What is Autodesk Combustion?
Autodesk Combustion was a powerful compositing and visual effects software solution targeted at motion graphics artists and visual effects professionals. It provided a robust node-based workflow and comprehensive toolset for advanced compositing, color correction, keying, rotoscoping, tracking, and particle simulation.
Originally developed by discreet logic and released in 1996 as inferno, Combustion quickly became an industry-standard software for major motion picture visual effects. It was known for its intuitive and flexible node workflow, allowing artists to quickly assemble complex composites by connecting different tools together.
Key features of Combustion included:
- Node-based workflow for non-destructive compositing
- Powerful keying tools like Primatte and Keylight for greenscreen compositing
- Rotoscoping tools for manually separating foreground elements
- Advanced particle simulation engine
- Color correction tools rivaling high-end grading systems
- 3D tracking and matchmoving capability
- Support for multiple file formats and resolutions
- Interoperability with other Autodesk products
Although development ceased in 2011, Combustion still holds an important place in the history of compositing and VFX software. Many of today's compositing artists and technical directors learned their trade on Combustion. Its workflow paradigm and toolset influenced subsequent compositing applications.
Adobe After Effects, Blender, Sketchfab, NUKE, HitFilm Pro, Apple Motion, Autodesk Smoke, ParticleIllusion, Blackmagic Design Fusion, Synapse Compositor are some alternatives to Autodesk Combustion.