#Network Render design
9 messages in this thread
Among a couple of 486 DX2/66 machines that I use for rendering (and model
development) I've got an old 386DX/33 machine with 8 MB of memory. It obviously
isn't useful for rendering, but I was wondering about the practicality of
putting my PAR and Magneto Optical disk (and probably a CD-ROM) into the 386
system and using it as a common network resource that all of the rendering
machines could get at. (I'm running Lantastic 6)
Is this practical? Will the software that I've heard about for assembling
files onto the PAR from around the net work for this setup where 3DS isn't
running on the machine with the PAR in it?
Do those of you with render farms keep the 3DS master machine (the one with
the dongle) running as a master or do you set it up as a slave to help with the
rendering? It would look like there was some advantage to maintain the ability
to keep track of the net queue without having to drop out of slave mode to do
it.
Chris
– Chris Johnston, Written 04-Mar-1995 @ 23:11:51
Using: Windows NavCIS PRO 1.5
Chris:
>> I was wondering about the practicality of putting my PAR and Magneto
>> Optical disk (and probably a CD-ROM) into the 386 system and using it as a
>> common network resource that all of the rendering machines could get at.
I'd vote yes for the CD and the MO disk. The PAR, being a single tasking
device, would not be happy being accessed by more than one machine at a time,
so I wouldn't try to either read from or write to it in this configuration.
>> Will the software that I've heard about for assembling files onto the PAR
>> from around the net work for this setup where 3DS isn't running on the
>> machine with the PAR in it?
Yes, NDUMP.EXE would work, however, I'd recommend running the PAR on one of
your Pentiums, using the newer PAROUT.IXP – much cleaner, and with the included
PARCTL.PXP to control playback, you'd have the best of both worlds!
>> Do those of you with render farms keep the 3DS master machine (the one
>> with the dongle) running as a master or do you set it up as a slave to
>> help with the rendering? It would look like there was some advantage to
>> maintain the ability to keep track of the net queue without having to drop
>> out of slave mode to do it.
Jamie Clay has written a neat little Windoze shareware program to monitor
network rendering from a machine not running 3D Studio – if you run Windoze on
your 386, that would be a solution.
Personally, we throw every machine 486 and above with enough memory into the
network renderings, so they are all slaving away. No problem halting one and
re-starting it, as long as you can clean the Queue before starting it again.
Greg Pyros
Greg: Thanks. I figured that you would be the place to come to to ask about PAR
software! <g> Thanks for the advice on the CD-ROM and MO drive on the net. I've
**have** been throwing all of my 486 and above machines at my current project.
In fact, I've been rendering on two machines at work and my machine at home.
By the way, is there a way to render in reverse order? While my machines at
work are laboring away from frames 0 to 600 (very slowly…) it would be nice
to be able to be rendering on my home machine from, let's say frame 600 back
toward frame 0. That way it minimizes any overlap between the two sites –
remember that these models are taking anywhere from 15 to 90 min per frame, so
I can pretty accurately predict whether it will get done overnight or not.
Chris
– Chris Johnston, Written 07-Mar-1995 @ 21:30:51
Using: Windows NavCIS PRO 1.5
>> By the way, is there a way to render in reverse order? <<
In the range boxes of the rendering dialog box for the KF, input 600 to 0.
They will render in reverse order.
Paul S.
Paul,
If he's running out to targa's you might want to warn him about the 4 letter
limitation and the fact that
he's going to have to create an IFL List to get the Targa's to play in reverse
order.
My 2 cents worth. <BG>
Murph'
Murph,
There's a parameter in 3ds.set with which to number rendered files
sequentially as they're created. Good for backwards rendering, rendering every
Nth frame, etc., and the output will still be name0000.tga, name0001.tga… I
see your two cents and raise you two cents. <g>
Paul S.
Thanks Paul!
They didn't cover this in our "1Day" update Class…..<BG>….then again,
maybe they did….who can retain all that in
one days sitting.
I missed it. So now I Don't have to Use Make IFL to backwards Render my TGA
files….GREAT!
Another productivity enhauncement.
I'll have to go look for this right now!
I suppose this was one of those many "new" switches that have to be turned on
in the R 4. version. Sad to say I haven't even looked those over.
I'll have to make it a point to do that. Anyone build a time machine yet? How
about
that IPAS for putting more hours in a day I heard someone talking about
the other day. <BG>
Murph'
>> I suppose this was one of those many "new" switches that have to be turned
on in the R 4. version. <<
I think it may be a new feature. It's good if you need more precision
your keys… You can set up everything in multiples of ten, for example, 300
normal frames = 3,000 frames, then set keys at numbers other than multiples of
ten. You can also time\scale segments more precisely this way.
The Following Letters chapter in 3DS Special Effects utilizes this method.
Paul S.
Paul: Thanks, I'll try it.
Chris
– Chris Johnston, Written 09-Mar-1995 @ 21:16:39
Using: Windows NavCIS PRO 1.5