VFX artists can now more easily run their workloads within AWS. The managed service Amazon Deadline Cloud is specifically designed to run rendering pipelines for large amounts of graphics and digital visual effects.
High-quality visual effects consume a lot of processing power and therefore incur high costs. The new Amazon Deadline Cloud aims to put an end to that high price tag by providing the necessary infrastructure for rendering pipelines. It assists with deploying and scaling workloads as needed and runs entirely on AWS’ public cloud environment.
From now on, Amazon Deadline Cloud allows users to easily set up rendering farms of cloud-based instances. By doing so, they only pay for the hardware cycles used. This way, users do not have to worry about infrastructure and can significantly reduce rendering costs. It’s basically the promise that cloud services have always made, with now a targeted solution for VFX work.
AWS Deadline Cloud in practice
When setting up a rendering infrastructure through the managed AWS service, users are asked about the size and duration of the project to determine the right type of instances. It then automatically sets up the appropriate AWS EC2 instances that handle all the compute power and networking.
For customers who have their own on-premises infrastructure, AWS Deadline Cloud can pick up additional rendering tasks. In addition, the service integrates commonly used software tools from other providers, including Autodesk Maya and Foundry Nuke. All tasks are further visible and manageable through a dashboard environment.
Other cloud rendering providers as well
AWS is not the only public cloud provider to offer a rendering service for media and entertainment companies. Google Cloud, among others, has offered the Zync Render service for years. There are also purpose-built cloud-based rendering services like Escape’s Chaos Cloud platform.
AWS Deadline Cloud is now available in the AWS regions: U.S. East (Ohio, North Virginia), U.S. West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo) and Europe (Frankfurt, Ireland). More regions will be available soon.
Also read: Amazon Connect gets new AI features for contact centers