Source clip version numbers advice

Flame Flame Questions
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1

hi all

i have a nice colour workflow to publish for baselight which i made in conjunction with our colourists here.

it uses pattern browsing in flame to assign the version number to the render, so when i export for baselight, my clips are - < shot name >_v < source version >

it allows baselight to use ‘sequence versioning’ and make it very easy and quick to update a render on their timeline in baselight ( as simple as pattern browsing in flame )

( IF prefixes and clip names change then baselight would need to manually add or reconform the shot - so all my updates to grade go - sh010_v1, then sh010_v2 etc )

that part is not my problem -

IF the flame op hasnt used pattern browsing to populate their timeline, then this technique is made redundant.

is there a way to assign the render version number to an export WITHOUT using pattern browsing?

i dont mean simply manually adding it in, if i import O_sh010_v5 - can i make flame know it is v5 WITHOUT pattern browsing??

thanks in advance for solving all my problems
dan

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2

Not really an answer to you question, but how about if you create open clips out of baselight? Not sure if can do it from the UI, but depending in your workflow you can use bl-openclip to do it.

3

no sorry - this is more about giving baselight the proper naming of clips out of flame so sequence versioining can work at its best.

we are close, we are using Wildcard to ignore our file prefixes, but stuck on some other naming features which are locked into our pipeline. its a head scratcher

4

I guess if it’s a clip out of batch it easy to set a version token. If it’s a timeline fx is tricky. Maybe the whole sequence publish/batch open clip workflow may work… But I think is more complicated than it needs to be for simple segment versioning.

5

Where are the shots coming from to begin with? As @milanesa says, if it’s from batch and you have your iteration naming setup the same across machines then you get all this for free.

6

@dan in the case you have imported a clip with version token without Pattern Browsing, you could try this to convert the clip as a multi-versions clip:

  • Select the segment in your sequence and from the contextual menu, select Media/Unlink

  • Go to Conform and use Search Criteria to browse media location

  • Define the pattern and enable Pattern Browsing and press Set (you should at that point see a multi-versions clip)

  • Back in Conform, you will probably see multiple matches. Right-click on the clip showing a V at the bottom and from the contextual menu, press Force Link.

Your segment is now a multi-version segment and will get any future updates from Baselight.

Hope this helps.

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7

thank so much for the answers

so to be clear - this is not about getting updates FROM baselight ( we work aces cg ungraded workflow )

this is about GIVING baselight comp and plate updates.

with the current use of pattern browsing in place - i can import my render and flame knows the version number - great - this is my current solve for exporting to baselight.

import render from network with pattern browsing - publish to baselight - all works.

what im asking is -

is there a way to import my render to flame WITHOUT pattern browsing and have it know the source version number?

im tring to find a way around pattern browsing as it is not the most user friendly within our network structure.

can flame define the source version number with a basic right click/ import ???

i think i know the answer is no, but any advice is good advice

8

No this is not possible.

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9

Isn’t this posible with open clip? You don’t need to use pattern browsing for Flame to understand the open clip version correct?
Thought this means you need to create the open clip beforehand.
Hence my first answer.

10

I think I know what you mean…when using pattern browsing the clip name isn’t being updated to show the current version number. In other words, when you match the clip out it’ll say sh010_ and not sh010_v##. Is that correct?

If so, that’s a grip of mine as well. When I’ve used pattern browsing in the past to grab Nuke comps it wouldn’t update the version number to the clip name when it’s is matched out to supply to grade. Very annoying.

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11

OK had to try this for my own sanity:
Image sequences where generated outside Flame, but I guess that doesn’t matter.
Open clips at the bottom referencing sequences inside the folder structure.

openclip
openclip1519×1193 242 KB

openclip1
openclip11174×149 11.3 KB

The openclip internals are all the same. Only thing that changes is the filename itself which in this case is the shotname. Since is pattern based, it will account for upcoming versions.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<clip type="clip" version="6">
	<handler>
		<name>MIO Clip</name>
		<version>1</version>
		<options type="dict">
			<ScanPattern type="string">{name}/images/elem/{name}.SRC.V{version}/{name}.SRC.V{version}.{frame}.{extension}</ScanPattern>
		</options>
	</handler>
</clip>

I still don’t know if this answers the main question, but it was a good exercise. :rofl:

12

@kyleobley sorry mate no - wrong end of stick

FYI if u pattern browse shots in and want to export with a version number - u just use the ‘source version name’ token when exporting

My export toekning looks like this

< shot name >_v < source version >

I’m trying to import shots WITHOUT pattern browsing and still have flame knownthe version number.

13

Ah, ok. Then I don’t think that’s possible. Appreciate the export token though.

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14

@Dan In theory you could take this and have it work for your needs so long as grade is always exporting in a known structure. You could have a script that makes a .clip for each shot. A bit of a ball ache and over complicated but then it’d just work once you have it set up…

15

The pattern browse method I have works perfect - especially when rolling it out to 20 flame leads publsihing to the grade dept.

I’m just annoyed at how pattern browsing is slow for our network and easy to break ( metadata etc ).

IF we didn’t have a slightly different naming pattern with our input and output plates then we
would be ok. Unfortunately we don’t.

And a naming convention change is not as easy as you’d think in an established pipeline…. I’m working on it!

Thank for the reply’s

16

If you were working unmanged this arguably wouldn’t be a problem. You would have an established set of batch groups, one per Baselight source presumably with a naming convention established on the write nodes that includes your version number. When new grades were published rather than importing them into the timeline you add read them into the batch group and when you render, the write file will push out an open clip and pixel data that is correctly versioned.

That means the flame dept would never need to publish to color because the shot is already out on disk and can just be versioned up. Likewise it means you can establish any naming convention you choose. The catch is you’re working unmanged.

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17

We work ungraded and nothing but a final grade render comes out of baselight at the delivery end of the job.

I have the workflow solution , it’s just not as speedy as I want for everyone. Possibly that is down to network speeds etc but unsure.

I think I’m chasing a white rabbit with flames current features but Thankyou for the suggestions

18

If you use dynamic naming and include the source version in the name it will automatically update when you version up a .clip.

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19

update -

this has been solved by unlinking the pattern browsed shot and then in the conform tab hitting ‘link selected’ - it promotes the clip to the final version ( or chosen version ) of the pattern browsed shot