The PGPGrid Project: Wide Area Rendering Environment Ali Anjomshoaa, Kostas Kavoussanakis, Gavin J. Pringle EPCC, The University of Edinburgh, UK All Hands 2004 Conference, Poster Paper Abstract The PGPGrid project aims to apply Grid technologies to the production of computer- generated animation. This involves undertaking the compute-intensive processes of modelling and rendering by employing Grids in a Virtual Organisation setting. The project will attempt to implement a Wide-Area Rendering Environment (WARE) that will allow the exploitation of remote rendering farms. This involves the design and implementation of a Remote Rendering System (RRS) based on Java and Web Services. This paper presents the high level designs of the WARE and RRS and the experience gained from the implementation of a prototype based on these designs. Introduction This paper describes the high level design of the Pepper’s Ghost Productions Grid (PGPGrid) project’s Wide Area Rendering Environment (WARE) and the experience gained from the prototype implementation of this design. The PGPGrid Project The PGPGrid project [1, 2] is a collaboration between: • Pepper’s Ghost Productions Ltd. (PGP) [3]; • 3D-Matic Labs of The University of Glasgow (3D-Matic) [4]; and • EPCC of The University of Edinburgh [5]. The PGPGrid Virtual Organisation (VO) aims to apply Grid technologies to the production of computer-generated animation (CGA), where a unique method of motion capture is applied to the animation process. This will enable the VO to study the feasibility of this approach to CGA and the possible impact of Grid technologies on this industry. More specifically, the aims of the PGPGrid project are to determine: • whether or not the formation of VOs, such as the PGPGrid VO, is a feasible method for future CGA production; • whether the unique motion capture technology offered by 3D-Matic [6] can be used within an animation VO as part of the animation process; and • whether it is possible to undertake the animation processes of modelling and rendering, which are required by 3D- Matic and PGP, within a Grid environment using existing Middleware technologies. With respect to utilising a Grid environment, the intention is to determine whether this will enable the use of distributed computing resources for CGA. In addition, we aim to assess whether CGA processes may be controlled remotely when run on such a Grid. Finally, we look to identify the particular customisations that are required of current CGA infrastructures and workflows in order to take advantage of a Grid environment. The PGPGrid Wide Area Rendering Environment The design and implementation of PGPGrid’s WARE will apply the ideas behind Grids to the rendering requirements of the PGPGrid project. These requirements include: • the on-demand use of distributed and idle resources for the compute- intensive rendering work of PGPGrid; • the use of a Grid interface for the submission of rendering jobs to a set of remote rendering farms over a network; • the ease of use of this Grid interface from the animator’s point of view at PGP; and