ScreamerNet advice.

[4dartist]

Need some help..

Have 3 8core macpro's open now. So I'm going to network render these badboys. I purchased a 10-node Snub-Launcher (http://www.dreamlight.com/webshop/utilities/snublauncher.html) and also updated my license of Screamernet Controller (http://www.catalystproductions.cc/screamernet/).

So, using this guys tutorial (http://www.digitaldistortion.net/rsrc_screamernetForUB.html), I set it all up. Here is my problem. Snublauncher people still have not sent me the serial number, and I can only start run 2 nodes. I paid for the 10 nodes already so I don't feel bad about working around the limitation. I think all I need to do is copy/paste it's output text into the additional nodes but just change the numbers. My problem is I can't find where to paste that...

Isn't that text put into a file called, "LWSN cmdLine"? I can't find that on any of the nodes I ran Snub-Launcher from.

Next I'm going to get my screamernet controller running, so far I just did the in lightwave network render and it worked great on the 2 nodes. Sadly there is a bit of a slow down when rendering on 2 nodes instead of just locally. Not sure where the slow down comes from.
1node ran the animation in 370mins and 2 nodes using Snub-L and Layout's Network renderer took 215mins. Not bad but not awesome.

[4dartist]

Ok, Scub-Launcher guys replied to my email and processed my order. :) Now I have 10 node license working and can setup the remaining machines. So no need to hack the LWSN cmdLine file i never could find.

Also have Screamernet controller working great.

So I think I'm good to go, now I just need more computers!! :D That communication delay between frames is kind of annoying, wish it was faster. I can see the terminal on the nodes idle for about 5 seconds between frames. After doing my math I get an additional 8 seconds per frame render hit for doing it by screamernet instead of out of a single lightwave.

I wonder if I should try pointing Snub-Launcher to the local screamernet file instead of the one on the control computer. Because there is a local copy of LW on each computer that is a node anyways. HUMMmm...

[bassmanjam]

I have heard that copying the scene package locally and rendering to a local drive can speed things up. You may need a way to put dummy files in your render output folder to advance computers to the next available frame. I have not done it myself so cannot give you first hand advice.

Good job getting the farm up and running!

[4dartist]

Well, when rendering frames without Radiosity and without Particles the network rendering is working great.

With radiosity, I get diversity in the output frames, some are slightly darker than others. Usually it's one computer putting out bad frames, and say the day earlier that computer was putting out frames that were fine even with radiosity. not sure of the issue.

Particles are also causing a problem. I even output the .pfx file, and they still render the particles in random locations. Each computer is pumping out completely different particle solutions and not reading the .pfx file. Any ideas?