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Help Wanted: A Leaner, Meaner "Reality" Machine

twallingtwalling Posts: 241
in The Commons

Ok, any help here is appreciated....

I do all my 3d stuff on an ancient quad core computer that used to be pretty awesome.  I like to use Daz Studio to construct my pictures with, and Reality to render with.

That's all fine and good, but if I'm making a bunch of pictures, the computer bogs down if I'm trying to render with Reality (and the pictures take several hours each to render.)

I find I can't really render and construct the next pictures very efficiently, especially if I'm having to do test renders. 

What I'd like to do is get a second machine who's only purpose in life is to run Luxrender and chunk out my renders while I'm then able to use my original computer to run Daz Studio and construct my scenes--which I can then send to the second comp.

I don't want to spend and arm and a leg on the second computer, but I do want it to be adequate.  So...

For most bang for my buck, what kind of PC would I need?  Would having more cores help with the rendering speed?  RAM?  A good graphics card?

Also, would I be able to fire the scene off in Reality on the first PC, and then load the .lxs file that was created by reality in Luxrender on the second machine?

I'm just sort of brainstorming here, but any suggestions would be appreciated!

Comments

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 6,076

    Leaving aside the 'more is better' answer for a moment!  There is an option in Reality to just create the resource files for LuxRender, which means you could copy those to the other machine and manually kick off LuxRender.  I am not wholly sure what you'd also need on that machine, but think it could be quite 'light' inasmuch as I am not sure you'd need the materials and geometry (others will have a better, more definiitive answer!).  You could also network the two machines and have LuxRender on the other running as a slave, but you'd need to keep the controlling LuxRender active on the 1st machine, but could 'dial it down' to using just 1 thread.

    Use of capabilities (CPU, GPU, etc.) of the new machine is, to me, unknown, but I suspect if originating PC did not permit CPU acceleration you'd not be using it on the new machine either, likewise GPU.  There might be a way to edit the resource files to invoke/include that functionality but that would be way over my pay-grade ;)

    What this new machine would be is open to debate: better, faster CPU with more cores - if you plan on using the CPU for renders.  An OpenCL compliant graphics card if you plan on using the GPU for rendering.  Enough RAM to hold the scene data (I'd guesstimate 8GB as a minimum).

  • twallingtwalling Posts: 241

    Thank you SimonJM... that's just the sort of advice I'm looking for.

    Does anybody know if LuxRender uses the GPU or the CPU for rendering?  I'm inclined to think it's the CPU.

    That business about Reality being able to create the resource file is what I think I'm after... I don't want to network render from the old PC to the new, I want the new one to be doing ALL the work so I can use the old computer to make the scenes and run test renders.

     

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 6,076

    It can use either or both CPU and (OpenCL)  GPU, there are options for that (with Reality 4 at least) under the 'Scene Configuration' selection within the Render tab.  GPU-based rendering is still, I believe, still a work in progress and there can be differences in the results.

    Still under the Render tab, the 'Output' selecrion has a checkbox labelled 'Export only', which is the thing you;d be looking for.

  • twallingtwalling Posts: 241

    Hrm...  I wonder how I'd specify the path to the render after I'd exported the thing?  Gonna have to tinker, when I get the new machine.  Thanks for your help!

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 6,076
    twalling said:

    Hrm...  I wonder how I'd specify the path to the render after I'd exported the thing?  Gonna have to tinker, when I get the new machine.  Thanks for your help!

    That's an interesting point - I suspect the output path name will need to exist on both machines.  But again, I suspect it is possible to edit the resource file(s) to change that before 'offering them up' to LuxRender.

  • chickenmanchickenman Posts: 1,202

    If you used a network storage drive and map it with the same path from both machines it might simplify the transfer of the file.

  • pcicconepciccone Posts: 661

    If you use Reality 4, which uses LuxRender 1.5.1, then you have the option to render via CPU, GPU, or CPU+GPU. It's up to you. What do you want to do? keep in mind that, if you use the GPU, then both machines must have a compatible layout. What that means is that the enabling of the GPU is done via the device number. Each OpenCL device in a machine has a number. The CPU can be device number 0 and the GPU device number 1. If the render slave is configured differently then the sending of the scene there will not work. Both machines must see the GPU in the same order.

    Hope this helps.

     

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