Vray DR not working: Servers can see, but won't load maps on network

[braddewald]

So Distributed Rendering was working great until I had to use Backburner to render a really long animation (I don't know if that's related). Days later I started up another regular DR job and now, for some reason, none of my servers can see the maps on the network drive (host computer). They can all connect to the host computer and browse to the correct file path and see the images and everything, but no matter how many times I restart the computers and router and double-check all of my network settings, they JUST WONT LOAD THE MAPS.

 

My temporary workaround has been to change the paths from UNC to local file paths and then copy the maps to each server's local hard drive. This is working fine but I'd really like to know why the maps aren't being loaded when I can browse to, from and between the host and all the servers without a problem.

[Ben Dauncey]

Which user are you signed in as on all the machines. The authority of the the user maybe having an effect as to the reason why you can read the files on the other computer. There is also a tick box when you submit your files to render that say something like include maps.

[braddewald]

Identical usernames and passwords on all computers. All running 3ds Max 2013 x64 on Windows 7. Include maps is a backburner thing. I enabled it anyway but there was no effect.

[Casey Hawley]

Did you ever use BB without problems before this issue? Does the problem occur when you render via BB?

[Jason Matthews]

Did the domain get changed on the computers? I had that happen once where for some odd reason the domain name was changed on my workstation and the other nodes could not access it but I could see the maps from the nodes.

[braddewald]

Vray DR was working fine for months. Then I used backburner successfully for a large animation project last week. Then when I went back to DR to render a still, the render farm computers will not longer load the maps. They just render as if the maps are turned off.

 

I just went back to backburner to run a test to see if the servers loaded the maps and they did NOT. I ticked "include maps" and changed the the file path to UNC and it DID work (although I didn't have to do that originally on the backburner rendering that worked last week). I tried Vray DR after that and the problem remained -- the slaves still render as though the maps are turned off.

 

I'm pulling my hair out here! Any suggestions?

 

@Jason What do you mean by the domain changing. I just have a home network set up with 5 computers all running Windows 7 with no homegroup but with all the same workgroup name. Like I said I have no problem accessing any of the files from the other computers so it makes no sense to me.

[braddewald]

I just opened 3ds max and did a test render on each slave computer, using maps from the network path of the host computer, and they each worked.

 

However, Vray DR from the host computer using those same slaves still does not.

 

Does this narrow down the options?

[Casey Hawley]

It's a head scratcher, that's for sure!

 

Are there any warnings or errors in the VRay Log message window when using DR?

 

I assume the tests you did on the servers were the same file you are trying to do DR with UNC paths?

[Casey Hawley]

I remembered I came across a similar problem before.. take at look at this thread at about post #8 http://forums.cgarchitect.com/31764-dr-slaves-pcs-cannot-find-texture-files.html

Edited September 13, 2013 by spacecase

[braddewald]

That worked!!! Thanks so much! I figured out last night that stopping the service and running the vray spawner manually was working but obviously this is tons better. I have no idea why I would all of a sudden need to go through those steps when it was working before though. Either way thanks again!

 

For posterity, here are the instructions you gave in post 8 of that thread above that fixed the problem:

 

Go to Start Button --> right-click Computer --> Manage

 

Management window:

Go to Services --> scroll down & right-click VRaySpawner --> Properties --> Log On tab --> select This Account, fill in user name that has access credentials to texture server (if there is none, make a user on server with password..must be the same as workstation wanting to do DR), add correct password, confirm --> click OK. Stop then Start VRaySpawner.

[Jason Matthews]

Glad you figured it out. I manually start the services and DRSpawner on every machine.

[diezcerouno]

That worked!!! Thanks so much! I figured out last night that stopping the service and running the vray spawner manually was working but obviously this is tons better. I have no idea why I would all of a sudden need to go through those steps when it was working before though. Either way thanks again!

 

For posterity, here are the instructions you gave in post 8 of that thread above that fixed the problem:

 

Go to Start Button --> right-click Computer --> Manage

 

Management window:

Go to Services --> scroll down & right-click VRaySpawner --> Properties --> Log On tab --> select This Account, fill in user name that has access credentials to texture server (if there is none, make a user on server with password..must be the same as workstation wanting to do DR), add correct password, confirm --> click OK. Stop then Start VRaySpawner.

 

Hi, i've been 3 days and nights trying to do the last step... how do i know the user name with credentials? and the correct password? thanks in advance!

[Casey Hawley]

The user name and password are the same that you use to login to your computer and use Max/VRay. If there are multiple users on your machine, use one that has Administrator rights. Then, on the server/slave computer(s) you have to have the same user and password combo, and use it to set the Log On for the Spawner service.

 

If the user/pass combo doesn't exist on the slave, create a new user with the same name & pass.

Edited October 3, 2013 by spacecase