Kissing cousins. In a recent edition of MicroFilmmaker Magazine, I reviewed a very cool plug-in called ParticleMetrix by idustrial revolution. A free upgrade to Volumetrix, the recently released Volumetrix 2 (V2) consolidates functions from the earlier Volumetrix and introduces some new features. However, the family resemblance between ParticleMetrix and V2 is strong - sharing many preset similarities.
This plug-in can be used creatively in other ways but it is primarily a tool for transitional effects for both video and text. Without a doubt, text transitions are the core competency of this tool.
Because this plug-in relies on the Apple Quartz rendering engine, it is only available for AE, FCP, FCE and Motion on the Mac platform.
V2 is distributed as part of the Noise Industries “FX Factory plug-in management tool” which is at version 2.0.9 as of this writing. (You can read my review of the full FX Factory 2.0.9 system here.) If you have V1 but haven’t updated your FX Factory, just do so and you’ll receive the latest V2 which will respect your V1 licensing - a free upgrade.
V2 brings the best of V1’s two separate tools together: Glow and Zoom. Instead of choosing either/or, users can now have a single instance and control all settings. To add to the abilities, a new distortion feature has been added as well. With 28 text presets and 13 video presets, V2 makes it very easy to dive in and begin enhancing. V2 is another fine example of a tool whose use is so clear that help files are virtually unneeded. However, if any consulting the documentation is needed, complete instructions are just a click away by using the help button displayed by the plug-in from within the host application.
