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MillimeterDiscreet Logic's Flint 5.0.5 Running on SGI's O2: Snappy Response in a Less Expensive Package
Jan 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Tim Hanafee
First Impressions Once I got over the smaller proxy size of the play windows, I often forgot what system I was running. The mouse response is quick, the menu response is snappy, and simple processing functions move at the speed of our older four-processor SGI Onyx system. All of this performance in a package less than $40,000. Wow. Of course, the drawbacks are the lack of real-time color space conversion, a task that Sierra Design's Quickframe handles in my case. There's also the somewhat unpredictable speed of more complex processor functions that depend on the R5000 (CPU). All in all, this is the most impressive little box, at this price point, I have seen in the video industry since Avid's Media Composer came on the scene.
The Nitty Gritty My setup is an SGI R5000 O2 packaged with the Adobe products and Alias/Wavefront's PowerAnimator. I also run on Sprint Drums from this location. Wyndham Hannaway and Associates (gwha.com) provided for the purchase, installation and most importantly the integration of the basic software packages. I mention them because correct initial setup on a box that is running the different software packages I run is usually prone to failure or inconsistent performance. This is just to stress the importance of starting off on the right foot. Part of what is so attractive about Flint on the O2 is the compatibility of Flint with other pieces of software. However, there are a few swap configurations and simple adjustments that must be made in CK CONFIG to switch between the Adobe and Alias/Discreet Logic products.
The first breath of fresh air came when the install script operated correctly. It was also painless to install the license. Installation included patches, adjustments to the kernel configuration, and creation of a user log-in. The next step was to create a clip library. The manual seemed detailed enough to install and configure a Stone and Wire disk array (a Discreet Logic product); however, I found the instructions were a little vague on installing anything else. Basically what I did was partition 3 GB of internal disk space for the clip library. Three GB is roughly 1,080 frames of PAL-format video. (Since there's really no printed material provided for this, use the UNIX shell command "mkfile" to print out specific directions, i.e., man mkfile.)
At this point, I restarted the machine, logged in as Flint, and opened the application. Again, once I got over the smaller proxy size of the play windows, I often forgot what system I was running. Hopping between menus and moving clips around the screen were surprisingly fast, even better than the first version of the FlintRT on the (SGI) Indigo II. Creating internal clips of color, noise and text was fast, too. Of course, the files created were not ready for serial digital playback. The CCIR output of the O2 does not function in conjunction with Flint. Basically, it boils down to the lack of a real-time color space conversion to YUV serial format.
My O2 is connected via Ethernet 10BaseT to the DDR in the Hallmark Entertainment Network central equipment room about 200 feet down the hallway. Once I modified the .cfg files correctly the Flint recognized the DDR. Sending and retrieving clips using the DDR menus was a breeze from this point on. In fact, if you can live with the time it takes to bring clips in and out of the DDR, this box is nearly as functional as the more expensive FlintRT.
One difference between the Flint on O2 and the FlintRT: importing and auto-assembly of an EDL is out of the question with my configuration because there is no serial control of a tape deck. However, once the clips are in the clip library, editing functions are available. Like all 5.0 versions, you can choose the editing style you prefer. Another cool 5.0 feature is the Z axis priority editor. Although there is little in the way of documentation, the feature is self-explanatory.
I spend most of my time in the ACTION module. This where the robust tools to create composite clips exist. All tools are available and fully functional. This includes the creation of 3-D text, .OBJ model import, and the mysterious particle generator. I was impressed by the speed of texture mapping and shading functions when working with 3-D models. For a machine with no graphics board the performance is amazing. Of course as I increased lighting effects and the number of 3-D elements the speed began to disappear.
One particularly complex action setup took 385 minutes to render on the O2 and 92 minutes to render on our Onyx RE2. There were also differences in how objects looked and behaved with shading and lighting effects. The falloff selection of lights and how the reflection mapping reacted were quite a bit different between the O2 and RE2 machine. This means that the design can be done on the O2, but may have to be tweaked to achieve the same effect if the work is to be rendered on a different box.
When working with images the O2 is well mannered. Tracking, Paint, Text, Timewarp, Morphing, were all very fast. I appreciate the number of clip tools that are available also, particularly the film compress and field options. I work equally in PAL and NTSC, and the Flint hops very easily between the standards. This version also allows for a number of user-friendly site modifications such as choosing the color value of the background, and programming hot keys.
In My World Hallmark Entertainment Network uses the higher-end Onyx RE2 machine to batch process and render the bigger files, while the lower-end boxes are used for design. Because we operate in a networked environment, the time we can spend on design is limited. Therefore, the limiting factor in completing a design is commonly "what" to design rather than how fast a dissolve or clip can be processed. I also run Alias PowerAnimator to build polygon models for import into Flint, Flame, or Inferno. The O2 allows me to run Alias and Flint simultaneously. This is a great way to immediately check for flaws in models, create the basic environments for design, and quickly render from one to 15 second uncompressed, SMPTE 259M finished elements. These features make the Flint on O2 a great tool.
In a Nutshell If you need the capability to work in three dimensions, light images and objects, create 3-D text, and manipulate models in true X, Y, Z space you need Discreet Logic's Flint. If you need to create short, uncompressed elements with the above criteria for very little money and you can afford the DDR-to-file conversion time, this is the product for you.
Tim Hanafee is vice president, Creative Services, at Hallmark Entertainment Network in Denver. He can be reached at thanafee@hallnetwork. com. Hanafee started at Liberty and Encore, the predecessors of Hallmark Entertainment Network (HEN). HEN works mainly in PAL, provides all the multilanguage interstitial material, including behind-the-scenes views and artwork (posters, etc.) for the many international feeds of its sister production arm, Hallmark Entertainment. For a company profile, check out the Web site at: hallmarknetwork.com. Hallmark Entertainment, probably the leading producer of made-for-television movies, has just launched its 18th international network since its 1995 start-up, with deals pending in Russia, India, and China. Henson Productions handles most of the company's special effects work.
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