Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/860302
www.postmagazine.com 28 POST AUGUST 2017 STORAGE FOR VFX "The three of us here all have access to the server through the gigabit connection, so we'll pull up a shot and go to work with NukeX," Crawford explains. "I review all the shots and when they are good to go, I upload them via Aspera to Steve (Kullback) and Joe (Bauer) at HBO for their review." He notes that as storage technology evolves, "there are definitely options" in the marketplace for a boutique VFX studio like his, although afford- ability is always a prime consideration. "It's a case of want vs. need," he points out. "Since we don't charge clients what the big facilities do, we have to buy what's sufficient for our needs." L E G E N D 3 D Headquartered in LA and with an office in Toronto, Legend 3D, Inc. (www.legend3d.com) is well known for its stereoscopic 3D conversions (Spider- Man: Homecoming, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), VFX for TV (Preacher) and film (Ben-Hur) and VR work (The New York Times' Take Flight, The Art of Patron). The company has built similar storage solutions for both of its locations and uses a Signiant file transfer system for tight integration with partner studios to synchronize their data across Legend 3D's sites. Currently, Legend 3D deploys EMC Isilon X and NL series systems for production stor- age, Quantum StorNext for shared storage and SanDisk's Fusion-io Flash array for disk caching. Google cloud storage is used for long-term storage of security-appropriate products. Legend 3D also upgraded to Dot Hill's 16- gigabit SAN solution last spring to support fast 4K 3D playback. "We haven't found one storage solution that works for every workflow: large active storage, disk caching for artists, playback for reviews. So we apply each solution where it is strongest. That seems to work best for us as we grow and scale up and down for projects," says Bryan Gauna, vice president, IT. "We're always looking for new ways to tackle challenges from production," he adds. "As we get deeper into HFR, HDR, de-compositing and more OCIO-based workflows we always have to evalu- ate our storage needs." CIO Scott Willman reminds us that Legend 3D's stereoscopic work involves huge amounts of data. "Our workflow for stereo is double that of a typical VFX company," he says. VR is also data-intensive. "VR is native 4K with 48 or 60fps. We might have a 12-camera array at 8K and 60fps. And VR has long, 6,000-frame shots to allow the user to experience the environment," Willman points out. "We're all trying to solve the problem of latency for immersive content," says Gauna. "There isn't one true solution for hardware alone. A tightly-in- tegrated technology stack is what we're looking for to solve new challenges encountered by the M&E space." For Legend 3D's VFX workflow, material typi- cally arrives via Aspera or Signiant and is brought online to the Isilon systems. Fusion-io storage arrays are connected via 10-gigabit Ethernet to each artist's workstation; they automatically cache data from Maya, Houdini and Nuke for fast access to files in play. StorNext devices form a dedicated storage net- work for playback for supervisors and others who need to review shots. This method is fast, efficient and does not eat up bandwidth from production storage, notes Willman. "Bryan and his team have put together a core infrastructure and very scaleable solutions," he says. "Clusters can be added for large amounts of caching, and we can scale up playback with more review stations." Gauna is researching NVMe Flash-based storage arrays to assess their future potential. "The price per terabyte has improved significantly in the last eight months, and it's looking to be a stable core technol- ogy. NVMe storage is a radical change, but I believe it will be the new standard in the next 10-12 months." F R A M E S T O R E The VFX department of Framestore's UK film divi- sion (www.framestore.com), whose recent credits include Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, has what CTO Steve MacPherson calls "a voracious appetite for produc- tion storage." Framestore is challenged to "balance the pro- duction requirements of multiple large, Hollywood tentpole movies at various stages of delivery against the commercial requirements of efficiency, the artists' requirements for interactive performance Legend 3D relies on solutions from EMC Isilon, Quantum StorNext, SanDisk and Dot Hill to store assets for such films as Spider-Man: Homecoming (above) and King Arthur: Legend of Legend of Legend the of the of Sword (right). Legend 3D offers an array of VR services.