Two-thousand rendering servers and workstations now managed by Qube! render farm management software; burst licensing new hallmark of finals routine.
LOS ANGELES -- PipelineFX education customers have purchased 2,000 licenses of Qube!, making it the most widely used render farm management software for visual arts programs worldwide. Nearly 200 universities now trust Qube! to automate their render queues for student animation and graphics projects. As a mainstay at production houses like ReelFX, Image Engine and South Park Studios, Qube! helps students familiarize themselves with a production standard long before they enter the workforce. But it is what Qube! does for predictable crunch periods like finals that has been motivating a lot of schools to give it a shot.
“During our peak production cycle, we are rendering in the ballpark of 50,000 frames a week. Using burst licenses, we can scale up all of our computer labs for these busy periods in an easy and economical manner,” said Richard Hagen, senior systems administrator at School of Visual Arts (SVA). “PipelineFX has very responsive customer support, as well as a good understanding of the unique needs of the education sector.”
Since its debut in 2013, PipelineFX’s free Burst Licensing program has been a driving force behind customer satisfaction in the education market. Burst licensing, in essence, allows all PipelineFX education customers on subscription to double their current license capacity twice a year, at no additional charge. Burst timelines are then determined by the users, who choose between a one-month burst that starts on the first of the month and a 30-day burst that begins on a day that works best.
"We are a relatively small department (with an eye toward growth),” said Philip White, manager of technology at Mercy College. “Excellent academic pricing and support allows us to offer students a fully professional experience. Though our number of licenses is small, I have always felt that we were supported as if we were a major studio. The most recent semester was a real challenge as we added Arnold to the mix, but PipelineFX was with us all the way. The Burst license option is generous and is available when needed."
"Thanks to the Burst licensing, we can utilize more available resources at a critical time, which has enabled students to meet project milestones,” said Gary Huang, Digital Systems Specialist at California Institute of Arts. “This has brought us peace of mind during our production delivery phase at CalArts.”
PipelineFX is currently in discussions with top education programs, determining even more ways to serve the market.
“We want Qube!’s development to reflect the needs of our customers,” said Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. “So if you have a great idea, get in touch. Burst licensing came from a customer; I’m sure other ideas will too.”
Source: PiplineFX
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
