[fuso]

... and is it actually working in 1.1? To be honest I haven't been looking
into it yet, so here I am starting from scratch. If someone could just point
me into the right direction, I'd be so happy! A link to a proper tutorial
will do... I just couldn't find one easy to understand or without oppositional
statements causing a lot of confusion.

I only need to get two computers within our company network running in
shared mode to get their teeth into one mxs file, that's all. We have two
licenses and both machines are dual Xeon's, so it should work!
Any help is much appreciated!

Tx a million!

[Neil Evans]

It works sometimes.

I find it easier to save out the mxs file then load up the maxwell render app on each of the machines, open the file, change the seed value and save the mxi files with different names. When the renders have finished do a manual coop mxi merge of the files. This way you know you are going to get a result after waiting all that time for the renders. BUT do not forget to change the seed value.

In the past I have used the network render system and at the end of the render only half the machines finish, the rest just lock up or die.

Hope this helps..

[rusteberg]

1. open command prompt on both computers.
2. type; mxcl -server
response should be "server mode started"
3. on the machine you are working from, open another command
prompt window and type; mxcl -manager
response should show IP address for two the two computers
you just assigned as servers
4. open up Maxwell Render (display) at the bottom where you have
console-scene data- etc., open the network tab and click the "Options"
button
5. type in the IP adress for the computer assigned as Manager
(for instance if you assigned 135.14.123.123 as manager, then
type that in) click ok
6. at the network panel, click connect. this should connect the small farm
you just set up. Each computer (in your case 2) should be listed
underneath in green.
7. Now you are set up to load a scene to render. Click "Add Job". a
window will prompt you to specify the job you wish to render.
from here you simply type in the parameters for the rendered scene
via command (open command prompt and type; mxcl for a list
of commands. set your priority and check the cooperative box.

if you have the maxwell manual, it will explain what all this means

8. keep your fingers crossed

9. if steps 1-8 dont work, then repeat with pinky finger on tip of nose
standing on one foot.

10. once the render is finished, or when you stop it. go to File > Load Mxi
and load the mxi you specifed to write to. (for instance if you specified
-mxi:c:\fusorender.mxi then you would open that mxi from your
c:\ drive. this should be the cooperative rendering created from both
mxi's from each machine.

by default, if you do not specify where to save the mxi, each machine will
have a merge.mxi file in folder C:\Program Files\Next Limit\Maxwell
..... or at least that's where it goes for me. the machine which merged
the two mxi's will have file cooperative.mxi . this is the one you want.

hope this helps.

[fuso]

Thanks so much for the replies and tips. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds
reasonable and is written easy to understand. I'll certainly give it a go next
week. I start liking the forum again for what I knew it in the past.
Good stuff!

J

[rusteberg]

did you check all machines?

[messire]

it does not create mxi's but cooperative.mxs
any hint?
thnx
Nils

[chrisvconley]

i think one missing piece of info was this.

you need to have a network drive (could be on one of the machines) that is mapped to each computer participating as either a server, a manager, or a client that submits jobs.

place all source files on this drive (mxs, textures, etc.) and point the output of the network render to this drive.

chris

[giacob]

IMO netxworkrender... even if not userfriendly, and once one knows how to overcome some small bugs, is really working good ... if u give the right path to the textures it works invariably and , in my case, compose automatically the mxi file
the procedurer is simple
use one computer, we call it A ,as server and manager and other pc as server... to do so :
-run manager on A
.run server on A-B-C- etc
-run mxcl on A
- click connect
- load the mxs in mxcl
- add job

[messire]

ok first step is fine:

here is the steps i've understood, please correct me if wrong

1. using 3D soft/plugin: output a .mxs (one file right) ( from manager machine)
2. launch render, load mxs file ( from manager machine ) ( here i can modify seed, but how can i modify seed for the second machine? Do i have to load the mxs also into slave machine? )
3. in render tab choose a network path for render
4. launch manager
5. launch server on both machines ( if two machines)
6. add job

it renders, hopefully two .mxi files are created, and i can then launch render and merge the mxi... is that right....
Please guys, describe it step by step so we get it If possible avoid console use too!
Thnx
Nils

[pilotdov]

I get a message that server is not responding

any suggestions?