Smoke on MAC

[MichaelHalsell]

The Mac version is almost identical to the base Smoke product on Linux. There is nothing "junior varsity" about it, other than the inability to use Batch (not in the base Linux product, either) and Real Time Deliverables (a limitation of the platform at this point in time). Those are not deal breakers unless they're things you use every day, and most compositing on Smoke can be done without Batch. In fact, there are a number of "old school" Flame operators who don't use it either.

So would there ever be need or request to have MacSmoke have complete parity with it's Linux counterpart? Other than have Spark support, is the product acceptable enough as it stands?

[M Most]

So would there ever be need or request to have MacSmoke have complete parity with it's Linux counterpart? Other than have Spark support, is the product acceptable enough as it stands?

Until more of them are in the field, tested under battlefield conditions, and proven to be as reliable under those conditions as the Linux version, it's all a bit speculative. But pending that, my opinion would be yes, it is more than acceptable.

[RivaiC]

I think you guys forget that SMOKE on Linux didn't have batch until 2009, and it was still a very capable product.

Here is why SMOKE makes sense for our facility right now.

1. We need a machine that can work with high quality DPX files seamlessly. For color management this is critical. Dealing with Quicktime is a color management nightmare.

2. We need a system where we can work with our assembled timeline and do basic compositing very quickly (graphics, time remaps, paint, tracking, and roto). It must also be suitable for client supervised sessions.

So far we've eliminated Final Cut, Avid, After Effects, Nuke, Shake, Premiere, Combustion, and pretty much everything else on the market that would fall in the 'desktop' category.

Smoke was/is primarily about assembling all the elements together from all the different departments/specialty apps and still being able to make tweaks/changes as well as add finishing touches that need to happen once everything is all together.

If you do not have this need, than Smoke is not for you. If I needed compositing, Id choose Nuke. If I needed to do motion graphics, Id choose After Effects. If I needed to Edit, Id choose Final Cut or Media Composer.

My theory is that Smoke Linux will either be phased out or dropped to a software only product like it is on the Mac. At this point, who is going to buy a Smoke Advanced system on Linux? From my perspective, Autodesk has revealed a very clear roadmap and that is to move away from the hardware. As of today, there is absolutely nothing special about Autodesks hardware. It's off the shelf parts with a HUGE markup. First they launched Spark but require a Flame dongle, then SMACK, and I'll bet Spark, Lustre, and even Flame will be not too far behind. This is a roadmap that will take 3-5 more years to complete. Does this completely change Autodeks business in the professional market? Yes, but if they want to stay relevant in the world of Nuke, Scratch, and After Effects, they will need to adapt to survive.

I think its very positive to see them making these moves before the absolute last minute. Avid is a great example. They moved too slowly and allowed Final Cut to gain significant market share. Today, they are in the final stages of their 'turnkey hardware' transformation and they have started to regain mindshare from the Final Cut generation.

Hi Emery

Sure smoke is still a very capable product without Batch, but that was before. Since smoke is supposed to enable us to do work faster and quicker so having Batch is a plus with the recent introduction. That is the idea of new product. I just feel it doesnt make sense right now because they need to keep the integrity on linux version for the time being...but it's also due to technical limitation.

I'm not sure how they are going to separate the linux and mac version. As it stands right now, it still makes sense for the price point due to the feature differences. But say after sparks and batch are included in the future, linux version will seem less attractive anymore.

With this being said, I wonder when SDI board is going to be enable in future OS X.

[MichaelP]

I read a blog update on Post Magazine's website that the Kona 3 card was supported for smoke on Mac.

Michael

[RivaiC]

I read a blog update on Post Magazine's website that the Kona 3 card was supported for smoke on Mac.

Michael

it is..no sdi monitoring possible without that.

[Bal Deo]

There are some great tips here smoke on mac, including conforming red one files on smoke.
http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/discreetuk
You will need to register, the information here is just priceless.