Using the cloud in digital content production is no longer a novel idea. Gone are the days of provisioning and maintaining vast quantities of hardware now that there’s a more agile approach to sourcing compute resources. Inevitably, cloud will be a key component of render workflows, and while the why is clear, the how can be confusing. Some artists and studios first turn to cloud rendering when production is up against the ropes – a complex render failed overnight and it’s past the point that on-premises resources can help meet the deadline. Newer companies, without legacy hardware considerations, may establish their business model around the cloud, for rendering and beyond. Whatever your current (and future) needs are, Conductor cloud platform enables you to fast track your way to success. To that end, here are five key things to know:
Cloud rendering can be easy. Conductor users can onboard in minutes instead of hours/weeks/days. Once integrated with your digital content creation (DCC) application, Conductor appears as an icon in the menu bar, allowing artists to stay in the same UI. Artists are a studio’s most valuable resource, and Conductor helps them work more efficiently and minimize unnecessary wait times that would take them out of their creative element. They can even use it with low quality hotspot internet.
Consider your DCC and workflow. Conductor supports most industry-standard creative applications for visual effects, animation, and motion design/graphics. This includes Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya and Arnold; Blender; Maxon’s Cinema 4D and Redshift; Foundry’s NUKE, Cara VR, KATANA, MODO and Ocula; Chaos Group’s V-Ray; Pixar’s Renderman; Isotropix’s Clarisse; Golaem; Bluegfx’s Miarmy; Ephere’s Ornatrix; Boris FX’s Silhouette; and Peregrine Labs’ Yeti. It can be used with AWS or Google Cloud Platform, and supports Linux, Mac and Windows operating systems. If your preferred DCC isn’t listed, you can put in a request for it with Conductor support.
Managed services accelerate production and streamline efficiency. DCC licensing and compute resource management are handled on the Conductor backend, eliminating time intensive steps that slow down production. After you set up your Conductor account and download the Conductor Companion app, you can easily connect to the type of resources needed and begin rendering. Without this built-in ease of use, you’d need an internal team to help with the transition or hire a professional services consultant.
Intuitive design and documentation are essential. Developed by artists for artists, Conductor is supported by a host of tutorials made with ease of use in mind. At the same time, administrators can set user parameters to ensure budgets stay in line. If users do run into an issue, Conductor offers multiple support points so that they receive help as soon as possible.
Eradicate capex and unnecessary expenses. Pricing for Conductor is pay-as-you-go, and when your job is done, so are your costs. Hardware provisioning is always a guestimate and studios will be limited by their infrastructure – regardless of how extensive it might be. Even if they opt to rent extra machines in a crunch, agreements are typically done in set timeframes, so if they need 32 days, they’ll be paying for a full two months of usage. Conductor allows you to scale as much as you need for as long as you need, without juggling extra gear. For smaller studios and freelancers especially, this flexible scalability enables them to take on work they couldn’t otherwise, and it also helps students elevate their projects. For larger studios that may have the resources to purchase machines, they can reallocate that budget and use it more efficiently and creatively.
Interested in learning more about cloud rendering? Take a closer look at how Conductor works here.
Studios with significant rendering needs should check out our latest offering,Conductor Enterprise. Currently in development, the enhanced service features automated render wrangling, more extensive management control, custom encryption capabilities, bring your own license support, and more.