Page 1191 - Kitab3DsMax

Chapter 48: Batch and Network Rendering
FIGURE 48.2
The Manage Scene States and Save Scene State dialog boxes let you define which properties to save as a state that
can be recalled for a batch render task.

Creating a stand-alone executable
After a batch render queue is established, you can click the Export to .bat button to open the Batch Render
Export to Batch File dialog box, where you can save the batch file as a .bat file. This saved file can be exe-
cuted from the command line or by using an agent.

Understanding Network Rendering

When you use network rendering to render your animation, Max divides the work among several machines
connected via a network, with each machine rendering some of the frames. The increase in speed depends
on how many machines you can devote to rendering frames: Add just one computer, and you double the
rate at which you can render. Add seven or eight machines, and instead of missing that important deadline
by a week, you can get done early and take an extra day off.
Machines connected to handle network rendering are often referred to collectively as a rendering farm. The
basic process during a network rendering goes like this: One machine manages the entire process and dis-
tributes the work among all the computers in the farm. Each machine signals the managing computer when
it is ready to work on another frame. The manager then sends or “farms out” a new frame, which gets
worked on by a computer in the rendering farm, and the finished frame gets saved in whatever format
you’ve chosen.
The software in Max that makes network rendering possible is called Backburner. You may have noticed
that it was installed when Max was installed. Max has several features to make the network rendering pro-
cess easier. If one of the computers in your rendering farm crashes or loses its connection with the manager,
the manager reclaims the frame that was assigned to the down computer and farms it out to a different
machine. You can monitor the status of any rendering job you have running, and you can even have Max
e-mail you when a job is complete.

1143