Toolbox

Chaos Group has released V-Ray 3.0 for Maya, delivering a powerful new set of features and optimizations focused on speeding up lighting, look development, and rendering workflows.

“This is, by far, the most substantial upgrade for our rendering pipeline since we switched to V-Ray five years ago,” said Kirk Shintani, head of 3D at a52.

Throughout the V-Ray 3.0 for Maya development cycle, Chaos Group worked with artists and studios to benchmark and analyze a number of production scenes. From their research, they found opportunities for significant speed increases as their team refined each section of code. These advances, coupled with beta feedback, bring about many of the key features in V-Ray 3.0 for Maya including:

o Faster Ray Tracing and Rendering Performance. V-Ray 3.0 for Maya introduces a faster ray tracing core that significantly speeds up a number of calculations for global illumination, lighting, shading and more. For additional speed gains, V-Ray 3.0 also includes an option to enable the Intel Embree ray caster for static and motion-blurred geometry, proxy objects and instances.

o Faster Feedback. V-Ray 3.0 for Maya adds a new Progressive Image Sampler with a full range of production features and is compatible with all of V-Ray’s GI algorithms such as irradiance map, light cache, and brute force path tracing. The Progressive Image Sampler generates quick feedback even with complex features such as volumetric effects, depth of field, and motion blur. An enhanced V-Ray RT engine renders directly in the Maya Viewport and supports animated sequences as well as final frame rendering.

o Advanced Characters and Creatures. V-Ray 3.0 optimizes shading and rendering of millions of strands of semi-transparent hair with greater speed and efficiency. For added detail and realism, V-Ray 3.0 now supports subsurface scattering with object-based and ray traced illumination, and the new VRaySkinMtl skin shader.

Canon U.S.A. Inc. unveiled the Canon EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera, the latest edition to the Canon Cinema EOS line of professional Super 35mm 8.3 megapixel CMOS cameras and the second-generation version of the popular Canon EOS C100 Digital Video Camera.

Designed for economical film and video productions such as documentary and remote broadcast crews, wedding and event coverage, indie film productions, as well as film schools and business and government users, the new EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera, features advanced image processing, AVCHD and MP4 1920x1080/60p recording, uncompressed YCbCr output from HDMI, and many other new and enhanced capabilities for improved picture quality, operability, and convenient handling. Delivering a cinematic look with shallow depth of field and high sensitivity in low-light environments, the new EOS C100 Mark II camera weighs just 2.5 lbs. and is compatible with over 103 Canon EF Series lenses, including STM models which can deliver smooth and silent autofocus during filmmaking.

“Canon’s commitment to the advancement of tools for visual expression takes another major step forward with the introduction of the EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Drawing on input from Canon’s global community of Cinema EOS camera users and from digital filmmakers using Canon EF lenses--100 million of which have now been produced worldwide--the company has added new capabilities to the EOS C100 Mark II from its predecessor that powerfully leverage our considerable expertise in optics, imaging, and digital signal processing. The result is an improved, affordable Super 35mm CMOS digital camera that is designed to provide outstanding HD image quality, operational performance, ergonomics, and workflow convenience.”

Design Enhancements
Optimized for one-person operation, the new EOS C100 Mark II camera has a mobile core design enabling users to choose their preferred style of shooting. The existing design has been enhanced to include a large-size detachable eyecup for the camera’s large 68-degree tilting 0.45-inch 1.23 megapixel color EVF (electronic viewfinder). Clearly marked red trigger buttons on the camera body, top handle, grip, and a built-in mono microphone on the camera body ─ for times when the top handle is not attached ─ can be used to capture basic sound for audio notation or as an aid to audio syncing during post.

Another major redesign of the new EOS C100 Mark II over its predecessor is an innovatively hinged 3.5-inch 1.23 megapixel OLED display panel, delivering 100 percent field-of-view coverage, wide color range support, and improved viewing even in bright sunshine. The new hinge design ─ which folds the panel shut when stowed, protecting the OLED surface ─ opens 180 degrees to reveal function keys and a joystick. The panel can open even further to 270 degrees to deploy against the side of the camera to provide monitoring for directors and other production personnel. Additional design improvements on the camera body include 17 assignable recessed function buttons, dual SD card slots with a transparent cover, and a simplified battery insertion and removal release.

Visual Expression
Previously available only as an optional upgrade for earlier Cinema EOS models, Dual Pixel CMOS AF is a standard feature on the new EOS C100 Mark II, providing enhanced autofocusing capability. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology helps provide smooth and consistent autofocus, so that focus transitions are natural looking and subjects can remain in focus even as they move off center. In addition, the compatibility of Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Canon EF autofocus lenses combines outstanding optical tools with a wide range of creative options. It’s ideal for shooting sports, weddings and many more productions where focus pulling by a single operator is not feasible, such as when the video camera is attached to steadicams or drones. The EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera also includes Face-Detection AF, a first in the Cinema EOS camera line, which utilizes contrast detection AF to maintain focus across most of the image plane, an advantage in one-person electronic news gathering (ENG) situations.

Imaging and Recording
Central to many of the new features of the new EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera is its advanced Canon DIGIC DV4 image processor. The Canon DIGIC DV4 image processor separates the RGB output from the camera’s 8.3 Megapixel CMOS imager into three individual 8 megapixel signals (as opposed to 2MB in the EOS C100) for noticeably improved image quality. The Canon DIGIC DV4 processor also includes a new debayering algorithm to help minimize moiré and reduce video noise even at high ISO speeds. (high-sensitivity recording on the camera ranges from ISO 320 to 80,000).

Another important benefit of the Canon DIGIC DV4 processor is Full HD recording in both the high-quality professional format AVCHD or the popular web-friendly MP4 format at a variety of bit rates (up to 28 Mbps and 35 Mbps, respectively), resolutions, and frame rates (up to the smooth look of 59.94p) to suit practically any production need. For special-effect requirements, slow and fast motion MP4 recording at up to 1920x1080/60p can also be performed.

Users can choose from multiple formats that support MP4 or AVCHD to suit a wide variety of production, post, and output needs. The EOS C100 Mark II camera’s dual SD card slots can record in one or both formats simultaneously for back-up, or convert AVCHD and MP4 files into smaller MP4 files for web upload. Extended clip times can be achieved by recording continuously from one card to the other without a break. In addition, a Data Import Utility application is included that can seamlessly join divided files to help reduce work during editing and to import video file data from an SD card inside the camera or a card reader.

As with the other cameras in Canon’s Cinema EOS line, the new EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera includes Canon Log as a recording choice, providing maximum dynamic range for post-production color grading. New, however, is the addition of a built-in LUT (look-up table), enabling users to view the camera’s live video signal in Wide DR (dynamic range) or the BT.709 (TV standard) color space on the OLED or any external monitor connected to the camera’s locking HDMI® output (this feature can be turned off in the menu). Uncompressed video output (with time code data and 2:3 pull-down markers superimposed) can be output via HDMI to an external recorder.

Connectivity Innovations
The addition of wireless file-transfer capabilities further expands the versatility of the new EOS C100 Mark II camera for multiple production applications, including transferring time-critical news video or backing-up files. Utilizing dual 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies, the camera can transfer video files via FTP server for instant relay, or send MP4 video to the web browsers of laptops or tablets for viewing and storage (even on PC’s lacking playback software). Remote control of the camera is also enabled via a compatible smartphone, tablet, or laptop. The new EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera also includes compatibility with the optional multi-functional Canon RC-V100 Remote Controller, which can be used to adjust image quality and other important operations from a distance, a handy feature for shooting from a jib arm, drone, or other inaccessible location.

In addition, the optional Canon GP-E2 EOS GPS Receiver can be connected to the EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera using a USB cable to record location and time information during shooting, a helpful feature for editing and archiving.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EOS C100 Mark II Digital Video Camera is scheduled to be available at the end of December 2014 for an estimated retail price of $5,499.

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, expands camera sales to Bexel with 10 LDX XtremeSpeed (LDX XS) 6X ultra-slow-motion cameras as well as eight K2 Dyno Replay Systems. Currently, Bexel has 15 LDX XS cameras and six K2 Dyno systems on rental at the MLB Playoffs, as well as NFL and NCAA football games. The new camera and server system will provide Bexel’s clients with a new, sophisticated ultra-slow-motion workflow with improved replay for sharper imagery and more engaging replay highlights, especially during live sports productions.

Bexel is a provider of high-end audio and video equipment rentals, production gear and fiber services in the United States and Latin America. Bexel provides engineered systems and integration solutions to television production and film crews. This new purchase builds upon the company’s existing fleet of Grass Valley cameras, which includes 28 LDX Première advanced imaging camera systems that were acquired in 2013.

“The LDX camera series provides overall flexibility in format, setup and functionality to meet our market demands,” said Tom Dickinson, chief technology officer at Bexel. “But the LDX XS breaks new ground when coupled with the K2 Dyno. It’s an extremely efficient replay system with the K2 Dyno controller, as two LDX XS cameras can work in 6X replay in one single K2 Dyno, reducing the overall cost of the system while increasing functionality. These systems can provide 1X, 3X and 6X workflows in 1080i and 720p and 1X and 3X workflows for 1080p broadcasts, so our clients have the production format flexibility they need.”

The LDX XS cameras work in tandem with the K2 Dyno replay system with its AnySpeed dynamic playback technology that provides smooth playback at any speed from zero to 200 percent and all speed transitions for ultra-slow-motion playout. For fast turnaround time with productions, Bexel’s clients don’t have to wait for the LDX XS to transfer clips from an internal storage device, as the footage is available immediately.

Grass Valley’s future-ready XCU XtremeSpeed XF Fiber transmission system supports the large real-time bandwidth required by the LDX XS cameras without any compromises. The rack-mounted XCU cradle is fully compatible with the 3G transmission XCUs, which makes the XCU chassis easily transportable between trucks, studios and flypacks.

Coolfire Studios is a full-service entertainment company serving a diverse client-base. The St. Louis-based studio specializes in production, postproduction and motion graphics, working on everything from original TV series to commercials, branded content and more. The company leverages a workflow fueled by Facilis TerraBlock shared storage, and StorageDNA LTO LTFS archiving and archive asset management solutions that facilitate an advanced level of creativity in-house.

The studio first brought TerraBlock and DNA Evolution on board two years ago, while producing 10 one-hour episodes for the Style Network series “Resale Royalty.” Shooting occurred over 83 days resulting in approximately 24 terabytes of raw footage that had to be stored, edited and archived. Coolfire assembled a setup composed of 18 Avid Media Composer workstations connected via Ethernet to TerraBlock, with a DNA Evolution X200-24 Linux turnkey system featuring a 24-slot autoloader and two LTO tape drives for archiving. TerraBlock provided a flexible workflow for storing and accessing the data, while DNA Evolution’s LTO LTFS technology streamlined archiving and archive asset management for the project.

“With 18 workstations simultaneously referencing projects and media files for the show, ‘Resale Royalty,’ we needed shared storage that was fast with multi-user Read/Write functionality. To be able to have one a central area like TerraBlock that everyone could play on, in an organized fashion was vital,” said Roxanne Henry, media asset manager, Coolfire. “DNA Evolution further simplified the job, making archive runs quick and consistent; we could also verify the data after the fact, giving us the confidence that our data was secure.”

Noting the success of the dual-implementation for the project, Henry added, “It was a definite triumph, and integrating both products was a great adventure. Having such efficient equipment allowed our team to focus less on the technology and spend more time being creative to make the show look better overall.”

Over the last year, Coolfire has continued to take on an expanding project load, carving out a local niche for itself in network and long-form programming, with DNA Evolution and TerraBlock playing an integral role. “DNA Evolution and TerraBlock have brought us to where we need to be, technically and infrastructure-wise, to be able to keep up with the volume of projects flowing in,” Henry said. 

TerraBlock has also been used by Coolfire for other network shows including: “Alternate Route” (Esquire Network), “Carver’s” (SyFy) and “Salvage City” (Discovery Channel), and the team is currently in post for an upcoming six episode series, “Weekend Fix” (Esquire Network). “Because TerraBlock is fast, we’re able to edit native C300 in Media Composer, giving us the flexibility to avoid the hassle of an online/offline workflow, and our network approvals are in full resolution,” Henry said. “TerraBlock encompasses our three ‘must-haves’ in a shared storage solution: multi-user Read/Write functionality; the ability to create volumes on the fly without having to take users down; and the flexibility to increase volumes--all at a fraction of the cost of traditional SAN systems. It offers a nice blend of functionality and affordability, and as a smaller company that’s growing rapidly, that’s important to us.”

With more than 600 terabytes of media assets in house and more content coming in on a daily basis, DNA Evolution has proven to be crucial in Coolfire’s archival process. “DNA Evolution gets our data onto LTO tape incredibly fast, allowing us to keep up with incoming data. Having an archival product that runs in a quick, efficient manner ensures redundancy of our footage. The fact that DNA Evolution formats LTFS is an added benefit because it allows anyone to read the data if you need to send an LTO tape out of house,” Henry explained. “These features are important in an enterprise archive solution, and from a functionality standpoint, DNA Evolution blows its competition out of the water, with features that uniquely cater to video users. The fact that we could also use it to conform an online is also appealing, and something we’d like to explore integrating into our workflow in the future.”

Whether for a small or mid-sized company or large enterprise, Henry believes the benefits of a solid shared storage and archiving workflow are indisputable. She concluded, “The ability to have a shared storage solution like TerraBlock pays for itself, but you also need a complementary archiving solution like DNA Evolution to manage your data and get the most out of your shared storage. DNA Evolution and TerraBlock are a great match; even through heavy post schedules and high data rates, they’ve proved themselves time and time again.”