3. Why do you think the SGI special-purpose systems that DreamWorks formerly used were so much more expensive than the Intel/Linux systems it uses now
DreamWorks has followed three paths to Linux: new development, porting and third-party-vendor porting. To dramatically reduce costs was one of the big motivating factors in moving animators to Linux. But, it is our animators' productivity that really counts. Using Linux saves time for the animators because Linux PC performance is so much faster than the five-year-old computers being replaced, even though those SGI IRIX workstations were awesome machines. Microsoft software continues to play a key role in the overall business, but Linux is particularly well suited to animation production pipelines.
An animator's desktop is not the same machine that an executive or secretary would have. The animator needs a high-performance workstation with a dual-head, high-performance graphics system and specialized software for motion picture production. To typical computer users, the animator's software tools may be unfamiliar.
Reference:
Robin Rowe [2001] DreamWorks feature Linux and Animation
Available at: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4803
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