having problem with render farm

[Dave Buckley]

ok, having all sorts of trouble now.

 

just tried setting up a fresh

 

got my 32 bit laptop running 32-bit max design 2010, this is the creative workstation, the manager and the monitor

 

i'm sending the renders to a 64 bit desktop running 64-bit max design 2010, this is my render slave

 

getting an error message on the server machine saying 'no plugin to handle job: Autodesk 3ds max design 2010 (32bit)

[SandmanNinja]

and the scene you submitted is barebones? Like, a plane with a sphere sitting on top rendered in scanline? Very basic, but I'd like to establish if the problem is a plug-in or what.

[Dave Buckley]

its a proper scene, quite developed, rendering with mental ray.

 

it's a little strange if i'm honest.

 

i'm now reading the pdf 'down on the farm' it's a little dated but i guess everything still applies.

 

oh and by the way i don't have a 3dsmax.ini file ANYWHERE

[SandmanNinja]

To quote Jar-Jar Binks from the scene when he's surrounded by Battle Droids:

"Me gives up"

 

I don't have enough experience to sort this out, but when I face any sort of technical challenge I always try to break it down to as simple as possible.

 

1) make a basic scene and render it on the local computer

2) when that works, submit it to the back burner server on the other computer

3) when that works, start increasing the complexity of the scene

 

 

Here are my very simple notes on what I used to get BB working for me:

How to setup Backburner

 

01) Start -> Run -> cmd

02) ipconfig

note the ip address (10.1.1.2) and the subnet mask (255.0.0.0)

03) Start -> All Programs -> Autodesk -> Backburner -> Backburner Manager

04) Start -> All Programs -> Autodesk -> Backburner -> Backburner Server

05) Start -> All Programs -> Autodesk -> Backburner -> Backburner Monitor

Manager -> Connect

06) (F10) or (Rendering -> Render Setup) -> Common tab -> [x] Net Render -> Render

07) Click Initially Suspend, and then click SUBMIT

08) Job gets put into queue, visible in Backburner Queue Monitor

09) right click on render job in Backburner Monitor and Activate whenever you're ready.

 

Good luck mate

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

oh and by the way i don't have a 3dsmax.ini file ANYWHERE

 

C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\2009 - 64bit\enu

 

or

 

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

 

Depending on your InstallSettings.ini configuration. More than likely it can be found at the first path.

 

 

.

[Dave Buckley]

ok so i fixed it, i just started working from a network drive that was mapped to all machines involved. On this network share i had 3 folders

 

(scenes, textures, output)

 

it worked however, there is still a slight problem.

 

on the creative workstation, the network drive is mapped with a letter

 

on the server machine, the network drive is mapped using UNC name.

 

i start a scene on the creative workstation, and create a material using a bitmap, in max the location for this bitmap is displayed with the network letter.

 

therefore, the server machine cannot find it as it is not mapped with a letter on the the server machine.

 

does this mean that whenever i want to use a texture, and i have to search all the way through the network just so that the server machine can read the path.

 

is there no automated way of doing it?

 

i tried using the convert all to UNC paths in the asset tracker, but that only seemed to work for anything i added after enabling that.

[mattclinch]

you could set a script that runs on all machines logging into a specific domain which maps the network location to the required mapped drive letter...

 

or, you can re-path all your maps at once prior to rendering to UNC format using the bitmap/path editor.

 

i'd suggest the former...

 

or if its a personal renderfarm why not just map the same drive on all machines? or is this what you've done?

[Dave Buckley]

that first one sounds way to complicated

 

all i want to be able to do is convert all of the paths in my scene to use the full network name and not a letter.

 

i guess i could just change the way the drive is mapped to the server machine to use the same letter

[mattclinch]

all i want to be able to do is convert all of the paths in my scene to use the full network name and not a letter.

 

i guess i could just change the way the drive is mapped to the server machine to use the same letter

 

yea. dont change your workflow around your render nodes, make your render nodes work the same way as you...

[Dave Buckley]

well i do want to improve my workflow to a more efficient workflow.

 

at the minute i am not using project folders nor do i have my user paths configured, they are all default.

 

i am simply creating geometry and then applying textures, everytime i need to assign a bitmap to a map slot, i am navigating (via the material editor) to where the bitmap is saved on the network. currently this is

 

I:\Clients Logos\Venture plc CMYK.jpg

 

i also specified a location where to save the output, this is currently

 

I:\Clients Logos\Test.bmp

 

If i send this job now, then it fails because the network drive i have used "I:\" is mapped to the server machine using it's full network path and not using the letter.

 

If i map the drive to the server using the letter, then it works.

 

but i'm not too sure what is the best workflow.

[mattclinch]

 

If i send this job now, then it fails because the network drive i have used "I:\" is mapped to the server machine using it's full network path and not using the letter.

 

this line confuses me. if you create a mapped network location on your workstation and assign this to a specific letter, how/why can you not do exactly the same on your render node machines? then I:\ will point to //network_server/project_dir/project_folder on ALL machines on the network.

[Dave Buckley]

well i could do. thats what i said at the bottom of my last post.

 

"if i change the network drive on the server to be mapped using the same letter then it works"

 

i guess that's my answer. just make sure any network drives used for textures etc, are mapped to all machines involved in the render farm using the same naming convention, so either all mapped using letter, or all mapped using UNC's.

 

however, i am aware that if i want to run the server app as a service then, lettered drive mapping doesn't work.

[mattclinch]

well i could do. thats what i said at the bottom of my last post.

 

"if i change the network drive on the server to be mapped using the same letter then it works"

 

i guess that's my answer. just make sure any network drives used for textures etc, are mapped to all machines involved in the render farm using the same naming convention, so either all mapped using letter, or all mapped using UNC's.

 

however, i am aware that if i want to run the server app as a service then, lettered drive mapping doesn't work.

 

absolutley.

 

if i were you, i'd have, say

 

I:\ -> //server_name/texture_map_repository

J:\ -> //server_name/projects_folder

K:\ -> //server_name/admin

 

any paths that are stil in UNC format wil still link, but you work from a standardised mapped letter system across the board.

 

as i have posted on another thread re: backburner server service issues with mapped network drive, a good way around this is to set it up to run the actual program as a sheduled task at user login.

[Dave Buckley]

well i only have the option to use one drive as a location for all textures, scenes and output files.

 

So let's say i have my I:\ drive shared on all machines.

 

on that I:\ drive i will have a master folder called Max Projects

 

Then under that i would have further folders for each project, for example,

 

Waterloo Road, Eiffel Tower

 

Then under these i would have further files

 

scene, textures, output

 

would thins work??

 

 

why have you advised multiple drives?

[Dave Buckley]

well i only have the option to use one drive as a location for all textures, scenes and output files.

 

So let's say i have my I:\ drive shared on all machines.

 

on that I:\ drive i will have a master folder called Max Projects

 

Then under that i would have further folders for each project, for example,

 

Waterloo Road, Eiffel Tower

 

Then under these i would have further files

 

scene, textures, output

 

would thins work??

[mattclinch]

try and keep your textures seperate - you dont want to have to dig through old project folders to find a texture.

 

I:\projects_master\

and

I:\texture_maps_master\

 

?

[Dave Buckley]

yep cool, you confused me using the different letters

 

i'm not too technical when it comes to IT infrastructure. cables confuse me

 

i'm with you now though.

 

So i guess i could have A folder called projects, which is the master for all projects.

 

then in there i have folders for individual projects.

 

these individual folders are then what i specify as the project folder inside of max.

 

however i just customize the textures path for each project in the user paths dialogue to point to my separate texture library

 

then everythin should be organized and working

[Dave Buckley]

yep cool, you confused me using the different letters

 

i'm not too technical when it comes to IT infrastructure. cables confuse me

 

i'm with you now though.

 

So i guess i could have A folder called projects, which is the master for all projects.

 

then in there i have folders for individual projects.

 

these individual folders are then what i specify as the project folder inside of max.

 

however i just customize the textures path in the user paths dialogue to point to my separate texture library

 

then everythin should be organized and working

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

as i have posted on another thread re: backburner server service issues with mapped network drive, a good way around this is to set it up to run the actual program as a sheduled task at user login.

 

I second not running Backburner as a service. It is really only better run that way in highly customized situations. It is much easier to manage with running as a normal application.

 

Another way to auto launch it is to drop a shortcut to it in Windows startup directory.

 

these individual folders are then what i specify as the project folder inside of max.

 

however i just customize the textures path for each project in the user paths dialogue to point to my separate texture library

 

then everything should be organized and working

 

I think this sounds right... We are roughly set up like this...

 

Projects

Assets

 

Projects have projects under them as you have described, and Assets have library resources that are shared, like below...

 

Materials

Models

Photometric

Plugins

Scripts

Textures

 

These are are resources that will be used repeatedly on ever project. Of course those folders are further broken down into categories, types, and manufacturers depending on the type of data it is.

 

I keep a special folder inside my project folder called Project Assets, which I use for custom textures that will only be used on that project. Such as building signs, or other project specific item.

 

Now I have Max mapped to open directly to the Texture directory. There are any number of conventions you can use for folder naming and organization, but it is vital to be consistent.

 

I also keep a directory for Configuration, Standards, and Administration.

Edited July 8, 2009 by Crazy Homeless Guy

[Dave Buckley]

yep that's what i'm aiming for.

 

i'm actually an application engineer, and i have a customer who has just asked me to help them implement their render farm, which is the very first post in this thread.

 

i stopped working on it, and setup the one in my office which is now working.

 

i then went back to the customer and set there's up as mine is setup.

 

same problem as in first post is still occurring.

 

now this time i took screenshots of the monitor when the error appeared.

 

its hometime for me but when i get home i'll post the screenshots and explain their setup. i really need to get to the bottom of it.

 

it looks like it's going to be fresh installs all round, but hopefully not

[Dave Buckley]

ok so here's the latest. i'm going to really simplify it as i'm assuming i've got everything else correct

 

i'm sending job from a machine with max design 32-bit, to a server with max 2010 (not design) 64bit installed

 

monitor, manager - 32 bit machine

 

server - 64bit machine

 

now which plugin can't it find? and how do i make it find it?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Can your equivalent of this screen shot also? ....the one that shows the different versions of Max, and whatnot loading there plugins into server?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Also, are you specifying the job as a 64 bit job?

[Dave Buckley]

i can post it tomorrow?

 

ok so if i only have one machine acting as a server, surely that should be the only one loading it's plugin?

 

the 64-bit plugin should be loaded right in the server window on the server machine? that's what your looking for?

 

i haven't specified a 64-bit job, however, i don't believe this to be the issue as i have the same problem when submitting 32-bit to 32-bit.

 

if i submit from 32 to 64 what should should i expect to see both the plugins both 64 and 32 bit working in the server?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Try submitting 32 to 64, and select the 64bit in the advanced dialog. Max registers itself as a plugin to Backburner. If you submit 32, I think it is going to look for a 32 bit plugin unless you tell it otherwise.