ABSTRACT
Many studios invest a lot of time and money into developing proprietary software. This gives them a fully understood framework in which to develop tools as opposed to trying to build extensions onto existing third-party platforms where operations are occurring in a “black box.”Many studios are in development on films for many years. Because of this, it is sometimes a safer bet to have full control over their proprietary software than to rely on the ebb and flow of a third-party developer that could stop supporting its software at any time. For character technology, this is particularly important, as much of the pipeline for developing a project will
be based around the needs of the digital characters. Similarly, the ability to extend existing software is critical and this will usually require the development of custom code and plug ins for the existing system. Being able to do this on-the-fly allows for a system to evolve in response to the needs of production.
