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MillimeterFields & Frames
Nov 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By Dan Ochiva
While we've written about the debut of practical, on-demand computing as one way to solve onerous rendering chores (see the November 2004 issue of Millimeter), we could point to only a few high-end users. Now, a new 3D rendering service from Los Angeles-based RenderRocket is notching clients from feature film title houses to broadcasters, according to co-founders Ruben Perez (executive producer) and Mike Navarro (animator and render pipeline architect). ▸ Powered by IBM's Deep Computing Capacity on Demand service — a mix of servers, clusters, and the Blue Gene super-computer — RenderRocket's browser-based interface makes it easy to load files via the Web, specify render lengths, and pay with a credit card (jobs are based on a CPU-per-hour charge). ▸ At present, the service works with renderers such as Alias Maya, Mental Ray, Illuminate Labs Turtle, and Maxwell Render; other products — such as Pixar RenderMan — will be added when licensing gets resolved. “We've made it simple to use,” says Perez. “The system will even analyze the job and tell you what supporting files you'll need to load.” ▪ 3D continues its slow but sustained move back into our theaters and living rooms. This month, Disney debuts Chicken Little in Disney Digital 3D, a 3D mash-up that includes technology from Dolby (providing its Dolby Digital Cinema systems), ILM (3D rendering), and Real D, the “digital 3D pioneer” that's added its patented screens, software, and glasses to pull off the effect. ▸ Since the whole complex of gear can only be provided for some 84 “specially selected, high-profile theaters” nationwide, you may have to get your 3D fix elsewhere. Consider your living room. That's what DDD Group suggests, with the October introduction of its TriDef Vision+ 3D set-top box. The Vision+ automatically converts the most popular consumer video formats to 3D as they play out. You'll still need a 3D display or projection system to see the results, but it's a start. ▪ The long-heralded use of the IBM/Sony/Toshiba Cell processor in workstations and other gear might soon affect production. At the recent In-Stat Fall Microprocessor Forum, IBM engineers said that the 64-bit Cell processor — which sees first use in Sony's PlayStation 3 — will now turn up in other gear, such as a workstation from Mercury Computer Systems for aerospace and medical use. ▸ Due to the Cell's unique architecture, a 3.2GHz processor will reach a peak bandwidth of 300Gbps, with a sustained rate of up to 200Gbps. In comparison, full-res, uncompressed HD needs about 1.5Gbps bandwidth. ▪ More alternative delivery possibilities continue to pop up, making use of faster Internet connections and easy-to-mass-produce DVD setups. One pioneer in alternative distribution, Akimbo Systems, offers a subscription-based, Internet-delivered VOD service that buys up a wide range of individual products and libraries. ▪ Progressive types, meanwhile, might check out Ironweed. Produced by a group of activist movie lovers, the project's $14.95 monthly fee buys a feature film and shorts ranging from prize-winning social action documentaries to alternative narrative features that won't make it to your local multiplex.
