2008

Network Rendering
Network rendering is a means of mass-processing multiple rendering tasks or
jobs. In order to facilitate network rendering, Autodesk BackburnerTM is
installed with 3ds Max. The Backburner software is responsible for coordinating
how job assignments are processed.
You can perform network rendering with both the default scanline and mental
ray renderers. In its most efficient form, network rendering uses multiple
computers, connected over a network, to perform rendering tasks; typically
the rendering of animations with hundreds or thousands of frames. Even a
small network of three or four PCs can save substantial rendering time and
help you meet deadlines.
However, network rendering can be equally useful if you have only a single
PC and need to render a number of images. You can assign the jobs that need
to be rendered and Backburner can manage the rendering of each job while
you're away from the computer. Commonly, jobs are assigned submitted just
before you leave the office. when you arrive the next morning, all your
rendering are waiting for you to review.
Network rendering is designed to render whatever is set up in your scene; that
is, it will render the viewport, part of a viewport, camera view, and so on, as
saved in the scene file. You can also pass batch-rendering tasks to Backburner
from the
Batch Render tool on page 6352 . You can queue up tasks from any
number of cameras in a scene. Each task can load a save scene state or use a
particular rendering preset.
The requirements and procedures presented here assume you are the
administrator of a closed network set up exclusively for network rendering.
In practice, you can use the network for file sharing and other purposes, but
if conflicts arise, you might need to cancel those uses. The easiest network to
set up, operate, and maintain is one dedicated to rendering.
NOTE For specific information about setting up network rendering on a single
system, refer to
Basic Procedure 1: Single-System Network Rendering on page
6234 .
If you're a system administrator for a more complex network, you can use the
information in this file as a guideline. The basic approach is the same for any
network.
IMPORTANT It is strongly recommended that you follow these procedures for
setting up and running network rendering. Do not attempt network rendering
without reading the instructions that follow.
Network Rendering | 6231