Quantum today announced a new animation and visual effects workflow reference architecture built on the company's Xcellis shared storage system. This robust and exceptionally flexible architecture delivers optimal storage capabilities for animation and editorial operations, thereby streamlining workflows and boosting overall efficiency and productivity.
The time- and resource-consuming task of transferring content between the animation and editorial departments over a network is a key obstacle for post facilities seeking to maximize workflow efficiencies. In some cases, entire facilities must essentially shut down for hours each day as they copy material over the network and dedicate storage systems on both sides of this divide to writing and reading data. Quantum's new reference architecture enables users to overcome these challenges, maintaining storage for both animation/VFX and editorial within a single shared environment that supplies the type and degree of connectivity required across the end-to-end workflow.
Boasting a unique architecture that integrates key workflow storage components into an easy-to-manage, highly scalable hardware solution, Xcellis supports both Fibre Channel and Ethernet clients, hosts workflow applications and manages data across multiple storage tiers. Powered by Quantum's industry-leading StorNext platform, Xcellis also allows users to optimize any of up to 64 separate file systems to meet the performance requirements of different departments.
Quantum’sDave Frederick, senior director of media and entertainment said, "Quantum's new animation and visual effects workflow reference architecture leverages our StorNext-powered Xcellis high-performance storage and QXS hybrid flash-disk storage with real-time tiering to enable much greater efficiency at post facilities with both animation and editorial departments. It not only eliminates the need for separate storage silos but also eases collaboration across these departments and optimizes storage and media access according to the needs of each. With the resulting gains in capacity and productivity, media facilities can take on larger and more demanding projects, and more projects overall."