RenderFarm WorkFlow Help

[GraphXs]

:help:

I have a question for how people set-up the scenes and objects for a renderfarm.

Currently I'm using BNR, but to get the objects,scenes, images etc. I have to make sure I go through and create a "copy" of the objects,scenes, images etc. to use on the renderfarm so I don't mess with my local assets.

For example: we work locally on the Object and it textures. I know have to trick the model to point to the textures on the network so BNR will see it correctly.

1) I change the local "images" folder name load the local model and LW will ask me to find the textures, so I point it to the network and save the model out as a different name.
2) I then do the same trick for the LWS, and hide the local model and Layout will ask me for the model, so I point it to the "copy" of the model that looks at the textures on the network.
3) Then I make sure the output path is looking at the network in the renders output tab.
4) Everything renders fine! YAY!

But what I want to know if there is an easier way, then the hack trick way I'm currently doing it?

Is there a script that can re-route textures?
How can I replace an entire model in layout without doing a windows trick? Layout only has "replace item" but I don't see a replace model?
Why can't Layout have a feature that copies over the models and textures to a network location when I want to render on a network?

Any help or work flow suggestions would be great!

What I want to do is work locally, then when I'm ready have the scenes, models, textures moved through layout to the network, do my renders.
If I have a change i just work locally again and repeat some easy layout step to move the assets to the network.

[nickdigital]

I'm curious as to why you don't work off the network? Then what you're working on is always in-sync with what you want to render.

[Hieron]

We don't work off the network here since it is slower. Even though we have a 1 Gbit network, especially with many files or with big GI caches, the latency becomes noticable to annoying.
But we don't have the issues Graphxs is describing either.

In principle, as long as everything is nicely in a content dir, there is no need for absolute paths, so scenes/objects etc don't know whether it is on the network or not. Not sure what your issue is?
What exactly is your directory structure now?

Personally I work locally and upload by ftp to the local fileserver (acting as on site backup as well due to that) when the farm is needed. All that is needed:
-Save scene etc
-Click upload on content dir in FTP client
-Tell the BNR controller node to load scene and start rendering.
done


ps: due to the current bug in LW10, you need to manually open the scene file to correctly name the place of the radiosity file. The scene file misses 1 "/".

[GraphXs]

Hieron can ya explain the steps you are doing? Are you saying that if I work in a standard LW content structure locally it the same on the BNR network? I just need to copy my scene, objects, textures to the network? It should find them because it's not looking a the local path?

[nickdigital]

Yes, the content directory just setups up a starting point for LW to look for assets.

So for example, in the below: Local and Network are the content directories.

Local
-Objects
-Scenes
-Images

Network
-Objects
-Scenes
-Images

So let's say your local D:drive is the Local content directory and a network mapped drive of E: is the Network content directory. You would set your LightWave to look at D: for it's content directory and BNR would look at the network drive of E:. As long as you're keeping your local assets in sync with what's on E: what you work on and what you render should always look in sync.

I hope that helped.

[bassmanjam]

I had run into this issue when trying to work locally and then render on the network. The real problem for me was textures on objects. They are compiled into the object pointing to the local files. When they were on the network, they couldn't be found.
I think I had to open the scenes after moving them to the network then saved scene and objects.
Good luck.

[beverins]

Try using package scene (under the save file menu) - it is supposed to grab everything and then put it in a zip -