RenderCow sharing over Internet ?

#1

Hi all,

first let me say that I think HyperVue with Rendercows are a great thing. Not having to install the full software on a machine and not having to authorize via serial is easy and fast.

Now my question and idea is: Did anyone think about sharing their cpus with installed RenderCow over the internet ? I mean, if I can use up to 5 rendercows with just entering the IP-adress, it should be possible to use other cpus over the internet, if they are available.

We could create a closed pool of Vue users with their IPs and installed RenderCows, and whenever RenderCows are running, someone else of the group can use it for rendering.

Or is it impossible to use RenderCows outside a LAN ?

What do you think ?

Best,
Martin

PS: Does anything like cpu sharing over the internet exist for other renderers like vray, maxwell et al ?

#2

I posted a thread on the e-on boards in 2006 about this. My idea was based around having a central web server to manage the whole thing, and to make use of members computers when they were not being used. Most replies scoffed the idea. There are a few issues with making it work though. 1) It may involve some sort of special licencing arrangement with e-on. 2) It would be very dynamic with computers becoming available and others dropping out all the time - hypervue isn’t very smart when it comes to recovering frames from dropped nodes etc. 3) To be of any use there would need to be a reasonably high number of users and computers, and the chances are many of those users would be trying to use the network at the same time so this could lead to log jams. 4) The cost of a central web server to manage the whole thing, and development of custom software for it will have to be recuperated, so it would probably have to be a subscription based system. I own and manage web servers, but I wouldn’t be able to develop the software required to distribute jobs etc.

I think it’s possible, but may be a risky investment to who ever sets the whole thing up. It would require something much more robust than just hypervue. If e-on developed such a system it could be a good selling point.

Cinema 4D’s netrender can render over the internet, but it’s intended more for if you finish a project off at home, and upload it to your render farm at work, rather than a free for all share system.

#3

Thanks very much for your reply.

You raised good points and I can see that its not as easy as I thought.

Though I´ll keep on dreaming that one day we´ll have a general render-internet-network where everyone connected to the internet can offer his cpu and others can use it.

There is something alike from the Blender community I think, where users pay in credits as long as others can use their cpu, and when they need the network power, they just use their credits for their own rendering. If they have many credits they have priority to use other cpus while users with less credits need to wait a bit more.

I mean, the idea is really simple, when people from other countries in the world go to sleep and leave their computers on to offer the cpu, others can use it and vice versa.

Why not developing a worldwide rendering network and make use of so many unused cpu hours …

Just dreaming …

#4

Yes it would be great, and you’re right, it does seem like a waste having computers out there that are idle. I like the credits idea.

#5

Hello

There are commercial render farms out there, I know of one that handles vue. http://www.respower.com/

As I understand it you pay for your CPU use time.

It would be nice if Vue users could set up a SETI like arrangement where we could use each other’s CPU downtime. Somehow this makes me think of a self supporting vampire community. :slight_smile:

#6

Yes there are a number of them out there for those with a high budget to play with!

Yes that’s the point - a kind of render community where you can earn credits by lending out your spare cpu time, and use those credits to buy community cpu time. If only I had a brain I could probably put something together.

#7

There is something alike for the blender community:

http://burp.boinc.dk/

It seems to be the mentioned idea, but I don´t know if it works well.

The problem with current render systems like vray, maxwell, backburner with max seem to be that all asset files need to be on each computer while distributing the render job.

Thats what I like about Rendercows with Vue, as this is not necessary. Its just needed to install rendercows on each rendernode and the rest is done by vue (distribution of files for rendering).

So lets see what Chaosgroup comes up with, as they showed a preview of their new vray 2.0 (i believe), which hopefully allows this kind of render distribution.

Best,
Martin

#8

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