Animation pre-passes --- sending off to render --- am confused

[bob-cat]

Am getting a bit confused.

I have a standard flythrough animation, IR map as primary and LC as secondary.

The main settings that are confusing me are IR map mode is Multiframe Incremental, and LC mode is Fly-through and I am setting off to render at every 25th frame (nth frame).

I have auto save on both of the pre-pass maps.

As I understand, the LC map needs only to be calculated once.

Now because, I am sending this off to networking render, does this mean that at every nth frame the render machine will re-calculate the LC or does vray know thats is already been done and continues only with the IR map?

ie. do I need to first submit a network render for 1 frame for the LC and then another network render job for the IR map (with the already calculated LC map loaded)?

[Smalerbi]

The LC map will calc first for the enitre camera path, once it’s completed, it will load in and now the IR map will calc using the pre-calced LC map. The LC map will not re-calc. I do not know how many frames you need to calc the light maps but if there are not that many, then send the entire job to one render node. This will insure consistant light throughout the animation. That should do it.

[bob-cat]

Thanks, thats makes it easier, but I still have a question.

Hows does vray know it has been rendered if I am sending it through BB to all render nodes?

ie. my 3 render nodes start rendering at the same time, so they pick up frames 0,25 and 50 but 2 of them will need the precalulated LC map to render the IRmap?

[Smalerbi]

I’m not sure I understand the question. Are you considering sending the light passes through multiple machines or are you talking about the final renderings?

[bob-cat]

its all pre-pass stuff.
By setting the nth frame option to 25 its going to render each 25th frame for the IRMap and LC.
If there are multible machines that are picking up the frames (pre-pass renders) how does it decide which one to render the LC?
Am doing a quick test atm.

[bob-cat]

Ok I have done a test.

ALL the render machines are rendering the LC, and then moving onto the IR Map?
When I send the render off I am selecting the "Use All Server".

So I gues I should split it into 2 seperate render jobs, the LC first then load the rendered LC and send the IR Maps off?

Just another painful step.

[werticus]

yeah do the extra step with the 2nd part loading an LC map.

[jonasa]

If you tick the box 'Switch to saved cache' under Light Cache you can get away with setting up just one render job for both the single frame flythrough LC and the nth frame IR map. It will render LC first and then automatically switch to IR Map on next task.

Only works for single render node though.

[werticus]

you can send all 3 jobs at once with dependencies also. (just make sure you get the file names correct

[bob-cat]

Thanks all,
Jonas thanks for the tip with the LC, I have tried that and its working a treat.

Cheers