[beatriz]

Well, yes.
I always use this pack and go, because MXCL will look in the folder you specified for bitmaps but not in subfolders.

And yes, pack and go places everything used in the scene (mxs, textures, r2, iors) in a single location.

[deadalvs]

in mxcl-d You see the SL of each networked mxi.

after combining just «open mxi» in mxcl-d and see the SL in the main title list.

* * *

try a simple interior box scene with just one emitter, this will be enough complex for any computer... (diffuse lighting)

just a lambert box and one emitter. could not be simpler...
for subtle details maybe add a few more small cubes.

[deadalvs]

there is one very simple explanation

the SL steps are not linear in «computation time», they're more exponential.

You see that the first few SLs are reached kinda fast, but the longer the render takes, the more it takes to step up one more SL.

it's exponential.

so five SL 5 images result in a SL around 6 merged or 10 SL 10 result in SL 12.
there's been a lot going on by users to find out how this time is calculated correctly and after which time which SL is reached.

Kabe wrote a little app for maxwell 1.0, called «MXC», found somewhere on this forum. (didn't find it in an instant)

[deadalvs]

heya look at that:

new for 1.5 !
http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/view ... hp?t=22985

[deadalvs]

okay, that can not be.

12 times SL 16 must be around 18.5, not 16. then You must have opened a wrong .mxi file... can this be ?

or it is just the one You opened that was rendered by one server alone and not the merged one.
did You work with a shared folder to which the a merged .mxi should be written ? and You surely did not open the «local mxi»

?

[dyarza]

And yes, pack and go places everything used in the scene (mxs, textures, r2, iors) in a single location.

Thanks,

Making duplicates of everything sems like a small price to pay to get it working, besides, it will make things more convenient at the time of archiving the project and will ensure that all necessary files to recreate the render in the future are also there. I guess I'll be embracing the pack-and-go feature.

Thanks for the info, I am much happier knowing that I won't have to pay Mr. Microsoft for an OS in each of my render farm servers.

D

[deadalvs]

sounds like You need some more testing.

but that should work... heads up !