[BY]
Dmytro Kremeznyi
[Category]
CGI
[DATE]
May 26, 2024
Autodesk's acquisition of Wonder Dynamics aims to revolutionize VFX and 3D animation by enhancing AI tools and workflows.
Autodesk has recently announced its acquisition of AI tools company Wonder Dynamics, the developer behind the innovative platform Wonder Studio. This acquisition has drawn considerable attention, mainly due to the advanced capabilities of Wonder Studio and the potential impacts on its user base and the broader 3D animation and VFX industry.
Wonder Studio emerged from Wonder Dynamics, a firm co-founded by actor Tye Sheridan and significantly backed by names like Steven Spielberg. Launched just last year, the cloud-based VFX platform facilitates the integration of 3D characters into video footage. Its standout feature is its ability to automate 80%-90% of manual VFX tasks such as rotoscoping. This automation not only saves significant time but also allows artists to concentrate more on creative aspects of production.
Before the acquisition, Autodesk had already partnered with Wonder Dynamics to enhance workflow integrations between Wonder Studio and Autodesk’s Maya, their flagship 3D animation software. This partnership paved the way for seamless cooperation, leading up to Autodesk's decision to acquire Wonder Dynamics. The financial specifics of the deal remain undisclosed; however, the acquisition is positioned as an enhancement to Autodesk's suite, particularly its new cloud platform for media and entertainment, Flow.
For current users of Wonder Studio, the acquisition means business as usual—at least for now. Wonder Dynamics has communicated to its users via email that the roadmap for Wonder Studio remains unchanged, and there are no expected changes in pricing or the way services are provided. Moreover, the company has expressed its continued commitment to keeping an open ecosystem, specifically ensuring that integrations with Blender and Unreal Engine remain unaffected.
The acquisition is poised to foster further technological integration between Autodesk's products and Wonder Dynamics' technology. Although the full details of how Wonder Dynamics' technologies will be integrated into Autodesk’s offerings have not been disclosed, the compatibility of Wonder Studio with Maya suggests promising enhancements. Moreover, Autodesk’s statement emphasizes the acquisition as a step towards connecting teams, data, and processes more fluidly, particularly through its Flow platform.
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