Book DescriptionEvery production is built on the backbone of the pipeline. While a functional and flexible pipeline can’t assure a successful project, a weak pipeline can guarantee its demise. A solid pipeline produces a superior product in less time and with happier artists who can remain creative throughout the grueling production schedule.Walk through the foundational layers of the production pipeline, including IT infrastructure, software development practices and deployment policies, asset management, shot management, and rendering management. Production Pipeline Fundamentals for Film and Games will teach you how to direct limited resources to the right technological initiatives, getting the most for every dollar spent.
Learn how to prepare for and manage all aspects of the pipeline with this entirely unique, one-of-a-kind guide. Expand your knowledge with real-world pipeline secrets handed to you by a stellar group of professionals from across the globe. Visit the companion website for even further resources on the pipeline.
The pipeline for CG can differ greatly when making your own film from traditional animation because many times you cannot create all of the content yourself. To prevent loss of data it is vital to stay organized and provide project folder structure that can support growth. This is the structure I suggest using as a start when making your own film. Production PipelineMaking a film is a big task. It makes more sense to work on smaller chunks and put those together later. The pipeline enables the crew to figure out how those chunks will fit together to make a film.
The feedback cycle is about aesthetic fit. Production is about doing the actual work. Production pipelines must get software and resources to people, allow them to work, and pass the work easily to the final output. These resources (typically files and data) are the ‘physical’ embodiment of the assets.The production files and data have their own set of dependencies that may or may not mimic the dependency graph of the entire project. It is crucial to a successful production to balance organization with solutions and flexibility in the pipeline.
Too much organization might limit artists, but too many hacks make assets impossible to manage in the end. Production pipeline is a combination of:. Production software; i.e. What you use to make stuff, which spills into file formats and capabilities, can also include automation/project specific software that depends on project practices.
Standards and best practices: naming conventions, project file organization, dos and don’ts, limits on poly count, image size, etc. Pipeline software: any software or scripts that automate the pipeline, project on a metalevel, or enforce the best practices, or better, allow only those best practices to be used (i.e. Instead of using append/link, use the project approved asset manager, which only links in predictable ways).
From an artist’s perspective, this implies the following needs:. An artist has to be able to get any initial data/files they need to start with ease due to the organization of file structure.
For example an animator needs a shot with layout, a texture artist needs models and perhaps photo texture library access, etc. An artist needs the software to work on the files.
How 3d Animation Is Made
The pipeline should be idiot proof. Maintaining naming conventions, ‘what goes where’ and how the files link to each other is critical. Finally, artists need to be able to fit work back into the project. Asset and Task ManagementResource management (people, computers, assets and renderfarms ) are critical to planning your project.The terms “Assets” and “Tasks” are a good way to organize your project.
The assets are the parts of the show that are animation, objects, props, effects and characters built on the computer. Feedback PipelineProject directors and concept crew generate verbal/text descriptions, concept art, storyboards and animation references for the tasks to be completed. Artists use this material to start work. Frequent (daily or weekly feedback sessions). Artists need a place to post work to get feedback in the form of comments, draw-overs, grease pencil lines on animation. Artists refine until a task is complete (agreed by artist and supervisor or director to be final).
Sometimes you need to “un-final” things. The system has to be flexible enough to allow this. Show OrganizationThe organization should run along the lines of:SHOW – SEQUENCE – SHOT – CLIPShow Example: Mutt’s Story = MS for SHOWSequence Example: Marvin the Mutt Runs Away = RA for SEQUENCEScene Example: Marvin Jumps Out the Window = JW for SCENEShot Example: Shot = S for SHOT and use 0010 for growth Naming ConventionsNEVER add a, b, c to shot names!!! This is poor form and will cause major problems later in specific software that order all of your files numerically.NEVER use “.” in your file names. Maya freaks out with the dot in a filename as this means something else to Maya.So, the name of a file might be: MSRAJW010S0010animv23.maTranslation: This is v23 of the animator’s file for the Show Mutt’s Story, Sequence: Marvin the Mutt Runs Away, Scene: Jumps out the Window, Shot 01, and no clips. If you hire a lighter, this is his/her workspace.
You may also like to have a separate workspace for lighting even if you are doing it yourself. Just keeps files clean and only the hero work is referenced into the final shots.
It is helpful to create a Maya workspace here so all of the files are saved in the right directories. Lights are, of course, shared assets but they get their own place in case you hire a lighter. assets. autosave.
clips. data. images. particles. renderData. renderscenes. scenes.
SQ010. SC0010. SC0020. SC0030.
SQ020. SQ030.
sound. sourceimages. textures06 AUDIO. If you hire a sound person or even if you just want to keep all of your dialog files in a separate place as you might be making revisions to them, this is where they go.
Lights are, of course, shared assets but they get their own place in case you hire a sound designer. Audio is not subject to the Maya project since the audio will be revised and mastered in different software. It is helpful to keep the SEQUENCE/SCENE/SHOT structure, though. scratch. SQ010.
Saved data for PlayStation® format softwareSaved data for PlayStation® format software is saved on an internal memory card that is created in the system storage. To use this feature, the system software of the PSP™ system must be version 6.50 or later. Hints. For information on playing games on the PSP™ system, refer to the for the PSP™ system.Games that can be played on either PS3™ or PSP™ systemsIf you are playing a game that is compatible with both systems, you can copy saved data from the game from one system to the other so that you can continue playing where you left off. The method for copying saved data varies depending on the game type. 
SC0010. SC0020. SC0030. SQ020. SQ03007 COMP.