Avid Elastic Reality
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer graphics software |
| Predecessor | MorphPlus |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | ASDG Inc. |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Discontinued; technology integrated into Avid products |
| Successor | Softimage Elastic Reality |
| Headquarters | Madison , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Elastic Reality (software for warping and morphing) |
| Owner | Avid Technology (from 1995) |
Elastic Reality was a software solution for warping and morphing available on Windows, Macintosh, and Silicon Graphics workstation platforms, discontinued in 1999.
Features
This application’s primary workflow involved creating source and target curves or shapes through Bézier curve tools to produce animated image distortions known as warps. When applied to two images, it resulted in morphing transitions. Elastic Reality gained a reputation for its user-friendly interface and superior warp quality, surpassing simpler grid-based warping utilities that required more manual animation input.
The program also offered fundamental color correction, image compositing, and keyframe animation capabilities for Bézier shapes arranged in groups or following motion paths, enabling the creation of motion graphics beyond simple morphing effects. It supported both 8-bit and 16-bit images and image sequences.
History
Initially created by ASDG, a company based in Madison, Wisconsin—renamed Elastic Reality Inc in 1994 after the product’s success—the firm was acquired by Avid Technology in March 1995. After Avid purchased Softimage in 1998, the software was rebranded as Softimage Elastic Reality.
Before 1994, ASDG developed Amiga-based software such as Art Department Professional (ADPro) and MorphPlus, which served as a predecessor to Elastic Reality. Their product lineup also included Image Independence (for graphic format conversion), ASDG Abekas driver, Lightning F/X (later known as Avid LFX), and NSA for wire removal in live-action visual effects.
By 1994, the SGI version of Elastic Reality—developed by Paul Miller at ASDG alongside Ted Fay at VisionArt—had become the leading morphing system within the film and television industry. It was instrumental in creating effects for numerous feature films and TV shows including The Iron Giant, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Independence Day, The Mask, and Batman Forever.
In publishing, illustrator David B. Mattingly notably utilized Elastic Reality to design covers for the Animorphs series.
Along with competitors like Gryphon Software Morph, Elastic Reality continues to be operated on legacy systems maintained specifically for its use.
In 1997, Avid incorporated the core warping engine of Elastic Reality into Avid Media Illusion version 5.0 as morphing and warping effect features; these effects were subsequently integrated into Avid|DS’s compositing module the following year. The most recent version appears within Softimage|XSI v6.0, launched in December 2006, which includes a built-in 2D compositing module derived from Media Illusion 6.0.
These updated effects leverage native 2D shape types, user interfaces, and functionalities native to their host platforms. For instance, both Avid Media Illusion and XSI 6.0 support morphing using B-spline curves, polygonal lines, 16-bit image processing, and interactive OpenGL previews—enhancements compared to the original Elastic Reality’s exclusive Bézier curves, 8-bit capability, and wireframe previews requiring rendering.
Avid DS further extends functionality with procedural shape animation through its 2D tracker tool. All three programs implement these effects as image operators within compositing node trees—streamlining workflows by eliminating the need to launch separate applications.
While the original Elastic Reality featured advanced options such as shape grouping for matting or intricate intersections, path tracing utilities, and specialized controls for animating shapes along paths with keyframes, contemporary host applications deliver comparable or enhanced animation tools within their graphics environments. Current standard masking and compositing capabilities now allow more sophisticated combinations of image warping effects than what was possible with the initial software.
Awards
In 1996, Perry Kivolowitz and Garth Dickie were honored with a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their creation of shape-based warping and morphing technology in Elastic Reality. This breakthrough laid the foundation for all future systems utilizing shape-based warping and morphing techniques.
Release history
| Version | Company | Hardware | O/S | Release date | Price | Comments / Significant changes (selected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MorphPlus | ASDG Inc. | Amiga | Amiga OS | 1992 | $49 | |
| Elastic Reality 1.0 | ASDG Inc. | Mac OS | 1993 | $995, promotional $345 | ||
| Windows | August 1994 | $495 | Debut Windows version; features TransJammer transition generator. Received Byte's "Best of Comdex" recognition. Comparable to SGI v1.3 but includes compositing capabilities from SGI 2.0. | |||
| Elastic Reality 2.0 | Elastic Reality Inc. | SGI IRIX | October 1994 | $5,000 | Added advanced compositing tools not present in the Mac release, such as multiple matte options, composite layering, localized color correction, and boolean operations on mattes. | |
| Elastic Reality 3.0 | Avid Technology Inc. | SGI IRIX | 1996 | $3,000 | ||
| Windows | April 7, 1997 | $999, $495, $299 | ||||
| Mac OS | July 3, 1997 | $999, $495, $299 |