Success Story
Arcana Studio is a Canadian animation studio based in Burnaby, BC that got its start in the comic book publishing industry. CEO Sean O’Reilly founded Arcana in 2003 with a single comic book called Kade. Since then, it has expanded to produce both animated and live action features. Arcana Studio has faced many challenges through its evolution. Moving from comic books to animated and live-action features was a learning curve that required massive changes in technology.
For Coree Jessee, Arcana’s studio asset supervisor, tools like Autodesk Maya have made that process much easier: “Developers like Autodesk are getting better and better at creating tools that take artists away from that technical side so they are able to focus more on the creative side.”
The primary project goal identified was to help the team manage and control their project in a rapidly growing environment, while meeting project deadlines for their clients.
Autodesk ShotGrid and its integration with Maya has become an invaluable tool. Clint Gamble, Arcana’s animation director, couldn’t imagine working without it: “I love ShotGrid. It’s awesome. We can upload things, it goes directly to it. I can give notes, it goes directly to it. You can do draw-overs in ShotGrid and it stays on top. They are making our lives easier:"
And when the Covid-19 pandemic forced Arcana’s animation team to work from home, ShotGrid made it possible to keep production moving. There were other challenges that came from working remotely, like latency. For CEO Sean O’Reilly, latency was a big issue: “When an animator is working remotely lip sync was just off by a little bit. But then we started using VPN. Annex Pro was amazing getting us VPN set up right away.”
While still involved in the ink and paper world of print publishing, Arcana Studio has fully embraced the digital world of animation. Creating and owning their own characters allows Arcana to develop and grow. As well as animation, Arcana is now producing live action feature films based on their own intellectual properties.
Autodesks products, like Maya, Arnold and Shotgrid, have given Arcana the flexibility and creative tools they need to thrive in challenging times. Annex Pro also takes care of licensing, something that has become increasingly complex through the years. Working with Annex Pro gives Arcana extra talent and resources to help solve current issues as well as plan for the future.
For Sean O’Reilly, Annex Pro is a key player in their success: “I have a fantastic team and Annex Pro is kind of like the glue with all the parts figuring out what we need how we need it.”
Project summary
Duration & delivery
Autodesk solutions
Services provided
Customer industry
Deploying ShotGrid and Maya to Produce Major 3D Episodic
Doberman Pictures lacked its own project pipeline before a direct invitation to collaborate with a renowned, global animation studio on 3D projects. As they transitioned from working primarily on 2D animation to 3D projects, it was necessary to expand beyond the Adobe products they were accustomed to in order to produce the upcoming 3D episodic. Doberman previously used Photoshop, After Effects, and Animate. However, in order to collaborate freely with the major global animation studio, they needed to implement a more efficient project management tool. They also wanted to earn a reputation as a studio where artists are free to do their best creative work where the tools work effectively and almost invisibly in the background.
Phoenix Labs Race for Renewals to Meet Growing Demands
Phoenix Labs is a Canadian video game studio with a mission to bring players together through deep multiplayer games. To continue development on Dauntless, their flagship title and move forward with new game prototypes, Phoenix Labs has been expanding its team to meet these high aims. With the demand for gaming content increasing, Phoenix Labs knew they needed to act quickly to fulfill this ambitious task and supply their passionate team with the right quantity and quality tools necessary.
Bron Enhances Creative Process with Shotgun Deployment
Bron Studios, a media and entertainment company, use a range of Autodesk software but were having issues with an existing legacy Shotgun deployment. These Shotgun licenses were set up attempting to be a solution to all divisions of the company, and as a result, were less than ideal for the purpose of setting up new projects specifically for Bron Digital division of Bron Studios. Bron Digital needed to start over with fresh licenses, this time supported by a reliable and professional reseller.
Contact Partner Finder for help using the online search tool and more. The Autodesk Assistant can help with Autodesk products, answer questions, or send you to an agent.
Partner Finder Terms of Use
By accessing and using Partner Finder, you acknowledge and agree to the following Additional Terms as referenced in the Website Terms of Use: (i) Partner Finder may be modified, updated, interrupted, limited, suspended, or discontinued at any time without notice or liability; (ii) any query or request for information regarding a specific provider or provider services may be forwarded to that provider, however Autodesk in its discretion may retain a record to conduct business analytics to improve Partner Finder and other Autodesk products and services; (iii) Autodesk has no obligation to enforce any terms on your behalf against another user; and (iv) any feedback you provide in connection with a provider, including ratings or reviews, is a non-confidential “Submission” as defined in the Website Terms of Use. You are advised to conduct your own independent analysis and assessment of any information provided by or though Partner Finder, including whether a selected provider is appropriate for your particular circumstances. Without limiting the Website Terms of Use, Autodesk does not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any service advertised or offered by a provider through Partner Finder or any hyperlinked website or service. Autodesk is not liable for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions you may take based on information provided by, or through, this site. You release Autodesk and its affiliates and subsidiaries from all liability arising from your use of Partner Finder, including any hyperlinked website, service, or content.
Translation tool disclaimer
This page has been translated for your convenience using a machine translation service. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation; however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace human translators. As a result, this translation may contain errors and inaccuracies. Autodesk provides no warranties, either express or implied, about the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the machine translation and disclaims all liability for any losses or damages caused by, or resulting from your reliance on, this translation. The English version of this website is the official version.
