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Author Topic: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design  (Read 3094 times)

MC4813

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Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« on: February 27, 2015, 01:31:54 PM »
Hi!
I got problems with distributed rendering from batch mode with forest.
There is a scene with 6 different cameras with different scene states. Each camera is meant to render 1 image. So there should be a sequence of 6 images at the end.
I have one main workstation and two slave machines.

Sometimes it renders 2 images, sometimes 5 and so on...
But the moment it should save the image and start a new rendering (new camera) it just freezes. The image can´t be saved, I cant´t properly close max.
It occurs always at the time a rendering is finished and should be saved - but this can be after the 2nd or the 4th image.

I read there has been a problem that seems similar to mine: "Distributed rendering problem".

Do you know this problem.
Is it possibly to render distributed in batch mode with forest objects at all?

iToo

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2015, 01:55:16 PM »
Hi, there is a known problem with Batch render, V-Ray DR and Camera clipping, although it doesn't result on lockups; just the camera is not properly updated. In this case, the problem is solved turning off clipping.

First question, just to be sure: do you use V-Ray or Mental Ray ?
« Last Edit: February 27, 2015, 02:00:00 PM by iToo »
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2015, 02:09:29 PM »
Mental Ray

iToo

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2015, 02:58:25 PM »
Ok, that's a different issue. There is a known problem with DR in Mental Ray, that would be causing those lockups:

When using Forest Color and Tint by element, Forest needs to build large data blocks, to store the hierarchy of elements in the mesh and other data. When these data blocks are transferred to the DR nodes, may cause crashes and other issues. Unfortunately until now we could not solve this problem. But there are two workarounds:

1) Use Backburner instead DR. It's safe and stable.
2) If you don't use Tint or Texture by Element in your scenes, edit the following file in your DR nodes and set disableMRTintByElement=1

C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsmax\<max version> - 64bit\ENU\en-US\plugcfg\forestpack.ini

That disables the data blocks used by Forest Color, and most of times solves the problem.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2015, 02:24:13 PM by iToo »
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2015, 03:21:41 PM »
sorry. what do you mean with "Tint or Texture by Element"? ->see ttached file ?
"Forest_automat_AEA26790" (Multi/Sub-Object) is the material forest created out of my Multi/Sub-Object.


iToo

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2015, 04:50:42 PM »
No, i mean "Get ID by Element" and "Tint by Element" in the Forest Color map. Other Tint modes will work fine.
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2015, 05:24:32 PM »
No I didn´t use "Get ID by Element" and "Tint by Element" in the Forest Color map. Didn´t even know it.

I checked forestpack.ini. It was set to 0. One render node didn´t have this file at all. So I copied it there. This time it stopped with the first image.
Did I make it worse by copying this file there? Should I remove it?

Now I deleted the forest objects to test if distributed rendering from batch still works at all.

Since rendering the whole sequence of 6 images takes about 2 hours testing takes a while.
During the last week I tried different things:
With smaller resolution (1/2) it worked.
Deleting Forest worked.
I tried turning off camera cliping but one node couldn´t flush its ram in between (?) - so I turned it on again.
I even started to install my workstation again completely. Now just running max. No other programs. Then I deinstalled norton 360 and switched off windows firewall in my network.

So does it work at all in this constellation?

After this test without forest is finished I will turn off cliped camera and erase big parts of the forest objects (grass) that are not seen with any camera to increase the faces/objects in the scene.

Have you any other idea how I could solve the problem using distributed rendering since I am not familiar with bucket rendering?

What is a bit strange is the fact, that it renders a different number of images fine. I can´t even really rely on one completely rendered sequence... :'(




iToo

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2015, 06:06:53 PM »
If it works using a smaller resolution, it would be a memory or resources problem. Even on medium size scenes, Forest pushes the render engine to its limits, because the high number of instances which must be rendered.

I'm afraid that except using disableMRTintByElement=0, there are not other tricks in Forest to minimize the rendering resources. Although it requires some time to configure it, i sincerely suggest you switch to Backburner. From our experience, it's much more stable than Distributed Rendering when using Mental Ray.
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2015, 08:13:27 PM »
I just rendered the scene with camera clipping off and erased areas of the forest grass to decrease the number of instances. It stopped at image 2.
But as I got it from other posts there is a problem with distributed rendering + batch + Camera Clipping with "Auto assign to active view". Or is that not with mental ray just with vray?

Since my RAM was not even with 50% on all the machines, I am not sure, if this is a memory problem.

Is there any other reason distributed rendering hangs after a while?
Because the numberes of images differ.

For my workflow backburner doesn´t work as good as distributed rendering does. A lot of test-renderings and adjustments during the process make db more suitable with my workflow. That´s why I try to find a way using db.

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2015, 08:43:20 PM »
It´s me again. Sorry.

I don´t know, if you got it right. The problem is always in between two images...

it seems to stop between:
"RC   0.9   1985 MB info : on average 49.43 finalgather points used per interpolation"
and:
"calling output shaders
RC   0.4   1551 MB progr: rendering finished
RC   0.4   1551 MB info : wallclock  0:26:02.05 for rendering"


somehow it doesn´t really "finish" the image. So it doesn´t save and doesn´t start a new one. And I have to reboot since Max is not reacting anymore - just greyed out.

Do you have any other idea, what could this problem except a memory or resources problem?

Since ForestPro is the kind of program I was looking for quite a long time I want to find a good solution for my workflow.

Please... any other ideas?

Thanks!



MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2015, 10:11:28 PM »
see the attached log files in the post above:

...1600_Production - stopped after "on average 49.43 finalgather points used per Interpolation"
...1200_Production - worked (-> goes on with "calling output shaders" + "rendering finished")

And it always stops there.

???

iToo

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2015, 09:25:37 AM »
I'm afraid that the information we can get from logs is barely useful. Only Autodesk (really Nvidia) knows how Mental Ray works internally.
Anyway, searching other cases related with Mental Ray, i found this. Please, change your sampling filter size as described in the post and check if there is some difference.

And by now, leave disableMRTintByElement=0 in forestpack.ini. It will help to minimize the memory used.
By the way, what Max version do you use ?
Carlos Quintero
iToo Software

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #12 on: March 02, 2015, 02:37:59 PM »
3ds Max Design 2015 SP3 and Forest Pack Pro v4.3.6 on windows 7 64 bit

MC4813

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Re: Problem: Distributed Rendering from batch mode 3ds max design
« Reply #13 on: March 02, 2015, 07:49:14 PM »
I rendered the whole sequence in batch mode without DBR using a single computer increasing  resolution and it worked. Took 17 hours though.
1 single image batch mode DBR works.
Then I tried changing sampling filter size + batch mode + DBRand it didn´t work.

Now I´ll try simple geometry instead of grass patches.