New Unreal Engine 5 plugin leverages existing render setups and scalability so cloud-based resources can accelerate final-pixel outputs; also updates DCC apps, including Adobe After Effects 2023, Autodesk Maya 2024, Autodesk 3ds Max 2024, Autodesk VRED 2023 and Maxon Cinema 4D 2023.
AWS has released AWS Thinkbox Deadline 10.3, a new version of the widely used batch compute render scheduler now with support for Epic Games’ real-time 3D content creation tool, Unreal Engine, and version updates for other industry standard digital content creation (DCC) applications.
Compatible across Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms, Deadline 10.3 supports over 80 DCCs for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid renderfarms. Integrating Deadline 10.3 with Unreal Engine 5 allows users to leverage existing render setups efficiently for scale with cloud-based resources to accelerate final-pixel outputs. Artists can continue to focus on content creation workflows while offloading render and pipeline tasks to the farm.
AWS Thinkbox Deadline developers worked closely with Epic Games to build the new UE5 plugin to connect Deadline with the Movie Render Queue sequence output tool in Unreal Engine. A single click in Movie Render Queue lets artists submit a job to Deadline and continue real-time creative sequences and shot work without switching context. The farm handles rendering and pipeline automation in the background. When not in use, on-premises resources, such as workstations with high-powered GPUs, can be integrated into a larger pool, maximizing the compute available for rendering with Unreal Engine and other applications. With the new Deadline integration, Unreal Engine links directly into cloud infrastructure so studios can scale as needed.
Rodeo FX VFX Supervisor Peter Nofz noted, “We are excited to have an artist-friendly way to submit to our GPU farm from inside Unreal Engine with the new Deadline plugin.”
Deadline 10.3, and other Thinkbox tools, are available as a free download via the AWS Management Console’s AWS Thinkbox Download page. In 2022, to support visual content creators and make managing licenses easier, AWS made the entire collection of Thinkbox tools free.
New DCC versions supported in Deadline 10.3 include Adobe After Effects 2023; Autodesk Maya 2024; Autodesk 3ds Max 2024; Autodesk VRED 2023; and Maxon Cinema 4D 2023. Deadline 10.3 is shipping with Python 3.10 in alignment with the VFX Reference Platform, making it easier for customers to manage their pipelines with closer Deadline integration. For additional details, check out the Deadline 10.3 What’s New post.
Source AWS
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
