Hello everyone. I would like to ask if there is any way I can set up a separate machine to just render? I don’t want to waste time waiting for the render to complete and then start the next project.
I was thinking if it is possible to just send the file to render on PC=B for rendering then move on to next project on PC-A.
By the way, I’m using V-Ray.
Any inputs will be highly appreciated. Thanks.
Use backburner (which comes with 3dsmax, unless you are using 2019+ then you download it separately). Easy to install just setup the manager, load the server on the other pc, make sure they are connected and render to network option within 3dsmax.
You can also use Deadline - which I think is free for 1-2 render machines.
The official documentation is here:
There is 3 main components, the manager, que monitor and server:
Manager - this needs to be running constantly during the renders (it can also be running on your machine just dont close it until the renders are complete as its a live link to each render slave essentially)
Que Monitor - this gives you some options to pause, restart, monitor status and switch which render slave receives the job and alter some basic render settings from outside of 3dsmax (altering settings will restart that render).
Server - You turn the server on for that render slave which you want to receive the job, you can also enable it on your own machine if you like as well.
Essentially all you need is the IP address for the computer running the Manager. The Que Monitor and Server just require this IP address and once they are connected correctly you will see it connect correctly in the Que Manager and Server window. If you encounter bugs/issues within the Server itself (usually promps you with some error code), unfortunately there is very little documentation on what these errors are and you will have to google fixes - however generally they are just firewall issues or administration issues. Other issues could be mismatched 3dsmax versions so ensure you have the same hotfixes/updates/versions for each computer you own.
If you need any further help just post here and we should be able to give you some advise on how to proceed.
So basically, I just have to install Manager and que monitor on the “render machine” then connect it to my workstation, right?
Manager and Que monitor should be on your machine (in your case).
Server runs on the ‘render machine’.
Aslong as the Server can connect to your Manager when you render to network in 3dsmax it will send it to any machines which have the Server turned on.
Great thing is, if you have a few renders on the que, you can also turn the server on your workstation when you finish work for the day and it will render other jobs on your workstation as well as the ‘render machine’. I do this all the time so that I dont need to switch between 3dsmax files and press render, just batch up the jobs and then I go to sleep or go outside etc.
Got it James. Will try this. Basically, I want to maximise our time, that is why I’m setting up separate render machine so we can just send it there and move on to our next projects instead of waiting for the render to finish.