Silicon Graphics Technology Used to Create Breakthrough Visual Effects For the DreamWorks/PDI Animated Feature 'Antz'

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., - Silicon Graphics, Inc. today announced that its media serving and rendering technology played an important role in the production of "Antz." DreamWorks/Pacific Data Images (PDI) used the media-rich capabilities of the Silicon Graphics^R O2^TM desktop workstation for all modeling, animation and lighting to create the film's breakthrough visual effects, such as the human-like facial movements and realistic water imagery. Origin200^TM servers provided the compute power necessary to render the entire film, including the visually complex ant colony and large crowd scenes.

"The groundbreaking animation seen in "Antz" required unprecedented levels of computing power," said Carl Rosendahl, president of PDI and executive producer on Antz. "The integrated Silicon Graphics desktop and server systems ran continuously with unparalleled performance. This was critical to the production process and enabled us to create a visually rich film."

DreamWorks/PDI produced Antz using Silicon Graphics technology to meet all of their rendering, serving, modeling, animation, lighting and effects needs. Using more than 270 dual-CPU Origin200 servers and 140 O2 workstations, Silicon Graphics provided DreamWorks/PDI with the server production capacity and online storage required to manage and manipulate the vast amounts of data being generated. By utilizing end-to-end Silicon Graphics technology, PDI was able to control the cost of production by reducing systems administration costs and leveraging hardware resources.

"Silicon Graphics offered full support of DreamWorks/PDI's business objectives by providing them with servers and workstations capable of delivering 7x24 production computing in a demanding environment, with the service and support to match," said Greg Estes, director of Entertainment and Media Marketing at Silicon Graphics. "PDI has set a new standard for computer-generated films with the production of 'Antz' and Silicon Graphics is proud to have been part of its creation."

Using a total of over 700 processors for rendering, PDI animators were able to produce approximately 107 feet of approved animation each week. Animators used the multipurpose O2 workstations on the desktop for 3D animation that allowed them to play back rendered animation frames. This feedback increased the animators' productivity dramatically. Two large Origin2000^TM servers were used to serve all of the render data to the animators' desktop machines. The production required over 3.2 terabytes of storage.

Silicon Graphics is the leading supplier of computer systems for the production of digital special effects to the entertainment industry. Top studios use Silicon Graphics workstations and servers to generate many of today's visually compelling effects for blockbuster feature films. Silicon Graphics continues to evolve its O2 workstation lines with performance and hardware options. Most recently the dual-display option was introduced which enables cel animators to take advantage of extended desktop real estate to work more efficiently in a multiple application scenario. Silicon Graphics hardware, coupled with software packages from leading third-party vendors, provides the ultimate platform for digital content creation.

Origin200 servers bring a price/performance advantage to high-volume applications such as media streaming, rendering, file serving and Web serving. More specifically, the Origin^TM serves the entertainment industry's requirements, providing excellent performance and outstanding reliability at a low price point. As a UNIX^R machine, the Origin200 interoperates in heterogeneous Windows NT^R, NetWare^R, IBM^R OS/2^TM and Macintosh^R environments.

SOURCE Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.sgi.com