Importing an AAF Sequence

To simplify the conform process, create the AAF project on the workstation running Smoke. And when exporting the AAF, save the AAF to the root of the media used in that timeline: the media should either be with the AAF, or within a folder alongside the AAF.

To simplify the conform process, when conforming on a Linux workstation, save the AAF to the root of the media used in that timeline: the media should either be with the AAF, or within a folder alongside the AAF. If you are conforming on a Mac, create the AAF project on that Mac. And when exporting the AAF, save the AAF to the root of the media used in that timeline: the media should either be with the AAF, or within a folder alongside the AAF.

To import a sequence using the MediaHub:

1. Open MediaHub, and set it to Browse for Files.
2. Review the AAF & XML Import Options. Because you are importing an AAF, pay attention to Preferred Media: if offline intermediates were used during the offline editing, decide now whether you wish to relink to the original media or to the offline intermediates.
3. Using the file browser, navigate to the AAF sequence to import.

   You can view the frame rate from the Preview Panel.

4. Drag the file from the browser to the Media Library.

   Smoke converts the AAF to its sequence format. According to the Media and Relative Search options, the sequence can be relinked or not, and the sources also imported, or not. The media itself is imported using the option file format options defined in the Format Specific Options tab.

You can also import a sequence from Conform:

1. Open Conform.
2. Click in the Media Panel the destination for the imported sequence.
3. Right-click the Events list, and select Load New FCP XML/AAF/EDL...
4. Set the AAF & XML Import Options.
5. In the Media Import window, locate the sequence to import using the file browser, and click Import.

You can select multiple sequences to import, using Shift-click and Ctrl-click.

If a source is used multiple times in a sequence, or across multiple sequences, and Save Sources Separately is enabled, only one instance of the source is imported. And the sources are saved in a sources folder.

If you plan on perform a Connected conform, you must import your sequences into a Reel group. Make sure to drag and drop the sequences on top of a Reel group, or to import from Conform. When you import your sequences through Conform, they are always added to the Sequences reel of the default Reel group, making sure you will be able to use the Sources and Shots sequences required for the Connected conform workflow.

Tips to Simplify the Conform

• On a Mac: Create the AAF project on the workstation running Smoke. And when exporting the AAF, save the AAF to the root of the media used in that timeline: the media should either be with the AAF, or within a folder alongside the AAF.
• On a Linux workstation: Save the AAF to the root of the media used in that timeline: the media should either be with the AAF, or within a folder alongside the AAF. Then you can move that folder to the Linux workstation to conform in Smoke.

R3D Media Files and AAF

In Smoke, when you conform an AAF using RED .r3d media files, you can also apply the RED Source Settings defined in Avid Media Composer. Source Settings are the color settings edited in either Media Composer.

To use the RED Color Settings defined in Media Composer:

1. From the Conform tab contextual menu, select Load New FCP XML/AAF/EDL...
2. In the Media Import window, enable AAF & XML Import Options > Keep Source Settings.

   This setting can also be set in the MediaHub.

3. Locate and Import the AAF with RED Color Settings.
4. Once the AAF is imported, link the segments back to their R3D sources by Conforming an Avid AAF.

   The RED sources are displayed using the color settings defined in Avid Media Composer.

When using Keep Source Settings, never relink to clips already imported in Smoke because they already have color settings that cannot be overridden by the relinking process. Instead, make sure to use one of the following approaches:

• Automatically link to media files: In the Media Import window, enable Link To Media Files so Smoke links the media files using the paths from the AAF, (with or without Path Translation).
• Set a search location: Add sources from an external location.
• Manually relink to media files: Edit the file path and location directly in the event list.

Debayering resolution is not part of the information contained in the AAF Source Settings. You must therefore specify the debayering settings before locating the R3D files, or the media's resolution will not match that of the sequence. You should do this from the MediaHub before importing the AAF, or from the Media Import window as you locate the AAF.

Matching the resolution of an AAF to the fully debayered resolution of R3D files:

1. In the Media Import window, locate and select one of the R3D files.
2. In the Format Specific Options tab, enable Show All Formats.
3. Select File Format > R3D from the box.
4. Select Options Category > Debayering.
5. Set the Debayering Mode box to Full.
6. Open the AAF & XML Import Options tab.
7. Select Select Resolution from the Sequence Resolution box.
8. With the R3D file still selected, click Copy from Selected Clip.

   The resolution information is copied from the R3D file. Any AAF (or XML for that matter) will be imported to that resolution.

Tip: Often times the AAF will be have been created at an HD resolution in Avid Media Composer. But by working at full debayering resolution on Linux workstation, you can benefit from the faster GPU debayering. Override the AAF resolution with the Sequence Resolution in the AAF & XML Import Options; use Copy from Selected Clip on one of the R3D files to match resolution. Make sure to also set the R3D debayering to Full.

To set the debayering settings before importing the AAF:

1. Open the MediaHub.
2. In the Format Specific Options tab, enable Show All Formats.
3. Select File Format > R3D from the box.
4. Select Options Category > Debayering .
5. Set the Debayering Mode box to the desired debayering resolution.

   You can then following the instructions above to import the AAF.

To set the debayering settings as you import the AAF:

1. From the Conform tab contextual menu, select Load New FCP XML/AAF/EDL...
2. In the Format Specific Options tab, enable Show All Formats.
3. Select File Format > R3D from the box.
4. Select Options Category > Debayering .
5. Set the Debayering Mode box to the desired debayering resolution.
6. In the Media Import window, enable AAF & XML Import Options > Keep Source Settings.

   This setting can also be set in the MediaHub.

7. Locate and Import the AAF with RED Color Settings.
8. Once the AAF is imported, link the segments back to their R3D sources by Conforming an Avid AAF.

   The RED sources are displayed using the color settings defined in Avid Media Composer.

Note: Format Options you set from the Timeline in Smoke are overwritten when you relink the media to the AAF: the media is imported using the MediaHub settings.

Link to Media Files and Search and Import Files

The options Search and Import Files and Link to Media Files are performed sequentially:

1. If Link to Media Files is enabled, Smoke locates the media files based file paths and names found in the AAF.
2. For the media that cannot be found, and if Search and Import Files is enabled, Smoke tries to locate the media files in the location defined by the Directory Up field, trying to match media to segments based on the defined Match Criteria.

About Intermediates Formats

Transcoded intermediates from Avid Media Composer supported in Smoke:

• AVC-Intra 50
• AVC-Intra 100
• DNxHD
• XDCam EX
• XDCam HD

Transcoded intermediates from Avid Media Composer not supported in Smoke:

• -J2K MXF
• 1:1 MXF
• 1:1p 10b MXF
• Apple ProRes in MXF
• Avid DNxHR (also known as DNxRI)

When conforming unsupported intermediates, use the Preferred Media > Original Sources option from the Media Import window to link to the original media files. Or from Media Composer, transcode the sources to a supported format.

Sequences made using a unsupported frame rate, such as 48 fps, cannot be conformed in Smoke.

Note: In MXF Op-Atom files generated by Avid Media Composer, audio tracks appear in the MediaHub as a single audio channel file (A1). But once imported, the tracks display the original channels.

Working with Path Translation

When you import an AAF or an FCP XML file with Link to Media Files enabled, Smoke tries to reconnect to the sources using the paths defined within. But if you are working in a collaborative environment where multiple OSes are used with varying volume mountpoints, or using a dead drop, you will run in cases where the path in the imported sequence cannot be resolved by Smoke. Most common case is with an AAF produced on a Mac OS X, where external volumes are mounted under /Volumes/, while on Linux, such volumes can be mounted on any point. This is where path translation comes in, allowing you to convert a path from one format into another. Once path translation is set up, linking and relinking to sources should be seamless.

You set up the path translation in a configuration file, where you define pairs of paths.

To set a path translation pair:

1. Close Smoke.
2. Open a shell window.
3. As root, open the following file in a text editor:

   /usr/discreet/cfg/pathTranslation.cfg

4. Define a Source path and a Destination.

   For example, we need Smoke to search media files that was seen from a an offlining Mac at /Volumes/SAN, but seen from the conforming Linux workstation at /ProductionSAN:

   • <PathTranslationTable>
   • <PathTranslation src="/Volumes/SAN" dst="/ProductionSAN" />
   • </PathTranslationTable>
5. Save and close the file.
6. Restart Wiretap Gateway using the ServiceMonitor.
   1. In the shell, type: ServiceMonitor
   2. In the ServiceMonitor window, click Restart next to Wiretap Gateway.

Smoke will now translate any source path found in pathTranslation.cfg into its paired destination path when you import a sequence or use Link To Media File in Conform.