LOS ANGELES — NIM Labs (https://nim-labs.com) has introduced NIM 3.0, an all-in-one studio management platform designed for visual effects studios and post production houses. Created by creative directors and studio heads, NIM 3.0 helps studios do more under one roof with a redesigned review tool, grouped bidding and a live link to Adobe Premiere.
What began as an in-house toolset for Ntropic is now being used by Digital Domain, Logan, Taylor James and Intelligent Creatures. With NIM 3.0, studios get access to a tool that can handle bidding, tracking, versioning, scheduling, reviews, finances and time cards, all in one place.
“We developed NIM because there was nothing like it on the market,” explains Andrew Sinagra, co-founder at NIM Labs. “With NIM 3.0, we have continued to build out the feature sets, incorporating requests from people across the studio landscape to ensure that every part of the organization has what they need to do their job. Whether you are an artist whiteboarding shots for review or a producer determining how many freelancers you can hire and still stay profitable, it’s all there.”
The creative review tool has been rewritten from the ground up to make screening and markup of videos, PDFs and still frames easier. Review capabilities have also been extended to more parts of NIM, so users can do more in a single location.
With Review Bins, teams can stay organized using saveable smart filters and grouped elements for later use. Review Bins come with a new Theater View, which allows for a larger viewer experience, and the ability to zoom, fit, fill and pan review items during playback. Review items can also be stacked according to version, allowing supervisors and clients to quickly visualize progress.
After years of building NIM Connectors into Maya, Houdini, 3ds Max, Nuke and Flame, NIM Labs is introducing its first direct workflow for Adobe Premiere editors. With NIM 3.0, Adobe Premiere becomes a powerful conform tool, helping VFX, VR and post houses do everything from creating timeline shots to round-tripping elements rendered in other packages, all without leaving the app.
NIM’s bidding system was created to get bids out the door faster using studio-wide templates. In NIM 3.0, new organizational tools let producers define the different sections of their bid using groups, allowing greater flexibility and speed when responding to a large RFP. Through item linking, users will be able to modify multiple line items simultaneously, with the ability to attach further information like images, notes and descriptions when the need arises.
Companies with existing directory systems can now immediately integrate NIM with their users. By accessing NIM 3.0’s on-board security controls, organizations can manage permissions and security groups from Active Directory (AD) or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Support for multiple domains will add even more authentication controls across networks.
NIM 3.0 will be previewed at SIGGRAPH 2018 in Vancouver next week and will be available in the fall. Active user licenses cost $360 annually and $40 monthly. NIM 2.8 is currently available as a free 30-day trial.