Flow Production Tracking VFX Integration

  1. Overview
  2. Setting up Flow Production Tracking
  3. Setting up the pipeline
  4. Configuring the pipeline
  5. Start delivering
  6. Checking your work

Overview

In this article, we'll discuss Flow Capture's (formerly Moxion) integration with Flow Production Tracking (formerly Shotgrid), which enables the transfer of video (watermarked if required), metadata, and thumbnails into the Production Tracking (PT) workflow of your VFX project. One of Flow Capture's great strengths is its ability to provide a rich repository of metadata - gathered directly from camera - and seamlessly making it available to downstream vendors. 

Any camera setting that can be represented in an OSD ALE field can be mapped to an asset or group of assets in Flow Capture.

Setting up Flow Production Tracking (PT)

One-time setup for PT Admins

Flow Capture will push up your assets to PT. To do this, Flow Capture will connect to PT via "script" authentication. 

To prepare PT for Flow Capture, you'll need to set up some Authentication details that Flow Capture can use. To do this, a PT administrator will need to configure a Script entity in PT. 

To configure Flow Capture, we will need the following info:

  • Your PT domain, which will typically be something like https://xyz.shotgunstudio.com
  • The name of the Script that Flow Capture will be connecting as.
  • The API key associated with the Script (note: this is also referred to as the "Application Key" in PT).

By default, Flow Capture will send its Assets up to a specific Entity type in PT. We recommend setting up a custom "Flow Capture Entity" Entity type. This allows Flow Capture Assets to be easily identified, and will not interfere with any pre-existing Entities you may have. 

For more information on configuring Custom entities in PT see this Autodesk knowledge base article.

Flow Capture will modify the Entity type it is using. Flow Capture pushes up its metadata fields, which show as fields in the PT Entity. Flow Capture will create any fields it needs as it goes.

You will not require any Flow Capture API keys for the Flow Capture to PT integration.

Setting up the pipeline

Note: In order to set up this integration on the Flow Capture side, you will need Admin permissions.

In the Assets tab, find the Folder you would like to setup the integration for and ensure that it is highlighted

The assets in the Folder should have accompanying metadata in order to make the most of the our integration.

On the right, click on the "Connections" icon at the bottom:

Next, click the + icon next to "Create Stream."


This will bring up the Connections dialogue box.


Select "Flow Production Tracking" from the drop down menu



Add your relevant PT Server information, the name of your pre-established script and the PT API key (aka Application Key). This information can be gathered from your PT administrator.

Note that the PT Server must finish with "/api/v1/". For example, if your PT server is at https://xyz.shotgunstudio.com, the PT Server URL will need to be  https://xyz.shotgunstudio.com/api/v1/. You will need to include the trailing slash.

Once everything's added and you've checked to make sure it's all correct, press Create Connection. 

Configuring the Pipeline

Once authenticated, you can then navigate to the Transfer tab on the left (where you normally come to move assets or upload new ones manually), then select "Flow Production Tracking"


Once there, you'll be able to configure your settings and finalize your connection. Below is a guide for the settings available in this dialogue box:

PT Project: The PT project to send the Flow Capture Assets to.
PT Entity: The type of Entity to create in the PT project. See the section on "Setting up PT" for more details.
Upload Files: Do you wish to send the Asset footage itself up to PT? If you select this option, a PT "Version" will be created for every asset pushed up to PT, which contains the video clip. If you don't choose to send assets, only the metadata (and optionally the thumbnails) are sent.
Upload Thumbnails: Send the thumbnails to PT? This is handy if you don't want to send the footage itself up to PT, but you still want thumbnails.
Watermarking: If selected, the Flow Capture watermark will be burned into the footage before uploading it to PT.
Send Automatically: If selected, any new assets uploaded to this Flow Capture folder will be auto-sent to PT after a few seconds.
Flow Capture to PT mapping JSON:

Expert mode! Rather than just pushing a Flow Capture asset up to one entity, this configuration allows you define a mapping that "unflattens" the Flow Capture metadata and sends it to different, related entities in PT. 


A more detailed article on the specifics of our Flow Capture to PT specifications can be found in our Entity Mapping article.


Note: Be sure to click the blue SAVE button, instead of just closing the dialogue box! Otherwise, your integration will not work properly.

Start Delivering!

You can now start to passing video, thumbnails and metadata from Flow Capture to PT. Select the Manage Assets tab in the Transfer section, and then head to the Send to PT tab. Locate and select the assets you want to transfer, as well as the project and entity you chose in the mapping section above. Once you're ready, press Send.


You'll be asked to confirm if that's what you actually wanted to do.


And finally you'll get a notice that it's all proceeding as you've directed it.

Then it's time to hop into PT to see how the integration is working out!

Check Your Work in PT

Once the integration is all set up and assets have been sent, you'll find all the video assets which have been sent along

Their thumbnails

As well as any metadata are now displayed and at your fingertips!