Agonizing over FX

[Twrch]

OK I don't want this to go all about the legal stuff but I'm in a quandary about the FX package I get to go with SE.

I've waded into the whole Aura/Mirage/TVPaint scenario. And, as I understand it, they are all built on a kernal that TVPaint owns, so maybe I should go with them. However, I hear that their UI is not as stable.

Maybe I should look at Boris or After Effects? All I need at the moment is interpolated SloMo and rotoscoping, but the future probably will require more than that.

Is anybody else working this problem? Any thoughts?

[Tim Johnson]

After Effects is a great tool for interpolated slomo and rotoscoping, and does a whole lot more. It's a pretty standard app--you're safe with it. Mirage/Aura is cool, and does some stuff better/quicker than AE. If you're going to share project files with others, then AE is the way to go (more people use it.) If you've got a good deal on Aura/Mirage, and you don't need all the other AE stuff, go with Aura/Mirage.

[KSTAR]

If you can afford it go with both. Mirage does some compositing but not to the degree that AE or any other compositor does. Mirage also does things the AE and other compositors don't as Tim mentioned

Mirage and TV paint are related through their history but the to applications are now legally split. I dont know enough about the legal situation but Mirage and TV Paint are heading in two different directions. You will most likely see that when Mirage 2.0 surfaces.

[SBowie]

I think the posts above pretty much hit the nail on the head. Think of it this way - Mirage, like Aura, is a paint and animation tool with some compositing functions. It is not really a dedicated compositor, but I know some compositors who refer to it as their "secret weapon" for CG stuff. For me personally, it is my CG Swiss Army knife.

(I used to swear by Aura - look at my avatar! - but I think few would argue it is as advanced as Mirage, and afaik it is not currently available as a standalone ... so I don't feel I'm overstepping group propriety in discussing alternatives here.)

I can't comment on the stability of tvp's own offerings, nor will I remark here on the various aspects of ongoing legal disputes, except to say that neither a settlement nor a ruling seems even remotely imminent at this point. Just make your personal decision, whatever it may be, and carry on without worrying about all the blatherskiting. And don't believe everything you read. ;)

p.s - if you decide on Mirage, feel free to e-mail me for best pricing.

[dweinkauf]

I second what has been said about Mirage. It's an awesome program. I've used AE, but prefer Mirage for its simplicity and power. It satisfies my compositing needs and more. Just a half hour ago, I printed out a poster for an upcoming event using Mirage. I usually use Quark Express for those sorts of things, but Mirage dealt with the Alpha channel on a picture a whole lot better than Quark, so I went with Mirage for that job. If Mirage had a few more additions to its printing engine, I would retire my copy of Quark in a minute. With Mirage, you also get an incredible support community and great company.

Dave

[fboulene]

Hello,
so far no problem with TVPaint UI and TVPaint has some nice plus over Mirage. I did switch from one to the other.

[Twrch]

Thanks guys, I'm heading for mirage.

[Liber777]

Mirage is an awesome program. eyeon have also just announced Rotation (http://www.eyeonline.com/Web/EyeonWeb/Products/rotation/rotation.aspx), a subset of Fusion's high-end compositing tools intended for roto and keying work, and they have a 16-bit per channel VFX software now called Vision (http://www.eyeonline.com/web/eyeonweb/products/vision/vision.aspx).