Google plans to make special effects more affordable and accessible. Yesterday, the company announced that it has purchased Boston-based Zync, the maker of cloud-based rendering software Zync Render, which has been used in movies such as “Flight,” “Looper,” “Star Trek Into Darkness” and the “Transformers” series. While terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, Google is expected to integrate Zync’s data and tech into its Google Cloud Platform, and move Zync off Amazon Web Services.

“Moving Zync’s service to Google’s cloud service would force Zync’s Hollywood clients to switch to Google from Amazon,” suggests The Wall Street Journal.

“Together Zync + Cloud Platform will offer studios the rendering performance and capacity they need, while helping them manage costs,” according to the Google Cloud Platform Blog. “For example, with per-minute billing studios aren’t trapped into paying for unused capacity when their rendering needs don’t fit in perfect hour increments.”

Companies and services have been able to significantly reduce the cost of data storage by renting from cloud networks offered by today’s two largest, Amazon Web Services and Google’s Cloud Platform. Media production in the cloud is also becoming a part of this growth.

Zync’s rendering system will now allow studios and production units of all sizes to save money by renting server space by the hour.

“Google has been beefing up its Cloud Platform recently, buying Stackdriver, a maker of cloud-monitoring software, in May,” reports The New York Times.

“And while the Google Cloud Platform already had rendering services, Zync, which was spun out of the visual effects studio ZERO VFX, has deep ties to the movie industry. Industry watchers expect Google to continue adding technological bells and whistles to its Cloud Platform — including through acquisitions — in a bid to get more customers and industries to rent space on its cloud.”

Editor’s Note: Thanks to ETC’s Erik Weaver for forwarding this news item.