PGP Grid

NeSC Review

18 March 2004

Description and Aims

Apply real time 3D vision technology to animation production.Apply remote parallel processing to real time 3D vision.Apply remote parallel processing to hyper-realistic rendering of imaginary environmentsPropose best practice for Animation Virtual Organisations

Description

PGP LtdPGP Ltd

GlasgowGlasgowEPCCEPCC

WP1: VO Study

WP6: Distributed Rendering

WP4: Grid enabling S/Correlator

WP5: Image streaming

WP2: Capture of sequences

WP3: Specialisation of software

Status

Progress against plan All participants currently on schedule EPCC:

Finished Resource Locator Working on Remote Rendering Service (due end October)

GU has Parallelised matching Developed video sequence conforming software Developed Jpie and integrated this with resource locator

PGP has Bult CGA sequences using material produced by GU Jointly develop approach to remote rendering of sequences

Status

Effort against plan2 full time staff at GUEPCC has exceeded 15PM budget

WP6 (rendering) underestimated in original plan Staff made available to finish off work

Part of time of technical director of PGPGU has budget for 2 months more work on project, but need permission to extend

Modifications to plan (letter to DTI)Java interface to π-Calculus instead of multi-stream GridFTP protocolsRendering on PC-farms rather than HPCx

Deliverables due

Deliverable Delivered

VO report Yes

Sequences captured and delivered to Peppers Ghost

Yes

Resource locator for JPie – new deliverable added

Yes

GRID enabling of correlator Yes

Image stream protocol developed – extended to JPie

Yes

Tool for conforming bodies to captured sequences

Yes

Response to previous review

Reviewers thought there is no Grid content in the projectILS and RRS software are both WebservicesThey are covered in the Technical Achievements section.

Technical Achievements – JPieThe versions of GridFTP available do not support memory-to-memory transfer, which is required by our application.Lack of GridFTP server implementations on Windows has been a serious concern, with respect to cross platform use. This is especially the case when more than half the machines available to us are running Windows.Further investigation revealed that the existing GridFTP protocols are not available in pure Java versions. We regard this as desirable to allow our matching harness to have a light software footprint on machines such as teaching lab equipment running Windows. Milner’s π-Calculus provides the ability to transfer communications channels along communications channels in addition to image data itself, which is advantageous to our application for establishing dynamic data-flow graphs in the processing of image streams. We have just finished the incorporation of the resource locator into the Jpie system.

Technical Achievements – ILS

As part of its code, each -Calculus node can solve a problem or pass it to other, willing nodes to do it on its behalf

A node can pass its communications channels allowing dynamic configuration of data-flow graphs.Lookup for willing nodes is done through our Resource Locator Service (aka ILS – Initiator, Locator, Servent)

A webservice that allows Servents to register with JPie and Initiators to locate Servents fulfilling their criteria

Technical Achievements – ILSLocatorHolds a database of resourcesHosts web services for updating and querying the databaseBrokers resource requests

Servent (Server Entity)Contacts the Locator with its resource descriptionUpdates the Locator with its resource status

InitiatorRequests resource(s) from the Locator

InitiatorClient

LocatorResourceRequestService LocatorRegistryService

LocatorDataModel

ServentClient

Database

Technical Achievements – RRS

The Remote Rendering Service (RRS) is a webservice which will allow the submission and monitoring of rendering jobs to a remote farm which runs 3D-StudioMaxThis will involve:

A user-interface integrated to 3D-StudioMaxAuthentication at the remote farmSeamless transfer of appropriate files to and from the farm

Technical Achievements – RRS

Remote Farm (Server-Side)PGP (Client-Side)

Animator

3ds max 6

RRS-GUI

RRSDOSClient

RRSJavaClient

Web Server

3ds max 6

Backburner 2

RRSJavaServer

GridFTP

Farm

1

Rendering config & .max files3

4

6RRSJavaGftpClient

5

2

Dissemination

GGF-March Presentation to All HandsPresentation to be given to 2nd International Workshop on Middleware for Grid Computing, in TorontoDemonstration given to Pinewood Studios of the animation techniquePaper submitted to IEE proceedings subsequent to winning A H Reeve Premium.Sources to go onto Nesc CVS server.

Exploitation

Presentation to Pinewood Studios. Possible use in Captain Scarlet. Need better handling of eyes and mouth. We are producing a demo sequence to show them on this.

Future plans

Technical work:WP1: update VO report to include:

animation-producing VOs our experiences

WP2:Repeat capture runs under better lighting conditions, incorporate soundWP3: improve stabilisation of skeletal components of the head through pose recovery WP4/5: further testing of JPie in conjunction with resource locator

Future plans

WP6: software and images Deliver Webservices-based Remote Rendering Service by

end October Render using 3DS-Max, controlling the farm from animator

site, but routing via Webservices

Future plans

Development of CPU time trading protocols for the GRID.Areas of future application of the 3D technology:

Virtual stunt performers Virtual actors for interactive applications Virtual performers for 'drama' orientated CGI.

Project Participants

PGP Productions Ltd:Carl GoodmanPeter Stansfield (Wavecrest)

Glasgow University:Paul CockshottLewis MacKenzieEwan BorlandViktor Yarmolenko

EPCC:Kostas KavoussanakisAli AnjomshoaaPaul GrahamGavin Pringle