Autodesk brings to NAB a host of new product releases. Before getting into the gritty details, Bruno Sargeant, film and television industry manager for Autodesk, gave an overview of the company’s current position in the content-creation industry, which, of course, includes not just TV and film but CAD modeling of buildings and cars and such. Today, however, the worlds of engineering and entertainment are not as separate as they once were. Sargeant explained the “CAD to AD” paradigm, wherein computer-aided design models are repurposed for the development of 3D-animated representations that end up in advertisements and video games. These “intelligent assets” would seem to support the level of productivity that’s necessary in today’s business world.

Onto the products: NAB 2009 sees the introduction of Flame 2010, Inferno 2010, Flint 2010, Smoke 2010, and Lustre 2009 Extension 1. At IBC last fall Autodesk introduced a software-only version of Lustre; now there’s a brand-new software-only product called Flare 2010. Flare is available with Autodesk Subscription, so you need an Inferno or a Flame system inhouse to get Flare. But for one-fifth the price of Flame, Flare offers the core feature sets of Flame and Inferno. Floating licenses are available to support the type of flexibility that Autodesk is intending with this release. Sargeant says that Flare is aimed at empty seats in a facility, and also as a way for artists to get work done when the house’s Flame seat is booked. Autodesk also intends Flare to be used as a training tool for junior artists/assistants, as a way for facilities to develop talent in-house.