Number of frames in package usually is variable... for example if I have heavy scenes with bunch of textures and stuff to load I like to assign more frames at once, as it should, as I understood, lower network load. With smaller scenes, light load I send smaller packages... it all depends really and hard to get that magical number. One thing I do like is not to send huge 50-100 frames packages. If one comp for any reason stop working you can wake up with a lot of frames not rendered. Smaller packages reduces that risk so even if one comp freeze during night for example other one keeps eating frames. I found 10-20 frames working just fine for me in most of case.
On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 5:31 PM, David Rivera <[email protected] > wrote: > Hi, Mirko, Simon, thank you for all your tips and help. > I finally got Deadline to work with my machines. I originally asked for an > eval version 5 > and so I installed it. This is the workflow I followed: > > 1. Installed Repository on "master" machine > 2. Installed .exe on the "slave" machines. > 3. Started softimage, and created a project not as local, but in a > "mapped" drive letter (W:/) > The mapped drive, pointed to a local shared folder, so all network will > have access to it > in the format: W:/XSI_Project/ > 4. From there on, all the paths were configured with the mapped drive and > thus I work on my > project. Do texturing, lighting, etc. Time to render... > 5. Send project to deadline, and activate slave machines (2). 1st slave is > the origin machine, and the 2nd > one another machine on the network. with USE XSI BATCH option activated. > 6. I open a Deadline Monitor on the Original Project Machine (Slave1). And > effectively I´m watching > my frames render swiftly!! FINALLY! > > Now I would like to know how many frames I can assign to each slave. Say > I´d like to do a 100 frame > animation (test) 20 - 20 each. > I will monkey around some more, but any additional tip, would be so > helpful! > > Thank you guys. > David. > > > > On Monday, December 2, 2013 8:06 PM, David Rivera < > [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Mirko. I mapped a drive in the slave machine2, so it can be > accessible from all locations as > W:\XSI_Project\Render_Pictures > On the Render manager on xsi, I go to the render channels output and > configure it as: > W:\XSI_Project\Render_Pictures > On the Archive tab, I also configure it like so: > W:\XSI_Project\Render_Pictures > > All this on my origin machine (slave machine1) from where the job is sent > to deadline. > I tried checking: "Submit .xsi scene file to deadline" and it´s no good. > Also I tried unchecked and sending the job, but still Slave 2 machine > DOESN´T add > itslef to render the job.. > > Does anyone have a videosetup and the steps to be taken in softimage to > render > something in free-slave mode demo with their Deadline free to try mode? > > Thanks. > David R. > > > On Monday, December 2, 2013 2:19 PM, Mirko Jankovic < > [email protected]> wrote: > You can map any drive letter you wan't, my main comp has like 3 > additional drives, while other computers have only 1 ssd with system, and > they are all working from mapped drive letter which is on my main computer > on raid 10 drive. > Not sure maybe I misunderstood current problem but hope you find good > answer :) > > > On Mon, Dec 2, 2013 at 6:41 PM, David Rivera < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Simon, thanks. I think that //[path] in the original Softimage file is my > problem. > I will try that option as well. > Mirko, I just realized my original machine where the Softimage project was > created, > has an extra drive letter, the other slave machine doesn´t have. So I > can´t map it the way > you mentioned. Though I will try to recreate the path from the HDD on the > origin machine > and the slave as a test aside. > > Thank you guys. I hope this will get me through. Otherwise I will have to > think on satellite > rendering from softimage. And that I already tried asking around the list > in about may, this year. > > Bests. > David. > > > > > On Monday, December 2, 2013 6:03 AM, Simon Reeves <[email protected]> > wrote: > If you used the default *scene output* (mine is set to which might be > default I can't remember) which is *[Project > Path]/Render_Pictures/[scene]* > and that gives me the output of > *\\server\share\projects\project\Render_Pictures\Scene* > and that suggests to me that my project (or scene) was saved through the > network path originally (we have a mapped drive to so it could have said > *M:/project/*) > > In fact I tested it and it does do that. > > So maybe try saving your scene by browsing to \\machine_a\ ? > > > Mirko's way will also work but I like network paths :) > > > > Simon Reeves > London, UK > *[email protected] <[email protected]>* > *www.simonreeves.com <http://www.simonreeves.com/>* > *www.analogstudio.co.uk <http://www.analogstudio.co.uk/>* > > > On 2 December 2013 09:33, David Rivera <[email protected]>wrote: > > Thanks Mirko, that´s a great hack. I´ll try it once I get to the office. > I really hope it works. I´ve been pulling my hair out over this the whole > week. > Even wrote to the Deadline software guys... > > Bests. > David. > > > > > On Monday, December 2, 2013 4:30 AM, Mirko Jankovic < > [email protected]> wrote: > What I found helpful is to have for example setup like this: > > 1st computer: hard drive with letter W: and projects on it > 2nd computer: mapped hardrive also to use letter W: but pointing to > network location ie shared drive from 1st computer. > In that case you don;t need to think about all those network paths and > stuff... it will always be W:\[project folder] no matter which computer you > use. > > So w: is assigned letter to 1st computer work hard drive with projects on > it, that whole drive is shared and then on second computer you map network > drive and assign it same letter, in my case w: > > Hope it helps > > > On Mon, Dec 2, 2013 at 10:01 AM, David Rivera < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Hi, I recently wrote to the guys at Thinkbox software: Deadline, to get a > free evaluation from them. > I got the software download link, and installed the Repository on my > "server" machine (which is another normal machine on the network), and the > executable apps (monitor, launcher, slave, etc..) on the slaves. > > I created my scene on a slave machine named "A_machine" and send the > current job to deadline. > I activate my second slave "B_Machiner" (I´m on free version with 2 or > less slaves), and on the monitor (I activate the monitor from A_Machine, to > put my B_Machine available as slave for the render). > > My softimage project targets the output render to itself through network > path : //Machine_A/xsi_project/Render_Pictures so my B_Machine could have > access to the render. I also shared the folder so it can > be accessed through the network. > > But my Machine_B keeps thinking the render should be locally (as the local > path of my A_Machine) and thus > generates ERROR 200 - file location not available. > > I´ve read the manual and it mentions all locations should be available not > as relative but as complete path location, which is what I´ve checked > through the entire process. > I might be overlooking somewhere, but I have no previous experience with > Deadline. > > Could someone lead me into the right process of creating jobs and sending > them through a network of 2 machines? Please? > Thanks. > > David. > > > > > > > > > > > > >
