Dark Squares in the Image when distributed rendering.

[Kyle]

Hi,

 

Can someone tell me why, when I render on my main machine the render seems to turn out o.k, but when I turn to distributed rendering I seem to get dark grey sqaures in my image or the colours just do not render. (problem pic1 and 2)

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Kyle]

the other problem image.

[Craig Ramsay]

Are you using distributed rendering? If so it looks like one of your machines doesn't have access to your irradience map and textures.

[Kyle]

I am using distributed rendering yes and that is initially what I thought aswell. So I turned each machine off systematically on the network to try and isolate the problem. At first it seemed to isolate it to one machine and I thought I'd solved the problem, which solved the first image of the boardoom. Only now to find when I do not use that machine on my network I'm getting the dark grey squares, as in image 2 and this is without the problem pc turned on.

This problem is drastically making me lose my hair and I appreciate your time and assistance.

 

Thanks.

 

 

P.S All the machines have access to the texture libraries etc as they are set up by external technicians so if it could be there fault then great. I'm not to blame:)

[Craig Ramsay]

Are you using UNC network paths? I have had problems using mapped drives before, changing to UNC solved the problem. If you don't gnow what UNC is then just google it, there's tons of info about it out there on the web.

[Craig Ramsay]

Also, if you could post your settings that would help too

[Kyle]

Sry for the delay in replying.

For some reason my pc wouldn't print screen, so I had to do it anthr way.

Anyway here are my settings and I'll ask the technician about the unc drives, sounds quite interesting.

Also if all the machines on the network have access to the material drives will they also have access to the irradiance map?

[Craig Ramsay]

Also if all the machines on the network have access to the material drives will they also have access to the irradiance map?

 

Well it depends if you're irradience map is stored on the same server.

[Kyle]

Could you possibly please tell me how could I quickly check?

[Craig Ramsay]

Can I ask why you're using bucket mode for your irradience map? I'd change it to single frame

[Kyle]

I normally would use single frame it was just that this particluar job was from an old file which someone else constructed so I didnt really want to make too many changes to the file. The thing is though the problem I stated earlier with the dark grey squares is happening on my new files with single frame set.

[sanjay_chaphekar]

Hi,

 

Kyle, in my opinion there might be gamma/lut setting on the other system. Or maybe gamma/lut mismatch between the client and server systems.

 

regards,

 

Sanjay Chaphekar.

[Kyle]

I've not replied to this thread because I've been Ill for a while, but now I'm back and the problem seems to occur occasionally. I've been through most processes but we are now wiping the servers clean as we feel they have become corrupt. I'll keep ppl updated on the outcome of this weird bug, if just for my sake.

Thanks.

[gfa2]

check asset tracking (shift+T) to make sure all of your maps are coming from the correct location. UNC is the best way, the paths will look something like this... \\servername\foldername\file.jpg. If they don't look like that, then you can fix them right there in the asset tracker.

[andreg]

I have had this problem before and the answer for me was the ies files somehow lost their link, just relink them and try again to see if it helps. That is of course if you are using ies files for your lighting.

[CRD]

Also, if you are using Backburner, I was having dropped textures and geometry that was fixed by upgrading from Backburner 2007 SP1 to SP2. Something about permissions and network access changed between the two.

 

If you try this, make sure to uninstall, then install the updated version, then send a normal vray job to the server to initialize it, then you can turn on DR for the node.

[Kyle]

O.K I've now checked asset tracking and all the files are linked properly. I'm not using backbunrener as I am doing DR using V-Ray Spawn. The funny thing about this bug is that the same scene from a different camera doesn't seem to have the same faults. Weird. When I don't use a particular server either the fault goes. I will carry on with my checks.

[gfa2]

Also make sure all of your PC's have the same version of Vray. I got bit by that once.

[CRD]

Actually, I think I spoke incorrectly before. From my fuzzy understanding of how DR works, it uses Backburner as the mechanism that vray sends information back and forth between the host and the other nodes. So having Backburner installed correctly is important to successful DR.

 

That still may not be your problem, but I thought I should clear up my earlier statement anyway.

[Kyle]

Actually, I think I spoke incorrectly before. From my fuzzy understanding of how DR works, it uses Backburner as the mechanism that vray sends information back and forth between the host and the other nodes. So having Backburner installed correctly is important to successful DR.

 

That still may not be your problem, but I thought I should clear up my earlier statement anyway.

 

I am actually using V-Ray spawn as the process for distributed rendering because that way I can collectively use a number of processors to create one image making it a faster turnaround. I use backburner mainly when I am doing animations and I can get each processor working on a separate image/frame which in effect is 'Network rendering'. Correct me if I am wrong but for backburner to work as a distributed renderer the same way as V-Ray Spawn then I would have to render out an image/still as separate strips and piece them together after, which I try to stay away from doing.

So therefore with the process I am using I do not really need Backburner just Spawn.

 

In relation to my earlier query I have since wiped clean all the servers and started from scratch with a full clean install. It seems to have worked as the grey squares are now not appearing, so it would seem that previous versions of V-Ray had become corrupt and a fresh install was what was needed. Altogether not a masssive task to uninstall V-ray on each Server to use as DR but one that you could do without. So from my experience recently with V-Ray DR I would say that it can be quite temperamental and may sometimes need to be restarted and even reinstalled if some of your images are throwing up odd queries.

 

I hope this helps and clears things up.

[Craig Ramsay]

Correct me if I am wrong but for backburner to work as a distributed renderer the same way as V-Ray Spawn then I would have to render out an image/still as separate strips and piece them together after, which I try to stay away from doing.

So therefore with the process I am using I do not really need Backburner just Spawn.

 

If you render in strips via backburner then all the strips are compiled inso a single file automatically when the strips are finished, you don't have to do it manually.

[Kyle]

Well you learn something new everyday. Thanks for that.

[CRD]

Well, to clear up my earlier attempt to clear up...

 

Since you have fixed your problem, it's really just academic, but I was attempting to describe how VRay Spawner works behind the scenes.

 

Senerio: You are using your workstation and want to use DR to accelerate your current rendering, so you start the Spawner on several rendernodes. When you start a Spawner, VRay opens a copy of Max in a background process. The VRay Spawner then uses the same "mechanisims" that Backburner uses to communicate with the host workstation's copy of Max and the rendernode's copy of Max. Not that you are currently using Backburner, but it must be installed and have been successfully used once to initialize some files that the VRay Spawner will use to DR with your host workstation.

 

I apologize for not clearly describing the connection between the two that fixed my particular problem. I was having a problem where those Backburner ini files were messing with my use of the DR Spawner, so updating Backburner fixed those ini files for DR Spawner to work correctly.

 

Clear as mud, right? Well, at least you have fixed your problem.

[Kyle]

Seen as I seem to like aquiring greyed out sqaures in my images....I thought I might shd some more light on the subject, as I have just come across it again but managed to solve it by going back through my work incrementally. Took some time but I finally worked out another reason for it happening, although I am unsure why. So here goes....when I apply a texture map to a material to creat a concrete floor for example, I use a diffuse map bump etc. If I want to darken that image what I had been doing was going to the output channel in that map then enabling colour map and darkening it that way, on the fly as it were. It only now seems to have occurred to me that with this turned on vray didnt like rendering the full image properly same as if your maps were missing or links to your ies lights. Seems weird so I've posted a solution up as it seems to have worked for me BUT my question is....Does anyone know why this happens?