Render Farm

[glorybound]

If I were to build a little studio, with workstation and small render farm, how much should I except to spend for hardware? Would 6 workstations be best, or one Mac Pro?

[glorybound]

I am thinking something like this
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/Z0M4?mco=MTg2OTQ5OTk

[glorybound]

or something like this?
http://www.titanuscomputers.com/A400...res-p/a400.htm

[glorybound]

or a nice laptop, utilizing a render farm service, which might be worry free. If the on-line calculators are correct, a nice high resolution still, would only cost $20 bucks.

[joconnell]

A cheapy pc with an intel 2600k cpu, build in graphics on the motherboard and 24 gigs of ram should do nicely as a render node - buy as many as you see fit. Workstation wise there's still a large premium placed on mac hardware for no good reason, especially if you're running max under windows. Having a farm is very handy since it'll speed up everything you do - offloading to an online service for test renders and so on will take time and management, a cheap second pc should set you back less than a thousand dollars and really up your productivity.

[Six8]

I built a 2600K, 16 GB node for roughly $1K. Could have reduced that further with a truly bare-bones build. There is a lot of processing power to be had for less money than a Mac Pro. But you'll need space for multiple boxes. If studio space is at a premium, then perhaps a Mac is worth the extra expense.

[glorybound]

One license of v-ray, and all the plug-ins, limits me to 6 machines. So, until I make it big, 6 PC would probably be my best choice. So, for about 6 grand, I should be good to go. These are garage built boxes, so that doesn't include the O/S, does it?

[glorybound]

1- 3DS MAX Design $3,495.00
1- V-Ray $1,350.00
6 - workstations $6,000.00

$10,845.00 should be turnkey, would you agree?

[PixelJockey]

My three node render farm was also about $1k/box. I use an outside farm on occasion, but it would be nice to put together another three boxes. A Mac Pro would be sweet, but probably not the best bang for your buck.

[glorybound]

I have been so busy, on the side, that I have been working every evening and weekends. My 9-5 never cared that I was moon lighting, but we have gone "national", so it has become an issue. I was doing side work for architects that were outside of our 100 miles radius, but like almost everyone, we are reaching out as far as we can for work. My side work allowed me to purchase plug-ins and digital assets, so it was a win-win. Things have been so slow at the 9-5 I am almost the only person left. We have laid off about 80 people over the past year and things don't seem to be getting better, even if we are calling our self a "national" design/build company. I am waiting for the pink slip, although I was told I would be one of the last people to go, so I want to be prepared. It makes you wonder, with all these places going out of business, what do they do with their hardware and software. is there a liquidation company that we can get computers for pennies on the dollar?

[Six8]

Is that 6 machine limit from one of your plug-ins? I thought one V-Ray license allowed up to 10 render slaves.

My build number included Win 7 Pro 64.

Your software cost numbers appear correct.

One other item you might consider is a KVM switch. It allows control of the multiple boxes through one monitor-keyboard-mouse setup. Saves desk space if you plan to group the boxes together.

[MoonDoggie]

I used a renderfarm service a couple months ago and spent $150 for a 3k still (it took 1.5hrs to render)...Where can you get it for $20?

[glorybound]

KVM switch

Yes. I use on now, at the office, to control 4 of the slaves. I thought V-Ray allowed 6 nodes, but maybe it is Autograss, which I don't use anymore.

[glorybound]

I used a renderfarm service a couple months ago and spent $150 for a 3k still (it took 1.5hrs to render)...Where can you get it for $20?

I just plugged in 1 frame at 2 hours. (http://www.rebusfarm.com/rebusshop-2_en.html)

[TRGraphics]

Don't forget about your network needs. You will need a router and probably a switch. I built a rack for the six computers out of wood and do not have cases for any of the computers. I have never had any heat problems but I do use water cooling for the cpu's. For around 50 bucks a computer, it's a wise purchase if you do a lot of annimations. I use remote desktop in windows to connect to all the computers. No need for a KVM switch and no need to buy video cards either. It works great.

I have 6 I7 quad cores for my render farm. I could not live without it. Your productivity will go thru the roof and you will recoup your investment rather quickly. The biggest advtage with a render farm are animations but, even for stills it makes a huge difference.