For epic movies, eye-catching effects on the screen, plus creative minds, powerful computers are also an indispensable part.

To understand more about the difficulties and strict requirements of the computer systems used in VFX, we will meet with Mr. Hoang Anh Vu. He is currently the director of Luci Digital, a well-known VFX company in Vietnam behind a series of big projects like The Tale of Cuoi 1 and 2, Viet Su Kieu Hung (The War of the Dead in Da Bang)…

Mr Hoang Anh Vu

– Reporter: Hello, can you share more about Luci Digital?

– Anh Vu: Luci we specialize in cinematic effects, commonly known as VFX. Our job is to produce movies, computer visual effects. Luci in recent years has developed many important techniques in animation production and has thoroughly applied his technical advances in productions such as The Tale of Cuoi 1 and 2, projects that require Full CGI.

– Reporter: So what do you think are the biggest difficulties and challenges facing Luci in particular and the field of VFX in general?

– Anh Vu: There are many difficulties to talk about, but to talk about the most difficult and challenging things that we have to overcome, perhaps it is the rapid development of this field. We have to continuously improve our experience, techniques and keep up with new trends. Machinery and equipment also need to be regularly updated to meet the increasing industry standards.

– Reporter: Have you ever encountered serious problems related to your equipment?

– Anh Vu: For our VFX field, it is not uncommon to have problems with machines. Each computer usually has to operate continuously for weeks, so the stability requirements are very high. In The Tale of Cuoi 2 project, we came across a situation where a number of machines would hang during rendering. This happens often, which affects the progress of the project.

– Reporter: In your opinion, when investing in computers to serve VFX, what factors should be considered first?

– Anh Vu: For projects that need simulation (FX – simulation of physical effects), RAM is the most important component. If there isn’t enough RAM, it certainly can’t be done. Of course, to be able to make large and high-quality scenes, it is also necessary to invest in a CPU powerful enough to shorten the processing time.

Compatibility is also an aspect to consider. When we invest in a machine system, we will usually state the purpose of using the machine first, then the supplier will advise us which components to choose, or we will choose the components ourselves if we have knowledge about it.

– Reporter: It is known that you recently tested an AMD computer, do you know what problems this system solves for Luci in the previous problems?

– Anh Vu: The system we tested uses a Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU, a Gigabyte TRX40 Aorus Pro motherboard, 64 GB of HyperX Predator RAM, and a Radeon Pro WX 9100 graphics card. After more than 2 weeks of testing, we have some feedback. as follows:

AMD systems always give faster results even with the same amount of RAM as the system available in Luci. It’s a combination of increased CPU processing power and better RAM management. AMD’s system performed consistently throughout our run, with most tests running 2-4 times faster than our current most powerful system.

– Reporter: How do AMD computers stand out compared to the computer system that Luci is currently using?

– Anh Vu: This AMD system has a 24-core, 48-thread CPU. When the test processes the heavy file, the results are 4-5 times faster, for the simulation task, we always keep the distance between 2-2.4 times compared to our system. With good RAM management technology, when the simulation is heavy and close to 64 GB, the system still does not hang or overflow, which helps the machine continue to run well.

– Reporter: Over time, what do you like most about AMD computers?

– Anh Vu: After experimenting, what we like the most is the rendering capability of the device. With such outstanding rendering speed, we are completely safe when the machine executes the heaviest tasks and still meets the project time requirements.

– Reporter: Thank you very much for the valuable exchange above, I wish you good health.

So we have understood a bit about the importance of powerful computers in the field of movie making. In addition, it also answers the question of many of you who are also working in the current VFX field: Will AMD computers meet the needs of cinema well?