Sony Pictures Entertainment/Sony Pictures Imageworks and Warner Bros. Join Academy Software Foundation at the Linux Foundation

Dreamworks Animation’s Openvdb Adopted as the Foundation’s First Project; Blender Foundation and Visual Effects Society Join as Associate Members

he Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), a neutral forum for open source software development in the motion picture and media industries hosted at the Linux Foundation, today announced that Sony Pictures Entertainment/Sony Pictures Image works, Warner Bros., Blender Foundation and Visual Effects Society (VES) have joined as members. ASWF also approved OpenVDB, open source software developed and maintained by DreamWorks Animation, as the Foundation’s first hosted project. OpenVDB is an Academy Award-winning industry standard for creating more detailed and realistic volumetric images, including water/liquid simulations and environmental effects like clouds and ice.

“We are very excited to welcome all of our new members. The addition of Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Warner Bros. is proof that the motion picture industry is fully supportive of the Academy Software Foundation and the need for a. neutral organization to host the open source projects that are critical to moviemaking,” said David Morin, Executive Director of the Academy Software Foundation at the Linux Foundation. “We are also proud to accept OpenVDB as the first ASWF hosted project. It’s a critical technology developed by DreamWorks Animation that is used by many studios, and the developer community is very excited to maintain and contribute to the project.”

Launched in August 2018 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Linux Foundation, ASWF provides a neutral forum for open source software developers to share resources and collaborate on technologies for image creation, visual effects, animation and sound.

OpenVDB Becomes First Academy Software Foundation Project

Originally developed and maintained by DreamWorks Animation, OpenVDB is the first project to be hosted by ASWF. OpenVDB is an award-winning, open-source C++ library for volumetric representations including fluid simulations, animated volumes and environmental effects. It has been adopted as a key technology for effects on feature films such as Boss Baby, Trolls, and the up-coming How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

“The Academy Software Foundation was founded based on the recognition of a growing need in the industry to support key open source projects,” said Andrew Pearce, DreamWorks Vice President of Global Technology and ASWF Governing Board member. “We believe in that cause and are enthused to demonstrate our support of the ASWF by contributing the award-winning OpenVDB as the first project. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the health of open source software in our industry, and the ASWF as a foundation for its continued growth.”

Ideal for storing sparse data and performing sparse computations, OpenVDB is highly customizable and designed for high performance. Houdini 3D Animation Tools, Pixar’s RenderMan, Solid Angle’s Arnold, RealFlow, among many other visual effect and animation technologies have adopted OpenVDB.

The ASWF will maintain and further develop the project with oversight provided by a Technical Steering Committee (TSC). Developers interested in learning more or contributing to OpenVDB