New Deadline Feature Simplifies the Creation of Cloud-Based Render Farms; 
Beta Access Comes with $500 Credit for Google Cloud Platform Render Resources

Los Angeles, CA (February 11, 2015) –  Thinkbox Software today launched the public beta for  Deadline Cloud Wizard for Google Cloud Platform, a new feature for its scalable, cross-platform high-volume compute management solution. Launched in December 2014, Deadline 7 includes built-in VMX (Virtual Machine Extension) capabilities, which enables artists, architects and engineers to harness render cores in public and private clouds. Deadline Cloud Wizard for Google Cloud Platform allows customers to quickly scale their internal Deadline 7 render farms by seamlessly tapping added cloud-based resources via Google Cloud Platform. While configuring cloud-based render farms can be complex and time-consuming, Deadline Cloud Wizard condenses the process into a one-time automated task that takes about 30 minutes to complete. Once in place, working with the cloud will operate as fast as Google Cloud Platform can spin up instances. As a special offer, Google Cloud Platform is providing a $500 credit for render resources to Deadline Cloud Wizard beta customers (available on a first come, first served basis).

“Deadline Cloud Wizard provides artists with the freedom to easily and quickly build their own cloud-based render farms along with the flexibility to use their existing tools, workflows and local computers. For advanced users, it provides a jumping off point for direct links into Google Cloud Platform, whether companies are setting up a simple Pop-Up Cloud™ to manage overflow or laying the groundwork for more complex pipelines,” said Chris Bond, founder, Thinkbox Software.

Using a customer’s Google Cloud Platform account, Deadline Cloud Wizard for Google Cloud Platform creates a basic virtual private network (VPN) connection between the user’s workstation and cloud account for secure communication. Demo Slave virtual machines and jobs are automatically set up so that the user can immediately experiment with cloud rendering, without additional setup. 

The Deadline Cloud Wizard for Google Cloud Platform beta is free and provides access to a 30-day trial license of Deadline as well as $500 credit from Google Cloud Platform for rendering resources. To request beta access, please use the online form here:  http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/cloud-wizard-overview

While Deadline 7 supports cloud rendering on a variety of platforms including Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, and OpenStack, among others, the Deadline Cloud Wizard is currently only available for Google Cloud Platform.