CreativeBloke - Revolutionising remote 3D workflows with cloud workstation technology
CreativeBloke
Revolutionising remote 3D workflows with cloud workstation technology
CreativeBloke is a digital content creation consultancy formed in 2012 by Mike Griggs. Mike has decades of experience as both a content creator and a consultant and speaker. He has worked with global brands and institutions, including AMD, the BBC, The National Trust, The Times and JC Decaux.
CreativeBloke specialise in digital content creation spanning 3D animation, VFX, and creative problem-solving, with workflows designed for maximum efficiency to meet the most demanding deadlines. They operate a hybrid setup of Mac and PC workstations connected via network storage.
Project Background
Creating high-quality 3D content requires powerful hardware, which traditionally comes with high upfront costs, significant energy consumption, and the limitation of being tied to a physical workstation. Challenges arise when remote working becomes essential, or when hardware upgrades are needed to cope with more demanding workflows, due to the growing complexity of rendering and compositing tasks. The CreativeBloke team needed an alternative solution that offered both the necessary power to handle intensive 3D rendering workflows using tools such as Cinema 4D and Redshift, whilst maintaining efficiency and collaboration flexibility, but avoiding the drawbacks of traditional physical setups.
A cloud-based GPU-accelerated workstation could potentially offer a powerful, globally accessible solution, offering the required flexibility and eliminating the need to leave systems running while team members are away, with the added advantage of reliable technical support when needed.
Project Approach
Using OpenVPN and Microsoft Remote Desktop on his MacBook Pro, Mike accessed the Scan 3XS Cloud platform and the workstation instance, to provide a secure and seamless connection between local and remote environments. To configure the software environment required, Mike installed the Maxon App to manage Cinema 4D and Redshift licenses, configured Dropbox for fast file syncing and real-time back-ups between his MacBook Pro and the cloud workstation, and set up Thinkbox Deadline software for autonomous GPU rendering using Maxon Commandline licenses.
The cloud workstation’s NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU served as a standalone rendering server, allowing the offloading of rendering tasks, so Mike could focus on compositing post production workflows in Adobe After Effects and Redshift on his local MacBook Pro system.
Initial observations from Mike were that the Scan 3XS Cloud workstation performed flawlessly, with no perceptible latency, even during demanding tasks. Additionally, the set-up appears to easily scale for collaboration with other artists or studios, removing logistical barriers.
Project Results
The Scan 3XS Cloud workstation increased workflow reliability, especially compared to the usual rural UK local setup, which is hindered by slow broadband speeds. The workstation’s fast internet and hardware capabilities offered unparalleled performance, alongside eliminating the need for a costly physical workstation upgrade. With multi-GPU capabilities through tools such as Maxon Redshift and Thinkbox Deadline, the remote solution could further optimise rendering times, reducing capital expenditure and energy costs.
By leveraging the Scan 3XS Cloud remote workstation, CreativeBloke has the potential to redefine its 3D content creation workflows. The flexibility, power, and cost efficiency of this solution resolves our key investment challenges and unlocked new possibilities for innovation.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Mike and the CreativeBloke team feel that cloud-based workflows are invaluable for creative professionals seeking high-performance solutions without being tied to a fixed workspace. Freelancers, studios, and remote teams alike can benefit from its scalability and sustainability. As a next step, Mike intends to integrate AI-powered tools and explore collaborative opportunities by connecting multiple remote systems into a unified pipeline. The presumption is that this would further streamline workflows while enabling even greater creative freedom.
The Scan Partnership
Scan Computers provided a cutting-edge remote workstation featuring an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Intel Core i9 14900K and 64GB RAM. Its performance not only enhanced CreativeBloke’s project workflows but also made them consider their future approach to the 3D creative process. The high-performance hardware and seamless integration with their software ecosystem have the potential to become an integral part of their toolkit.
Project Wins
Simultaneous local and remote workflows accelerated projects helping meet deadlines
Remote accessibility allowed CreativeBloke to work from anywhere securely
The remote platform offers opportunities for scalable and simple collaboration
The remote workstation offered a perfect blend of performance and accessibility, enabling Mike to create without boundaries from wherever he was in the world - with just a laptop. The speed and reliability of the Scan Cloud workstation unlocked creative opportunities CreativeBloke hadn’t thought possible from a remote setup.
Mike Griggs
CreativeBloke Founder
“The partnership with Scan allowed us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in remote creative workflows. Their technology has the potential to become an integral part of our creative process.”
Speak to an expert
You've seen how Scan has helped CreativeBloke to revolutionise its workflows for 3D content creation. Contact our expert team to discuss your project requirements.
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