OK, so, I'm sure we're all buzz-word savy here. We're all multi-media
aware.
We're integrated. We've all talked to our solutions providers. Our meta
data is in order and dynamic in nature. And we're all open architecture in
our
design choices.
Likewise, we're all using self healing computer systems. And since we're
super
cutting edge, we're moving from object oriented programming to aspect
oriented
programming. All using Rapid Application Development (RAD) tools. Awesome
:)
I've run out of buzz words.
So whats with this pipeline development thing?
Ok, joking asside, I've heard the term thrown about quite a bit when it
comes to
3d software as of late and while I was on holiday for the past few weeks it
crept into my mind a few times.
Pipeline development.
I guess the question is: what do you folks in general consider to be under
the
realm of pipeline development?
For example, I've read through the CG Soup articles on pipeline. And it all
makes good sense. People organized in a system and a progression for assets
to
step through. Good solid milstones, locks, review points and opportunities
for
iteration. Thats how you design a good pipeline with existing software and
tools.
But every once and a while I hear some comments which make me think some
studios
are doing a lot more than simple work force organization and data repository
restructuring, and moving from "having a pipeline" into the realm of
"developing a pipeline, and pipeline tools". And its this area that I'm
currious about.
For example, for my own projects, I am currently using subversion and
tortoise.
http://subversion.tigris.org/
http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/
to version everything from XSI projects, to sourcecode for my plugins, to
the
psd files I use to generate my synoptic graphics.
The binary DIFFing allows me to save drive space but still feel secure that
the
past has not been lost. And having the central repository lets me take my
work
with me from machine to machine very easily. I can even merge changes on
two
machines that have lost sync.
I've also read in some postings a few weeks ago regarding Omation's
pipeline,
that there's a good ammount of SQL styled database work going on with their
pipeline.
And of course, my mind immediately started spinning visions of reference
models
being stored as BLOB objects in a huge database with versioning information.
Then I came back down to reality and realized its probably not quite as
grand an
integration as that. But who knows?
I also thought about work that was started at R Greenburg and Associates
back in
the day, that I believe has a life over at RhinoFX today. The basic theory
being that Maya ASCII files are stored in a big CVS-like repository and
spliced
together on the fly. So one could theoritically commit just the lights from
a
scene to the repository. Then one could have the repository generate a
scene
that has the most recent characters, the animation from last week, and the
lighting from yesterday morning. One could tweak the animation and then
commit
just the animation back to the regpository. Meanwhile, the riggers are
fixing
minor skinning issues. The next day, you update and pull the latest version
of
everything to your machine and do test renders. Its like a Maya aware CVS
that
has concepts of lights and characters and such, and can weave .ma files
appropriately to make it work. In theory anyhow, I have not used it and I'm
not sure if I'm making it out to be more than it actually is.
I realize this is starting to sound like a jumble on random pipeline info...
probably because it is.
Question: as far as the XSI world goes, is anyone doing stuff like this?
Once
a people pipeline has been established, are complex tools being written
around
the
pipeline to the point that the production is centered more on a versioning
reposiory and a database than on a "people maintained directory structure?"
Are
these tools integrated directly into XSI?
Question: Has anyone been using the alienbrain integration in XSI that
could
comment on how it works for them in a production pipeline?
Question: Brad and Kim, is this the kind of super secret stuff you guys do
on a
daily basis? Or is this still something thats over the horizon?
Question: In XSI land we don't really have the power of the ASCII based
file
format. And reference models are still rough around the edges. Does anyone
think (or know for that matter) this kind of self weaving meta-data based
pipeline technology is something that could be developed for XSI at this
point?
Or are we a few features and APIs short?
All this stuff has been bouncing around in my head and I'm currious as to
the
actual state of affairs in the high end production world in XSI.
Thanks for any insight.
-brad
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