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Storage Preferences

Space Calculation

Show Volume Statistics

List the number of frames, proxies, and audio sources stored in the clip libraries, and main work area of each project.



Simplified Space Calculation

The Space Calculation options have been simplified.

Media Cache Space Estimate

Update the information under the Available and Used sections and perform a purge so the amount of space is up to date.

This button replaces the Available, Available & Purgeable, and Force Purge buttons available in previous versions.

Available, Used, and Required Space

The Available section shows the available space on the current volume in GB or TB, in frames (based on the current project settings), and in time. This information is automatically populated when entering the tab.

The Used section shows the amount of content of the project on the current volume in GB or TB, in frames, and in time. Click the Media Cache Space Estimate button to update this section.

The Required section shows the amount of space required to render Timeline FXs for clips in the current Workspace.

Framestore

Test Disks

Displays the number of frames read per second; the number of seconds required to read a single frame; and the amount of data, in megabytes, read per second.

Resolution option

Use the project Full Resolution or Proxy resolution as the resolution for the tests.

Operation option

Select between a read or write test.

Number of Test Disks Passes

How many times the media is read in a read test. For write tests, this number is multiplied by the Test Disks Frames.

Test Disks Frames

Select the number of frames per pass to test with. Used as-is for read tests, but it is multiplied by the Number of Test Disks Passes for write tests.

Test Mode option

Specify the order in which the frames are read or written.

  • Sequential: Each pass reads or writes frames from first to last.
  • Random: Each pass reads or writes frames in a different and randomized order.
  • Butterfly: Alternates between frames from head and tail, getting closer to the median frame at each pass. For example, given a 10 frame read pass, frames are read in this order: 1, 10, 2, 9, 3, 8, 4, 7, 5, 6.

Test Storage Performance

The Test Disks tool validates the throughput of the current framestore volume. It is available in Preferences System Storage Framestore.

The test results are displayed in the message bar.

The results are also displayed in the terminal/shell used to lauch the application.

The results show:

  • The number of frames (read or written) per second (fps)
  • The number of seconds it takes to read or write a frame (spf)
  • The amount of data processed every second in megabyte per second (MB/s)

The test options are:

  • Resolution: Use the project Full Resolution or Proxy resolution as the resolution for the tests.
  • Operation: Select between a read or write test.
  • Number of Test Disks Passes: How many times the media is read in a read test. For write tests, this number is multiplied by the Test Disks Frames setting to determine how many frames are written to the disk. Flame storage algorithm doesn't allow overwriting frames, hence the number of passes has a different meaning for writing tests.
  • Test Disks Frames: Select the number of frames per pass to test with. This number is used as-is for reading tests, but it is multiplied by the Number of Test Disks Passes for writing tests.
  • Test mode: Specify the order in which the frames are read or written.
    • Sequential: Each pass reads or writes frames from first to last.
    • Random: Each pass reads or writes frames in a different and randomized order.
    • Butterfly: Alternates between frames from head and tail, getting closer to the median frame at each pass. For example, given a 10 frame read pass, frames are read in this order: 1, 10, 2, 9, 3, 8, 4, 7, 5, 6.

With Flame, most accesses are sequential. The occasional exception is when playback changes shot, or when the Desktop refreshes and retrieves one image from each clip.

Note: Random and Butterfly focus on measuring the effect of spinning disk latency. Moving the head around has a cost which is only relevant with HDDs. Random and Butterfly tests are irrelevant for SSD- or NVME-based storage.

Testing with clips

The Test Disk tool in the Preferences uses colour noise frames to test the storage. You can also use your clips to test the storage.

Unlike its Preferences counterpart, testing with clips performs only a read test. The test uses the output of the main video track of the clip. By using clips, you measure the storage throughput, including any required decoding for frames from RED or BMD media.

To test your storage with a clip:

  1. Open the context menu of a fully rendered clip and select Media Test Disks.

    The tool tests the current Volume with the properties of the selected clip or sequence.

    Tip: To test using a sequence, make sure that all Timeline FX are fully rendered.
  2. The results are displayed in the Message Bar and in the application terminal/shell.

    Tip: Stop the test by clicking anywhere in the UI.

You can test using clips or sequences in Media Panel, Desktop Reels, and Freeform views. You cannot test with clips or sequences in MediaHub, Timeline, Batch, or Batch FX.

Temporary Libraries

Clear All

Delete temporary libraries from the current project. Do not use if background operations are running. Use the Background Tasks monitor to ensure all tasks are done before using.

Temporary libraries are used by background tasks, and are usually automatically deleted. But it can happen that they are not deleted correctly, build up over time and tax your storage. Clearing these libraries recovers that lost space. This is a safe operation unless background operations are running: wait for them to complete before clearing the temporary libraries.

Thumbnail Cache

Clear All

Remove the custom thumbnails icons for all clips in the Media Panel.

Stone+Wire Database Backups

Backups selection option

Select a database backup for restoration. This action can help reverse an unsuccessful database recovery.

Clear All

Remove all database recovery backups.

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