Appreciate your hints.
The "tile based rendering by the render manager" (I use RR) is, as I
understand it a region render. A frame is split into lets say 4 tiles and is
send to four clients. Therefore four batchlicenses are needed to render one
frame I assume. If so, it’s the opposite what I want, will use more clients
with same amount of lics. But I will have a look at it.
Hard/software maintenance and windows licences are of no concern, because
regardless what I'll do (mr, vray, additional batchrender lic or satellite
route) there will be always
five more machines to administrate. The fileserver and network equipment
here can easily accommodate five more clients without bottlenecks. I'll just
buy five more machines and they will be exactly the same.
I will also ask a reseller about buying batchrender licences seperatly.
sven
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tim Leydecker
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 10:37
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: batch render licenses with satellites (mr)
How about looking into a RenderManager that supports tile based rendering
first?
RoyalRender or Deadline (one of them even supports tile based Arnold
Rendering, can´t remember which one)
How about one VRay licence, comes with 10 distributed rendering nodes and
would also offer interactive rendering acceleration using slave nodes (not
to be confused with RT).
With getting closer or above 10 machines, you´ll have to invest into a
dedicated (File)Server as well, e.g. at least a windows server license and a
clever network layout.
You´d also have budget significant amounts of time for hardware and software
maintenance. Clones, windowsupdates, servicepacks all sorts of computer
network related tasks. That can become boring and time consuming, if all you
want is to render a frame quicker.
5 minutes per machine/day is about an hour per day for 10-20 machines.
(very nice example of a ballpark calculation but you get the idea).
You can´t also "just deploy" everything, that requires work and setting up,
too...
All that said, I´d first look into tile based rendering using a
rendermanager and feel out from there about bottlenecks and workflow
requirements.
The speedimprovement would be instant and not require initial investment
(except for the rendermanager maybe).
Benefits: nuke and ae are also supported usually.
Cheers,
tim
You could render away using multiple machines
On 28.02.2013 02:25, Schoenberger wrote:
Hi
Perhaps you can do some hacking to start multiple raysats, but I would
not count on it. The raysat can be used by any machine, it just takes the
first that connects.
Never tried to connect with two machines at the same time.
But perhaps you can ask your reseller for batch only licenses.
Holger Schönberger
technical director
The day has 24 hours, if that does not suffice, I will take the night
|> -----Original Message-----
|> From: [email protected]
|> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
|> Of Sven Constable
|> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 9:16 PM
|> To: [email protected]
|> Subject: RE: batch render licenses with satellites (mr)
|>
|> this is how I plan to do it. Should work, right? :) I'm
|> not sure if its possible to run two raysats on the same
|> machine, each from an other "source". But I'd like to use
|> satellite rendering also on the workstation, even when the
|> nodes acting as satellites for the batchrender nodes already.
|>
|> sven
|>
|> -----Original Message-----
|> From: [email protected]
|> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
|> Of Sven Constable
|> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 20:37
|> To: [email protected]
|> Subject: RE: batch render licenses with satellites (mr)
|>
|> Thanks for your answer.
|> For the 24 machines... yeah, I meant it as a possible
|> scenario. I agree, it will not be very efficient to use
|> four sattelites. What I maybe will do, is using five
|> machines for batch.exe (as I'm doing right now) and buying
|> five more machines for raysat.exe only. So each of the
|> original nodes uses one additional machine as a satellite.
|> No machine is supposed to run xsibatch.exe AND raysat.exe together.
|>
|> Btw. I asked it here, because my local reseller closed its doors.
|>
|> sven
|>
|>
|>
|>
|> -----Original Message-----
|> From: [email protected]
|> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
|> Of Stephen Blair
|> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 20:17
|> To: [email protected]
|> Subject: Re: batch render licenses with satellites (mr)
|>
|> For satellite, it is four machines, not four CPUs.
|> Counting CPUs and cores was too much hassle so they
|> hardcoded the satellite limit at four machines.
|>
|>
|> It should be possible, but if you had 24 machines you'd
|> probably be better off getting some more batch licenses.
|>
|> "each acting as a satellite for
|> one of the other 5 nodes"
|>
|> It sounds like you want render nodes to use satellites, and
|> also to be satellites. At the same time.
|> I don't think that's a good idea. If I remember correctly
|> we (Softimage) used to say "don't do that".
|>
|>
|>
|> Steve
|>
|>
|> On 27/02/2013 1:58 PM, Sven Constable wrote:
|> > Hi list,
|> >
|> > I'm planning to extend my small renderfarm (mental ray).
|> > One softimage network license comes with 5 batch licenses
|> plus one
|> > interactive license for softimage itself, which acts as a full
|> batchrender
|> > license when softimage is not used.
|> > So far so good but... AD says that xsibatch.exe can also
|> use up to 4
|> > satellite CPUs.
|> > If all render nodes are single CPU systems...does this
|> mean, I could
|> > (theoretically) utilitize 24 (6x4) machines with batch
|> rendering?
|> > (Six nodes, each running one xsibatch.exe and four
|> satellite nodes
|> > each). With one softimage license?
|> >
|> > I know about the pros and cons regarding distributed tile
|> rendering
|> > but that's an other story. The question is, is this
|> possible? Maybe
|> > someone tried it already. Of course bigger studios
|> doesn't care about
|> > it, but
|> small
|> > shops or single freelancers could make some use out of
|> it. I could
|> > just throw 5 additional rendernodes into the farm, each
|> acting as a
|> > satellite
|> for
|> > one of the other 5 nodes. Would cost me a third of a 2nd softimage
|> license,
|> > that I wouldn't use anyway...
|> >
|> > greets
|> > Sven
|> >
|> >
|>
