Autodesk Inc. has released a new configuration of its Academy Award-winning Discreet Inferno visual effects system for the Japanese market. The system is designed to meet the specific platform performance and branding requirements of many Japanese post-production facilities.
The new Japanese configuration is being offered in addition to the currently shipping version of Discreet Inferno on an SGI Onyx 350 Visualization System. The new, Japan-only Discreet Inferno system runs on a dual-core IBM, AMD workstation with high-performance parallel server processing capabilities and several Japanese components.
The Discreet Inferno system has helped digital artists realize ideas for high-end film and television content, as well as commercials and television channel branding. It provides a fully interactive 3D compositing environment and advanced creative tools for video, standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) TV and 2K digital cinema post-production
The Discreet Inferno brand has always represented ultimate performance and Autodesk is pleased to be able to tune the solution for specific market needs. It is particularly strong in Japan, and our Japanese customers workflow and performance requirements are unique, said Bill Roberts, director of product management for Autodesks Media & Ent. division. As a result, this platform alternative is suited to the Japanese markets needs. It delivers compelling performance and throughput, particularly for project-based commercials work.
Roberts added, We have invested substantially to ensure that the Discreet Inferno software can extract maximum performance from many platforms; we continue to explore other platform options for this product, such as the newly announced Altix blade-based architecture from SGI. Our goal is to ensure that the creative power of Inferno software is available on the right platform for as many customers as possible.
Autodesk Inc. (www.autodesk.com), which recently acquired Alias, is the leading software and services company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, digital media and wireless data services fields. Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
