Automated Resource Leveling and Scheduling at LAIKA

To manage the ever-increasing complexity and collaboration in the creation of physical assets for LAIKA's hybrid stop-motion/CG features, a Shotgun-based integrated browser workflow was developed that enables automated resource leveling and scheduling in a centralized system accessible to the entire studio. Highlights include a new custom charting application that integrates with the existing Shotgun infrastructure, as well as the use of Consilium Technology (recently acquired by Autodesk), a new, machine-learning-based, automated resource-leveling system that effectively balances and assigns resources. Together, they turn a time-consuming and error-prone manual leveling process into a fast and automated procedure that generates an accurate, adjustable, easy-to-communicate schedule.