Burn

Autodesk® Burn® software is a Linux®-based network processing solution for Autodesk creative solutions which allows you to render images in the background using low-cost PC workstations while simultaneously freeing your online suite for more creative tasks

Overview

Multi-Node Background Processing Solution

Burn® software is Autodesk's Linux®-based network processing solution for Autodesk® Inferno®, Autodesk® Flame®, Autodesk® Flint®, Autodesk® Fire®, Autodesk® Smoke®, and Autodesk® Lustre® effects systems software. Burn allows you to render images in the background using low-cost Linux workstations while simultaneously freeing your online suite for more creative tasks. With Burn, facilities can leverage a larger pool of CPU power so that complex visual effects requiring intensive processing can be created more quickly—cutting production costs and reducing time to completion on a project—a significant advantage when creating the complex visual effects required for today's demanding feature film, HDTV, and video projects.   Images courtesy of Digital Pictures. Farscape mark & logo, characters, and elements are trademarks of the Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved.

"Burn software gives our Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Inferno systems their greatest flexibility yet," explains Brian Hanable, Senior Interactive Compositing Artist, Sony Pictures Imageworks. "Using four Burn nodes and Flame, we are able to render 2K film build pieces on Burn while still adjusting the rest of the composite in proxy mode. We check the Backburner manager to monitor the progress, and when those renders are done, we can swap out the proxies with the rendered 2K results. Our team can keep on working throughout the process and rendering process-intensive ADN Sparks is also maximized," concludes Hanable.

Features

Autodesk® Burn® software supports Autodesk® systems products (previously branded as Discreet®) Inferno® 5.3, Flame® 8.3, Flint® 8.3, Fire® 6.5, Smoke® 6.5, and Lustre® 2.5, or later versions.
Reads and writes clips directly to Autodesk® Stone® Direct framestores.
Features an integrated software-based OpenGL® renderer.
Renders Batch setups (including Action) in Inferno, Flame, and Flint.
Renders timeline soft effects and transitions in Fire and Smoke.
Renders setups directly from Desktop and Editdesk modules.

Upon completing each render request, Burn sends finished frames directly to the Inferno, Flint, Flame, Fire, Smoke, or Lustre framestore.

Simple to Use

Just click on the Burn button to launch a background process.
Background processing requests are centrally managed by Autodesk® Backburner™ network processing manager, which allocates them to any Burn resources available on the network.
On receiving a processing request, Burn automatically fetches the images it requires from Autodesk Stone Direct via the network for processing.
Rendered results are automatically returned to the originating system.

Installation

Burn can be installed on remote servers and render farms in a machine-room.
Servers can be installed on GigE or InfiniBand™ networks.
Requires no user interaction and has no user interface–its core function being exclusively to execute rendering tasks in the background.
Supports processing on multiple Linux workstations, up to a maximum of 20 per originating system.
Burn can be installed on any supported PC workstation configured with Linux Red Hat® Enterprise 4 update 2 with kernel 2.6.9-22 ELsmp.
Requires Autodesk® Wire® functionality and Backburner network processing manager to operate.
Wire is required for all systems except Autodesk Lustre.

Backburner

Backburner network processing management software includes Server, Manager, and Monitor modules.
Provides a single, central location for handling requests originating from multiple systems on the network.
Upon receiving one or more processing requests, Backburner is responsible for prioritizing requests and allocating them appropriately to all available Burn systems on the network for efficient workload sharing and then dispatching the individual request to each Burn workstation.
Backburner monitors the status of each request and notifies the originating system.
Backburner is distributed with Burn.
Backburner Manager can be installed on most PC workstations running Microsoft® Windows® 2000 or XP, or Linux Red Hat Enterprise 4–no actual processing occurs on this station.
Backburner Monitor can be accessed through a web browser from any platform and is integrated into Autodesk Editing and Effects 2007 systems.

Render requests are made from Inferno, Flint, Flame, Fire, Smoke, and Lustre systems to the Backburner server. Backburner prioritizes the availability and efficiency of each Burn node, and delegates rend tasks accordingly.