New free app for Mac OS Lion users creates smoke, fire, and other effects in real time using the FaceTime camera.
A new free app for Autodesk lets Mac users create smoke and other special video effects on FaceTime. The effects react to real-time movement.
Autodesk Motion FX uses new facial tracking technology and full-screen mode on Mac OS X Lion, as well as fluid effects technology from Autodesk Maya, to create swirling motion-driven effects in real time.
A variety of preset effects are included in the app’s five modes:
Motion Detect: Effects chase movements picked up by the camera
Color Detect: Effects are applied to a user-selected color from the live video
Face Detect: Effects emit from any face visible to the camera
Effect Paint: Users can blaze a trail of vivid effects across a screen using their mouse or trackpad
Video Warp: Users can create effects by warping their video feed in real time
A cycle mode allows effects to automatically transition from one to the other, leaving the user’s hands free to play with motion. Users also can choose to overlay their real-time effects on top of their video feed or perform on a blank canvas.
Autodesk Motion FX provides one-click capture for grabbing still images. Support for multiple displays enables users to control the effects on one screen while displaying the output on a secondary screen or video projector; one can imagine the performance art possibilities.
The Autodesk Motion FX app is available for free from the Mac App Store for Mac upgraded to OS X Lion. A demonstration video has been posted to the Autodesk YouTube Channel.
