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The secret is out. Animation studios, video game developers and post-production companies are among those moving to HP workstations, fast replacing the proprietary workstations that used to dominate digital content creation.

DreamWorks Animation SKG and LucasArts are two that have made the switch. Another benefiting from HP workstations is Reality Check, a Hollywood-based design and effects studio whose 3D graphics add sizzle to NFL and NCAA football broadcasts.

“We started our company with the belief that the design and graphics we were doing with desktop workstations was of equal quality to that being produced for TV using dedicated hardware and software that cost 10 times as much,” says Kory Jones, co-founder. Reality Check’s current tool of choice: the HP xw8200 Workstation, running the Intel ^® Xeon ^® processor.

Reality Check uses HP workstations to develop graphics for sports broadcasts, feature films and outdoor displays

Reality Check uses the HP workstation to develop 3D graphic templates for a large sports network client, then ships preloaded workstations to network trailers at sporting events. Network staff plug in real-time statistics to produce up-to-the-minute on-screen graphics for viewers. “The HP workstations function as high-definition render engines for the network to take content right to air,” Jones explains.

An important factor for Reality Check was the HP workstation’s certification to run Vizrt broadcast software. “We get a lot for our money,” Jones adds.

More value, greater confidence

Software certifications and value are two reasons that PostWorks, New York, a post-production company for filmmakers and television producers, chose HP workstations.

PostWorks, New York runs a variety of Avid applications on HP workstations

“Our philosophy is to buy technology that helps us improve workflow, do things more efficiently, embrace more clients and get the best ROI possible,” says Matthew Schneider, director of technology. He points to the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline HD editing system, which integrates the HP xw8200 Workstation, as just that kind of technology. “We own over 100 Avid systems, and almost all of them are running on HP,” Schneider says.

DreamWorks Animation was interested in value when it switched to HP, but the producer of animation classics such as Shrek 2 and Madagascar wouldn’t consider sacrificing quality. The technology collaboration with HP began following DreamWorks Animation’s “bake-off,” in which workstations running Linux were evaluated. HP won the company’s workstation contract and ranks as its leading technology partner.

Currently, DreamWorks Animation is using the HP xw9300 Workstation on new movies Over the Hedge and Flushed Away. That model incorporates 64-bit, Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processors, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450 video cards and SoundBlaster Audigy 4 Pro sound cards.

“HP technology enables our artists to continually push the boundaries of CG (computer-generated) animated filmmaking by creating richer, more visually compelling movies,” says Derek Chan, head of Digital Operations for DreamWorks Animation.

LucasArts, the publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, also recently named the HP xw9300 Workstation its standard. The workstation enables developers to produce visual effects and render, composite and edit games created for a new generation of consoles. LucasArts uses the workstations running both Linux and Windows ^® XP in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes.

Training grounds choose HP

Young animators who want to create the next Shrek movie or Star Wars video game are training on HP workstations today at universities, including the Ringling School of Art and Design and the University of Colorado at Denver (CU).

Ringling makes it a policy of choosing the same type of workstations used at feature animation studios and high-end gaming companies, says Jim McCampbell, head of the Computer Animation Department.

“What HP has done with its xw9300 Workstation is take a sensational platform and make it astonishing,” he says. “It’s an aesthetically pleasing machine, and it’s so quiet that you don’t even notice it when you’re working on it. It’s transparent to the artist, which is just the way it should be.”

Recruiters also like it when universities have HP workstations because it makes for a much easier transition for students, says CU animation program head Paul Conner.

CU’s most recent acquisition is the HP xw8200 Workstation, loaded with the NVIDIA Quadro FX3400 256MB PCI-E cards and Ultra320 SCSI drives.

“We have an obligation to provide the highest-quality instruction and the highest-quality equipment being used by professional animators so that our students are employment-ready when they graduate,” Conner says.

HP leads the industry

From universities to industry, there’s a shared belief in HP’s commitment to workstations for digital content creation.

“A lot of computing companies tend to neglect the arts,” says Ringling’s McCampbell. “HP doesn’t. We appreciate the contribution that HP is making to the future of these young artists.”

“I think HP is ahead of everyone else,” adds Postworks’ Schneider. “No one really seems to be reaching out to our industry as much as HP. When you look at the relationships that HP has with its partners like Avid and Microsoft, there just seems to be a tremendous amount of concern for providing the very best solution for the marketplace.”

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