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On October 3, a new virtual set sequence by Nicolas Chateauneuf in the TV news on France 2. But this time a novelty, the working tool has evolved: the computer graphics environment is managed by Unreal Engine, the famous rendering engine from the world of video games. Explanations on this world premiere.
The software tool that allows this type of sequence to be performed has not changed overall, it has been the same for 3 years, it is AVID Maestro (ORAD). This article details the making of a sequence in virtual scenery.
The technical novelty
What changed with this October 3rd achievement is that we didn't use AVID's proprietary Render Engine but Unreal (EPIC Games), a tool from video games. AVID chose to integrate it with its product Maestro (ORAD) in order to boost the possibilities offered, particularly in terms of photo-realism.
The new version was delivered to France Télévisions on July 9. The October 3 sequence is therefore a world first, as this system is being used live for the first time. Note that the two engines coexist because they have complementary characteristics:
- Unreal (EPIC) will be used to render the 3D environment, textures, particles (fire, flame, wind, water, etc.) in a better way.
- Renderer Engine (ORAD) for screen wrapping, computer graphics with numbers
