The other night, as I was submitting some shots to my Backburner queue,  I realized that I have never formalized a method for estimating render times for jobs that are in progress on my farm. Backburner does give some job info such as average task time and an estimate for how much remaining time before the job finishes. That’s not quite enough info to give me confidence in when I can expect things to finish up and regarding the “Remaining Time” estimate, I’m not sure I trust it without seeing my own numbers first. Obviously not every frame in a shot will take the same time to render due to whatever is in frame at that moment and or which node renders it, none the less I would like to calculate at least rough overall estimates of my own. I threw together a quick spreadsheet in Google Drive (Docs) to do this and thought I would share the formulas etc in case others find it helpful or want to see how it compares to their own render estimation method.

So first, what info are we trying to calculate? For me I am most interested in Estimated  Total Job Running Time and Estimate Remaining Time. In the process of calculating those two values we will also get Estimate Average Time Per Frame for the farm as a whole which is a pretty good number to use as a benchmark of the performance of a shot.

Now,  what info will we need to get our results? We will need at least these 4 values:

Time A = Job Start Date / Time (Note: time of the first frame assigned, not the job submission time)
Time B = Date / Time of Most Recent Consecutive Frame Rendered
Frame = Frame Number of Most Recent Consecutive Frame Rendered
Total Frames = Total Frames for the Job

Now for our basic math

1. First we need to know how long it’s been since our job started so that’s simple:
Time B – Time A = Elapsed Time

2. Second we need to know the average time per frame for the farm as a whole at this point in time:
Elapsed Time / Frame = Time Per Frame

3. Third we solve for Estimated Total Render Time for the Job:
Time Per Frame * Total Frames = Total Render Time

4. Fourth we need to estimate the remaining time before the job finishes:
(Total Frames – Current Frame) x Time Per Frame = Remaining Time

5. Lastly we want to estimate what time the job will finish rendering:
Time B + Remaining Time = Est. Finish Time

Building our Spreadsheet

Next let’s reconstruct the logic behind our basic math above into cell equations suitable for most spreadsheet programs like Excel, Google Drive and Open Office etc. This involves using some Date / Time cell formatting to assist in our calculations and a little special handling of the hours values Date / Time math returns.

The equation in step 1 for example would actually look like this:

(Time B -Time A)*24

*Note: All time values we enter will need to be Date / Time  formatted like so.

DD:MM:YYYY HH:MM:SS

This allows us to take advantage of the spreadsheet’s own Date / Time math function which makes our life much easier when doing any math with Date / Time values. The *24 is needed due to the fact the Date / Time function returns it’s value as a fraction of a 24 hour day. So for example if it returns .5 that is equal to noon or 12 hours, 2 would be 48 hour and so on.  Also when entering time use a 24 hour clock, no AM/PM.

The Cells

Render Time Spreadsheet

Above I have entered all of our requisite information in Row 2 then our math formulas, and thereby our results, are entered into Row 5. Row 7 is simply the formulas written out as you would enter them in the corresponding color cells, though to act as a math formula you would need to put an = sign in front of them. Regarding formatting I set any Date / Time fields to be just that and all other numbers are set to round to the nearest hundredth.

The Results

Now that we have a spreadsheet, lets work with it and see what it can tell us. So as you can see from the information I fed in the first frame of this job was assigned on Jan 16th 5:48 PM (Time A) and we checked on it the next morning at 7:13 AM (Time B). Our job is 1600 frames total and by the most recent consecutive frame completed by this time was Frame 1078. For results we see the job has been running 13.42 hours out of a total estimated render time of 19.92 hours. At this rate we should expect our job to finish around 1:43 pm that afternoon. Which I can happily say it in fact finished up around 1:30. Now I don’t show it in the spreadsheet but if you wanted to benchmark your farm you could do this:

=(A5*60)/D2

Which in this case would return .75 or you can read it as the render farm as a whole is spending .75 minutes per frame. Or do ((A5*60)/D2)*60 to read it as 45 seconds per frame. I find this a much clearer number than simply an average task time which is what Backburner gives you. Now if we have a ton of similar shots we already can estimate their render times off this job’s performance. So say the next 2 shots are 500 frames each, we can estimate we will need 12.5 hours to get through them as ((500×2)*.75)/60 = 12.5

Wasn’t That Fun?

Can’t believe I just wrote a blog post with a focus on spreadsheet formulas, how lame am I? I promise something more interesting next time, maybe even controversial! My “Workstation Shopping: Buy Name Brand or Build it” post will be up soon, bet that will be more juicy than Excel!

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I decided to write this blog post because honestly, I wish I had read one like it years ago. After 12 years of making my living as a 3D artist, I can tell you this is not a career path that inspires healthy living. The realities of any CG artist’s daily life can steer one into a cycle of unhealthy behavior which can be very difficult to fully recognize and break free from. Modern living is potentially sedentary enough without us making it worse! Only recently have I come to better recognize my unhealthy daily habits and begun the processes of breaking the cycle.

My goal in writing this post is to simply share what I see as the big obstacles for the healthy living of those in the CG industry and some solutions I have found that work well for me personally. Hopefully some of you will find this information helpful and it maybe even encourages you to make some changes in your own routines.

What is the Sedentary Lifestyle?

I would have been insulted if someone suggested that I’m basically a couch potato. “No way! I do stuff! Like sometimes I run and surf, and I have a membership to a gym and my kids keep me busy… and..” Living a sedentary life doesn’t mean you literally never move, I’m sure you do stuff, rather it’s a combination of factors that equal a daily routine that involves little to no REGULAR physical activity. Regular is the key word here. Doing a little something now and then means it’s not part of your routine. On other hand here are some things that probably are: Sitting, using a computer, reading, playing video games, watching TV and so on which are all sedentary “activities”. Wikipedia gives a decent breakdown of the risks associated with the sedentary lifestyle. Now, certainly any office job involves an excessive amount of sitting, using a computer etc. but I believe 3D / VFX & Game artists are often lost in the eye of a perfect storm of sedentary habits with an extra helping of stress & sleep deprivation on top! Opening our eyes to these habits and their adverse effects on our health is the first step in getting our daily cycle moving in a healthier direction. Let’s take a look at what I see as the big issues and what we can do about them.

The Big Issues:

Sitting

Sitting is the big sedentary “activity” and most likely the biggest part of our day. We tend to work long hours which pushes an already unhealthy amount of sitting into overdrive. This compounded by the fact that many of our favorite pass times involve more sitting in front of screens such as film, video games, TV etc. The hours spent not sitting start looking pretty slim. As mentioned in the Wiki entry, sitting still for periods of 4 or more hours already carries increased risks never mind 8, 12 or even more hours. I myself have had crunch days that ran from 8am to 3am the following morning or not sleeping at all. That’s potentially 19 or more hours of sitting! My more typical days run in the 10 to 12 hour range, as it does for many in our field, which is a huge amount of sitting. Note that even those who exercise regularly need to take a serious look at their sitting habits.

Well, Get up!

It’s just that simple. Don’t sit so much dammit! There are a number of ways to help make this happen.

• Sit/Stand Desk
• Regular walking breaks
• Alternative Seating like a kneeling or forward sloping chair (though you’re still sitting technically so it’s more help with posture really)

My personal favorite is the Sit/Stand desk. In fact there is a whole movement around the concept of standing while you work as you can see here at JustStand.org. I myself picked up an adjustable standing desk from Geek Desk a few months ago and I tell you I will never go back! It’s not that you stand all day, as that can also be not so great. Rather it’s the change of position and giving your body regular lengthy breaks from sitting. I stand roughly 50% of my work time now and it feels great! As a bonus all this standing burns additional calories (as many as 50 per/hour of standing) which is helpful for anyone looking to shed a few pounds!  Here is a calorie calculator so you can see how much you might burn a day by making the switch. I can confirm as many “standers” claim, that they have an increase in energy and focus since sitting less. Obviously there is significant cost associated with the sit/stand desk option so it may not be for you or your employer but I urge you to seriously consider it as the positive benefits are huge and nearly immediate!

Nutrition

Nutrition, though not directly related to the sedentary lifestyle, is another area we CG artist tend to slip. Since we are often under the gun, we go for food that is fast, and easy to come by. Pizza, sandwiches, bags of snacks and soda are par for the course more often than many of us would like to admit. That’s not to mention our caffeine intake which is almost our life’s blood in times of creative crunching. Even if we eat healthy once we’re home our work nutrition is most likely sub par.

I admit, I’m one to talk. In high school I would have two slices of pizza, a Mountain Dew, a chocolate milk and two frozen Snickers bars for lunch! (Please don’t tell my parents) Obviously this was horrible nutrition, but I had a fast metabolism and ran almost year round for school as well as skateboarding most afternoons so it never occurred to me how bad it was. It wasn’t until college when all my physical activity came to a screeching halt that I noticed these were really bad choices. Freshmen 15? How about 25, maybe more.

Today I eat pretty well mostly thanks to my wife’s healthy cooking but what I have learned about nutrition along the way is that moderation and mindfulness is all it takes to build healthy eating habits. Nothing Earth shatering here but here’s some of my nutrition tips:

Nutrition Tips

• Cut back on the sugar! For example if you’re a serious soda drinker, put it down and get some water. Even “Healthy” flavored waters often have a ton of sugar even if they do have “electrolytes”. Now and then is fine, but chain drinking sugar water seems to be a national epidemic in the States at least! Sugar water isn’t what plants crave and neither should your body!
• Did I mention cut back on the sugar?
• More veggies, fruits, nuts etc. as your snacks.
• Read labels! You would be amazed how just knowing the nutritional content of your food can change your behavior in a positive way. Ever seen how much sugar, fat and calories are in a few oreos? Take a look sometime, it’s impressive.
• Eat reasonable portions. This is a big one and is also maybe the hardest to do. If you eat out a lot it’s even harder since we tend to eat what is put in front of us. A good rule of thumb for most is to eat half of that Pad Thai and take the rest home for lunch tomorrow. Saves money too!
• Always remember food is fuel. Cheesy to be sure but that simple thought can help you make all around healthier choices.

 Sleep Deprivation

Touched on this when talking about sitting but it’s worth singling out. Excessive late hours bleed us dry and makes us much more likely to adopt unhealthy habits. Always being under intense time pressure while simultaneously lacking sleep makes enormous amounts of stress on our mind and body. Constantly pushing ourselves to the limit only serves to burn us out and harm our health. More on this in the Work Schedule & Stress section below.

Repetitive Motion

The nature of our work means a ton of keyboard and mouse jockeying. This means our days are full of repetitive motion, perhaps the most dangerous of these being mouse movements and clicks. It is a well know fact that these kinds of motion make us very susceptible to Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMI) such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Throughout my career I have had to take special precautions per my doctors orders as I have had numerous compound fractures of the wrist (that’s another story). Many don’t think about it until it’s a problem. so how do we go about saving our wrists from future catastrophe?

What’s wrong with just writing?

The mouse is a great invention of productivity that just happens to have some really bad side effects. I say dump the mouse when working in your primary apps! I made the switch to working with a Wacom for everything (except gaming of course) years ago. I use a medium size Intous along with the keyboard and there is nothing I can do with the mouse that I can’t do faster and more comfortably with my wacom / Kbrd combo. Again there is cost with this option but if your wrists are your living what’s a few hundred dollars really? I admit there is an adjustment period but for those working in 3D programs, Photoshop and the like I can’t recommend this enough! The exception to this is when you need to do a lot of tying and the occasional mouse move like I am right now.

Exercise (or Lack Thereof)

Regular “vigorous activity” is what the human body is built for. Walking, running, hunting, hauling, lifting etc. Primitive humans didn’t need to hit the gym because daily life provided more than enough activity. Our bodies needs haven’t changed but life habits have, especially for those in our industry. Granted our thumbs and hand eye coordination are second to none but otherwise most of us have gone pretty soft. Lack of exercise in our daily lives puts us at risk for all sorts of bad things.

The Bad Things:

• Anxiety
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Mortality (premature death)
• Deep Vein Thrombrosis
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Colon Cancer
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis
• Lipid Disporders
• Kidney Stones

Get Moving!

If you’re active playing soccer, cycling, tennis etc. you are most likely filling the vigorous activity void modern living and working in this industry causes. Otherwise you need to think about hitting the Gym or creating your own home exercise routine. This can be the most intimidating part of breaking the sedentary cycle so know that many have tried and failed here, myself included. Many times I have started something up just to get too busy, or lazy to keep it up. So I will say whatever you do make sure it’s something you can maintain and build upon. Don’t go into the gym with a 1.5 hour workout that has you aching for days and hating life in general. You need this to become a habit so start small and keep it regular. Once you can do that you can build it up to whatever you need.

Thankfully there are others out there to help you get started. I recommend checking out Steve Kamb’s Nerd Fitness Blog. He’s knowledge, funny and knows where you’re coming from. His recent post on Playing is a great example of why you need to go there. Also make use of great sites like LiveStrong.com. There you can find help with nutrition, workouts and inspiration. My current workout is based the this 40 minute full body strength routine as described here along with a few miles of running each off day. In the past 2 months of this routine I have lost over 15 lbs, gotten stronger and feel great! Previously I had always just kind of winged it and never really committed to making it a habit. I can tell you having a set workout and goals makes all the difference. What’s my goal? To fit in my old wetsuit and get back to surfing year round. The best waves in Maine are in the winter after all.

Remember there are no good excuses for not keeping yourself reasonably fit. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn but I finally get it. Fitness is the foundation all your other healthy habits can be held up by. Not to mention the increased energy and overall feeling good! And if you are having a hard time getting started let Steve fire you up!

Work Schedules & Stress

I make my own schedule based on our workload so I usually have no one to blame but myself when that schedule has me working around the clock in a perpetual crunch. Though I hear things aren’t much better in many facilities out there, so the negative effects of crappy schedules is important to note. Crunching now and then goes with the job to a certain degree but there need to be limits and let’s not forget a 40 hour work week should be our baseline. All too often we fall into these 50, 60, 70 hours a week or more becoming our baseline. Not good!

Creating a sustainable schedule

 I’ll admit it, historically I have been pretty horrible at this. I am learning though and trying to change my ways. So let’s think about how the shitty schedule comes about, shall we? Here’s the factors as I see them:

• Too much work, not enough time.

That was easy! So what to do about it? As a small shop, Russ (my business partner) and I find ourselves often in the position having to turn down work or commit ourselves to many long days and more all-nighters then we care to admit. To help remedy this we have tried to plan better by being more realistic about the hours involved in a given task. We then determine between the deadline and our available hours what kind of overtime are we talking. If it’s more than we feel is reasonable it’s time to plan ahead and make some calls to our list of freelancers we know and trust.

All too often we want to keep everything under our control or feel we can just get it done faster/better, but there is a high personal cost for such things. Simultaneously we discuss timeframe with our clients. I can’t tell you how many times I have worked all night for days to meet a deadline that turned out to be completely arbitrary. Find out when they REALLY need it by and try to base scheduling on that. Everyone wants it yesterday not everyone needs it yesterday.

If you work for a facility that has you crunching, I feel for you. That means whoever is in charge of scheduling is either delusional about how long things take or is looking to save $$, or worse just thinks the job should demand limitless devotion. In either case it’s a tough nut to crack. You’re only option may be to look inward and see what changes you can make to make your time more efficient which will hopefully reduce the amount of overtime you need to work. For efficiency I highly recommend the Pomodoro Technique! The idea is to break your day into many 25 minute (or whatever works for you) segments with short breaks in between. You can use a timer like Pomodairo to keep you on task. I use it regularly and it certainly helps reduce distractions and I find myself typically much more productive. Other than that you can always try talking with your employer and hope that they understand healthier workers make better work.

Good luck!

It’s a lot to consider but I promise you, being honest with yourself about your daily routine and the impact it has on your health is one of the best things you can possibly do for yourself. I only recently had my eyes opened after going through the busiest work period of my life. I allowed my work to take over every aspect of me life. I watched my energy levels plummet, my weight increase, my cholesterol levels skyrocket and so on. All because I settled into the thought that I was just too busy to do anything about it. One day I sort of panicked with the realisation I have one body and I’m sending it down the crapper for really no reason at all!  Don’t let your health take a backseat to work and everything else like I did. It only gets harder with time so stand up and make a change now. You’ll thank yourself later!

I was thrilled when Lynette Clee, News Editor at 3D Artist magazine, informed me I had been selected for their February issue’s “Artist Spotlight”! It’s issue 38 and hit shelves just a few weeks ago in Europe and should be available in the States by now. You can also buy it online HERE or pick it up for your iPhone or iPad. It’s a nice little piece that mostly focuses on the variety of work I do, being a 3D “generalist” and all. It also makes mention of my former career in music as well as my 1st place win in last year’s Maxwell Challenge over at ronenbekerman.com. Maybe sometime I’ll write a more detailed blog post on how I essentially stumbled into the 3D industry, if anyone’s interested.

It was a wild and insanely busy end to 2011 and things have been steaming right along through the beginning of 2012. So many different kinds of projects and many new clients keeps things interesting, exciting and challenging. Here’s fingers crossed that things continue to cook along! I can’t express how very fortunate I feel to be able to head into the studio everyday and do what I love!

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I developed this “Robogirl” concept while working with the guys at Sitcom Soldiers on a music video for Timo Maas & Brian Molko’s new single “College 84″.