Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 User Guide 3 - Page 1178

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 6553. 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 6436. 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 | 6433