#Rendering on a network
5 messages in this thread
I am using Lantastic, the newest version, as my network. I have set up a
computer which does not have the hardware lock as a server for rendering. When
I am not using my system with the hardware lock, I put it in slave mode by
choosing the menu option. The computer goes in slave mode with no problems.
When I hit the escape button to use the computer again, my network queue says
that either my system has failed or it says completed eventhough the job is not
done. More specifically, it will say that one computer is completed and
another might say failed. In order to start rendering on the job again, I have
to delete the job on the queue and then put it back on. I only do this when it
says that the job is completed when it is not. Is this a problem with
Lantastic? If so, will Windows NT Advanced Server eliminate this problem? Any
advice would be helpful. I should mention that I only have 5 computers on the
network.
Robert Stites
Robert,
It is my recommendation that your server have the hardware lock on it when
rendering, even when you put it in slave mode. I'm not sure why you're taking
it off. If you need to do some modeling, you can have the rendering going on in
the background on the other machines, therefore there is no reason that I can
see to take it off. No, I don't think its a Lantastic problem. If you have
further explanations, there maybe another solution.
-JE
Robert,
There is no known problem with Lantastic like the one you are describing. In
fact, plenty of people here on the forum are using it with no problems. As for
NT server, It is not going to give you anything.
A little more information may help us figure out what is going on. When you hit
escape to exit slave mode, is there an animation rendering on that machine,
another machine, or both? Also, are you rendering to FLC files or to a series
of individual frames? Have you noticed any type of consistency as to when it
will report the entry in the queue as failed vs when it says completed even
though the job is not done?
-Brian
This problem occurs randomly or at least I can find no pattern. When
I hit escape, my system is either rendering or waiting for the next
frame. I usually try to stop it when it is waiting for the next
frame. My output is a series of individuals frames.
This might help, my Lantastic is set up so that each machine is a
server. I set it up this way so that I can share files from other
machines. Could this be the problem?
I haven't noticed any consistency when it reports failed or completed.
Maybe there is a setting that I am missing in my default settings? I
should mention that the failed or completed status does not only
occur with one machine. It seems to me that my network is too slow
to communicate the status of other machines. I am using 10 Meg
ethernet cards and all the machines are '486's. The machine that has
the 3ds_net directory is the server where the files are stored and at
the same time helps render the frames. Should I consider using a
server machine that does not render? Maybe the rendering is slowing
the machine too much to keep track of the other machines?
Why exactly are you using a computer without a hardware lock as a
server? Do you mean you keep your maps there and write your rendered
.tga's there?
Also, do you have all computers synched (net clock \\NAME OF NODE) to
the computer that you write the project files from?
My suggestion is to use your main 3DS workstation as the 3DS server,
although you can put your maps and write your files to anywhere you
want (3ds server and network fileserver are two different things).