Phoneix network rendering issues

[mgriffeyPDX]

Hi,

I'll start by saying I have searched around the other threads and have found a few others with the same issue, but I have not been able to solve it. Maybe I'm missing a step somewhere. I also looked on the tips and tricks for distributed rendering/network rendering help and have followed that but so far its still not working.

I have a small phoenix liquid scene that I made using the demo for Phoenix 2.2 to test out its capabilities. I am trying to render it on my work's render farm where we use Max 2015 and Vray 3.0. I made sure the demo was installed on on render servers before testing the scene. The first time I attempted to render, I was unaware I had to change the input path so the machines could find the cache files. Once I figured out you need to change that path to UNC, I did that and tried again but the machines still were not rendering the simulation. After looking at the help, I tried a couple different path options in the input window...$(dir) or something to that effect tells the machines to look in the directory of the Max file correct? Which is where I copied the cache files to see if they could find them there. Still to no avail.

So is there a step I'm missing? Is it a limitation of the demo? Thanks in advance for any help...let me know if you need more info about my scene.

[Neilg]

the location of the max file is different if you're rendering over bb the network - it duplicated the file onto the machine where bb is (where there are no phoenix cache files). set all paths to be the full server path.
i wish there was a button in phoenix that did this automatically and could swap between $dir and the path.

[mgriffeyPDX]

Thanks for the reply...I see what you mean by the Max file getting copied via backburner. So is there another place to put in the full server path other than the cache input location? Thats where I put the full UNC path + folder for the phoenix cache frames. (i.e)\\network\server\drive\folder\folder\phoenixf rames...etc

Is there another place in the setup that I need to make sure its mapped to the right location?

Also if it makes any difference, my Phoenix sim starts in negative numbers so at frame 0, the sim would be going at full speed (its a sim of a few small waterfalls). Does Phoenix have an issue with negative number cache files?

[Ivaylo Katev]

are you sure that you modify the input path, not the output or another one?

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Also, could you paste the input path literally so we could have a look? Are you sure the cache folder is shared with all the permissions needed for the other machines to see it?

About the negative frames - we had some issues there a while back but they were fixed and I can't reproduce any problem with a simple scene from scratch. Would it be possible to send the scene to support@chaosgroup.com or attach it here so we can have a look?

[mgriffeyPDX]

Thanks for the replies...I just got back into town so I can check my files now. I am at my home computer so I will have to check my work file tomorrow to get the exact path (its a long path name so I dont know it off hand). I am attaching an image of the location that I changed the path file just to confirm that is right (Note that it will not show the correct path here as this is from my file at home and not on the work computer).

So that area in yellow is where i added the full UNC path at work. And as far as sharing goes, yes that is all good because we network render/DR from there constantly as part of our studio's workflow. Thanks again for the help and I can probably upload this file to that email address. Do you need me to include cache files as well?

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Thank you, no need for the caches files - if the scene is intact and can be simulated, it should be enough to check the negative frames issue.

I would only ask you if it's possible to have the scene setup with the UNC path so we can check the network problem too.

[mgriffeyPDX]

sounds good...heading into work soon and will send the file with the UNC path. Thanks

[mgriffeyPDX]

Back at work and trying it again and I think its working...Ill keep you posted but I did a DR test and it seems the other machines are picking it up. I am assuming if this works, network render should work as well. The only difference from the first time when I was changing input path and drilling down through the network to find the cache files I clicked on the first cache frame and removed the number (i.e ND63526_PhoenixFD001_.aur)...this time I just clicked on frame zero of the file (ND63526_PhoenixFD001_0.aur) Just did a few tests at different frames and it looks to be doing OK...

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

Oh, I see - when you browse to the files, there's no need to modify the file name - Phoenix automatically removes the frame number and puts #### in its place, so all frames from the sequence are readable.

[mgriffeyPDX]

Yep, that was definitely it...very easy fix...now I feel like quite the noob. Ha, thanks for the help all

[Svetlin.Nikolov]

No worries, good luck