SynthEyes Adoration: Insights from Matt Merkovich, VFX Supervisor
In the world of visual effects, one tool stands out for its exceptional performance in 3D tracking - Boris FX SynthEyes. Matthew Merkovich, a renowned VFX professional, hails SynthEyes as the best tool for 3D tracking, praising its speed, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
Merkovich, who has been using SynthEyes since its early stages, credits the software for his work on some of the most iconic projects, such as Minority Report. He appreciates the opportunity it provided to work with talented VFX professionals and the enduring popularity of the show.
One of the key features that sets SynthEyes apart is its AI-powered ML Motion Estimation. This technology uses deep learning to calculate optical flow between frames, enabling accurate tracking even on surfaces with little texture or where there is heavy motion and fast camera movements. This enhancement of automatic solving makes SynthEyes a reliable choice even when traditional tracking methods might fail.
Another advantage of SynthEyes is its Mesh-to-track parenting, which streamlines the integration of 3D models with tracked data. This feature, along with the streamlined lens workflow export, ensures consistent and platform-ready lens data results across various post-production pipelines.
SynthEyes also offers automated and summary tracking modes that leverage machine learning to improve tracking reliability and efficiency. These features help both newcomers and experienced match-movers accelerate their workflow and increase output quality.
Merkovich, who primarily focuses on 3D tracking and matchmoving, recommends SynthEyes for matchmove artists. He finds the software to be the best 3D tracking and matchmoving app available, especially for handling complex shots with motion blur or low texture.
The new lens distortion tools in SynthEyes have significantly improved its performance on anamorphic footage, making it the best 3D tracking app for dealing with such footage. Additionally, SynthEyes boasts advanced features for anamorphic distance that are not supported within the 3D animation apps on the market.
For new users, Merkovich advises not to be afraid of the UI, as it is actually quite simple. His workflow for a shot includes bidding, ingesting the shot into the pipeline, denoising proxies, creating a version zero in SynthEyes, supervised 2D tracking, 3D solving, building and aligning 3D geometry, review, QC steps, packaging deliverables, and moving on to the next job.
Merkovich has faced challenging shots, such as a long shot for the show Mr. Robot, shots for Into the Badlands that took place at night, in the rain, with lightning, and handheld cameras with jerky camera motion and a lot of motion blur. Yet, SynthEyes has proven to be a reliable tool in such situations.
SynthEyes is not just limited to 3D tracking. It is also used for 2D tracking, roto, building geometry, rendering mattes for comp, on-set VFX supervision, and set surveys. Despite not being mentioned in the context of advertisements in relation to 3D Equalizer, SynthEyes undeniably stands out as a powerful tool in the field of visual effects.
In conclusion, Boris FX SynthEyes offers advanced AI-driven tracking, flexible parenting options, and streamlined pipeline integration designed to simplify and speed up the 3D matchmoving process—from automatic solving through export. Its reputation as the best 3D tracking and matchmoving tool continues to grow, making it a valuable asset for VFX professionals.
SynthEyes, the best 3D tracking tool for VFX professionals according to Matthew Merkovich, is not only limited to 3D tracking but also used for 2D tracking, roto, building geometry, rendering mattes for compositing, on-set VFX supervision, and set surveys. The advanced AI-driven technology in SynthEyes, such as ML Motion Estimation and automated tracking modes, makes it a powerful tool in the field of data-and-cloud-computing-driven technology.
Merkovich also appreciates the Mesh-to-track parenting feature in SynthEyes for streamlining the integration of 3D models with tracked data, which is a crucial aspect of technology integration in visual effects workflows.
