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Pretty much confirmed: Pixar to switch
- Thread starter agreenster
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edit: looks like cc bcc beat me to it.
The guy that made Starship Troopers (which, even as a parody, sucked) was the same guy who made Showgirls. Also Robocop, Total Recall, Hollow Man, and a bunch of other movies that had great ideas but not so great execution. Lets hope someone else does the sequel.
BTW, it was rated R.
*Back on subject*
Weren't the Intels leased? I heard Pixar had a bunch of Dells, too, but I doubt they buy everything. Wonder if they could get a discount on all those G5s. Even if Steve has to keep the companies separate, for fairness and in the best interest of both, you'd think they'd at least get a discount for buying (or leasing)bulk.
The guy that made Starship Troopers (which, even as a parody, sucked) was the same guy who made Showgirls. Also Robocop, Total Recall, Hollow Man, and a bunch of other movies that had great ideas but not so great execution. Lets hope someone else does the sequel.
BTW, it was rated R.
*Back on subject*
Weren't the Intels leased? I heard Pixar had a bunch of Dells, too, but I doubt they buy everything. Wonder if they could get a discount on all those G5s. Even if Steve has to keep the companies separate, for fairness and in the best interest of both, you'd think they'd at least get a discount for buying (or leasing)bulk.
Re: Pixar & Apple
SGI has been dead for a while. It should be an easy take-over. Most studios are using Linux/x86 boxes for their workstations. Hopefully the tide will shift to the G5...starting with Pixar
SGI has been dead for a while. It should be an easy take-over. Most studios are using Linux/x86 boxes for their workstations. Hopefully the tide will shift to the G5...starting with Pixar
Death of SGI
Yeah, I know they've fallen into obscurity... But they've fallen, Mac's haven't surpassed them, yet...
If Apple makes those workstations though, and designs them for exactly what Pixar needs, leaves out all the stuff Pixar doesn't, I'm sure such machines would be a shoe-in for a lot of pro markets, including the sciences...
I've been waiting on Macs to get to this level for a very very long time. *grins*
Jaedreth
Yeah, I know they've fallen into obscurity... But they've fallen, Mac's haven't surpassed them, yet...
If Apple makes those workstations though, and designs them for exactly what Pixar needs, leaves out all the stuff Pixar doesn't, I'm sure such machines would be a shoe-in for a lot of pro markets, including the sciences...
I've been waiting on Macs to get to this level for a very very long time. *grins*
Jaedreth
When you are Pixar, you are replacing your hardware at such a rate that PowerPC vs Intel doesn't matter. All that matters is that your code compiles and runs fast as bejesus on this year's hardware.
Pixar is a damned far cry from your "typical corporate client" where boxes originally designed for Windows 3.1 are still "in the system".
DOD in Shake
In the world of Shake DOD stands for DOMAIN OF DEFINITION. Basically when you turn this feature on Shake only process a defined aera in your viewer. For example the search region in the tracker.
BTW: Starship Troopers 2 is only coming out on video. And that part of the presentation was done by Tippet Studios.
In the world of Shake DOD stands for DOMAIN OF DEFINITION. Basically when you turn this feature on Shake only process a defined aera in your viewer. For example the search region in the tracker.
BTW: Starship Troopers 2 is only coming out on video. And that part of the presentation was done by Tippet Studios.
RenderMan Results?
Seems like no one noticed or has yet to comment on the fact that the screen shot showing RenderMan results indicates that the 2.0 GHz G5 was only slightly faster than the Xeon running at 2.8GHz (also, I guess, a dual processor). What happened to the 2X advantage that Apple demoed at WWDC?
Actually, I think this is just closer to the truth. The G5 only brings Apple back to rough parity with the high-end Intel and AMD offerings. In any case, if Pixar is moving more of their production to PowerMac G5s then that is a very good thing for Apple and the "rest of us."
Seems like no one noticed or has yet to comment on the fact that the screen shot showing RenderMan results indicates that the 2.0 GHz G5 was only slightly faster than the Xeon running at 2.8GHz (also, I guess, a dual processor). What happened to the 2X advantage that Apple demoed at WWDC?
Actually, I think this is just closer to the truth. The G5 only brings Apple back to rough parity with the high-end Intel and AMD offerings. In any case, if Pixar is moving more of their production to PowerMac G5s then that is a very good thing for Apple and the "rest of us."
NASA was able to do Single 2.0 GHz G5 benchmarks, don't you think Pixar, being 57% owned by Steve Jobs has that same capability?
Hello?? Anyone home....
what makes you even think both of the systems discussed were not either Single or Dual on both sides of the platform fence..
Use your head...
Hello?? Anyone home....
what makes you even think both of the systems discussed were not either Single or Dual on both sides of the platform fence..
Use your head...
Re: Re: RenderMan Results?
Right, and I doubt that at this stage there is much going on in the AltiVec department. No sources, jsut a guess.
P-Worm
Right, and I doubt that at this stage there is much going on in the AltiVec department. No sources, jsut a guess.
P-Worm
Renderman for G5
Pixar is going to optimize the fool out of Renderman, take advantage of the 64 bit hardware and the altivec, and when optimization is complete, Pixar will get a *lot* of work done quickly on these machines. Wait til they get their hands on higher end workstation macs... 64 bit optimized with SMP support on 8, 16, 32, and 64 proc machines. I notice the much much earlier rumor said *nothing* about Quad processor Workstations. (The rumor actually said servers, but the design they described are more like workstations, though high end...) Perhaps if the PowerBooks ever make it to Dual G5, that low end PowerMacs may be dual and high end quad... If Apple could do that in a year or two, and keep the price down, we'd toast the market...
Jaedreth
Pixar is going to optimize the fool out of Renderman, take advantage of the 64 bit hardware and the altivec, and when optimization is complete, Pixar will get a *lot* of work done quickly on these machines. Wait til they get their hands on higher end workstation macs... 64 bit optimized with SMP support on 8, 16, 32, and 64 proc machines. I notice the much much earlier rumor said *nothing* about Quad processor Workstations. (The rumor actually said servers, but the design they described are more like workstations, though high end...) Perhaps if the PowerBooks ever make it to Dual G5, that low end PowerMacs may be dual and high end quad... If Apple could do that in a year or two, and keep the price down, we'd toast the market...
Jaedreth
Re: Re: RenderMan Results?
Ya but the G5 is running gcc and the Xeon is runnng icc
That Starship troopers 3d char animation series was made with LW,how do I know?,one day the soldiers were having a day off and one was wearing a LW t shirt.
This is incredible news,it will make more studios look at the possibility of a Mac pipeline.I noticed on Boxxs site that the mention they have of the G5 is a link to the guy from the digital video editing site who contacted the Apple engineers in order to set them up and make them look stupid.
Damn I hope Apple stops poking Adobe with a stick soon,because if we lose Photoshop Apple will be in big trouble...
Might be wrong but I think Digital Domain did the majority of the FX in the first Starship troopers movie.
Stu.
Ya but the G5 is running gcc and the Xeon is runnng icc
That Starship troopers 3d char animation series was made with LW,how do I know?,one day the soldiers were having a day off and one was wearing a LW t shirt.
This is incredible news,it will make more studios look at the possibility of a Mac pipeline.I noticed on Boxxs site that the mention they have of the G5 is a link to the guy from the digital video editing site who contacted the Apple engineers in order to set them up and make them look stupid.
Damn I hope Apple stops poking Adobe with a stick soon,because if we lose Photoshop Apple will be in big trouble...
Might be wrong but I think Digital Domain did the majority of the FX in the first Starship troopers movie.
Stu.
Starship Troopers (again)
Sony Imageworks and Tippet Studios were the main houses that worked on the original Starship Troopers feature. It was actually Sony's first big VFX movie. I don't think DD did any work on it.
Sony Imageworks and Tippet Studios were the main houses that worked on the original Starship Troopers feature. It was actually Sony's first big VFX movie. I don't think DD did any work on it.
Ah ok I was wrong ....must have been because I was reading a Digital Domain interview recently and it has gotten stuck in my head
Stu.
....must have been because I was reading a Digital Domain interview recently and it has gotten stuck in my head Stu.
Re: Re: Re: RenderMan Results?
Whereas the PC version is compiled using icc, the current speed champ. I've heard the advantage is largely due to the fact it auto-vectorizes code, which gcc doesn't.
Obviously we don't know much about how much Renderman uses Altivec, or how optimized it is for the G5, but I'd guess not very.
It's still very good news for Apple.
Mike.
Whereas the PC version is compiled using icc, the current speed champ. I've heard the advantage is largely due to the fact it auto-vectorizes code, which gcc doesn't.
Obviously we don't know much about how much Renderman uses Altivec, or how optimized it is for the G5, but I'd guess not very.
It's still very good news for Apple.
Mike.
The problem is that some Windows lemming will look at this news, and all of the "Pixar Chooses G5 Mac" advertising hoopla from Apple and think, "Bah, Pixar only switched to Macs because Jobsy is the CEO of both companies!!". Then he'll start yelling expletives about that big stupid nerd, Steve Jobs, and continue french kissing the Bill Gates poster he has hanging on his ceiling. Then he'll make it sticky. I can already see the cynics typing out their "Jobs and Pixar: Jeez, Go Figure" articles and stories for their magazines.
Not that I'm a pessimist or anything, but why can't we win!!
Renderman
The icc does have extensive optimization, and the gcc is basically just running on the G5. It's not optimized for even G4's altivec. They did have to make minor alterations to it so it would recognize the hardware properly. I read an indepth article on this elsewhere. Forgot where. But basically, just enough changes to make it run right. No altivec or anything...
Jaedreth
The icc does have extensive optimization, and the gcc is basically just running on the G5. It's not optimized for even G4's altivec. They did have to make minor alterations to it so it would recognize the hardware properly. I read an indepth article on this elsewhere. Forgot where. But basically, just enough changes to make it run right. No altivec or anything...
Jaedreth
P
paulc
Guest
???
Still a tad confused. Pixar obviously knew all about the G5 when they decided their render farm was going to be intel blades. And as far as I can tell, they are still goling that way for rendering. Sort of implying that while they may choose G5's for workstations, when flat out constant speed is needed, intel is still the way to go.
Still a tad confused. Pixar obviously knew all about the G5 when they decided their render farm was going to be intel blades. And as far as I can tell, they are still goling that way for rendering. Sort of implying that while they may choose G5's for workstations, when flat out constant speed is needed, intel is still the way to go.
Well Pixar having an Intel render farm makes sense. There are no G5 xServes out yet, and still it is probably quite a bit cheaper buying 2000 Xeons or whatnot than G5s. Not a big deal, but for workstations G5s would make sense. Also Finding Nemo just became the highest grossing animated feature ever, so Pixar still rides high (and saves Disney's hide currently) as the animation king. And the typical PC user will say anyway, who cares it's only Pixar using G5s, Jobs probably gave them for Apple advertising. It doesn't matter what gains Apple makes, PC users will ignore and dismiss it as nothing. Take benchmarks for example. For Pixar's next animated feature though I want to see some Panthers and Jaguars tear apart Longhorns... That would be great, if just for that plot alone!!!
Forgot to add, Adobe won't stop developing Photoshop for Mac. That would be stupid. That want to make money. Photoshop is very profitable. I use it every day at work, and most design professionals do. Adobe would be stupid to do that.
Forgot to add, Adobe won't stop developing Photoshop for Mac. That would be stupid. That want to make money. Photoshop is very profitable. I use it every day at work, and most design professionals do. Adobe would be stupid to do that.
Re: ???
In case anyone missed this, IBM will be building 970 boxen for Linux. I don't expect that Pixar would have a problem uprating the renderfarm to these in the future, though they might not be all that much less than Xserve and most likely more expensive than Xeon based servers. A nice tip to IBM I would think, in lieu of the potentially more costly Xserve, while still maintaining a fairly consistent code base.
In case anyone missed this, IBM will be building 970 boxen for Linux. I don't expect that Pixar would have a problem uprating the renderfarm to these in the future, though they might not be all that much less than Xserve and most likely more expensive than Xeon based servers. A nice tip to IBM I would think, in lieu of the potentially more costly Xserve, while still maintaining a fairly consistent code base.
Re: would have been nice
Even the next release, The Incredibles, will have used the current render farm if they plan on getting it out next year. Although some G5s might end up getting put to use in some aspects of production.
I'm guessing that the next one after The Incredibles will have more of a G5 and Apple influence.
D
Even the next release, The Incredibles, will have used the current render farm if they plan on getting it out next year. Although some G5s might end up getting put to use in some aspects of production.
I'm guessing that the next one after The Incredibles will have more of a G5 and Apple influence.
D