BOSTON — Boris FX (https://borisfx.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire GenArts Inc. (www.genarts.com), developers of special effects plug-ins.
GenArts’ renowned flagship product, Sapphire, is a popular plug-in used globally for high-end visual effects creation at film studios and broadcast facilities. Since 1996, Sapphire effects have been used in at least one of each year’s VFX Oscar-nominated films, and numerous award-winning television shows. Sapphire will continue to be developed and sold in its current form alongside flagship products Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) and mocha Pro, creating a powerful complement to applications from Adobe, Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Blackmagic Design and others.
The acquisition is part of Boris FX founder Boris Yamnitsky’s aggressive growth strategy. Boris FX most recently acquired Imagineer Systems, the UK-based developer of mocha: Academy Award-winning planar tracking tools.
“We are excited to announce this strategic merger and welcome the Sapphire team to the Boris FX/Imagineer group,” says Yamnitsky. “This acquisition makes Boris FX uniquely positioned to serve editors and effects artists with the industry’s leading tools for motion graphics, broadcast design, visual effects, image restoration, motion tracking and finishing — all under one roof. Sapphire’s exceptional suite of creative plug-ins has been used to design many of the last decades’ most memorable film images. Sapphire perfectly complements BCC and mocha as essential tools for professional VFX and we look forward to serving Sapphire’s extremely accomplished users.”
The Sapphire team agrees on the value the merger will bring to the industry. “I'm excited about what a combined Boris FX/Imagineer/GenArts company can create,” says Gary Oberbrunner, chief scientist and VP of engineering at GenArts. “We are impressed with the collaborative integration of mocha technology in the recent BCC 10 release and look forward to exploring similar technology sharing and product improvement opportunities." Oberbrunner continues, "All of us share a passion for innovation, quality and creativity. Combining resources and knowledge, and working with our amazing customers, will enable us not just to continue the pace of innovation we've had separately, but to move even faster, creating entirely new effects, tools and combinations to delight our users.” Oberbrunner will now join the Boris FX senior management team as chief technical officer for the combined group.