Valve announces its filmmaking software with Team Fortress 2‘s “Meet the Pyro.”
It’s the last day of the Team Fortress 2 “Pyromania” update, and with it comes the ninth and final “Meet the Team” video. Fans and players finally get to see what goes on in the Pyro’s twisted, hilariously delusional mind. But it’s the very end of the video that reveals Valve’s big announcement: the release of its in-house movie-making software, Source Filmmaker.
Valve has used Source Filmmaker to create animated promotional and in-game videos, as seen in the “Meet the Team” series, Portal 2, and Left 4 Dead 2, among other games. Essentially, if a game uses the Source engine, Source Filmmaker can make a movie out of it. After having developed and tested the software for seven years, creating over 50 animated shorts, the team at Valve are now letting you take a crack at it.
As Valve designer Bay Raitt explains in the video below, the goal of Source Filmmaker is to simplify the normally complex process of creating cinematics. Would-be movie producers can shoot a scene played in a Source engine game, such as Team Fortress 2, then use the software to change camera angles, add in new characters and items, and adjust the lighting and effects to their heart’s content. Complex facial expressions and lip-synching are also part of the package.
The software is currently in closed beta, which you can apply to be a part of at the Source Filmmaker website. If you are unable to get a beta key, Valve promises to release the software to all users “soon.” Of course, you’ll have to install Steam on your PC to use the software.
