5 ms·

Indeed: Most of the artists at the high-end VFX studios (Weta, ILM, Framestore, MPC, DNEG, etc) are using Linux workstations and have been for years. There's s

by berkut 5y ago

Indeed: Most of the artists at the high-end VFX studios (Weta, ILM, Framestore, MPC, DNEG, etc) are using Linux workstations and have been for years. There's still a bit of Windows (for ZBrush), and other more smaller studios use Windows or MacOS more, but Linux support is very important for those larger studios.

taeric 5y ago
Curious to know what software the high-end VFX studios use. I'd just assumed most places were using adobe software.
- gabereiser 5y ago
  Blender has a large market share. Other tools like renderman are used. Painting software such as Krita and others but Photoshop and Substance Painter are still king (windows). Unreal engine is gaining a lot of traction in the VFX digital set space.
  - bitwize 5y ago
    When CinePaint became a big thing in Hollywood, its major rival was... Photoshop on Wine.
  - berkut 5y ago
    Blender's not really used at the high-end facilities... It doesn't really scale that well on large scenes, and only had a Python3 API - VFX studios have only really moved to Python 3 this year.
    - blenderdt 5y ago
      While this is true it is also changing. Studios are starting to allow Blender. But yes, only since Blender 2.8 it came in the spotlight and adoption is slow.
      - p_l 5y ago
        Do we count the work behind latest Evangelion movie as high-end? Because IIRC they openly talked about using Blender in increasing amounts and sponsoring Blender foundation because of that.
        blenderdt 5y ago
        Blender was used for other big films as well. But it is still not an industry standard. But that might change very soon.
        woolion 5y ago
        I do wonder about that: it was also criticized for its jarring 3D effects (arguably, some of it due to artistic choices, but clearly not all of it), to the point where it was hot-fixed while it was still shown in theaters. So it might not be the advertising you might want for Blender. But it might also be the consequence of its flawed production process.
- lattalayta 5y ago
  Maya, 3ds max, Houdini, After Effects, Nuke, Mari, Katana, Vray, Arnold, Renderman, Clarisse, Modo, Substance, Zbrush, Cinema 4D https://www.technowifi.com/software/video-editing/visual-effects-vfx-software-used-by-the-pros/ https://www.technowifi.com/software/video-editing/visual-eff...
- berkut 5y ago
  Maya (modelling,UVing,layout,anim,rigging), Houdini (everything these days, but simulation/layout strongly), Nuke (compositing), Katana (scene management and rendering/lighting), Mari (texture painting). Most packages (other than things like ZBrush) have Linux versions. Some packages originally were Linux only (Mari - although it had a Mac version at Weta that was discontinued for a bit and then brought back to life in 2013) and Katana (now has a Windows version). Most of the commercial production VFX/CG renderers (Renderman, Arnold, VRay) have linux versions, and some of the proprietary ones (Manuka, Hyperion - I think?) are Linux only (only need to be used by the studio themselves).
  - 8f2ab37a-ed6c 5y ago
    Is there anywhere one could see an example of these tools being used together in and end-to-end workflow to get a quick sense of what VFX tools are capable of these days? It's a total black box to me, and I have no interest in it beyond the sheer curiosity of how far the tools have advanced and how much one can do with those with enough experience and effort.
    - trynewideas 5y ago
      You can check http://vfxplatform.com/ http://vfxplatform.com/, which is a high-level attempt to provide at least guidelines for a reference platform, and this SIGGRAPH 2021 presentation by Nick Cannon (Disney) and Francois Chardavoine (Lucasfilm/ILM) on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tXrtJBqK0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tXrtJBqK0
    - berkut 5y ago
      Not really sure I understand what you're after... If you're after what the software is capable of, then looking at the films to some degree is obviously the Litmus test :), but more usefully VFX breakdown videos might be useful or demos of the software described. I can give you some links to breakdowns the studio I work for worked on, but unless you know the software to some degree, it's probably a bit too fast to really understand exactly what the software is doing, and doesn't really show the software being interactive with or used, but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtis34i8AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtis34i8AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7arp5IrAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7arp5IrAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzm3LUvYWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzm3LUvYWA
- wdb 5y ago
  In a past lifetime I was a big user of Fusion. A limited version is these days free as part of DaVinci Resolve. I think the paid version is only $300. Quite a good deal for such a powerful tool. Fusion can be used alongside with its friends After Effects, Nuke, Flame
- rperez333 5y ago
  You are not alone, the strong marketing from Adobe and Apple creates the impression that image creators are all about having Adobe software on the latest Macs. This is far from the reality. While most don’t correlate Linux with artists, we can argue that the most impressive and sophisticated computer imagery is mostly created under this platform. Actually, even when the studio is mostly Windows based, after a certain size, it gradually moves to Linux, like Scanline.
- mappu 5y ago
  The https://vfxplatform.com/ https://vfxplatform.com/ project is really interesting. From the FAQ: > we have the enthusiastic support of all of the major application providers for the visual effects and animation industry, including Autodesk, The Foundry and Side Effects Software. [...] Linux is prevalent in VFX, particularly in the larger studios where they build sophisticated automation pipelines that integrate multiple different software vendors’ products together.
- pjmlp 5y ago
  There is an official reference platform on the industry, https://vfxplatform.com/ https://vfxplatform.com/

by berkut 5y ago

taeric 5y ago

Curious to know what software the high-end VFX studios use. I'd just assumed most places were using adobe software.

gabereiser 5y ago
Blender has a large market share. Other tools like renderman are used. Painting software such as Krita and others but Photoshop and Substance Painter are still king (windows). Unreal engine is gaining a lot of traction in the VFX digital set space.
- bitwize 5y ago
  When CinePaint became a big thing in Hollywood, its major rival was... Photoshop on Wine.
- berkut 5y ago
  Blender's not really used at the high-end facilities... It doesn't really scale that well on large scenes, and only had a Python3 API - VFX studios have only really moved to Python 3 this year.
  - blenderdt 5y ago
    While this is true it is also changing. Studios are starting to allow Blender. But yes, only since Blender 2.8 it came in the spotlight and adoption is slow.
    - p_l 5y ago
      Do we count the work behind latest Evangelion movie as high-end? Because IIRC they openly talked about using Blender in increasing amounts and sponsoring Blender foundation because of that.
      - blenderdt 5y ago
        Blender was used for other big films as well. But it is still not an industry standard. But that might change very soon.
      - woolion 5y ago
        I do wonder about that: it was also criticized for its jarring 3D effects (arguably, some of it due to artistic choices, but clearly not all of it), to the point where it was hot-fixed while it was still shown in theaters. So it might not be the advertising you might want for Blender. But it might also be the consequence of its flawed production process.
lattalayta 5y ago
Maya, 3ds max, Houdini, After Effects, Nuke, Mari, Katana, Vray, Arnold, Renderman, Clarisse, Modo, Substance, Zbrush, Cinema 4D https://www.technowifi.com/software/video-editing/visual-effects-vfx-software-used-by-the-pros/ https://www.technowifi.com/software/video-editing/visual-eff...
berkut 5y ago
Maya (modelling,UVing,layout,anim,rigging), Houdini (everything these days, but simulation/layout strongly), Nuke (compositing), Katana (scene management and rendering/lighting), Mari (texture painting). Most packages (other than things like ZBrush) have Linux versions. Some packages originally were Linux only (Mari - although it had a Mac version at Weta that was discontinued for a bit and then brought back to life in 2013) and Katana (now has a Windows version). Most of the commercial production VFX/CG renderers (Renderman, Arnold, VRay) have linux versions, and some of the proprietary ones (Manuka, Hyperion - I think?) are Linux only (only need to be used by the studio themselves).
- 8f2ab37a-ed6c 5y ago
  Is there anywhere one could see an example of these tools being used together in and end-to-end workflow to get a quick sense of what VFX tools are capable of these days? It's a total black box to me, and I have no interest in it beyond the sheer curiosity of how far the tools have advanced and how much one can do with those with enough experience and effort.
  - trynewideas 5y ago
    You can check http://vfxplatform.com/ http://vfxplatform.com/, which is a high-level attempt to provide at least guidelines for a reference platform, and this SIGGRAPH 2021 presentation by Nick Cannon (Disney) and Francois Chardavoine (Lucasfilm/ILM) on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tXrtJBqK0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tXrtJBqK0
  - berkut 5y ago
    Not really sure I understand what you're after... If you're after what the software is capable of, then looking at the films to some degree is obviously the Litmus test :), but more usefully VFX breakdown videos might be useful or demos of the software described. I can give you some links to breakdowns the studio I work for worked on, but unless you know the software to some degree, it's probably a bit too fast to really understand exactly what the software is doing, and doesn't really show the software being interactive with or used, but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtis34i8AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtis34i8AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7arp5IrAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7arp5IrAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzm3LUvYWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzm3LUvYWA
wdb 5y ago
In a past lifetime I was a big user of Fusion. A limited version is these days free as part of DaVinci Resolve. I think the paid version is only $300. Quite a good deal for such a powerful tool. Fusion can be used alongside with its friends After Effects, Nuke, Flame
rperez333 5y ago
You are not alone, the strong marketing from Adobe and Apple creates the impression that image creators are all about having Adobe software on the latest Macs. This is far from the reality. While most don’t correlate Linux with artists, we can argue that the most impressive and sophisticated computer imagery is mostly created under this platform. Actually, even when the studio is mostly Windows based, after a certain size, it gradually moves to Linux, like Scanline.
mappu 5y ago
The https://vfxplatform.com/ https://vfxplatform.com/ project is really interesting. From the FAQ: > we have the enthusiastic support of all of the major application providers for the visual effects and animation industry, including Autodesk, The Foundry and Side Effects Software. [...] Linux is prevalent in VFX, particularly in the larger studios where they build sophisticated automation pipelines that integrate multiple different software vendors’ products together.
pjmlp 5y ago
There is an official reference platform on the industry, https://vfxplatform.com/ https://vfxplatform.com/