Reducing Rendering time.

[Cad64]

Should the computers be of the same power?

 

The computers don't all have to be the same, but the farm can only render as fast as the slowest computer. So in order to get the most out of your system, the computers should all be identical.

 

The link ReMark posted is a good one.

Here are some other useful links:

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=5581724&linkID=9241177

http://www.visualz.com/free/down_on_the_farm.pdf

http://mos.3dworldmag.com/TDW94.s_farm.pdf

 

My question on the process, that is writing a simplified algorithm for the development of code still stands.

 

But the code is not the problem. The problem is that the processor can't process all the information that's being thrown at it already. So if you write code that does all the calculations even faster, what good is it? The processor still can't handle it.

 

Do they use cloud computing extensively in the US right now?. How reliable is it?.

 

I've never used it myself so I don't know.

[Cad64]

I would separate the render farm from the network.

 

We actually tried having the farm as it's own isolated system as well as being part of the network. It didn't effect the speed or performance either way. The render times were the same. And having the farm on the network didn't cause any problems for the other people in the office.

[ReMark]

I read somewhere that it wasn't recommended. When I have a moment I'll try to find the source.

[Cad64]

I read somewhere that it wasn't recommended. When I have a moment I'll try to find the source.

 

Maybe if you're worried about the network going down and terminating the render. I could see that being an issue, but we never had any problems.

[David Bethel]

I tried a render farm maybe 10 years ago. I could tell when the animation switched for one machine to the next. I blamed it on different video cards at the time. It was more than likely an combination of cards and poor design on Autocad's part in the SAVEIMG command. Unless you use a looseless format ( TGA ) it uses the cards output.

 

I would think that software that is geared towards render farms do not have that problem. -David

[ReMark]

Now I know where I saw it mentioned. The Boxx Render FAQ.

 

Do I need to segment the renderBOXX render farm off from the rest of our network?

 

Yes, with any render farm it is highly recommended to separate the render farm, storage, and queue manager each to their own network segment.

 

Maybe it has something to do with the software that comes with a renderBOXX.

[Cad64]

That's funny because in the very next FAQ it says this:

 

Are the final rendered files stored on the renderBOXX render farm?

 

No, it is optimal for the final renders to be sent to a centralized storage location.

If the Renderboxx is not hooked up to the network then where is the centralized storage location and how is the Renderboxx accessing it?

 

And the FAQ after that says this:

 

Can I monitor/administer the renderBOXX/jobs remotely?

 

Yes, KVM over IP allows for anyone connected to the same network as the render farm to have complete control of the renderBOXX modules.

So again, if the Renderboxx is not hooked up to the network, how can you monitor the jobs remotely?

 

Seems to me they are contradicting themselves?

 

 

Anyway, the Backburner render management software that ships with Studio Max is designed specifically for working on a network so you can send your renders to the render farm without having to save all your files to a flash drive, take them over to the farm and load them all on to the master computer. You can just send the rendering job directly to the farm from your workstation with just a few mouse clicks.

[ReMark]

Works for me. Guess I'll start building a farm. Where do I buy the cows?