"We already used HLRS's computing capacities for the first movie with Maya the Bee in 2014 because our internal capacities were not sufficient due to time constraints," says Holger Weiss, CEO of M.A.R.K.13. "For the second movie adventure, we benefited greatly from the experience gained from the first movie in terms of rendering at HLRS. We were able to significantly optimize processes."

Supercomputer gave bees legs
The calculation time for the colorful insects was around 45 minutes per frame. HazelHen calculated up to 200 images simultaneously - limited only by software licenses, not by its own capacity limits. The data volume for the image calculation totaled 245 terabytes, and the computing time was just under six months. "While we still transported the hard disks to HLRS by hand in 2014, this time Maya the Bee no longer had to take the S-Bahn thanks to the new fiber optic connection. The cooperation with HLRS as a regional contact was therefore also worthwhile," explains Weiss. "We will therefore be implementing further joint projects in 2018."

Cooperation between research and media
For the new project with the popular Maya the Bee, the tried-and-tested team - consisting of director Alexs Stadermann, the M.A.R.K.13 team and the project managers at HLRS - received coordinating support from the Media Solution Center Baden-Württemberg (MSC-BW). Originating from the pilot project with Maya the Bee in 2014, the aim of the MSC-BW is to form the interface between technically and scientifically oriented research institutions and creative media companies. Annekatrin Baumann, MSC-BW project coordinator and contact person at HLRS for the Maya the Bee film project, says: "Collaborating with an animation studio is still unusual for a scientific computing center like HLRS and brings exciting new impulses. I am delighted that not only everyone involved, but also the Stuttgart region as a production location for animated films, has been able to benefit from the cooperation."

Support for innovative projects
In order to be able to support innovative projects in the future, the MSC-BW is about to be founded as a non-profit association. "We want to bring together the various interest groups from research and media, encourage exchange and create joint ideas and added value," says Baumann. The Stuttgart Media University, the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe and the HLRS are among the partners providing support.