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Disk Cache
In addition to in-RAM caching, SynthEyes can cache shots onto a hard drive for potentially faster access in certain circumstances.
The disk cache can save time when the original footage is located on a remote disk drive, or is encoded using a codec that takes a substantial amount of time to decode (such as RED). The disk cache stores the entire shot's data in a single large flat file ("BAFF" file) within a folder that you can locate on a fast local disk.
Warning: The Disk Cache does not preserve the shot metadata. If metadata is required, either turn off the disk cache, or save the metadata in tandem with the BAFF file. See Shot Metadata below.
The disk cache stores a (decoded) version of the entire original shot, regardless of shot begin/end settings, before any effects caused by the image preprocessor. The disk cache stores the images as you work, whenever they are read by SynthEyes. If you want to load the entire shot, click Play to run through it.
You can monitor the disk cache load percentage in the Memory Status area of the Shot Setup panel. Unlike the RAM cache, the disk cache is still there after you close and reopen SynthEyes.
To estimate the size of a disk cache file, multiply the image width times the
image height times the number of frames in the shot times THREE. If the "Cache only 8- Bit versions" preference is off, then multiply by two if you require 16 bit/pixel processing or "half" OpenEXR files, or multiply by four if the shot has floating-point values (Don't multiply at all if the preference is on). An alpha channel will add an additional byte per pixel per frame.
For example, 1000 RED images at 4096x2304 will require about 28 GB, which will fit in RAM on customer's machines with 40 GB or more, but with disk cache, the decoded version will persist from run to run, instead of requiring decoding each time.
The entire disk cache file appears simultaneously in the address space of SynthEyes, which is one of the reasons SynthEyes is a 64-bit application!
©2024 Boris FX, Inc. — UNOFFICIAL — Converted from original PDF.