Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1453602
j a n u a r y • f e b r u a r y • m a r c h 2 0 2 2 c g w 3 3 2 0 2 2 T R E N D S Jensen Huang unveiled Nemo Megatron — reportedly the biggest high-performance computing application ever used to train large language models. Nvidia Modulus was also announced, designed to build and train ML models to obey the laws of physics. Man or machine, there's certainly an exciting future ahead for the advent of auto- mation and AI. ANIMATION Between 2022—2026, the animation and vi- sual effects industries are expected to grow by 9 percent, with the global 3D animation market expected to grow at a signifi ant pace thanks to increasing adoption by sev- eral key players in the industry. These include DNeg, Rodeo FX, and Sydney-based Flying Bark, whose recent accolades include work on Marvel's What If…?. With the global 3D animation market predicted to reach $15,880 million by 2025, we can expect to see much more of it on our screens and streams, and, thanks to technological advances in the VR space, in a completely new reality. Due to advancements in the technology essential to VR, new tools are emerging ca- pable of producing professional, high-quality media in innovative ways. Features like Quill in Oculus means more animators are investing in VR to create animated content, eschewing the usual method of 3D modeling on a screen and instead diving into the thick of it in order to make things to scale. Key animated VR shows to watch out for include Battlescar for Oculus Quest and Ri, Baba Yaga — an interactive experience exclu- sive to the Oculus Quest, and Gloomy Eyes, a three-part love story between a zombie boy and a human girl in a town devoid of sun- light, inspired by Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. REAL-TIME WORKFLOWS Game engines and virtual production con- tinue to make waves in the visual effects and animation industries. The appeal lies in one critical question: What if you could translate your ideas into images, as fast as you have them? For filmma ers interested in real-time technology and virtual production, this is the holy grail — the ability to work in real time, iterate in photorealistic environments, and do anything you want in the moment. Tools that can match the speed of thought would allow almost limitless experimentation and unfettered creativity. LED volumes, game engines, and in-camera VFX: Each can be deftl used by filmma ers and directors to create compel- ling content, imagine worlds, and iterate on shots and sequences. Aaron Sims Creative, which has long relied on traditional methods to deliver content, is just one studio that has pivoted to real-time techniques in the mak- ing of Dive, a new series of films with game engines at their core. The increasing use of game engines and real-time workfl ws was one of the drivers behind the development of Nuke's Unreal- Reader Node, released in 13.1. It comes as a boon to artists using both Unreal Engine and Nuke in conjunction with each other, empowering them to be more creative in their compositing by removing pipeline friction and bringing the power of Nuke into real-time projects. Artists can easily request image data and utility passes from the Unreal Engine, directly from NukeX, enabling them to see all the latest Unreal changes directly in their Nuke script while they refin the image using Nuke's powerful composit- ing toolset. Real-time technology continues to dominate discussions around content cre- ation and how it combines with traditional postproduction methods. Speaking at the year-end 2021 GTC conference, key Foundry figu es hosted The Reality of Real-time, in which they presented an on-set workfl w that delivers advanced postproduction in near real time, allowing immediate review by the filmma ers and postproduction to begin the moment the director says "cut" — a workfl w that looks more and more likely as we move into 2022. THE PUSH TOWARD OPEN STANDARDS Open-source technology continues to be a hot topic as we move into 2022. It's no wonder as to why: The potential it holds for fostering more collaborative relationships and workfl ws across artists, teams, and studios is undeniable. Open standards are arguably more important than ever in a world disrupted by COVID-19, wherein remote work is now typically the de facto standard for many businesses. Once a technology is open source, it's open to everyone. Organizations are given the opportunity to write and support their own bespoke soware, before freely sharing this with other organizations, without having to pay a third-party license. The benefi s of this are immediately tangible in driving the move toward open standards. Open- source technology is capable of connecting continued on pg 36 Real-time workfl ws helped drive Nuke's UnrealReader Node development.