Importing an AAF Sequence

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.
   Note: By default, the sequence is imported at the resolution of the AAF, not the project's. You can set a resolution with the Sequence Resolution box.
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.

   Flame Assist 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 reel.

If you plan on perform a Connected conform, you must import your sequences in a Reel group. Make sure to drag and drop the sequences on top of a Reel group, or to import from Conform. In Conform, imported sequences are always added to the Sequences reel of the current Reel group, ensuring that you can use the Sources and Shots sequences required for the Connected conform workflow.

Miscellaneous Components

• Subclips are no longer created inside a Container but rather appear as a segment in the timeline.
• Markers located on a gap are now translated.
• Effects on Filler are now converted into GapFX.
• When you import multiple AAF files, and one of those files cannot be imported, Flame now warns you and allows skipping the incompatible AAF.

Tips to Simplify the Conform

• On a Mac: Create the AAF project on the workstation running Flame Assist. 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 Flame Assist.

R3D Media Files and AAF

In Flame Assist, 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 Flame Assist 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 Flame Assist 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 Flame Assist 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, Flame Assist 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, Flame Assist 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 Flame Assist:

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

Transcoded intermediates from Avid Media Composer not supported in Flame Assist:

• -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 Flame Assist.

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 Media Location Path Translation

Path Translation allows you to fix problems with media that was relocated after it was imported in Flame Assist.

Use path translation for:

• Clips in the Workspace: If the file system location of the clip's source has been modified, add a translation path to fix the issue without having to use Conform or re-import the contents. Restore a broken connection between a clip and its media. This break can happen when the media referenced by the clip is moved from its location. The original paths to the media are not changed, but translated by Flame Assist. This means that if you open the workspace on the original workstation, the sources remain linked.
• Batch setups: Loading a Batch setup with Import, Read File, and Write File nodes uses the path translation to modify the location of media files, Open Clip files and Batch setup. The data from the setup files is not modified, to protect its integrity: a user on the original file system will not be impacted.
• Conform: When you import an AAF or an FCP XML file with Link to Media Files enabled, Flame Assist tries to reconnect the segments to their sources, using the paths defined within the sequence file. Oftentimes in a collaborative environment, with varying OSes and volume mount points, or with dead drops, the paths in the imported sequence cannot be resolved by Flame Assist.

  Usually, the AAF is produced on a macOS or Windows, where external volumes are mounted under /Volumes/ or a drive name. On Linux, such volumes can be mounted on any point. Path translation allows you to convert a path from one format into another. Once path translation is set up, linking and relinking to sources should be seamless.

Applying Media Location Path Translation

You can edit the Source and Destination paths of the /opt/Autodesk/cfg/pathTranslation.cfg file directly from Preferences > Storage > Media Location Path Translation.

From there, you can Create, Duplicate, or Delete a rule using the buttons at the bottom of the table. When you create a new rule, it is set to /SourcePath and /DestinationPath by default, so it has no effect on the media. This path can be modified using the following methods:

• Click on the Source or Destination path cells of the selected rule to edit the path directly within the table.
• Select either Browse Source or Browse Destination to manually select a path for the selected rule using the MediaHub Browser

The refresh button can be used to manually refresh the list. This can be useful in the event that the pathTranslation.cfg has been modified using a text editor outside of Flame while Flame is running.

Note: The environment variable DL_LOCK_PATH_TRANSLATION_TABLE can be used to set the table (empty by default) within Flame to be read-only. A message is displayed below the table when it cannot be edited in Flame because either the file permissions were modified or the environment variable is set. These settings are not Project or User-based. They are System based.

Applying Media Location Path Translation Manually

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

To set a path translation pair:

1. Open a shell window. You do not have to close Flame Assist.
2. As root, open the following file in a text editor:

   /opt/Autodesk/cfg/pathTranslation.cfg

3. Define a Source path and a Destination.

   For example, we need Flame Assist to search for media files seen from an offlining Mac at /Volumes/SAN, but seen from the conforming Linux workstation at /ProductionSAN:

   • <PathTranslationTable>
   • <PathTranslation src="/Volumes/SAN" dst="/ProductionSAN" />
   • </PathTranslationTable>
4. Save and close the file.

   Flame Assist can immediately start translating a source path found in pathTranslation.cfg to its destination path when you import a sequence or use Link To Media File in Conform.