AAF import changing tape name

[editgood]

I have a project that I'm trying to conform in Smoke in 4k and I'm having some problems.  The show was cut in Avid using DNX36 dailies.  From Avid, we exported an AAF and brought that into Resolve to link to the R3D files for color correction.  From Resolve, we rendered out DPX files. 

I brought the DPX files into Smoke and all of the metadata looks good.  But when I import the AAF, I can't get most of the clips to link up.  It looks like the tape names in the conform window are all set to the same tape name.  I've tried all of the different import settings for where to tell Smoke to get the tape name but it's the same no matter what I do.  I would say that it's the AAF that's the problem, but the AAF worked in Resolve and everything linked up successfully.

We can get the media to link up correctly in Smoke using an EDL but we were hoping to use an AAF so that we don't need to rebuild all of the effects.

[Grant.Kay]

Hi,

From what I am reading, you import the AAF into Resolve with the DNxHD media and it relinks perfectly.

You export a DPX sequence and try to use the AAF to import the DPX files into Smoke.

This does sound like something has changed a bit between the DNxHD and the DPX files.

Have you tried importing the AAF into Smoke and link it to the DNxHD media?

If that works than it is possible that Resolve has changed some metadata.

Another possibly is to import the DPX file sequences into Smoke. Unlink the AAF connected to the DNxHD media and relink the sequence to the imported DPX media to see if that makes a difference.

Hope this helps!

Regards
Grant

[editgood]

Hi Grant,

Thank you for your help!

To clarify...I import the AAF into Resolve and use it to link to the R3D files and it relinks perfectly.  I render out DPX files from Resolve.

I take the same AAF and import it into Smoke and the metadata does not all come across correctly and I cannot get it to relink to the DPX files. 
The tape names have all changed to one singular tape name for every clip. 

When I import the DPX files into Smoke, the metadata has not changed.  The tape names are all correct.

So it seems like Smoke is not able to correctly read the AAF from Avid.  I'm wondering if this workflow is possible or if using an EDL is the only option.

[Grant.Kay]

ok, I understand that. But have you been able to relink the AAF to the R3D files in Smoke?

Can you give us an example of what the original tape name is?

Could you also give an example of the tape name that Smoke thinks its reading from the AAF?

Regards
Grant

[editgood]

We haven't tried linking the AAF to the R3D files in Smoke.  I can try that.

The tape names are all derived from the Red file names.  Smoke is basically choosing one of those names and using it for all of the clips: A471_C001_0825VJ.

The file name is set to N/A.

Source timecode is coming in like this: 16:47:26+07

[editgood]

We have the same issues trying to link to the R3D files in Smoke. 

I think the AAF is the problem.  Very little of the clip information is coming across in Smoke from the AAF.  Is there anything else that I could try?

[sebastien_leclercq]

I've had some issues importing AAFs from Media Composer 7 into Smoke lately.
It seems Avid changed something in their AAF since v7 of Media Composer.
Try exporting a new AAF from Resolve after you render the DPX, and try using this new AAF to relink into Smoke.

[editgood]

We're using Avid 6.5  We also tried to export a new AAF from Resolve after we rendered the DPX files but it didn't make a difference.

Does it make a difference if the Avid media is online when the AAF is created?  Since we're not using the MXF files as part of the conform, we don't get that media from offline.  We just get a bin and a reference video. 

[Grant.Kay]

That should not make a difference.

The main issue is that the media is constantly changing throughout your pipeline. So traditional methods of linking to file names etc are useless.

The only things that must remain totally consistent in your pipeline is the tape name and time codes of the sources.

What needs to be investigated is why the AAF is causing Smoke to read things differently.

Can you post two things for me?

1. The original AAF that causes the wrong tape name in Smoke.
2. The EDL which has the correct tape names.

Regards
Grant

[editgood]

Yes, I will send you those as a direct message.

Thank you for your help!