ASSIMILATE's Live FX media server is making virtual production more accessible through an intuitive interface that speaks the same language as film professionals while requiring less hardware than game engine alternatives.

Color Control Room: Live FX leverages ASSIMILATE's 20-year post-production expertise to bring familiar grading tools to real-time environments

Live FX incorporates the complete color toolset from ASSIMILATE's post-production suite, offering:

• Full color wheels, curves, and lookup tables familiar to colorists

• Hue vs. hue controls, vectors, and power windows

• Seamless integration with OpenColorIO workflows

• Real-time color adjustments during virtual production

• UI designed to be immediately intuitive for film professionals

Lighting the Virtual Path: The system excels at image-based lighting, offering straightforward DMX fixture mapping through a visual interface

The image-based lighting system provides:

• Simple rectangular ROIs (regions of interest) placed on the image to designate light sources

• Direct integration with DMX fixtures and Kino Flo MIMIKs

• Content-driven lighting that automatically reflects the color, hue, and brightness of the designated area

• Ability to use separate content for background visuals and lighting effects

• Real-time tracking with camera movements when using 360° environments

Beyond the Engine Room: The industry is seeing a shift from game engines to plate-based workflows that require less technical overhead

According to ASSIMILATE, the trend is moving toward plate-based workflows because they:

• Require less hardware and technical setup

• Better match cinematographers' visual preferences

• Work with CGI driving plates from partners like Sim-Plates

• Allow for quick changes to environmental elements like skies, lighting, and background activity

• Provide a more budget-friendly approach to virtual production

ASSIMILATE offers a trial version of Live FX on their website with watermarking and a three-fixture limit for those interested in testing the workflow.