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Behind the lens
Silicon Studio strives to help games developers create post-processing effects that rival those of Hollywood blockbusters. In fact, the firm’s flagship middleware Yebis 2 is so powerful, notable film studios use it, too. James Batchelor finds out more
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A CASUAL VIEWING of almost any trailer that emerged from E3 this year shows that the games industry is highly unlikely to curb its cinematic ambitions. From Kojima’s latest Metal Gear to the high-octane antics of Battlefield: Hardline, the new generation of games wouldn’t look out of place on the big screen at your local multiplex. And, as with Hollywood blockbusters, post-processing is essential in creating the mood developers want. The world of Batman: Arkham Knight would be nowhere near as impressive if not drenched in a sinister cocktail of darkness and neon.
Such effects are incredibly challenging to achieve without dedicated tech – and one of the leading tools available is Silicon Studio’s Yebis 2. The Japanese firm’s middleware specialises in post-processing effects that can be edited in real-time, and it’s a suite that has proved very popular with games developers. “Yebis has so many features and is so flexible that usually teams decide to use it because it saves them a lot of time and money,” explains engineer manager Colin Magne. “If they had to develop the things Yebis does by themselves, it would be a huge amount of work.”
The effects Yebis 2 can create adds an extra level of sheen and high quality to visuals, as shown by this before (top) and after (bottom) example
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