Calling it “a new way of thinking about and working with sophisticated 3-D broadcast graphics,” at the 2011 NAB Show, Compix, a provider of professional CGs, showed its Persona CG that features VirtualOverlay technology.
The system enables users to create up to six independent channels of motion-filled graphics and composite them virtually using only one physical output. The company said the technology can potentially save tens of thousands of dollars by combining the functionality of six CG units into one. The use of VirtualOverlay can also free up resources in switcher M/Es and DSKs by combining the graphic elements prior to being mixed with video sources.
Each VirtualOverlay has its own timeline and includes unlimited object layers, such as 3-D, images and clips, per overlay channel. Logos, channel IDs, lower-thirds, scoreboards, over-the-shoulder graphics, text crawls, RSS feeds and temperature displays can quickly and easily be inserted or taken out with Compix Persona’s LiveAction keyboard, which comes standard in all Compix Persona systems. The commands that are readily accessible from this color-coded keyboard allow operators to quickly control the VirtualOverlay display and all graphic page output controls. Dynamic data and automated control plug-ins can be used in any of the VirtualOverlay channels.
3-D text and shapes can be created directly in Compix Persona, and 3-D objects from applications such as 3ds MAX, Maya and LightWave can be placed directly in the canvas for real-time playback in the X file format, with no prerendering necessary. Compressed video clips in Windows AVI and WMV formats are also included. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files can be imported into Compix Persona while maintaining their original individual layers, and a live input source can be captured and used in the graphic layout as part of the design. All graphics created can be rendered to disk as an image sequence for use with any nonlinear system, such as Apple Final Cut Pro.
