Virtual Set
The term Virtual Set has become blurred somewhat over time, originally meaning to employ a computer and a camera tracker to develop a background in realtime to chromakey talent into, Virtual Sets now encompass both live and post, tracking and trackless solutions, and is also even used to reference simple blue/greenscreen work where talent is keyed right into a studio. There are many different kinds of virtual sets; I'll let you know that these are commonly used:
Virtual Set
Standard Definition, Hi-def, and 4K are used with Post Production programs like editors and compositors. They are available as layers letting you create the illusion how the talent is standing behind a desk which video is playing inside the monitors.
NewTek's Tricaster SD and Tricaster XD versions are powered by their proprietary hardware, but make operating an active virtual set very simple, scaling the talent in to the set, placing the B Source in the screens and adding reflections. The visible difference between the two is resolution, the XD to be able to produce in Hi-def and that the XD can do virtual camera moves like zooms.
The 3D Studio MAX version is optimized for realtime rendering, it is a 3D version uniquely situated for use with realtime rendering platforms though it's lighting baked into the textures, it's not at all very editable.
NewTek's Lightwave 3D version is among the most powerful and flexible, but also the most technically demanding to use giving you full treating every aspect of the set and a true 3D environment for help tracking markers.
Virtual Set Production falls into two main categories, Live and Post. The first sort giving you feedback in realtime to what your greenscreen composite appears to be, the later providing you more flexibility and control to make decisions at your leisure. Another main difference being price, you may get into virtual set post production for large sums of money vs. thousands of dollars for live productions.
Live Production
Long the domain with the six figure budgets virtual sets took an unexpected turn in the late nineties with the release of Play’s Trinity. With a built in chroma keyer and several unusual virtual set features it turned the industry’s notion of what a virtual set was on it’s ear. Years later NewTek released it’s Video Toaster system which in version 5 had similar functionality, allowing for realtime keying, scaling, and reflections of talent plus a B source. That technology followed onto their Tricaster line and matured making use of their XD products; an HD switcher with virtual set abilities including a trackless zoom. The Tricaster products happen to be very popular due to their comparatively low pricing, multiple functionalities, and unique virtual set abilities not within other products at any price point.
Post Production
Any program using a chroma keyer can create the illusion of an virtual set at the far lower cost than live production. These include a few better editors like Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas, and similar. These can be as simple as keying your talent more than a background, or as complex as tracking markers and layering together a complicated scene with camera motion. www.videovirtualsets.com offers virtual set design services to modify any of their existing library of virtual sets as well as to create a virtual set custom from scratch, examples and pricing can be found on their website. Some productions require changes on the set, or the client likes to have a unique identity, regardless of the need the ability to modify sets for your client’s designs is available.
With amazing network quality productions coming from garages and classrooms because of modern computing power, innovative software, and inexpensive virtual set backgrounds it’s hard to imagine what will come next. Now in beta testing, intensiKey's post production virtual set software offers to offer the power of an true 3D program with no complexity.
Virtual Set
Virtual Set
Standard Definition, Hi-def, and 4K are used with Post Production programs like editors and compositors. They are available as layers letting you create the illusion how the talent is standing behind a desk which video is playing inside the monitors.
NewTek's Tricaster SD and Tricaster XD versions are powered by their proprietary hardware, but make operating an active virtual set very simple, scaling the talent in to the set, placing the B Source in the screens and adding reflections. The visible difference between the two is resolution, the XD to be able to produce in Hi-def and that the XD can do virtual camera moves like zooms.
The 3D Studio MAX version is optimized for realtime rendering, it is a 3D version uniquely situated for use with realtime rendering platforms though it's lighting baked into the textures, it's not at all very editable.
NewTek's Lightwave 3D version is among the most powerful and flexible, but also the most technically demanding to use giving you full treating every aspect of the set and a true 3D environment for help tracking markers.
Virtual Set Production falls into two main categories, Live and Post. The first sort giving you feedback in realtime to what your greenscreen composite appears to be, the later providing you more flexibility and control to make decisions at your leisure. Another main difference being price, you may get into virtual set post production for large sums of money vs. thousands of dollars for live productions.
Live Production
Long the domain with the six figure budgets virtual sets took an unexpected turn in the late nineties with the release of Play’s Trinity. With a built in chroma keyer and several unusual virtual set features it turned the industry’s notion of what a virtual set was on it’s ear. Years later NewTek released it’s Video Toaster system which in version 5 had similar functionality, allowing for realtime keying, scaling, and reflections of talent plus a B source. That technology followed onto their Tricaster line and matured making use of their XD products; an HD switcher with virtual set abilities including a trackless zoom. The Tricaster products happen to be very popular due to their comparatively low pricing, multiple functionalities, and unique virtual set abilities not within other products at any price point.
Post Production
Any program using a chroma keyer can create the illusion of an virtual set at the far lower cost than live production. These include a few better editors like Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas, and similar. These can be as simple as keying your talent more than a background, or as complex as tracking markers and layering together a complicated scene with camera motion. www.videovirtualsets.com offers virtual set design services to modify any of their existing library of virtual sets as well as to create a virtual set custom from scratch, examples and pricing can be found on their website. Some productions require changes on the set, or the client likes to have a unique identity, regardless of the need the ability to modify sets for your client’s designs is available.
With amazing network quality productions coming from garages and classrooms because of modern computing power, innovative software, and inexpensive virtual set backgrounds it’s hard to imagine what will come next. Now in beta testing, intensiKey's post production virtual set software offers to offer the power of an true 3D program with no complexity.
Virtual Set