For those who don’t know the tool: 3DEqualizer by Science-D-Visions is a high-end 3D tracking and matchmoving tool used in VFX and compositing workflows. It connects to Maya, Blender, Nuke and others to generate precise camera and object solves for integration of CG elements.
Over the winter break, Science-D-Visions released 3DEqualizer4 Release 8.1. The update focuses on precision and pipeline reliability, with several technical improvements aimed at matchmove and postvis specialists.
Piggyback rigs and postvis tools
The standuot addition is a new control pane for computing main camera motion from a piggyback or auxiliary camera, including 360-degree setups. This workflow allows the calibration of static camera-to-camera transformations directly from calibration or production shots. Science-D-Visions also provides a demonstration video of this workflow. To simplify onset capture, a new import script lets users load footage directly from movie files, reducing dependency on external transcoding tools.
Small but targeted refinements
Release 8.1 introduces a new high-pass filter in image controls, a frequently requested addition for analysing fine detail in tracking plates. It also adds start-frame parameters to USD and Alembic exports, allowing more precise control when aligning sequences in downstream departments. A new Attribute Editor plugin demonstrates how to reference 3D models directly from USD files, intended as an example for studios developing their own custom pipeline tools. The update further includes a rewritten Blender export script (v2.0) that matches the design of the Python-based Maya exporter from Release 8.0.
Technical updates and Python 3.11
Under the hood, 3DEqualizer 8.1 moves to Python 3.11. The runtime update brings better session management, new methods for converting OpenCV-style lens distortion to native 3DE formats, and improved image buffer handling. Several older tools were refined, including decimation of 3D models with correct UV handling, enhanced curve filtering, and better distance constraint behaviour. The development team also addressed multiple stability issues: bug fixes cover 2D track exports to Flame, curve editor display errors, long-lat conversion crashes, and problems with rolling shutter exports.
Export and scripting improvements
Maya export now includes user preferences, the “object pgroup z distance” tool gained motion path transfer functionality, and file requesters now display file sizes in human-readable format. The ScriptDB installer received fixes for SSL warnings, and the “reel in points” and “import 2D tracks” tools were corrected for minor issues.
Pricing and compatibility
3DEqualizer 8.1 runs on Windows 10+, glibc 2.17+ Linux, and macOS 13.5+. Perpetual licences cost €7 699 (around USD 9 065), while subscriptions range from €65 per week to €1 704 per year. As always, new builds should be tested in non-critical environments before being rolled out to production shots, especially given the shift to Python 3.11 and updated exporters, which may affect pipeline compatibility.
// https://www.3dequalizer.com/index.php?id=251111_01&site=devblog
