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Rendering Shrek@Home?

Posted by timothy on from the render-it-like-pork dept.

JimCricket writes "There's an interesting piece at Download Aborted about using distributed computing (a la SETI@Home, Grid.org, etc.) in the film industry. With the recent release of Shrek 2, which required a massive amount of CPU time to complete, one must wonder why the film industry doesn't solicit help from their fans. I'd gladly trade some spare CPU time in exchange for the coolness of seeing a few frames of Shrek 3 rendered on my screensaver!"

15 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Making things worse by Baron_Yam · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't animators already insert single-frame porn, etc into these things?

    Can you imagine how quickly the client software would get hacked, and how crappy the movie resulting from nothing but single-frame porn shots would be, especially to photosensitive epileptics?

    1. Re:Making things worse by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 4, Funny

      Right. The gang of protagonists walk into a cave. But, the cave looks familiar somehow. It's the fingers holding the entrance widely open that tips us off. They don't belong there. We look closer at the cave and fear the worst for our band of animated heroes.

      That's not a cave, it's a space station.

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  2. Oh yeah by toygeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'll set up a cluster of old Pentium 200MMX's and put 128MB of ram on them... they'll be rockin! When people see my garage full of cables and ancient hardware and ask "WTF are you doing with all this crap?" I'll be able to say "rendering Shrek 3".

    Distributed computing for rendering a movie? I think they have enough hardware problems without getting the worm infected masses into the mix.

    --
    Nobodies Prefect
    Tidbits for Techs Technology Blog
    1. Re:Oh yeah by suso · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, you'll be able to say, "well, this month I rendered one frame of Shrek 3." ;-)

  3. Never happen, but... by jarich · · Score: 4, Funny
    Previous posters are right... no one like Pixar would ever give out that kind of technology...

    But they could tell everyone they were, just have a screen saver that pegs the CPU, tells you that you've rendered X frames, and displays a cool screensaver from the movie! :)

    Great PR, no loss of technology, lots of pissed off fans, once they realize the truth!

    --
    Agile Artisans
  4. I doubt it... by millahtime · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder if you could get a section of the frame(s) you (helped) to render...

    /.ers would combine their powers and probubally have a lot of the movie weeks before it was released.

    --
    Evolution or ID?
  5. That's MPAA you are talking about... by Kaa · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mine! Mine! You filthy thieves!! All you want is to get your hands on frames from MY movie and then you'll mix it with porn, put it on P2P networks and use the proceeds to fund terrorism!

    It's my movie! MINE! You want a screensaver -- well, pay in DOLLARS for it, you dirty pirate (* by clicking here you agree that your credit card will be automatically charged $0.99 each time your screensaver kicks in)! And note that you are licensed to use MINE screensaver on just machine by just one user and that our DRM system will make sure of that (* fingerprint reader, purchased separately required for system activation and use)!

    Thieves, all of you are thieves! Hah, give them movie frames to render... What, you think me stupid?

    --

    Kaa
    Kaa's Law: In any sufficiently large group of people most are idiots.
  6. Re:I can see it now.... by Larkaen · · Score: 2, Funny

    While I'd love to render Halle Barry topless - I'm not sure I'd be using a computer.

  7. Re:Slashdot BLOG advertising... by AnswerIs42 · · Score: 3, Funny

    That easy.. the cost of advertising was a /. of your server.

  8. As if you don't pay enough for a ticket... by sunking2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now you can subsidize the movie industry with your computer and electricity.

  9. They should put the CPUs inside computers by The+Locehiliosan · · Score: 2, Funny
    The artical states, "They've got rooms full of CPU's"

    Imagine if they had these inside their computers too.

    --
    http://www.missionfaces.com/
  10. Then they should shut the fuck up on pirating by gelfling · · Score: 1, Funny

    Seriously, if I have sit through one more patronizing PSA with fat middle aged stuntmen lecturing me about pirating then Mrs. Shrek is going to be doing a reverse cowgirl and some anal with the donkey.

  11. Re:Would it be worth it???? by NorthDude · · Score: 2, Funny

    72 TFlops/sec

    is that an accelation or what???

    --


    I'd rather be sailing...
  12. Re:Would it be worth it???? by JDevers · · Score: 2, Funny

    And everyone said Moore's law was dead...

  13. Why? by Mustang+Matt · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I'd gladly trade some spare CPU time in exchange for the coolness of seeing a few frames of Shrek 3 rendered on my screensaver!"

    I wouldn't. What a waste.

    --
    The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin