What's Doing at Siggraph

CPUs and GPUs Lead the Way

At Siggraph 2003, DVS debuts Clipster, its realtime HD editing andeffects rig. Clipster also handles effects and editing of 4K and 6Kimages in realtime.

If you enjoy hunting down innovative products, Siggraph 2003 in SanDiego won't disappoint. A quick tour of the exhibit hall will turn upnew generations of CPUs and GPUs; hot graphics software introductionsand updates; and improved, lower-cost storage, servers, andmotion-capture gear.

Intel will debut a new generation of the Xeon, the CPU designed fordual-processor workstation use. According to Intel, it is deliveringthis pumped up processor in a bid to directly address the challengefrom AMD with its recent 32-bit/64-bit Opteron CPU debut. Besides ahigher processor speed, the Xeon gains further speed boosts via its 1MBon-chip cache, while taking advantage of the new 800MHz system bus.

AMD's Opteron, introduced in April, is the first 64-bit processorcompatible with industry-standard x86 architecture, pioneered in its32-bit form by Intel. According to one computer enthusiast site, AMD is“betting the farm” on this unique approach that combines32-bit and 64-bit computing capability. With the chip, AMD hopes tocapture a broad range of 32-bit, x86 software vendors who don't want tocompletely re-code their apps, yet want the benefits of 64-bitcomputing. Since 64-bit technology allows programs to handle muchgreater amounts of memory, graphics and animation houses are especiallyinterested. Large data sets remain crucial when manipulating the hugeamounts of data needed to create the latest film-res effects.

3Dlabs, ATI, and nVidia will each debut new graphics cards, movingcloser toward the goal of render-free graphics. Meanwhile, the KhronosGroup will present new versions of its OpenGL and OpenML specs —programming standards that create APIs to tie hardware and softwaretogether. This not-for-profit group's open, multi-platform graphicsstandards — unlike Microsoft's proprietary DirectX technology— deliver wider hardware support for Linux, OS X, and, yes, evenPC systems.

There's more! Adobe will launch new versions of After Effects andPremiere, Alias is set to demo its recently released Maya 5, and HP andSGI will offer their latest workstations. For those attending Siggraph2003, it's going to be a busy show.

Version 6.0 of After Effects will debut at the show. Adobe's popularmotion graphics and visual effects software offers improved speed,enhanced tool sets, and further integration with the company's othergraphics products.

AE6 features improved workflow and tools such as enhanced typehandling. Users can now create elaborate type in the Compositionwindow, then edit, format, and animate it with interactive speed. NewWarp and Liquify tools — similar to those in Photoshop andIllustrator — allow for animated distortions on each letter,word, or phrase. The Pro edition adds Render Automation, which allowsusers to create scripts to handle output tasks.

AE6 is also faster than previous versions. In a demo, the product'snew support for OpenGL and code optimization resulted in a much moreinteractive feel. The Pro edition also includes a rebuilt motiontracker, which Adobe claims runs up to 35 times faster than before.Meanwhile, a new, integrated vector paint engine deliversPhotoshop-style brushes and cloning. Other Pro version features includeadditional keying and warping tools, more than 30 additional effects, aparticle system, network rendering, 16-bit per channel color, andadditional audio effects.

Adobe also continues its savvy strategy of improving integrationamong its graphics products. For example, text now remains fullyeditable and formatting is preserved in AE when you import layeredPhotoshop files. www.adobe.com/aftereffects

At a Siggraph press event last year, Pixar President Ed Catmull,along with NXN Software management, discussed the launch of NXNAlienbrain VFX. Pixar said it would adopt the production and assetmanagement software with the hope of making its animation workflow moreefficient. The goal? To speed the release of its animated features butkeep the staffing trim.

Now, after one year of work with Pixar, NXN releases the results ofthat collaboration: Alienbrain VFX 2.0. This customizable productionmanagement system balances the need for detail that directors and TDsrequire while allowing artists to point-and-click their way through DAMthickets without having to learn arcane software skills.

VFX stores, manages, and protects all files generated during a filmor animation production. That's a big task. The software tracks models,textures, storyboards, design drawings, animatics, production notes,scanned and rendered film frames, audio takes, sound effects, andmusic.

VFX builds on the data management capabilities of NXN AlienbrainStudio, but adds customizable templates specific to animation andeffects production.

Features include a secure server environment, version control (sincethe server stores every version of an asset, users can roll back to anyprior versions), a graphical preview interface with thumbnails andQuicktime clips, and image annotations. www.nxnsoftware.com

Earlier this year, nVidia delivered its Quadro FX 2000 GPU. Theimpressive graphics results won the company top scores in the widelyaccepted SPEC tests (see “nVidia's Graphic Pipeline,”Millimeter May 2003).

Building upon that scalable architecture, nVidia now takes thedesign further with the debut of the Quadro FX 3000. The new NV35GL GPUincludes 12 shader “pipelines” while deploying an interfacedouble that of prior generation cards.

The FX 3000's 256-bit wide memory interface and 256MB of unifiedframe buffer RAM deliver a “massive evolution in imagequality,” according to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company.Since the architecture improves delivery of generated images from theGPU to the frame buffer memory, the screen updates more rapidly whiledelivering smoother images. www.nvidia.com

For some products, modular design offers the benefits of both costsavings and easy configurability. nStor builds a range of storage basedon the basic NexStor 4000F Fibre Channel design. Users can upgrade thebasic system as their needs change.

The 4000F series configures as a workstation DAS (direct attachedstorage) or as part of a SAN installation. Users can configure the4000F as a JBOD or a lower-cost, software-type RAID system. Finally,the upgrade path leads to a completely fault-tolerant active/activeexternal RAID system.

The NexStor 4000F employs a 2Gbps Fibre Channel host while holdingup to 12 Fibre Channel-enabled drives in a compact, 2U rack. Totallypopulated, the 2U holds about 1.7TB. The 4000F includes multiple hostconnections, so the system can serve data to multiple servers; not justto workstations. Redundant parts keep things running. Users canhot-swap host and drive I/O modules, power supplies, and cooling fans.www.nstor.com

At Siggraph 2003, SGI will heed the call for faster, cheaper, betterwith the debut of its hip-looking Tezro. The compact workstation runsfrom one to four MIPS processors, offers 10-bit video, and deliversgreater processing speed than any but SGI's Onyx supercomputers.

The company says that unlike competing workstations, Tezro'sprocessing power scales in a linear fashion, so that with each addedprocessor beyond the first one, software performance builds at 200%,300%, or 400%.

Jason Danielson, marketing director for SGI's media group, sayscombining that processing power, high-speed storage, and portability(in the rackmount version), make Tezro ideal as an on-location ingestdevice. That is, for anyone pulling 2K-size images off the latestdigital cinema cameras.

But besides Tezro's 64-bit processing power, SGI wants to show thatit can deliver products at more competitive price points. “Tezrooffers processing speeds comparable to the Onyx 3000 series, whichDiscreet has used for Flame and Fire, but it costs drasticallyless,” says Danielson. “While the Onyx [3000] prices at$180,000, you can get a four-processor Tezro for $45,000.” www.sgi.com

With the competition fierce at the lower end of the NLE market,Adobe knew its aging Premiere software needed a boost to stand up tothe latest products from Apple, Pinnacle, and others.

Completely recoded, Adobe Premiere Pro is fast. It runs well onstandard Windows XP systems, the company says. The software's new,highly customizable user interface plays back full-res frames inrealtime — including titles, transitions, effects, motion paths,and color correction on two simultaneous channels — with noadditional hardware support required.

Adobe touts the product's “work without constraints”approach, such as support for importing and exporting a greater rangeof video, graphic, and audio formats. The rebuilt NLE addresses complexproject management too, through use of multiple, nestable timelines.How does this help? Now editors can assemble scenes on as many multipletimelines as they like, and then nest them into one main timeline.Other features include native YUV processing (better for preservingoriginal DV color values) and storyboard view (allows quick rearrangingof media within an orderly, interactive grid).

Also be sure to check out Adobe Audition, a reworked version ofSyntrillium Software's Cool Edit Pro digital audio tools. Adobeannounced in May that it had acquired the audio technology assets ofthe Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company. www.adobe.com/products/premiere/main.html

Now in version 2.1, 2d3's Boujou adds OS X to its OS support. Themotion tracking software already runs on Windows and Linux systems.

The company says that on each platform, Boujou 2.1 runs severaltimes faster than previous iterations, with more reliable and accuratetracking on the first pass. The software's enhancements include are-design of the application engine, so that it now always returns atracked shot. Version 2.1 features improved toolsets. New“intervention” features, for example, allow users to bettertailor a track to the needs of a project, their experience level, andthe time available. Now, any adjustments based on user input can bemade with minimal additional processing, and without the need tore-track entire shots. Boujou 2.1 adds support for import formatsincluding MOV, AVI, Cineon, JPEG, PGM, PPM, Softimage PIC, SGI, TGA,PNG, and TIFF. www.2d3.com

Over the years, Eyeon Software's Digital Fusion has quietly gainedkudos for its 2D/3D compositing chops, finding its place in a number oftop feature film and commercial studios.

Now, Digital Fusion 4 becomes one of the few high-end compositingapps to go Linux, with the software's debut set for Siggraph.“Linux is a familiar transition for the large number offacilities moving away from Unix and Irix pipelines that dominated theindustry in the past,” says Peter Loveday, director ofdevelopment for Eyeon Software. Citing the flexibility Linux offers,Loveday also says that Eyeon's clients appreciate the stability andlower hardware costs of the OS.

The Linux version of DF4 contains the same tools, features, andfunctionality offered by the existing Windows version. Features includemore processing alternatives (8-bit, 16- bit, and floating point perpixel); time-based caching for realtime playback; seamless blending offloating point, 64-bit, and 32-bit images; and an ability to workefficiently with extremely large files, including 6K and larger.Footage of different color depths can be loaded and processed in itsnative color depth within a single flow, which reduces processing timewhile improving image sharpness.

Speedier processing was a key goal in DF4's creation. The softwareis now multi-threaded to take advantage of multiprocessor systems.Meanwhile, the version's new feature sets get a boost in networkrendering speed via clustering technology, which allows more efficientnetworking of multiple machines. www.eyeonline.com

RackSaver bases its new BladeRack XT, Quatrex-64, and RS-1164/opserver products on AMD's recently released 64-bit Opteron processors.The unique Opteron CPU allows easier migrating of existing 32-bit x86programs to the 64-bit realm, according to AMD. Other Opteron features,such as its HyperTransport chip-to-chip connection technology, helpminimize the integration complexity of multiple-CPU systems, which inturn helps keep costs down, the company claims.

The flagship of RackSaver's AMD-based products, the BladeRack XT,consists of 44 dual-processor compute nodes (that's 88 Opterons), 32GBof memory per node (or about 1.5TB per rack), and as much as 11TB ofstorage. The company keeps the heat down in such a massive system viaits patent-pending Vertical Cooling System.

A more compact server, the RS-1164/op, employs two CPUs and fitswithin a 1U rack. Also new at the show: the Quatrex-64, which offersfour processors within a 4U setup.

Among RackSaver's customers are Pixar and ILM, which installedBladeRacks and clusters for renderfarm chores. San Diego-basedRackSaver also makes Intel-based servers and clusters. www.racksaver.com

Avid pitches the Mojo, part of its new DNA (Digital NonlinearAccelerator) series, as the perfect complement to Xpress Pro software.The petite, metallic Mojo might be mistaken for a PDA, but thelightweight box delivers realtime editing, effects, and audio for bothWindows and Mac platforms. Mojo connects to a computer via a singleFireWire cable. Features include support for 24p projects and automaticcolor correction. www.avid.com.products/dna/mojo

InSpeck states that its 3D Mega Half Body system remains the leastexpensive 3D body digitizer on the market. The system captures 2.6million geometry (shape) and texture (color) points at everyacquisition. Contrary to InSpeck's 3D Mega Full Body system, the HalfBody captures, well, half a body at a time. This means users need totake two shots to get a full body. It's a bit more work, but it alsomeans the system's cost makes it accessible to smaller productionshops. www.inspeck.com

Stratasys will show its Dimension 3D printer, a networked desktopmodeling system. Check out the new version (3.4.1) of its CatalystWindows-based software, which reduces the pre-processing time of STLfiles by 20%, according to the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company. Thecompany's under $30,000 model maker uses durable ABS plastic (somedesktop modeling systems use more fragile substances), which doesn'tcreate noxious fumes or materials that require special venting. www.stratasys.com

The new IgniterX Pro series, part of Aurora Video Systems' videoediting hardware line created for Mac OS X, now includes a versatilerackmountable breakout box. The box allows for additional I/O options,including component YUV, balanced XLR audio, external LTC timecode, andexternal genlock. IgniterX cards support multiple codecs, and now workwith uncompressed video files. With the cards, programs such as FinalCut Pro 4 can support multiple uncompressed formats in a singletimeline. www.auroravideosys.com