satellite render dos not take more than 4 machine?

#1

[size=2] I have 24 machine run xsi 6.5 advanced with royal render … and every thing work fine …
…
some time i need to use satellite render on my main machine … so as usual … i type the computer name and mental ray port number in user tool for all the machine that i want …
my problem is: the satellite render dose not take more than 4 machine at the same time ?
what is the problem ?? any help is very appreciated … :)[/size]

#2

An Advanced license includes 8 satellite CPUs.

  • 4 can be used by xsibatch.exe
  • 4 can be used be xsi.exe.
#3

Sorry but the last version (6.5) include :

[ul]
[li]5 Licenses of XSI Batch rendering[/li][li]12 Nodes of mental ray rendering plus 24 nodes of Satellite rendering[/li][/ul]Just have a look here

Phil

#4

Here is how the number 24 is calculated:

1 Advanced license + 5 Batch licenses = 6
6 x 4 satellite CPUs = 24 satellites

Each instance of xsi.exe or xsibatch.exe can use at most 4 satellite CPUs.

The Advanced license itself can use at most 4 satellite CPUs.
Each of the Batch licenses can use at most 4 satellite CPUs.

#5

As much as I enjoy working in XSI, I have to say that Softimage’s (or perhaps it’s Mental Image’s) license policy for distributed renders is the most confusing mess I’ve ever seen in a 3D app. I think this is emphasized by how many questions there are about this over and over again.

I own Essentials 6.5, which I understand to have at least some technical and legal ability to work across several machines, but each time I try to read up on how it’s done, my brain starts to hurt.

I sure hope that between the introduction of 3rd party render engines and the release of 7.0 that this gets straightened out.

#6

An Essentials license allows you to use four satellite CPUs.

So you can run XSI.exe and it can use four satellite CPUs to help render.
Or you can use your Essentials license to run xsibatch.exe, and it can use the four satellite CPUs.

But other than satellite rendering, Essentials does not provide any distributed rendering. You have only one license for xsi.exe/xsibatch.exe, so you have only one render node.

#7 
   The XSI Wiki says:

XSI Essentials includes the following:

[ul]
[li]1 Essentials license (XSIEss2X) [/li]
The Essentials license allows you to:
[list]
[li]Run an interactive seat of XSI or run xsibatch.[/li][li]Render on all local CPUs and use up to four (4) satellite CPUs for distributed tile rendering.[/li][/ul]
[li]4 batch processing licenses(XSIEssProcA), which you use like this: “xsibatch -processing -script”). These licenses allow you to have up to four “slave” computers running batch processing jobs.[/li][/list]So, we have satellites, nodes, slaves. Add those to the lions, tigers and bears, and all of a sudden you have user confusion.

   It's easy to understand that I have one interactive license, and with that license, my computer can use up to 4 other machines to help it render each frame. But it gets confusing when there's an additional mention of "four slave computers" that can each run batch jobs. This, to me, makes it sound as though these four machines can perform renders on their own, even while I continue to use my interactive license. But, if I understand your post correctly, you say that I can't do this.

And therein lies my ongoing confusion! :slight_smile:

#8

The four processing licenses (XSIEssProcA) do not allow you to render.
You can run xsibatch -script to process a scene file, but you cannot render the scene.

#9

What is the difference between “Processing” a scene and “rendering” a scene?

#10

anything that can be run without using MRay is processing, when a mray process is involved it’s rendering.
baking, committing, asset management, custom render management/submission, dynamics… tons of things in a complex pipeline can need automation and remoting but not rendering to raster.

#11

thanks guys for the reply … it’s clear now …

#12

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.