Intergraph RAX HD User manual

RAX HD Animation Recorder
User’s Guide
March 2000
D1AA00370

Copyright
2000 Intergraph Computer Systems. All rights reserved. This document contains information protected by
copyright, trade secret, and trademark law. This document may not, in whole or in part, be reproduced in any form or
by any means, or be used to make any derivative work, without written consent from Intergraph Computer Systems.
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision
(c)(1)(ii) of the rights in technical data and computer software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013. Unpublished rights are
reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
The LCDFont Family used in Frame Wrangler is copyright 2000 Intergraph Computer Systems. All rights reserved.
Intergraph Computer Systems, Huntsville AL 35894-0001
Notice
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be considered a commitment by
Intergraph Computer Systems. Intergraph Computer Systems shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors in, or
omissions from, this document. Intergraph Computer Systems shall not be liable for incidental or consequential
damages resulting from the furnishing or use of this document.
All warranties given by Intergraph Computer Systems about equipment or software are set forth in your purchase
contract. Nothing stated in, or implied by, this document or its contents shall be considered or deemed a modification
or amendment of such warranties.
Trademarks
Intergraphand the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation. RAX Studio-Ready
Componentsand Frame Wranglerare trademarks of Intergraph Computer Systems. Microsoft, Windows, and
Windows NTare registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of
their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.
FCC/DOC Compliance
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of
the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy. If the equipment is not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, it may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigencies du Règlement sur le materiél brouilleur du Canada.

Safety Notices
See the base unit System Guide and the associated hardware component documentation for detailed safety information.
The AC power cord for this unit is the service disconnect. Ensure the AC power outlet to which the system’s power
cord connects is close to the system and is easily accessible. For protection against electrical shock and energy
hazards, unplug the system’s power cord from its AC power outlet before opening or servicing the system.
To reduce the risk of electrical shock and energy hazards, do not attempt to open the equipment unless instructed, and
do not use a tool for purposes other than instructed.
Notes
Changes or modifications made to the equipment that are not approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
This equipment is designed and manufactured to comply with approved safety standards for information processing and
business equipment.
Read all operating instructions before using this equipment. Keep these instructions for future reference. Follow all
warnings on the equipment or in the operating instructions.

v
Contents
Preface...........................................................................................................................................vii
About This Document.....................................................................................................................vii
Document Conventions...................................................................................................................vii
More Information ..........................................................................................................................viii
Customer Support..........................................................................................................................viii
1 Your RAX HD Animation Recorder.......................................................................................... 1
What is the RAX HD Animation Recorder?..................................................................................... 1
Workflow and Productivity Advantages........................................................................................... 2
System Hardware.............................................................................................................................. 2
Disk Subsystem................................................................................................................................. 5
System Software ............................................................................................................................... 6
Animation Frame Formats................................................................................................................ 7
Video File Formats........................................................................................................................... 8
HD Video Formats............................................................................................................................ 8
2 Setting Up the Hardware.......................................................................................................... 11
Before You Begin........................................................................................................................... 11
Setting Up the Base Unit Hardware................................................................................................ 12
Mounting the Fibre Channel RAID Storage Arrays........................................................................ 12
Mounting the Fibre Channel Hubs.................................................................................................. 16
Connecting a Video Device to the System...................................................................................... 17
Connecting the Base Unit to the Storage Arrays.............................................................................19
Connecting Audio Devices............................................................................................................. 21
Installing Storage Array Disk Drives.............................................................................................. 21
Connecting to AC Power................................................................................................................ 24
Controlling System Power.............................................................................................................. 26
Graphics/Scan Engine Internal Connection.................................................................................... 27
3 Setting Up the Software ............................................................................................................ 29
Setting Up Base Unit System Software........................................................................................... 29
Setting Up RAX HD Animation Recorder Software ...................................................................... 29
Finding Frame Wrangler and Video File Explorer.........................................................................30
Reinstalling and Reconfiguring System Software........................................................................... 30
4 Getting to Know Frame Wrangler........................................................................................... 31
Starting and Stopping Frame Wrangler ..........................................................................................31
Video Clips, Video Sequences, and Playlists .................................................................................32
Interface.......................................................................................................................................... 32
Main Panel ....................................................................................................................... 33
Storyboard Panel .............................................................................................................. 34
VTR Control Panel........................................................................................................... 34
Video Window ................................................................................................................. 35

vi
Menus............................................................................................................................................. 36
File Menu ......................................................................................................................... 36
Play Menu ........................................................................................................................ 36
View Menu.......................................................................................................................37
Configure Menu ............................................................................................................... 37
Help Menu........................................................................................................................ 37
Keyboard Controls.......................................................................................................................... 38
Main Panel Keyboard Controls........................................................................................ 38
VTR Control Panel Keyboard Controls............................................................................ 39
Build Video Wizard........................................................................................................................ 39
Help................................................................................................................................................ 41
5 Using Frame Wrangler.............................................................................................................. 43
Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 43
Optimizing Software Performance.................................................................................................. 44
Building a Video Clip..................................................................................................................... 44
Building a Video Clip Immediately.................................................................................. 46
Building a Video Clip During Rendering......................................................................... 46
Collecting Video Clips ................................................................................................................... 47
Reviewing Video Clips................................................................................................................... 47
Processing Video Clips................................................................................................................... 49
Rearranging the Video Sequence ..................................................................................... 49
Setting Start and End Points for Editing........................................................................... 49
Replacing Bad Frames...................................................................................................... 49
Adjusting Video Levels.................................................................................................... 49
Associating Audio with Video.......................................................................................... 50
Creating a Title Clip......................................................................................................... 50
Producing Video Output................................................................................................................. 50
6 Rebuilding System Software..................................................................................................... 53
Finding System Software................................................................................................................ 53
Installing Base Unit System Software............................................................................................. 53
Installing the Wildcat 4110 VIO Driver ......................................................................................... 54
Installing the HD Scan Engine Driver ............................................................................................55
Installing the QLogic Host Bus Adapter Driver ............................................................................. 55
Installing the Antex StudioCard Driver ..........................................................................................56
Installing the RAID Control Software ............................................................................................56
Configuring the RAID Disk Arrays................................................................................................57
Configuring the Storage Array Stripe Set....................................................................................... 58
Installing Frame Wrangler Software............................................................................................... 60

vii
Preface
The User’s Guide describes your RAX HD (High-Definition) Animation Recorder, provides
information on setting up the system’s hardware and software components, and describes the
system’s software components and how to use them.
About This Document
This User’s Guide is organized as follows:
♦Chapter 1, “Your RAX HD Animation Recorder,” describes the purpose of the system,
describes the system’s hardware and software components, and discusses the system’s
supported input and output formats.
♦Chapter 2, “Setting Up the Hardware,” describes how to set up and apply power to the
hardware components of the system.
♦Chapter 3, “Setting Up the Software,” describes how to set up the software components of the
system.
♦Chapter 4, “Getting to Know Frame Wrangler,” describes the Frame Wrangler software and its
user interface, and describes how to configure the software for use.
♦Chapter 5, “Using Frame Wrangler,” provides basic information on using the Frame Wrangler
software with the system to accomplish basic workflow tasks.
♦Chapter 6, “Rebuilding System Software,” describes how to reinstall and reconfigure the HD
Animation Recorder system software, if needed.
Document Conventions
Bold Commands, words, or characters that you key in literally.
Italic Variable values that you supply, or cross-references.
Monospace Output displayed on the screen.
SMALL CAPS Key names on the keyboard, such as D, ALT or F3; names of files and directories.
You can type filenames and directory names in the dialog boxes or the command line
in lowercase unless directed otherwise.
CTRL+DPress a key while simultaneously pressing another key; for example, press CTRL and
D simultaneously.

viii
More Information
See the Late-Breaking News (if provided) for important hardware, software, and documentation
details not covered in this document.
For detailed instructions on setting up and configuring the base unit at the heart of your RAX HD
Animation Recorder, see the System Guide delivered with the system.
For detailed information about the various hardware components of your RAX HD Animation
Recorder, see the individual user documents for the various hardware components.
For more detailed information on your system’s operating system, see the printed and online
Microsoft documentation delivered with the system.
Customer Support
Intergraph Computer Systems provides a one-year warranty on RAX HD Animation Recorder
hardware and software, and a 30-day warranty on the operating system. Contact your authorized
Intergraph Computer Systems reseller for information on warranty service.
Intergraph Computer Systems provides next-day response support by telephone between the hours
of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. United States Central Time, Monday through Friday (except holidays).
Additional levels of support are available.
To get customer support by telephone:
♦In the United States, call 1-800-240-4800.
♦Outside the United States, call 1-256-730-5498.
♦Before you call, have ready the system's serial number (on a sticker affixed to the system),
your name and telephone number, and a detailed description of the problem.
To get information on additional levels of support:
Call the appropriate customer support number and ask for information on support services for the
RAX HD Animation Recorder.
To visit Intergraph Computer Systems on the World Wide Web:
Use your World Wide Web browser to go to http://www.intergraph.com/ics.

1
1 Your RAX HD Animation Recorder
This chapter introduces you to the RAX HD Animation Recorder, its hardware and software
components, its workflow and productivity advantages, and its supported input and output formats.
What is the RAX HD Animation Recorder?
The RAX HD Animation Recorder is one of Intergraph Computer Systems’ RAX Studio-Ready
Components. This system is a combination of rack-mount hardware and system software that
helps you easily produce, review, and output high-definition (HD) content. With the RAX HD
Animation Recorder, you can:
♦Review and record to tape, in real time, animation sequences rendered at various resolutions.
♦Work in various video resolutions and create output at various HD resolutions and frame rates.
♦Convert, in real time, existing rendered video content (such as existing SD animations) to
other resolutions and frame rates (for example, new HD video) for efficient reuse of content.
The RAX HD Animation Recorder enables you to convert and view, in real time, rendered
animation sequences in a variety of HD formats. This makes content easily available for
transmission by any media outlet. Existing SD broadcast content can be easily scaled to HD aspect
ratios and resolutions.
The RAX HD Animation Recorder is a special-purpose system that offers more versatile
capabilities than digital disk recorders (DDRs) or low-end PC- and workstation-based software
solutions. For example, the RAX HD Animation Recorder can:
♦Automatically search the network for rendered image files (animation frames).
♦Assemble the frames into video clips and build a longer video sequence.
♦Play back the video sequence with real-time conversion to various resolutions.
♦Save the video sequence to a disk-based HD video file or record the sequence to HD
videotape.
You can use a playlist to assemble video clips for playback in any order for storyboard editing or
viewing of dailies. Built-in device control enables insert editing and frame-accurate recording to
any segment of tape.
A rack-mount disk storage array is an integral part of the RAX HD Animation Recorder. This
Fibre Channel-based array provides RAID storage. The array delivers the high speed, throughput,
and large-scale uncompressed video storage required for real-time HD conversion and display.

2
Workflow and Productivity Advantages
The RAX HD Animation Recorder eases the workload in labor-intensive production environments.
System software automates several steps in the process of rendering animation sequences for
dailies and editing.
For example, many animators render their frames overnight. The next day, technicians gather the
rendered animation frames from various locations on the network, assemble them manually, and
create a video file for playback. This process can be tedious and time-consuming, and does not
easily allow for changes to frames or animation sequences.
The RAX HD Animation Recorder automates this frame harvesting process. The system searches
the network for rendered frames, assembles the frames in sequence, and creates a video file ready
for playback. With the system’s real-time high-definition (HD) video playback capability, users
can check the video file immediately for blown or missing frames without recording to tape.
Creative directors, clients, or film producers can review the same file in their dailies. Multiple
sequences can be assembled into a playlist using Frame Wrangler’s storyboard editing functions.
The system’s built-in videotape recorder (VTR) control technology enables insert editing and
frame-accurate recording to tape. This gives animators or creative directors the ability to do full-
quality editing. The system also uses frame-accurate gamma correction, which is crucial when
using both computer and video monitors. Post-rendering global color adjustments, such as
adjusting contrast or brightness, shifting hues, or darkening a particular scene, are easily made
clip-by-clip in real time.
System Hardware
A rack-mount base unit is the heart of the RAX HD Animation Recorder. With its revolutionary
Streaming Multiport Architecture, this base unit provides superior processing and graphics power.
The base unit houses the system disk drive, which contains the operating system, system software,
and default storage for audio data
used by the system. The base unit
also houses graphics, audio, disk,
and other controllers. The base
unit mounts in a standard 19-inch
equipment rack.