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materialUsing Butterfly Net Render by Jonathan Adams |
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Preparation - Managing File Resources and Content Directories When useing the render farm it is very important that you keep a file structure exactly like the one on the farm. You will need to have a folder with your last name just under your drive folder. So it should look like the image to the right. You need to set your content directory to your drive node EVERY time you work on your scenes for the content directory to continue to work on or off the render farm without any more adjustments. So in this case, the content dorectory should be set to //Art-Butterfield/Adams. Then everything for your project will be stored in the second name folder - //Art-Butterfield/Adams/Adams. |
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To use the render farm, you must move all of your files with the identical file structure s from your drive node to the "X:" drive under My Computer. The X: drive is a networked drive which is physically located in room 503 - but all computers in the lab have access to it using X:. This is the drive that the farm will access to get your files as well as to save them to. The render farm only has access to this X: drive, anything linked to your scene outside of this drive will not show up in your scene. You also need to set your scene file's render options to save all image files back to the X: drive! You will then want to rename your scenes so that they have your first name infront of the scene title. For this example I am using Adams_TEST.lws. |
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| Checking your Content Directory After you have moved your scene and files to the X: drive, you will want to check to make sure you content directory works. Do this by opening Lightwave. Click on Edit \ Set Content Directory \ (image 1) |
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| Navigate to renderfarm on 'art-smith.missouristate.edu'(image 2) Then open your scene from the X: drive. |
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| If you get a dialog which states that files could not be found (image 3), then your directory is not set correctly. Fixing your Content Directory For each file not found, attach the new location from the X: drive by clicking "YES" in the dialog box. |
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| After all the objects have loaded you must save your scene as well as saving all the objects to make sure the path location of even bitmaps which are associated with objects can be found. (image 4) |
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Using Dynamics on the farm Any dynamics that are being used in your scene will need to be saved as a file so that the rest of the computers on the farm know whats going on without calculating. Do this by: In Lightwave go to the properties for your object which has dynamics. Click on the dynamics tab (see image to the right) You will have to save an individual file for all objects that contain dynamics! |
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| Adding the scene to be rendered Once everything is copied over to the render farm server and your scene has the correct content directory and save location, you are ready to add the scene to the render farm. Right click on the Butterfly in the system tray, and select "viewer". You will get a dialog box "Trying to connect to Controller" click OK.    |
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| To add your scene, click on "Add Scene" at the bottom of the Viewer window. Navigate to the X Drive on My Computer and select your scene. Once selected you will be confronted with another dialog box. You will need to add in "X:" as the Content Dir. (as pictured to the right) and then verify the other information - such as first frame, last frame, RGB Prefix, and RGB format. This is where you can set your priority level if your instructor has given you permission. |
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| Once you have added your scene you can track it's progress in the viewer as well as check to see if all your objects loaded. Do this by right clicking on your scene in viewer and go to properties (see image to the right). Then find the objects tab and if your objects say your last name and the correct folders your in busness. Items which did not load correctly will show a red lightwave icon next to them. Need to stop a render? If you have added a scene and find out that you want to stop its rendering and remove it from the farm. Then right click on your scene, go to "Reset/Force Stop". Wait for the viewer to refresh and your scene should say "Ready" next to it. Right click again and go to "Remove". |
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| Removing your files from the render farm Once you have added your scene and it is rendering you can check its progress in the Butterfly viewer in the "percent" column and again in the "Remaining" column. After the scene has completed its render you must move all images from the render server to your drive node. Then delete all the images off the render server! Others use that same drive which has a limited amount of space. |
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