Perfect for post facilities with client-supervised sessions or demanding deadlines, Blue uses the latest generation NVIDIA GPU-based graphics cards to provide an interactive effects design experience. Blue delivers real-time processing of 2D and 3D effects as well as real-time playback of video and audio media. Users can adjust effect parameters during playback, a "front room" capability that is ideal for working side by side with clients. The fast export to disk, including hardware rendered anti-aliasing, motion blur, and 3D shadows, provide significant time savings.

Boris Blue is available as both an AVX 2 plugin for Windows based Avid editors and as a standalone 3D compositor for Windows XP. Based on the familiar Boris interface, Blue is designed for video editors and compositors who want to create stunning 3D looks without the complex learning curves and render times associated with 3D applications.

Boris Blue Key Features:

Particles
Use any 3D object as a particle, including extruded shapes and imported 3D Models. Multiple attractors and repellers provide dynamic particle interaction. Sprite-based particles simulate Fire, Smoke and Sparks.

Enhanced Extrusions
Create custom bevels by defining a curve with spline drawing tools. Extrude text, spline primitives, free hand spline drawings and imported EPS files.

Import 3D models in the .3ds and .obj formats, preserving individual geometry groups.

Deformers, Image Processors and Generators
Vertex Deformers provide true 3D warping of 3D objects. Blue's Deformers, Image Processors and Generators are fully hardware accelerated for blazing speed.

Materials including Bump Maps Reflections
Materials include per pixel lighting controls and texture, bump and reflection mapping. They are also are fully hardware accelerated for blazing speed.

Sophisticated Animation Made Fast and Easy
Blue includes some new tools such as Type On Containers and the Motion Path filter for more convenient creation of complex 3d animations. Combined with full hardware acceleration these high quality effects can be designed and exported with amazing speed.

Significant new features in version 2:

Plugin Integration for Windows Avid systems

Blue 2 can be used in Avid as an AVX2 plugin on Windows XP Avid systems

Plugin has all the same effect features as the standalone including 2D and 3D text, imported 3D models, powerful particle emitters and more ; all available within Avid

Fast and convenient single track transitions, titles, animated backgrounds and other graphic elements right in the Avid timeline

Single or multi-input filter, realtime preview, effects and transitions

Save custom Blue effects to Avid bins for quick and easy re-use

using the Blue plugin avoids export / import workflow, simplifies offline / online workflow

More Tools for Faster and Easier Composition of Sophisticated 3D Effects

Split Views in Comp Window

Including orthographic views for easier alignment of objects in 3D space

Improved 3D interactors for 3D objects and Lights

3D interactors for Cameras

A camera can be set to stay focused on a particular object or 3D point in the scene while moving through 3D space

Cameras and lights can be placed and animated along on a user-defined bezier path

Built-in 3D Transformations for Motion Path filter

New 3D Deformers

Curl

Flatten

Mesh Chaos

Mesh Shatter

Model Displacer

Pre-Transform

Pulse

Slice-Stretch

Un-Deform

New Image Processor Effects

Film Grain

Film Process

Glow Edge

Glow Light

Glow Light Replace Color

Glow Remove Color

Mist

Continuum OpenGL filters included

Glare

Glint

Glitter

LED

Lens Flare

Lens Flare Advanced

Prism

Scanline

Damaged TV

Lightning

System Requirements

BLUE 2 requires Microsoft WINDOWS XP SP 2 running on an Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon or higher processor, with Apple QuickTime version 6.5 or higher installed.

Quicktime software is not included with the Blue installer. If necesssary, Quicktime for Windows can be downloaded here:
www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Graphics Boards
BLUE 2 requires one of the following NVIDIA based graphics boards:

NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500, 3450, 3500, 4500, 5500

NVIDIA GeForce 6800, 7800, 7900, 7950

Graphics Drivers
BLUE 2 requires one of the following NVIDIA graphics drivers:

NIVIDIA driver version 84.26 - www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_84.26

NIVIDIA driver version 91.36 - www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_91.36

NIVIDIA driver version 91.85 - /www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_91.85

Avid Support
The BLUE 2 AVX plugin is supported for running on the following Avid release versions:

Avid Media Composer 2.7 or later

Avid Xpress Pro 5.7 or later

Avid Newscutter 6.7 or later

NOTE: like the Blue 2 standalone application, the Blue AVX 2 plugin is also subject to the Windows XP, Quicktime, and NVIDIA requirements listed previously

NOTE: The current version of the Blue 2 Avid AVX plugin does not support Avid Symphony Nitris due to a known potential instability problem. BorisFX expects to resolve this issue soon and plans to add plugin support for Symphony Nitris in a future Blue 2 point update. This issue is specific to the Blue 2 AVX plugin and the standalone application is not affected by this issue at all. As soon as the update is available the information on this page will be updated to list plugin support for Avid Symphony Nitris.

DualView display mode on a dual monitor configuration
To run using the DualView display mode on a dual monitor configuration, BLUE 2 (standalone or plugin) requires the following NVIDIA driver Performance and Quality settings:

nView Display set to DualView

Hardware Acceleration set to Single Display mode

Unified Back Buffer turned OFF (Quadro only setting, not relevant to GeForce boards)

click here for instructions showing how to access these NVIDIA settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel

NOTE: using DualView with Hardware Acceleration set to Single Mode allows the system to treat the 2 monitors as individual monitors while focusing the OGL Hardware Acceleration to the primary monitor. It is necessary to work with your video display windows on the primary monitor for them to update during playback using these NVIDIA settings.

Monitor configuration limitation for working in 1080i HD size
In the current Blue 2 release it is necessary to run the system in a single monitor configuration for working with 1080i HD size projects (1920 x1080 pixels) – meaning the NVIDIA card must be driving one monitor rather than two to successfully render Blue 2 effects at that resolution. Blue 1080i effect output (plugin or standalone) will be cropped when running 2 monitors.