LOS ANGELES — At the SIGGRAPH Conference in Vancouver, Thinkbox Software (www.thinkboxsoftware.com) is demonstrating Deadline 7, the latest version of its scalable, high-volume compute management solution, which is currently in beta and scheduled to launch later this year. Further extending the functionality of the cross-platform tool, Deadline 7 features significant architectural changes and core technology upgrades, which include a new Qt interface, an updated MongoDB database, Ftrack support, and deeper integration with Shotgun.
Additionally, Deadline 7 is now optimized for more flexible cloud interaction through built-in VMX (Virtual Machine Extension) capabilities that allow users to leverage private and public clouds. It also introduces Draft 1.2, the latest iteration of Thinkbox's lightweight compositing and video processing plug-in. It’s designed to automate typical post-render tasks and adds support for OpenColorIO, ASC CDL LUT and Unicode as well as licensing improvements.
“With the enhanced cloud functionality of Deadline, we’ve made render resources elastic,” says Chris Bond, founder of Thinkbox Software. “Whether studios leverage local machines, cloud resources or a combination of the two, Deadline makes it easy to scale up with a unified farm to efficiently handle the production peaks. Not only can facilities fully tap into the power they already have, but they can also seamlessly supplement farms for as long as needed.”