POST PRODUCTION www.content-technology.com/postproduction
Cinema 4D and Redshift Usage-Based Licensing, Cloud Rendering with Conductor Technologies
MAXON, THE DEVELOPER OF professional 3D modelling, animation and rendering solutions, has announced the immediate availability of usage-based rendering for Cinema 4D and Redshift with leading cloud rendering company, Conductor Technologies. Recently expanding their platform to include GPU support, Conductor provides on-demand metered access to an unlimited number of Cinema 4D and Redshift rendering nodes with per-minute usage and licensing options, with the ability to scale up and down based on project needs. Conductor is a secure, dynamically scalable, cloud-based platform that enables VFX, VR/AR and animation studios to seamlessly offload rendering and simulation workloads to the public cloud. It integrates into existing workflows, features an open architecture for customisation, provides data insights and can implement controls over usage to ensure budgets and timelines stay on track. Rendering in the cloud allows artists and studios to expand their rendering capabilities to preview scenes faster, meet deadlines, free up local hardware for other tasks (design, video encoding, or post-production for example) and explore more complex and challenging projects. With Conductor’s multi-cloud platform leveraging both AWS and GCP, studios can scale their compute power cost-effectively with production proven tools and expertise.
“The ability for artists to improve design visualization and generate content in shorter timeframes is critical in today’s content production environment,” said David McGavran, CEO, Maxon. “The easy integration Conductor offers into existing workflows will allow our Cinema 4D and Redshift customers the flexibility to take full advantage of cloud computing power to accelerate turnaround times and deliver greater photorealistic and high-resolution imagery.” Added Conductor CEO, Mac Moore, “We are thrilled to finally bring the Cinema 4D and Redshift offerings to Conductor. Maxon’s combined focus on ease-ofuse and high performance perfectly aligns with what we strive to enable with our cloud platform; near-infinite computing power at the push of a button.” Visit https://beta.conductortech.com/maxon and https://www.maxon.net
Onboarding Package for AWS Thinkbox Cloud Rendering DIGISTOR HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED an ‘onboarding package’, enabling existing on-prem Deadline users to scale onto the cloud using AWS Portal. For customers without an existing on-prem environment, a hybrid can be set up and configured for easy access. This is a solution for those operating in the areas of visual effects, animation and editing, who would benefit from less time spent on waiting for renders to finish, and would like to utilise Digistor’s experience in deploying and supporting cloud-based workflows. AWS Portal simplifies the process of launching infrastructure and rendering in the cloud, through bridging an on-prem Deadline environment into the cloud, using AWS EC2 spare capacity (EC2 Spot). It also facilitates secure communication between the on-prem and AWS cloud environments, handling the asset transfers and software licensing.
POST PRODUCTION
Digistor’s ‘onboarding package’ enables customers to take advantage of cloud rendering utilising the AWS Portal. Taking customers directly to the cloud by setting up and configuring the AWS cloud environment and communicating with the existing onprem Deadline environment. Once the cloud environment is configured customers can either choose to maintain the environment or engage Digistor to provide ongoing support via a subscription-based support contract.
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Pre-requisites: • Suitable Portal Server (Digistor can quote and supply if needed)
• Low-spec on-prem Windows or Linux server, physical or virtual • Could be existing Deadline Server • Existing AWS account • Alternatively, Digistor can host the cloud environment if required and/or configure a new Customer account if necessary. • Reliable internet connectivity with Min 15Mb upload speed • Higher upload speeds will shorten asset upload times and enable render jobs to start sooner in the cloud. • All required licenses for the host application, renderer and all plugin’s Digistor will help determine license requirements as part of the initial consultation process.
New Quixel Mixer Smart Materials for Unreal Engine FOR UNREAL ENGINE USERS, the newest Smart Materials pack has been added to Quixel Mixer. These include metals such as aluminum, oxidized iron and gold, fabrics such as denim, linen and camo gear, and a plethora of plastics, rocks, woods, and leathers. Every Smart Material is ready to go right out of the box and completely free to use. Quixel Mixer is a free tool that seamlessly fuses scan data, physically-based rendering (PBR) painting, and procedural authoring. With a vastly streamlined texturing experience, you can design Smart Materials, 3D paint meshes, and create tileable surfaces, all within a single application.
• Establishing communication with the on-prem environment including firewall considerations
With the release of Quixel Mixer 2020, the development team has focused on ways to let users make the Quixel Megascans library their own by enhancing its 3D and surface texturing capabilities. The goal is for artists to be able to make any asset and any surface bespoke to their art style. To that end, the latest update comes packed with 50 powerful new Smart Materials, bringing the total to nearly 150, along with improvements to Mixer’s ease of use.
• Basic training and handover documentation
Mixer is available free.
Visit www.digistor.com.au
Visit https://quixel.com/mixer
The onboarding package includes everything required to get customers started with bursting into the cloud including: • Initial consultation meeting to discuss requirements • Preparation of AWS Portal Server • Configuration of cloud infrastructure • Building custom image if required
