Network Rendering

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Included with Autodesk VIZ is functionality that lets you render an animation or a high-resolution image over a computer network, using multiple computers simultaneously. Each computer on the network, if properly set up, can render different frames of the animation or different sections of the image, greatly reducing overall rendering time.

This lesson provides a brief overview of the process of rendering an animation over a local area network. For detailed information, see the section on network rendering in the Autodesk VIZ 2007 User Reference, beginning with Introduction to Network Rendering. Also see Down on the Farm, an informative online white paper in PDF format by Gary M. Davis.

Note: Down on the Farm is a fairly large document; it might take a little while to download after you click the link.

Set up the rendering network:

Create a local area network or use an existing one. Each machine, or Server, that you plan to use for rendering should meet or exceed the minimum requirements for running Autodesk VIZ.
On each Server, install Autodesk VIZ using the Compact installation option. No authorization is required for this option.
At least one machine on the network should contain a full, licensed version of Autodesk VIZ for creating scenes to be rendered.
Determine which machine on the network will act as Manager. Typically, this machine is different from the machine on which scenes are created, but it can be any machine on the network. On the Manager machine, run the Manager program as an application or service. You can also use the Manager machine as a Server. Do this only if you won't be using Autodesk VIZ at the same time to create or modify scenes.
On each Server machine, run the Server program as an application or a service. The Manager assigns tasks to the Server program.

Set up for network rendering:

Create a scene containing animation that you want to render on the network, and specify where the output image files should go. When specifying directories for maps and output files, be sure to use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) so that all machines on the network will be able to find the directories. Also, the directories should be shared.

Tip: The easiest way to specify a UNC path is to start with Save In > My Network Places, and then navigate through the network to the machine and directory.

For further information, see Setting Up Directories.
Open the Render Scene dialog (press F10), and in the Render Output group, turn on Net Render.
Click Render.

The Network Job Assignment dialog opens.
Specify a job name and, optionally, a description of the job.
Set a priority and options for the job. All of these are explained in the topic Network Job Assignment Dialog.
Click the Connect button to find and register with the Manager. Optionally, if you want to connect to a specific manager, first turn off Automatic Search and enter the name of the Manager machine or its IP address.

After you connect, the Network Job Assignment dialog displays a list of servers and current jobs.

Submit and monitor the job:

To use all available servers, make sure Options > Use All Servers is on, and click Submit. Alternatively, turn off Use All Servers, highlight the servers you wish to use, and click Submit.

Your rendering job enters the queue, and will be undertaken as soon as the designated servers are available, depending on the presence of any existing jobs and their relative priorities.

At this point, you can use the backburner Queue Monitor program to check the progress of your job. For detailed information on the Queue Monitor, see The Queue Monitor Application.
Click the Connect button, and then use the Connect To Manager dialog to specify the same manager you connected to from the Network Job Assignment dialog.
In the Job list, find your job and click it to highlight it.

A job summary appears in the list to the right.
Use the Queue Monitor tools to edit the job, stop or start it, delete it, and so on.

When the job is finished, you'll find all the rendered frames in the directory you specified with the Render Scene dialog. You can convert these to a movie file using any of several different methods, such as with the Autodesk VIZ RAM Player utility.

Summary

If you have access to multiple networked computers, you can save enormous amounts of time rendering both animations and high-resolution still images on the network. All it takes is a bit of setup and administration, and the payoff makes it well worthwhile.