Distributed Bucket Rendering - Mental Ray Standalone

[TSuess]

I am working with a Dual Quad core workstation (8 Processors) I am using distributed bucket rendering with 2 additional dual quad core servers. So I have reached the allowable limit of 24 processors as set by Autodesk. Is anyone using Mental ray standalone? I would love the an additional 16 processors. My employer is willing to purchase the servers but our IT dept said the licensing on Mental ray standalone would be an additional $8G's!!! Could this be right? If anyone is using mental ray standalone with more then with 40 processors + let me know if it is worth it. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tom

[Justin Hunt]

What version on Max are you using, I was under the understanding that you could use up 999 core's with max2009 and up. I'd have to double check though.

 

I think Maya has a limit though.

 

jhv

[pixelperfectg]

I am working with a Dual Quad core workstation (8 Processors) I am using distributed bucket rendering with 2 additional dual quad core servers. So I have reached the allowable limit of 24 processors as set by Autodesk.

 

FWIW, as far as 3ds Max 2009/2010 is concerned you haven't reached the allowable limit of processors with what you've described here. You're using 3 machines, each has 2 quad core processors which equals 6 processors, not 8. Remember, the license is counting physical processors (sockets on the motherboard)...not cores of those processors. Well, to a degree anyway. I think Justin is right and there's a limit on the processor cores, but it's so high that it's impossible to reach with current processor configurations. Therefore you have room to add one more dual quad machine or two single CPU machines on that single license of 3ds Max.

 

Here's how it's defined in the help file: "The number of machines you can use depends on the number of machines running licensed copies of 3ds Max Design. You are able to use only eight external (or satellite) CPUs per licensed copy of 3ds Max Design: four dual-processor machines or eight single-processor machines (or equivalent)."

Edited October 28, 2009 by pixelperfectg

[TSuess]

When we added the additional two dual quad core servers I logged onto them remotely. I wanted to check the performance of the processors on those servers. I noticed when a rendering was sent the 8 processors on each machine peaked out at approx. 50% Usage. I did research online and found that in order to get full usage of the dual quad cores you must enter the IP address as well as the computers name

 

my DBR menu in max now reads as follows:

 

192.168.168.25

192.168.168.26

render_server_1

render_server_2

 

so machine 192.168.168.25 is the same machine as render_server_1

and 192.168.168.26 is render_server_2

 

Now both machines use 100% of all 8 processors.

 

Later I added an additional dual quad core. I sent the render and I received a Mental Ray error message stating that mental ray could not conncet to the new machine.

 

So i deselected my original servers and used the new one by itself. It worked fine. I then noticed any of the four servers would work. as soon as I selected a 5th IP/computer name the error message would appear.

 

My IT has a help ticket open with autodesk now. I'll post their response.

[Justin Hunt]

I did this by mistake the first time I set up DBR, the slave was a core2duo and the master a quad somehow I managed to get 16 buckets.

 

One thing I dont get is why the core2duo only gives me 1 bucket when using DBR but 2 when I render locally.

 

jhv

[amer abidi]

Ok, Its no big news that im a big fan of Mental Ray, but for the life of me i cant get Distributed Bucket rendering to work!!

 

I've tried IP addresses, Names, ereything but ports. Is there Any log file i can open up to check what's going on? The render slaves dont even glitch on the their task manager when a job is sent, and no errors returned on master workstation; Yet, No DR whatsoever!

 

Any help?

 

Edit: btw, Im using max2009, the network works perfectly, and DR with vray works like a charm...Just not with Mental Ray.

[TSuess]

Make sure you run the following 3 files on all workstations. Run these files on both the controller machine as well as the node workstations.

 

raysat_3dsMax2009.bat

raysat_3dsMax2009.exe

raysat_3dsMax2009_server

 

they can be found in the following location:

 

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2009\mentalray\satellite

 

Then you must open up the ports. To do this you must have administrative priveldges on your workstation. Go to Control Panel/ Windows Firewall. click on Change Settings and then go to the Exceptions Tab.. Once there you must add a port. you can name it whatever you want. But you must set the port to the 3dsMax default which is 7510. I'm 99% sure. You can double check this in Max help.

 

That's it! You're ready to go. In max make sure you have Use Placeholder objects checked on the processing tab of the Render Setup dialog. Also check Distributed Render. and of course highlight the names and IP's of the other computers you want to parcel buckets to.

 

Good Luck!

Tom

[amer abidi]

Tom man you're a genius! You just put me out of my misery!! =)

 

Worked like a charm! Also as you earlier said, The other workstation was working at 50% only, but when i added its name as another server, it shot up to 100%. My renders are down to half time now. I owe you one mate

[TSuess]

No problem Amer. Spread the word. I think there are alot of people out there who are only utilizing 50% of their processing power when using DBR on Dual Quads.

 

-Tom

[amer abidi]

good man!

[Ky Lane]

Did anyone work out what the default port is for DBR?

 

Or, if you specify a port number on the host machine, how do you tell the sattelite machines what port to use instead?