New Mac Pro at WWDC June 2016

[flat five]

What cloud stuff do you do other than the builtin cloud support in Autodesk?

i don't use any other cloud based applications.

i do use dropbox and iCloud for keeping everything in sync.. all my working folders/files are on dropbox and/or iCloud. (mostly dropbox but i do keep my spreadsheets on iCloud.. that works good for getting the spreadsheets on phone (numbers.app)

same with application specific files such as scripts, macros, preferences, keyboard shortcuts.. things like that.. so if i write a little snippet on one computer, it's available on my other computers without doing the manual transferring.

email too. does that count as the cloud?
[doublepost=1463960497][/doublepost]...that said, the internetz are getting a little eerie(?) lately..

i mention dropbox 3 times in a post and i'm immediately being fed dropbox ads


[doublepost=1463960900][/doublepost]

What cloud stuff do you do other than the builtin cloud support in Autodesk?

adding, just for clarity -- also, i know i've mention Autodesk's cloud rendering a lot lately but really, that's not my main hype with the software.. it's just more relevant to this forum since specs and speed are more interesting here.

i mostly like it because of how quickly i can set up lighting and texturing and camera (in fusion) compared to past methods of working.
it's next gen stuff as far as that's concerned and i can go from a raw model to a textured & lit model (with real time preview) in a few minutes.. previously, i might spend 30 minutes doing this stage in order to get a view ready to be rendered.

so regardless of how long the actual render takes to cook, i'd still be hyped on this newer software simply because i'm doing noticeably less work.. for reasons other than those that could be specifically tied to hardware performance.

 

[AidenShaw]

AidenShaw said: ↑
What cloud stuff do you do other than the builtin cloud support in Autodesk?

i don't use any other cloud based applications.

So you really don't have any cloud experience. You don't build applications using Azure or AWS. You don't spend $30K/month on S3 (like my group does) and $50K/month on EC2. (I don't pay the Azure bills, so I don't know how much they are.)

You aren't forced to run a hybrid cloud (like we are) because security/bandwidth/cost concerns mean that some applications and data can't (or can't affordably) be kept in the cloud. (We plan on individual task datasets of 1TB, and buy storage in 144TB chunks (108TB usable) as we need it.)

Cloud is really cool - I have a big one for my lab. We use Azure or AWS when we need huge compute resources for a brief time on smallish (100GB) anonymized or public datasets. Most stuff is on Hadoop/Spark and similar clusters inside the security firewall.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch" applies to cloud computing as well. The cloud providers are investing billions in their infrastructure - and they're not giving away access.

A couple of years ago I ran the numbers for putting a 2TB backup pool on Amazon S3. It came out to something like $2400 for the first year (initial upload bandwidth charges mainly), and $600 to $800/year thereafter (data storage and incremental bandwidth).

A 2TB eSATA drive at Central was about $200.

 

[flat five]

So you really don't have any cloud experience. You don't build applications using Azure or AWS. You don't spend $30K/month on S3 (like my group does) and $50K/month on EC2. (I don't pay the Azure bills, so I don't know how much they are.)

yeah, none of that.
i talk about me and my own experiences as a self-employed designer/craftsman using computers in his work.. nothing more nothing less.

i feel like i fairly consistently try to make that a point of my conversations but maybe it doesn't always translate so well.

 

[AidenShaw]

yeah, none of that.
i talk about me and my own experiences as a self-employed designer/craftsman using computers in his work.. nothing more nothing less.

i feel like i fairly consistently try to make that a point of my conversations but maybe it doesn't always translate so well.

In posts like https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-mac-pro-at-wwdc-june-2016.1971061/page-7#post-22926275, you said

it's virtually impossible (and certainly impractical) for a small business to acquire local resources which will match or even come anywhere close to what's available on cloud

without mentioning that your comment is really only relevant for small autodesk projects.

 

[rockyromero]

A couple of years ago I ran the numbers for putting a 2TB backup pool on Amazon S3. It came out to something like $2400 for the first year (initial upload bandwidth charges mainly), and $600 to $800/year thereafter (data storage and incremental bandwidth).

I'm also a small business owner that has discovered a direct relationship of my computing power to the ability to obtain clients and therefore revenue.

Your numbers would indicate that buying computing power supersedes cloud rendering.

I would agree depending on the amount of usage.

For me, it depends on the revenue received per client less the cost of acquiring the client in labor and computing costs.

I can't contain labor costs as quickly as I can contain computing costs.

By increasing my computing capabilities, I can increase the number of clients and revenue.

In a growth market, I can pay for costs as more paying clients arrive.

 

[flat five]

without mentioning that your comment is really only relevant for small autodesk projects.

i only use autodesk for (some) rendering and CAM.
Rhino is my application.. everything else is the supporting cast

===
that said, regardless of what size projects i do..

"it's virtually impossible (and certainly impractical) for a small business to acquire local resources which will match or even come anywhere close to what's available on cloud"

..is a true statement.. many rendering processes are limited to using around 100 cores (i mean, you can only divide something up into x amount of pieces before you hit law of diminishing returns).. on cloud, i'm using the max amount.
price me out a 96core rendering farm? and show that as a justifiable (or even possible) purchase to a freelancer, sole-proprietor, or small firm.?
[doublepost=1463967260][/doublepost]

I'm also a small business owner that has discovered a direct relationship of my computing power to the ability to obtain clients and therefore revenue.

dude.. if all you need to make more money is have more expensive computers then this is easy money.

buy all the computer you can buy.. right now.. then with the increased profits.. buy more computer..
etc
[doublepost=1463967779][/doublepost]

So you really don't have any cloud experience. You don't build applications using Azure or AWS. You don't spend $30K/month on S3 (like my group does) and $50K/month on EC2. (I don't pay the Azure bills, so I don't know how much they are.)

You aren't forced to run a hybrid cloud (like we are) because security/bandwidth/cost concerns mean that some applications and data can't (or can't affordably) be kept in the cloud. (We plan on individual task datasets of 1TB, and buy storage in 144TB chunks (108TB usable) as we need it.)

just so we're clear aiden..

you like to boast all these high dollar amounts and absurd spec'd computer things but-- do you realize how bad that type of system would suck for creative pros or even casual/hobbyist users?

as in -> wrong forum, srry.

check this wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer

.

 

[AidenShaw]

as in -> wrong forum, srry.

check this wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer

I checked, and the first sentence is

"A personal computer (PC) is a general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sale price make it useful for individuals"​

Doesn't sound "professional" to me. And certainly one could question the "original sale price" qualification in regards to any MP6,1 system.

 

[flat five]

Doesn't sound "professional" to me.

so what.. of course it doesn't.

 

[AidenShaw]

so what.. of course it doesn't.

Are you saying that Apple is debasing the word "professional"?

you like to boast all these high dollar amounts and absurd spec'd computer things but-- do you realize how bad that type of system would suck for creative pros or even casual/hobbyist users?

First, why would a forum about professional Apple systems even care about "casual/hobbyist users" that have more money than common sense?

Second, the real pros are interested in the "absurd spec'd computer" because it gives them confidence that if their workflow outgrows the current system there's an upgrade path. Perhaps not to "absurd" specs - but if they need 24 cores or 128 GiB of RAM or dual 10 GbE Ethernet - it's available.

 

[flat five]

sigh

 

[sartrekid]

So, will there be a new Mac Pro announced at WWDC June 2016?

I don't know, obviously. I do think, however, that it's very likely that they will be at least updating the specs of the Mac Pro this year. I can't imagine them to sell the 2013 version for another year. That would be pretty audacious, unless they went down with the pricing significantly. And if they do release a new (or updated) model, I'll definitely get one.

 

[rockyromero]

I do think, however, that it's very likely that they will be at least updating the specs of the Mac Pro this year. I can't imagine them to sell the 2013 version for another year. That would be pretty audacious, unless they went down with the pricing significantly. And if they do release a new (or updated) model, I'll definitely get one.

The price of the nMP on the secondary market keeps lowering.

Regardless of any announcement, it seems that I can continue to add a nMP as needed.

Considering the alternatives available, at this time another nMP makes financial sense.

The initial investment has to be measured to coincide with the expected ROI.

I'll be curious how this year turns out from a computing viewpoint.

I appreciate the feedback given here as it has stimulated my semi pro mentality.
[doublepost=1463972296][/doublepost]

dude.. if all you need to make more money is have more expensive computers then this is easy money.

buy all the computer you can buy.. right now.. then with the increased profits.. buy more computer..

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

There is that other word to consider: cash flow.

 

[flat five]

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

There is that other word to consider: cash flow.

i have some cash tucked away.. i'll invest