How to Set Up an Autodesk Flame Environment on the AWS Cloud – Step-by-Step Guide
About Autodesk Flame
Autodesk Flame is an industry-leading 3D compositing, visual effects, and editorial finishing tool complete with an integrated environment for accelerating creative workflows. Flame provides artists and editors with the freedom to make creative decisions without getting bogged down by the technical hurdles of post-production.
Applications
Autodesk Flame is often used in multiple post-production applications:
Building complex 3D environments with an intuitive node-based compositing system
Creating AI-powered VFX for commercials, films, and TV episodes
Finishing, with a robust, integrated color grading toolset
Features:
Flame 2023 accelerates post-production workflows with an expanded list of key features:
3D compositing toolset
Next-generation camera tracking
Timeline editing tools
Machine learning segmentation
MasterGrade creative color tool
Explorer grade bin
Integrated finishing core toolset
NDI video preview streaming
Dolby Vision HDR content tools
What are the Benefits of Flame on the Cloud?
Rapid Deployment: With the help of an Autodesk Services Partner like TrackIt, companies can have Flame workstations running on the AWS cloud within hours.
Ease of Collaboration:Deploying Flame on the cloud enables studios and artists to work remotely. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, studios are now looking to adopt a hybrid on-premise plus cloud approach. This provides faster collaboration with remotely-located artists who might only require access to workstations for short periods.
Cost Effectiveness: Rather than incurring upfront hardware costs, Flame on AWS provides studios and artists with an on-demand, pay-as-you-go model for their high-end workstations.
Setting up a Rudimentary Flame Environment on the Cloud – 4 Steps
Step #1: Create a Flame Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Autodesk provides a Rocky Linux 8.5 AMI ready to install Flame.
The AMI needs to be imported to an AWS account and configured with Flame and other software needed by artists and editors. In this example, the choice has been made to also set up a remote streaming protocol solution.
The configured AMI enables the creation of as many Flame instances as required.
Step #2: Set up a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
This step consists of setting up the inbound network security rules for Flame.
Inbound Network Security Rules
A security group can also be created for the chosen remote streaming protocol solution.
Step #3: Storage Setup
This step varies for each installation and depends on the designated global workflow. The following scenario is an example of a typical workstation-local storage volume setup with a standalone Flame workstation.
Storage Volume Setup Example
The following volumes have been used:
1 x gp2 volume for the operating system
4 x 2 TB st1 volumes in RAID0 for the media storage
1 x gp3 volume for a dedicated content ingestion drive
Step #4: Project Server Setup
A project server facilitates collaboration and simplifies project management by eliminating the creation of project data on Flame, Flare, or Flame Assist instances. The project data is stored on a centralized project server.
The following is a requirement overview for implementing a Project Server:
Set up the project server AMI and instance on AWS
Connect to the instance through a command line interface
Add some additional storage for project metadata
Configure a project server instance
Configure the networked storage for the instance
How TrackIt can Help
Despite its crucial role in the post-production process, Autodesk Flame can be just a piece of the overall post-production puzzle. Shared storage, User Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Authentication, transcode pipelines, data transfer mechanisms, etc. are all additional functions often required for a complete workflow. TrackIt, an official Autodesk Services Partner can assist companies in quickly setting up and deploying a full pipeline with Autodesk Flame on the AWS cloud along with all the workflows and processes required for seamless post-production.
TrackIt’s extensive experience and proven track record of implementing cloud solutions for the media and entertainment industry coupled with its Autodesk expertise make it the ideal choice for companies in the M&E vertical looking to integrate Flame into their workflows.
TrackIt is an Amazon Web Services Advanced Consulting Partner specializing in cloud management, consulting, and software development solutions based in Marina del Rey, CA.
TrackIt specializes in Modern Software Development, DevOps, Infrastructure-As-Code, Serverless, CI/CD, and Containerization with specialized expertise in Media & Entertainment workflows, High-Performance Computing environments, and data storage.
TrackIt’s forté is cutting-edge software design with deep expertise in containerization, serverless architectures, and innovative pipeline development. The TrackIt team can help you architect, design, build and deploy a customized solution tailored to your exact requirements.
In addition to providing cloud management, consulting, and modern software development services, TrackIt also provides an open-source AWS cost management tool that allows users to optimize their costs and resources on AWS.
