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Linux at Industrial Light and Magic
Nicholas DePetrillo writes "Linux Journal has a big story about how LINUX is being used in hollywood, specificly at Industrial Light and Magic with some GREAT screenshots
and a very descriptive article with configuration details." Word has it that their rendering farms have gotten even bigger since this article was published.
Could there be some kind of anology between the light side vs the dark side and Linux vs Microsoft.
Would that make Bill Vader? Which distro is Obi Wan Kanobi?
FoundNews.com - get paid to blog.,
Action is great!
Music isn't bad!
Acting is pathetic.
No amount of eye candy will ever make the prequels worth watching as standalone movies.
I have been pwned because my
'Linux Journal' no less.
we must never speak of this again
;)
2 comments and it's down already. I don't know which is worse: the old days where no one read the freaking articles, or how now the only people who get to read them are the First Post guys.
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
They'll have to stop using Linux right after they outlaw it.
I'm assuming that would be the case, anyway.
Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
Remember everybody, if you like the article then please buy the magazine! The articles, while provided free of charge, do not magically appear.
If you want more great articles like this, support Linux Journal. I know the idea of paying for something might go against some people's sensibilities (information wants to be FREEEEEEE!!! and such), but remember that in real life people need to eat. Please don't let the fine people at Linux Journal starve. Buy a magazine.
Please. Do it for the authors.
Dragging people kicking and screaming into reality since 1996.
...we'll have to start calling the company GNU/Industrial Light and Magic. :-)
Here's the text from the article:
The Computers of ILM
ILM says they have rarely seen artists get excited by hardware, but artists fought to get the new Linux workstations--Dell single-CPU P4s with NVIDIA Quadra 2 Pro graphics cards. The question became, ``Where's my Linux box?''
Production Engineering Manager Ken Beyer says
More than 350 Linux boxes were deployed during Episode II. Animators and modelers got their workstations first, then compositors. The first group had flat panels because animators lack the desk space for monitors. There were problems with monitor calibration under Red Hat 7.1. We used flat panels to get Linux out there. Last to get workstations were TDs. They push the envelope of what they ask for. An issue was how quickly we could get things ported for them.
``We've changed over quite a bit of our plant here to Linux--half of our desktops and about 30% of our 2,000 CPU renderfarm is now Linux'', says ILM Director of Research and Development Andy Hendrickson. ``We've got 700-plus O2 machines'', adds Beyer. ``But it isn't affordable to replace those with Octanes.'' SGI is recognized for producing high-end workstations and servers but has abandoned competing with commodity PC hardware. SGI seems to be rebounding in the military market but less so in entertainment.
``Our renderfarm towers carry the Deathstar logo'', points out Beyer. A render tower is a stack of 1RU 2-CPU units connected together with inexpensive 100Base-TX. He says:
These are 1RU, 2-CPU P4 units. If we lose a unit it is more convenient now that it is just two CPUs rather than four or eight with SGI 2800. For Episode II we had to double available capacity and power. It's 512 processors. We use dual 225 kVA UPS systems, and have three AC systems that rotate. Power goes out often in the San Rafael area. We can run on UPS for 15 minutes then [on a] diesel generator.
An unexpected snag arose during the upgrade: all the PC fans had to be replaced because they were defective.
Systems R&D Group Manager Mike Kiernan reports a few problems with Linux:
Sometimes when I arrive in the morning a quarter of the Linux cluster is locked up. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often. VM problems in the 2.4 kernel appear to be at the root of our kernel lockup problem. Recent improvements in the 2.4 kernel may resolve that. Things look promising.
But he adds that ``Linux needs work on NFS big time.''
We won't be going to Linux for our NFS servers. I wish we could replace NFS, but none of the document management systems is flexible enough. And the ones that are flexible have a rather high integration cost. When AFS is distributed natively for all the client platforms we need to support, perhaps we'll consider it.
ILM is comfortable with multiple platforms. Its 1,400 employees use a variety of operating systems. The art department has Macs, with the rotoscopers and painters transitioning to OS X. Hendrickson sees OS X as a possible player. ``What attracts us is the BSD-like Darwin core and network compatibility.'' ILM has few Windows boxes, besides those on business side. ``There's no advantage to a Windows conversion for us'', says Hendrickson. ``We're a UNIX shop and probably always will be.''
R&D Principal Engineer Phil Peterson says ILM chose the Red Hat distro because it seemed easier to go with what's popular. ``At ILM the 2.4.9 kernel is deployed, and 2.4.17 or 2.4.18 is in test. We tweak the kernel--things like shared memory size, number of file descriptors, default stack size--nothing dramatic.'' Open Motif 2.1 did a good job maintaining the look-and-feel of IRIX, so ILM didn't try LessTif. ILM workstations include limited installations of GNOME and KDE. ``No special effort was spent to strip machines down'', says Peterson. ``We just left out unused portions of the full install. We're pretty vanilla.''
An unusual aspect of the ILM Linux workstation configuration is the replacement of the MESA libs with the SGI open source, OpenGL implementation. ``MESA is behind compared to the SGI version in aspects such as libGLU'', explains Peterson. Other studios haven't experienced the best stability using Maya on Linux with NVIDIA drivers. It seems that may be due to MESA and not Maya, NVIDIA or Linux, as previously thought. ILM has replaced the MESA libraries with a combination of NVIDIA's core OpenGL and libraries from the SGI open-source sample implementation.
``Chances are you will not find solutions in any documentation'', notes Peterson.
We don't have a support line to call. We fix things and extend. It introduces a layer of maintenance we're not used to. We had to use open-source drivers with tablets. With calibrating monitors, the work is ongoing. Still, we've had an easy road. Our artists are technically savvy, able to endure pain. Having the best testers in the world around the corner from you provides quick feedback.
Hendrickson concurs that Linux support can be a problem. He says, ``As we get into Linux we're not finding one company to hand-hold. IBM and HP aren't there, yet. But, before Linux it was out of our control and out of control. [Now] we own our Linux problems.''
Is it possible for Linux to be too fast? ``Due to the speed of Linux, for the first time in my life, 15 years in the business, I'm starting to feel some RSI [repetitive strain injury]'', says Technical Director Robert Weaver. ``Usually you are working the machine, but Linux is so fast it can overwork you.'' Weaver has to remember to take breaks because with Linux he doesn't get any breaks waiting for the machine anymore.
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
Here is older German link with additional information.
"Microsofts recruiting rate gene could do to a wrong, because they purge in view of shrinking customer connection so obviously into panic. There as prestigious customers change as Pixar ("Toy Story") and Industrial Light & Magic ("Jurassic park ", "Shrek") its systems over course around course from Windows or SGI to Linux , and the Unterschleissheimer Dependance of the gate company breaks in nothing different one to take in than the middle class. Really pfiffig."
If we don't fight for ourselves no one will.
What would happen to the gaming world at large if Sony was to start developing games for Linux?
If I had to guess, nothing major would happen except there'd be a few more games for Linux and there'd be a lot of articles about it on Linux Games.
Would developers support Sony?
Probably, but it depends on what you mean by developers. Hardware (read as video and sound card) developers may try and throw Linux gamers a bone in the driver arena (but it'll be a small, closed source one). Since nvidia already does this and most (if not all) Linux gamers opt for their cards because of it, impact would be minimal. Software developers could care less about what Sony does in the software market. It would probably go down as follows:
1.) Sony develops games for Linux.
2.) Other developers develop games for Linux thinking that Sony had some special information.
3.) Sales aren't immediately stellar, other developers back out and snicker behind Sony's back thinking that they're superior.
Would Linux gaming become a very viable option?
IMHO, and don't take this as a flame because I'm a supporter and user of Linux, but I don't think it'll be really great until a brand new/standarized API (a la direct X - so shoot me) is developed (or a current one is seriously overhauled). There's something to be said in an all-in-one multimedia package that doesn't depend on a bunch of other things. Or until there's a working alternative to X which will never happen. *shrug* I'm probably wrong, but that's just my 2 cents.
Not very nice comments in there about SGI. They are true enough though. The O2 is a *great* multimedia desktop machine. Lots of features, small package. Just like the Indy before it.
Compute performance is a real problem though for all but the high end SGI machines. The O2 went EOL this year for all but OEM (Medical and Video apps).
What I find interesting is that the studios are building their own tech to suit their needs. They started this process on SGI machines in order to leverage the rich toolset found in IRIX. Now they are able to build on the open tools found under Linux.
Alias Wavefront (owned by SGI) used to package and sell critical technology to the Studios along with a number of services delivered under NDA. They still do this, but their days are numbered.
Open Source is enabling a new trend toward in-house technology development. Given the high cost of A|W and SGI toolsets plus the added services and consulting required to make them work in creative ways, I am not surprised to find the studios able to just build what they want cheaper. They also are able to create the features that make their workflow better.
Seems like the studios want nothing to do with any sort of lock in with any vendor. Talk about lowering TCO!
Not only does their in-house development allow them to make the most of their time and creative energy, but they get to take advantage of new platforms in the future --without having to re-purchase tools.
They are smart enough to develop common tools that they (and us) can all use while keeping those things that make them special in-house. Too bad more of the mainstream businesses are not able to see this yet. When they do --look out!
So SGI moves back into their niche with IRIX, high end visualization, and parallel computing and serving. What of Alias Wavefront?
They look doomed to me. Maya now is cheap and runs on Linux. Its users develop their own tools with it so A|W maybe gets consulting, but little else. On the Industrial Design side, their Studio Tools package really only appeals to the high end Automotive styling group. Everyone else can use either MCAD tools, or tools like Rhino to get their work done.
This was a great article that does a lot to illuminate just how computing can change under an open platform.
Blogging because I can...
ILM is comfortable with multiple platforms. Its 1,400 employees use a variety of operating systems. The art department has Macs, with the rotoscopers and painters transitioning to OS X. Hendrickson sees OS X as a possible player. ``What attracts us is the BSD-like Darwin core and network compatibility.'' ILM has few Windows boxes, besides those on business side. ``There's no advantage to a Windows conversion for us'', says Hendrickson. ``We're a UNIX shop and probably always will be.''
Nice to see ILM is keeping with the times. When Phantom Menace came out, SGI had promotional info up about SGI [origin?] servers and EP I. Fast forward three years and we have come upon another case of Linux and [relativel] commodity hardware changing the heart of a big Iron SGI all-star. ILM did have a JEDI Pact with SGI not too long ago, but as was inferred in the article, its really hard to compete with free (as in beer) in the shrinking-margin world of SFX.
FWIW, On the Ep I DVD Making of Documentary, OS 9 was visible durinag a photoshopping session, Windows (or a GUI clone) for Motion capture and unix (presumably IRIX) for the rest.
It wasn't that long ago that seeing anything related to linux -was- big news because you didn't see it hardly at all. Even more rare was hearing of a big shop, unix, windows, or otherwise, making a large switch to linux. So yeah, it was big news, and still feels like it to an extent. Combine that with it being ILM, makers of Star Wars, and you've got some double-geek factor going on.
Though since you mention the performance gain... It sounds like they were mostly switching from O2s running IRIX to Linux... And Linux was presumeably running on some new (likely x86-based) machines. Now, if I'm not mistaken the O2 is a pretty old SGI machine, so I would be surprised if the new computers were many times faster. It probably had nothing to do with Linux, other than it being a free unix that runs on fast commodity x86 hardware.
The enemies of Democracy are
Can this be done and besides money what are the obstacles to this idea?
This is getting super off-topic, but what the hell. The most obvious obstacle (to me) is that there's no reason for Sony to do this. Why would they? Financially there isn't a good reason for them to push ahead with this kind of steam. It's not as if they have as much of a reason to try and cripple Microsoft's iron grip on the desktop market as other companies do, so inane corporate vengeance is probably out of the picture. Destroying competition? Well, Sony doesn't have a Linux distro and the X-Box is killing itself for the most part.
While this is a nice thought, I doubt it'll happen. The more likely path is a company like Bioware really stepping it up and announcing complete support for Linux on all future releases. That would make a dent and an impression on the industry, but I also find it slightly less likely than me getting laid tonight.
Am I the only one who thinks it's rather odd that movie companies are pursuing a law that would effectively outlaw Linux -- while that's the operating system running most of their kick-ass render farms?
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Full article mirror. Produced with:
wget -p --convert-links http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6011
Hm, so where does ILM's old standby (SGI) fit into this whole deal?
My thinking: Lando. They've got soul, you're not really sure whose side they're on and they'll never find more work. =)
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
You know I just thought about that a little. The way the laws are intended to work are subtle indeed.
For you and I, Linux would be outlawed. For the Studios, things would work just fine. They have the lawyers to back them up, and they can just use Linux inside their firewalls.
Since they create the content, it is easy for them to say Linux is ok. Nobody is watching unauthorized copies.
They just don't want Joe citizen to have a user programmable system that allows programs they don't like.
Irony indeed.
Blogging because I can...
Ignorance knows no bounds. 'Movie Companies?' The MPAA is pursuing laws that would make it difficult if not impossible for an operating system to be completely open source. The biggest thing to remember though, is that ILM is a visual effects and post production company, not a fucking giant movie studio, and not part of the MPAA or associated with it. They aren't even in Hollywood they are a 6 hour drive north. Get a clue and stop with this nonsense.
This Wiki Feeds You TV and Anime - vidwiki.org
big article + screen shots = slashdotted = so posted
Since my DSL upload (a puny 15 k/s) is flooded right now, have a shot at my school's fractional T1 (60 k/s).
Here.
If you:
a) use an OS with a good scheduler
b) tune the kernel to the computer you are using
c) use only the drivers you need
d) don't run software you don't need.
You will see quite a speed increase. The last 3 are things you have a hard time doing on most closed/proprietary operating systems.
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
"What would happen to the gaming world at large if Sony was to start developing games for Linux?"
I would remove my Windows partition.
hey, a few weeks ago you could win money for a great idea, how to extend google in an attractive way. here is mine: every time, an article is posted to slashdot, google will be automaticly informed a few seconds before (with SOAP) to fetch the links. This would be a great cowork between google and slashdot and i could finaly read all the articles ;)
ciao, Hermi
Of course, performance doesn't suffer when you upgrade from a 5 y/o processor to a new top-of-the-line processor.
Most of the descriptions about speed up seem to be directly attributable to Intel, not Linux...
Google cache
A bit slow, but at least it's accessible.
doesnt anyone else find it a bit hypocritical that
"hollywood" is making use of opensource and free software while petitioning for its hobbling with the current legislation regarding digital "rights"?
But ILM gets paid for making parts of movies and those get distributed by the big movie companies (like FOX) who pay money to the MPAA. They ARE in the movie business and money from there does go to the MPAA. They may not be a "movie company" but they get hired by movie companies to help make movies.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
The multimedia series Linux Journal has been running since 2001 seems to be driving most of their readership, not the embedded systems, web applications stories or the security series that comprise 95% of the magazine. It's the least popular topic for publishers yet it's the most popular thing for readers. Movie making on Linux is part of a growing number of cult hobbies. No-one talks about all these uses for Linux besides embedded systems and servers. They're not regarded as the intended purpose of Linux, but everyone does them in their private time.
They might be able to watch them. ILM developed libraries and their own Quicktime player for Linux, for watching previews of their work. There was mention that they might release it open source. Of course the problem might be the codecs.
Do you watch movies by any chance? Or TV? If so, then shut up, because you're helping to fund these guys...
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
One reason could be that the speed increase is for things that are CPU intensive, as opposed to OpenGL/interactive speed, which SGI's gear is very good at. Rendering, batch compositing and running their simulations are CPU intensive, so running this on fast CPUs might have shown that improvement.
At one point I heard that ILM had several Alpha machines with Linux to run their simulations, to take over some of the stuff done on the Origins, but I never could confirm it.
I see the difference being that the caterers and nurses can work for other people. What can ILM do outside of the realm of movies and TV?
But I see your point that you have to cut it off someplace.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
Pretty please don't slashdot me ;-). Too bad I didn't mirror the article, didn't expect it on Slashdot. I also collected the other articles that came out yesterday. Probably the other two inetersting ones are from VFXPro and CGW:
Episode 2 VFX Work Discussed Around the Net
I do watch some TV, but I decided to stop going to the movies and to stop buying CDs/tapes. I don't steal them either (despite what people say about distributing mp3's as not being stealing...it is). I do know that the industry has a point that people steal their stuff and they have to do something about it but I can't see how to stop piracy without destroying freedom. They would have to confiscate all current electronics or make them illegal to use to do what they want to do. I also think their real reason for doing all this is to stop competition machines that will make it cheap and easy to make good entertainment (given a creative story).
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
Do you watch movies by any chance? Or TV? If so, then shut up, because you're helping to fund these guys...
This fallacy has been rebutted numerous times.
The long and short of it is: just because circumstances constrain you to operate within particular boundries, doesn't mean you are in any way wrong or hypocritical in criticizing those boundries, or anything unjust or wrong you find within those boundries. Many of the folk, black and white alike, who criticized apartheid in the United States and South Africa still paid taxes to those governments, watched the television and listened to the radio put out by those governments (or the private corporations profiting from those apartheid systems). Those who advocated communism or socialism still had jobs within those systems, and bought their food, clothing, and housing within those very same systems they so disapproved of. This did not in any way make their criticisms less valid, or make them hyporcrits for having the courage and moxy to stand up and criticize those systems. Quite the contrary.
Indeed, had reformers throughout history been required to operate within the parameters your troll implies ('you cannot legitimately criticize anything that is a part of your lifestyle!') we would be living no differently from people a thousand years ago. In other words, no reform would have been possible, because no criticism would have been possible.
I suspect that, were someone who doesn't watch television or movies to criticize the Hollywood Copyright and Media Cartels, you would be the first to say something to the effect of "That's easy for you to say, you don't use their product anyway!" which is, of course, the flipside of the very same logical fallacy you've indulged in here.
So it is you, not the person you responded to, who really ought to shut up.
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
Linux is not solely responsible for the five-fold increase in speed. Linux allows ILM to leverage the very high price/performance ratio of the x86 microprocessors produced by AMD and Intel. If SGI ported IRIX to x86, then they might not be using Linux. Of course Linux is free, but ILM had to spend many man hours to port their software.
I saw a neat demo at a Maya seminar last week. They're looking to take panoramas to the next level--not only can you rotate the camera, but you can translate it. Combine this with some effects (e.g., moving water) and low-end compositing, and you can put together a passable demo reel with little or no video footage.
As for production, we're seeing subtle effects in main-stream films. I was amazed by the behind-the-scenes footage of Cast Away, because I had no idea the extent to which CGI was used. This will eventually filter down even to the million dollar or less films. The difference between Linux and proprietary Unix will make a difference, there.
An unexpected snag arose during the upgrade: all the PC fans had to be replaced because they were defective.
I guess all those PC fans were replaced with linux advocates...
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
I saw that one too. It had to do with the ECAD industry. They did a straight port of one of their solvers. Got a 5x increase using Linux.
That article was comparing SUN SPARC to INTEL Linux though so there may be other factors.
5X is still good though. Something is being done right.
Blogging because I can...
That's ok. It never appeared on my credit card bill either, so I didn't loose anything, except for a possible subscription.
I don't know what happened, but I got a mail saying:
"SSC Linux Journal thanks you for your order. Please allow 4-6 weeks for new subscriptions to arrive.
(10-12 weeks for foreign orders)"
After that, nothing... Maybe a bug?
SGI's follow-through in recent years has been pretty good. The NT and IA-32 Linux experiments didn't go too well, but they've been supporting IRIX on MIPS better than I could have ever asked.
The funky SGI building on the corner of Shoreline and 101 is *old*. Drive down the street a ways towards their funky newer buildings... built just a couple years ago.
the right hand doesnt know what the left is doing.
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.