Multiple User Collaboration

Hi there! Total Newb @ Davinci here.
I've been trying to get the cloud collaboration thing to work but it seems like it's a bit confusing? I've paid for the subscription to add a project library so I can work with others so we can edit at the same time. However, it won't let others see the timeline/media (showing up as "MEDIA OFFLINE" in all files) but I can access it just fine.

Did I overlook something while importing? I literally just opened a project, shared the access and imported media files but on their end it always shows up as media offline. Please help, need to get this project done soon. Thanks in advance!

[Peter Chamberlain]

The Blackmagic Cloud allows you to share the Project library, and therefore the project.

You still have to share the media, which you can do via a disk drive or dropbox or some other shared storage, in the cloud or otherwise.

LucidLink has an amazing ability to serve as a transport mechanism for online storage. It sets up a virtual drive on your local computer mirroring the folder structure of your online filespace.


If your media is say proxy 422, you could store it on an Amazon S3 and access it from anywhere as your file storage if your net speeds sustain 200 Mbps or better. If you're running a gig 'net service 422 ProRes works fine.

My partner is in Capetown. I'm in Oregon w 200 Mbps, and even 422 often works in my Premiere projects stored on our London S3.

Does the same in Resolve. You do have some costs for LucidLink and for storage of course.

Either that or transfer to local storage for everyone.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

i've found lucid lnk to be un-workable / slow

our theory was:
VFX vendors up load 4k EXR
VFX editor links and cuts in, sends me a DRT
i link and open DRT

our reality was:
running live from Lucid Link in Resolve would hang the software on any machine that we tried it on
Lucid Link runs at a frame every few seconds, a 48 frame shot took 10 hours to download directly

i'd test before throwing $ down

Dropbox or Goggle Drive work quite well with proxies. 18 has a new mechanism to set up local and remote paths to make it seamless. If the other team members need source quality, you'll need a very good internet connection or use physical drives to ship.

Oooh okay thank you guys for clearing it up!

The Blackmagic Cloud allows you to share the Project library, and therefore the project.

You still have to share the media, which you can do via a disk drive or dropbox or some other shared storage, in the cloud or otherwise.

Do you know when more regions will be added.
I am in Iceland witch is not on the list of regions but still I tried to create a project using other regions because I am on a collaboration job and I wanted to use BM cloud instead of Frame IO this time, and of course I get a message that the project server service is not available in my region:

Is there any official plan on adding more regions?

Dropbox or Goggle Drive work quite well with proxies. 18 has a new mechanism to set up local and remote paths to make it seamless. If the other team members need source quality, you'll need a very good internet connection or use physical drives to ship.

I have Google Drive set for streaming (instead of local mirroring), and I tried to make a sync folder local but wasn't able to find out how. It's easier done in dropbox than Google Drive.

I might be missing something.

You need to be using google drive for desktop. In explorer/finder right click the folder you want local and set it to Offline Access /Available offline. This will download to your google drive cache location and be available locally.

I've been using this successfully for a while, there are some caveats where google with create the same folder name with "(1)" after it and have not figured out a work around. It usually goes away after a while and you need to re-link inside of Resolve.

You need to be using google drive for desktop. In explorer/finder right click the folder you want local and set it to Offline Access /Available offline. This will download to your google drive cache location and be available locally.

I've been using this successfully for a while, there are some caveats where google with create the same folder name with "(1)" after it and have not figured out a work around. It usually goes away after a while and you need to re-link inside of Resolve.

Thanks Ryan,

And were you able to successfully share that local google drive folder with another remote user? I'm just asking because the user I shared it with wasn't able to make that local (offline) on their machine like you can with a dropbox folder.

Thanks!

If they are in your domain they should be able to make it available offline as long as they have permissions for the folder. Google Drive for Desktop works in a hierarchical permissions. So the Parent folder needs to have permissions for sharing before the child folders do(it took some head scratching to figure that out the first time).

If they are outside your domain, I'm currently experimenting with the best way to share those files. From what I've seen so far, creating shortcuts to "shared with me" files does allow access on Google Drive for Desktop, but it creates some pretty cryptic file paths, but so far none of my applications has caused issues with it directly.

If they are in your domain they should be able to make it available offline as long as they have permissions for the folder. Google Drive for Desktop works in a hierarchical permissions. So the Parent folder needs to have permissions for sharing before the child folders do(it took some head scratching to figure that out the first time).

If they are outside your domain, I'm currently experimenting with the best way to share those files. From what I've seen so far, creating shortcuts to "shared with me" files does allow access on Google Drive for Desktop, but it creates some pretty cryptic file paths, but so far none of my applications has caused issues with it directly.

Thanks, Ryan -

Not sure if I understand the domain part.

And yes, shared with me adds 'shortcuts' and the paths have some very strange cryptic namings as you mention. Wish they would have made it as easy as Dropbox.
And then there's always Resilio Sync, a peer-to-peer app that works well in the end.

Thanks much for help!

If you're using google for business, the your domain is the: @"companyName".com

If the user is not apart of your domain, I think the only way to share the files with the mapping currently in google drive for desktop is to share a shortcut. If I find another way, I'll post it here.

I've seen it documented that the standalone proxy application can use google drive as a sync location, maybe someone from Blackmagic can chime in if there's anything we're missing.

[Shrinivas Ramani]

For collaborating with other users you need three things - 1. a shared project, 2. shared media data and 3. a form of communication (to inform the other active users that you're on a certain timeline, or a clip has been deleted etc)

Sticking to point 2, Resolve looks for an expected local file path with full files (i.e. not shortcuts or placeholders). You can manually copy folders, use cloud storage, USB drives... as long as the full file is present locally, Resolve is fine. See a similar clarification here, and do look up media storage mapping and path mapping in the Resolve manual.

For collaborating with other users you need three things - 1. a shared project, 2. shared media data and 3. a form of communication (to inform the other active users that you're on a certain timeline, or a clip has been deleted etc)

Sticking to point 2, Resolve looks for an expected local file path with full files (i.e. not shortcuts or placeholders). You can manually copy folders, use cloud storage, USB drives... as long as the full file is present locally, Resolve is fine. See a similar clarification here, and do look up media storage mapping and path mapping in the Resolve manual.

I am working on a project with a team where the primary editor uploaded all media to frame.io and the project to my collaboration cloud library. I then downloaded everything locally from frame.io and fully replicated the folder structure from the primary editor. When I open the shared project from the cloud library, all media shows offline and when I try to relink bins or clips, it fails. Clearly I am missing some important step to make this work and I have read and reread the manual a dozen times.

[Shrinivas Ramani]

When you downloaded a copy of the files, did the folder structures match? Is there a difference in codecs?

When you downloaded a copy of the files, did the folder structures match? Is there a difference in codecs?

I had to move the files around after downloading from frame.io to match the primary editors file/folder structure. I assume that should work. Regarding that, how high up towards the drive root does the folder structure need to match? All the way to root or what? There is no difference in codecs as far as I know.