[Q2]

Hi. Just tried the coop render with the new update. Sadly it is still NOT working. It still keeps crashing the mxcl servers as soon as they have received the complete assigned file.

What can I say. I guess for us OS X users, only the none coop version of maxwell is usable.

SAD!

Q! Berlin

[mgroeteke]

carsten, it is working fine here now!

maybe try these things all together first (maybe this is not strictly necessary, but it may resolve some deeper issues with your particular setup):

1. put all maxwell folders (containing MXCL etc) into the 'Applications' folder on your macs.

2. make sure that you have deactivated appletalk and that your settings in sharing/ firewall/ advanced are not set to 'stealth mode' (don't know in german, sorry).

3. make sure that after having installed the patch, you did restart all macs once.

4. do a 'pack and go' collection of your scene to be sure that all data is where the servers expect it.

5. the servers will ask for an AFP connection before starting to render. try to connect to the macs containing textures, MXS and destination images before starting the rendering.

hope i didn't forget anything...

...and let me know if it is going any better.

cheers

markus

[bejack]

yes markus. you´r right. works here by the first test too. turning appletalk off on all machines did it.

cool. thanks .-)

cheers - bjoern

[mgroeteke]

great, pheeeew!

happy rendering, then!

markus

[Q2]

Hi GUYS! IT WORKS.

Turning off appletalk did the job!

Thanks soo much, finally we get some speed here in da house!





Q! berlin

[Daniel Hruby]

Trying to get mine going...Renders Failed on the G5 Quad. It appears to not file complex IOR used in one of the materials. I only work on the MacPro and have all my textures right on the MacPro drive with my host app and maxwell. The G5 Quad is monitor-less and controlled via Timbuktu remote from the MacPro. I just want to take advantage of the Quad on my renders that I start on the MacPro.

My set up:

1 ethernet connection and WIFI connection. Apple Talk off on both machines. FIrewall off. No stealth mode.

From MacPro I am pointing to folders that reside on the MacPro. The MXS, the MXI, the output and the bitmaps (from a pack and go folder that I have on both machines. I just dont know which one to point to - neither solves my problem.

Can anyone give me the 4 locations I should set this for from the Mac Pro? I would greatly appreciate it a diagram or a complete explanation. I never seem to get a clear answer that means anything to me. Excuse my ignorance.

Do I need a third drive connected to both machines for my texture library and MXS ?


Thanks for help in advance> I am eager to get this working.

[mgroeteke]

Trying to get mine going...Renders Failed on the G5 Quad. It appears to not file complex IOR used in one of the materials. I only work on the MacPro and have all my textures right on the MacPro drive with my host app and maxwell. The G5 Quad is monitor-less and controlled via Timbuktu remote from the MacPro. I just want to take advantage of the Quad on my renders that I start on the MacPro.

My set up:

1 ethernet connection and WIFI connection. Apple Talk off on both machines. FIrewall off. No stealth mode.

From MacPro I am pointing to folders that reside on the MacPro. The MXS, the MXI, the output and the bitmaps (from a pack and go folder that I have on both machines. I just dont know which one to point to - neither solves my problem.

Can anyone give me the 4 locations I should set this for from the Mac Pro? I would greatly appreciate it a diagram or a complete explanation. I never seem to get a clear answer that means anything to me. Excuse my ignorance.

Do I need a third drive connected to both machines for my texture library and MXS ?


Thanks for help in advance> I am eager to get this working.

daniel, it appears that with the latest update it is not so critical anymore where your MXS and texture library are stored. if you assigned the path with the 'bitmaps' entry in 'add job' dialog, the servers should find all textures.

btw, i'm using a similiar setup, working on a macpro quad and using a G5 quad as server + a few other macs, but i don't use any wifi connection and only manually asssigned IP's.

first thing, just make sure that all servers running are really updated to 1.5.1, just check in the console log, if version number is OK.

then, two good things to check are:

1. make a 'pack and go' collection before sending the job. double check and reload the MXS to make sure that the IOR file is really pointing to the new folder. if not, assign the correct path (in the collected folder) and resave. then, when adding the job, assign this collected folder as bitmaps path.

2. make sure that if you had a network rendering failure, like missing textures, to stop the job, then quit and restart the maxwell server which had that error before adding a new job. apparently in certain situations the servers 'stick' to the previous setup and don't register for example that the texture path was changed.

hope this helps... let me know.

markus

[Daniel Hruby]

daniel, it appears that with the latest update it is not so critical anymore where your MXS and texture library are stored. if you assigned the path with the 'bitmaps' entry in 'add job' dialog, the servers should find all textures.

I thought this was true too, but I seem to have a heck of a time getting the other computer to find the ior's and textures linked to some materials.

[/quote]btw, i'm using a similiar setup, working on a macpro quad and using a G5 quad as server + a few other macs, but i don't use any wifi connection and only manually asssigned IP's.[/quote]

I can see the other computer just fine and I can send the job. It processes but even though the file is rendering on the MacPro, the Quad can't find the maps and IORS. Even on MXM's I have relinked and saved.

[/quote]first thing, just make sure that all servers running are really updated to 1.5.1, just check in the console log, if version number is OK.[/quote]

Did this , both are 1.5.1.0


then, two good things to check are:

1. make a 'pack and go' collection before sending the job. double check and reload the MXS to make sure that the IOR file is really pointing to the new folder. if not, assign the correct path (in the collected folder) and resave. then, when adding the job, assign this collected folder as bitmaps path.

I tried it, but i am stuck with a " IOR Missing" error. Even though the IOR is right there in that file path. I also opened the mxs in studio and check each offending .mxm and re-saved with the right IOR and texture when necessary. Still, the server (even after restarting it each time) gets part way through the loading and gets stuck

2. make sure that if you had a network rendering failure, like missing textures, to stop the job, then quit and restart the maxwell server which had that error before adding a new job. apparently in certain situations the servers 'stick' to the previous setup and don't register for example that the texture path was changed.

Yeah, I have been doing this and restarting manager side too. Doesn't seem to be the issue.


Why can't I point the texture path to my Maxwell folder and just keep ALL textures, MXM's Arroway maps etc in a folder inside there???? I just dont get why this has too be so messy.

In my opinion, .Mxm's really ought store the textures within the file itself and if you want to get to them you can get there via Show Package Contents.

Oh well, 6 hours on this today and not quite there yet. Any more help would be appreciated. At least the network part seems more stable.

[mgroeteke]

daniel, maybe it sounds as a stupid question to you, but does the MXS render fine straight out of studio?

markus

[Daniel Hruby]

YEah, this is why i am perplexed. Renders straight away from Studio and ArchiCAD on the MacPro, Pointing all paths to various files and libraries ont eh MACPRO gives me errors. And its somewhat random. One time it will be for a missing IOR, another it will be for a texture and then it might go back to the bitmap. In either case, i can look and see the MXM is saved correctly with the right paths and that the Pack n go is also re-saved and the IORs are present there too.

Like I said earlier, i could get a simple new scene to work, its just my REAL project is too complicated to resolve these paths still. I may need to just keep plugging away at it. It sounds like everyone else is having a feild day with COop.

I still have no idea what to do once the two machines finally start working. I guess I start the MacPro as I normally would from ArchiCAD or Studio and then Go to the network tab while this macchine starts processing and load the server with the same MXS file and set up the paths and send? This is how I have been doing it. Then when I want to stop, I should hit stop?

Another curious thing is that I dont see my Quad in the Renderfarm list in the render otpios dialog while setting the paths, but I do see it is READY in the renderfarm list in the lower right corner and it does receive once I close and send. Maybe if I have more than two machines, this works differently, but I know I have seen it there before.....


D

[mgroeteke]

YEah, this is why i am perplexed. Renders straight away from Studio and ArchiCAD on the MacPro, Pointing all paths to various files and libraries ont eh MACPRO gives me errors. And its somewhat random. One time it will be for a missing IOR, another it will be for a texture and then it might go back to the bitmap. In either case, i can look and see the MXM is saved correctly with the right paths and that the Pack n go is also re-saved and the IORs are present there too.

Like I said earlier, i could get a simple new scene to work, its just my REAL project is too complicated to resolve these paths still. I may need to just keep plugging away at it. It sounds like everyone else is having a feild day with COop.

I still have no idea what to do once the two machines finally start working. I guess I start the MacPro as I normally would from ArchiCAD or Studio and then Go to the network tab while this macchine starts processing and load the server with the same MXS file and set up the paths and send? This is how I have been doing it. Then when I want to stop, I should hit stop?

Another curious thing is that I dont see my Quad in the Renderfarm list in the render otpios dialog while setting the paths, but I do see it is READY in the renderfarm list in the lower right corner and it does receive once I close and send. Maybe if I have more than two machines, this works differently, but I know I have seen it there before.....


D

daniel, you can force studio to set automatically the path simply by changing the mac's drive names before loading the scene. studio will then ask for the path of the textures when loading the scene. but before you do this, you load the scene, save by pack and go as a new MXS. then you quit studio and change the volume names. now open studio again and load the new scene (from pack and go). it will ask for the texture folder location. when the scene is loaded, save back again. now all textures are relinked to the new path, but that path is still containing the temporary volume names. so, the last step, set the volume names back to what they used to be and load and save the scene again one more time. now you are 100% sure everything is where it is expected to be. maybe worth a try, and not as complicate as it sounds

not sure if i understand the rest of your post: when you add a job and you didn't select any particular server on the right hand list, you won't see them in the add job list. maxwell will simply use all the available servers for the job.

good luck

markus

[Daniel Hruby]

yikes! Ok. Thank you very much. I will try this. I guess this is one area where textures don't magically find there way around the network. I wish the server application preferences (on the Quad) would allow me to point to the host (MacPro) for all associated files. It seems more logical for my situation, but maybe not for multiple users on a larger network.

And yes, i must not have highlighted the server in the Renderfarm window. Seems to work regardless.

I will try to sort this out today. Thanks again!

[Daniel Hruby]

Out of curiosity, what would happen then if you wanted to render the new mxs on the local MacPro? Wouldn't the paths be reversed for the Quad? This would require reversing the process? While faster than my method of changing each one, it still seems like a complicated workflow.

Would the best scenario be to Keep all files on one network drive (even portable?) dedicated to maxwell work? Then have all servers looking there for all content? Could you just point to the drive rather than a file path? Then it can hunt and find everything it needs on that drive.

(Edit) I answered my own question as i realize now that you are supposed to sett the path back again. Never mind!

[mgroeteke]

Out of curiosity, what would happen then if you wanted to render the new mxs on the local MacPro? Wouldn't the paths be reversed for the Quad? This would require reversing the process? While faster than my method of changing each one, it still seems like a complicated workflow.

Would the best scenario be to Keep all files on one network drive (even portable?) dedicated to maxwell work? Then have all servers looking there for all content? Could you just point to the drive rather than a file path? Then it can hunt and find everything it needs on that drive.

(Edit) I answered my own question as i realize now that you are supposed to sett the path back again. Never mind!

in theory you can do that. the problem with your particular scene is maybe with one or some MXM's imported from the mxmgallery (did you use some of these?), which for some obscure reason does not find it's way to the textures. i've tested here all kind of scenarios and only had this problem a few times - but solved it by forcing a new path as described.

markus

[Daniel Hruby]

yes, I am using materials from the library and they have required a relink each time. very annoying for my workflow. Your solution sounds good. I will try tomorrow!

Thanks for all your help Markus.