbage matte very visible. The soft garbage matte feature addresses this issue, providing a seamlessly soft and blended image.
This unique solution is fully supported by Ultimatte 11.
Avi Sharir, CEO and president of Orad said: “We are pleased to offer our customers new and unique tools to continually improve their virtual studio productions. This new solution helps us maintain our presence at the forefront of the 3D broadcasting graphics and virtual studio market.”
