WYSIWYG - experts heap praise on R29

2 October 2012

World - Industry response to WYSIWYG R29, the new version of CAST Software's pre-visualisation suite, has been overwhelming, with professionals hailing the release a triumph for productivity and accuracy in event design, says the company.

R29 was released to members only earlier this month and quickly received widespread commendation for the variety of new features that expand the software's potential. Particular attention has paid to the breakthrough Six Degrees of Freedom Camera and Shaded View Selection - next gen functionality acknowledged as having the power to help WYSIWYG professionals 'raise their game'.

The addition of another three degrees of freedom to the WYSIWYG cameras is of importance because it means the orientation of the camera is no longer restricted to a slightly robotic three dimensions. Users are now able to position the camera absolutely any way they choose - mirroring the complete freedom of movement that they would have with a physical camera in a live situation. WYSIWYG's greatest asset has always been that what you see on screen is exactly what you get at the event on the day, and the 6D camera takes this even further by allowing you to see not only exactly what we're going to get, but to see it from any imaginable angle.

"One can now get a much more 'lifelike' experiencing when playing back animations in WYSIWYG," explains video designer and lighting visualisations specialist, Miguel Ribeiro. "This takes the professional quality of animations to a whole new level and makes for presentations of the highest calibre, helping us win more pitches. Let's take the example of a televised rock 'n' roll event: in the venue, as the event is being filmed, the cameras are hardly operated in a manner that keeps them perpendicular with the stage - they are rolled and pitched frequently to add dynamics to the shoot. Now if you can represent this in your animation and show precisely what the film will look like when it hits the TV, then you're much more likely to secure the business."

Nick Calthrop of Calthrop Design explains, "The introduction of the Shaded View Selection is going to speed up every Wyg user's Design Mode work flow rate by at least 10 to 20 per cent. Being able to select individual or multiple fixtures in shaded view has eliminated the need to work in either quad view - with a small shaded view window showing how the fixtures are reacting - or flipping between the main wireframe views and the shaded view window to select fixtures as required.

"In the short time that I have been using Shaded View Selection, it has changed the way that I work in Wyg. I am spending less time switching between screens and more time getting the looks that I want within the shaded view. This has made me significantly more productive with the limited time I have available."

(Jim Evans)