What is a VFX Turnover Package?
Flawless understands the need for pixel-level perfection and so in the event that your vub output needs a little cleanup, the VFX Turnover Package can be used.
The VFX turnover package is one of the export options available for Final quality vubs and provides elements for taking your vub into a traditional VFX package like Nuke, Flame or After Effects.
Prerequisites
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Your vub is Final quality, no further refinement is required and it has been exported.
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Signiant app is installed to allow downloads via Media Shuttle.
The VFX Turnover Package contains a multi-layer OpenEXR image sequence for all vubbed frames. Each frame contains 3 layers.
Note: The OpenEXR files are in ACES 2065-1 color space.
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An RGBA image with the final result generated by DeepEditor, containing only the pixels that DeepEditor created (the lower half of the face). This way, these images can be easily composited on top of the original frames.
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The output of DeepEditor’s neural renderer without any compositing applied. This allows VFX artists to apply their own compositing processes if desired.
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An ST map that can be used to wrap any textures or masks and composite them on the output.
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Using the Stabilisation_Flw Nuke gizmo, an artist can generate a Nuke CornerPin node, stabilising the Render. You can download this node here.
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Interpolation Data. A per-frame value ranging from zero to one. This interpolation value represents how much of the new performance was applied to the Source. A value of one indicates the visual dub is fully active, while a value of zero suggests the original source can be revealed, disabling the render. Using the Interpolation_PT_Flw Nuke Gizmo, an artist can extract these values into a curve. You can download this node here.
Note: Image sequences contain only the frames where a face has been detected and processed in DeepEditor. For example, if a 100-frame shot was provided as an input, but the character only appears in 90 frames, then the VFX package will contain only these 90 frames, labelled correctly with their respective frame numbers in the original shot.
- 2 non-modifiable 3D meshes - one of the face from the original Source, and another of the DeepEditor output. Both meshes are in the alembic file format. This gives a VFX artist even more control, allowing them to project masks and textures on the mesh that can then be composited on top of the DeepEditor output.
- A 3D camera representing the camera angle and movements of the original shot.
Note: The camera, which is output as part of the alembic package, is only used to view/render the face geometry and is not a full scene tracked camera. In other words, it bears no relation to the actual shot camera.
A more comprehensive set of tooling and documentation can be downloaded here. (ReadMe can be found in the .zip).
Tutorial video: Guidance on the use of the VFX Turnover Package in software like Nuke can be found here.
Exporting the VFX Turnover Package
As detailed in Exporting your vub, there are several ways to export a VFX Turnover Package:
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from the Vubs page:
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from the Refinement tool:
Once the package is exported, you will find it in the Exports tab with the type VFX. Download it by selecting Download No Watermark.
Like any other export, you may need to get consent before you can download it, as detailed in Downloading your vub. The download will take place via Media Shuttle:
Note: When you try to download a VFX package for the first time, you might get a message saying that the link is still being generated and you should come back again later. The link will typically be ready within a minute, so if you click the Download No Watermark button again, you can proceed.
Read next: Exporting a shot with multiple faces