Sony unveils virtual production toolset

Sony has launched a virtual production toolset for pre-production and on-set workflows, which will become available for free later this year.

The new tool set works with the Sony Venice, Crystal LED and other HDR-enabled LED walls to improve performance and help solve common virtual production challenges such as color matching and moiré to enhance in-camera visual effects. 

It includes the Camera and Display Plugin, as well as the Colour Calibrator. The former is a software plug-in for Unreal Engine that allows productions to identify and solve issues such as individual cameras and LED walls having different color characteristics, or when the Virtual Art Department (VAD) is unable to anticipate the actual color performance of specific cameras.

When installed in Unreal Engine, the Virtual Venice in the Camera and Display Plugin allows productions to reproduce the settings of the Venice, Venice 2, and Crystal LED display. This allows the VAD to create assets using the Venice’s colour pipeline during pre-production before crews are on set.

It can also simulate the camera’s exposure index and Neutral Density (ND) filters to recreate shallow depth of field and help productions identify lens choices during pre-production. In addition, there is a custom moiré alert, depending on the pixel pitch and other specifications of the wall, to help productions make changes to the camera position and camera movement during the pre-production process to save time on set.

The settings from the virtual Venice Camera and Display Plugin be exported from the plug-in and transferred to the on-set Venice and Venice 2 - and it continues to provide a moiré alert while the production is running.

The Colour Calibrator is an application for Windows 10 to ensure proper color reproduction when shooting LED walls with the Venice camera. A test pattern is recorded on the production LED wall with the Venice camera and the Color Calibrator application automatically analyzes the result. A 3D LUT is then generated which can be applied to the LED controller, color management tool or Unreal Engine.

Sebastian Leske, head of cinema business development at Sony Europe, said: “The new Virtual Production Tool Set was born from the voice of our creative community who requested tools to help them leverage In-Camera VFX and improve the overall process. Thanks to the continued feedback of our customers and our partnership with Epic Games, we were able to introduce this toolset after rigorous testing.”