Loading Vray completely from Network

[vlado]

Set the VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH environment variable to point to the folder that contains the vrlclient.xml file with the V-Ray license server settings (IP address and port number).

Will make sure to add that info to the docs page.

Best regards,
Vlado

[davision]

Thanks Vlado. Hopefully you can set up a page showing the process for Phoenix too. Ivaylo said it's similar, but I'm guessing it needs different variables?

[Paul Oblomov]

Well, in my situation we're using deadline and vray standalone under linux. Using maya and vray loading from network, without installation.
Deadline pointed to a .sh file, with all the variables set to network repository. Under configure plugin option. Last step modify vrlclient.xml, \vray\bin\vrayslave and vraymayaslave2014 daemon, with all needed variables (this is to have DR working).

#!/usr/bin/env bash

VRAY_SILENT=/mnt/pf/tools/SOFT/VrayLinux
YETI_ROOT=/mnt/pf/tools/SOFT/Yeti/Linux
VRAY_ASSETS_PATH=/mnt/pf/
YETI_TMP=/mnt/pf/cache


LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$VRAY_SILENT/vray/lib/linux_x64/gcc-4.4/
PATH=$VRAY_SILENT/maya_vray/bin/:$YETI_ROOT/bin/:$PATH
PLUGINS=$VRAY_SILENT/maya_vray/vrayplugins/
VRAY_PLUGINS_x64=$VRAY_SILENT/maya_vray/vrayplugins/:$YETI_ROOT/bin/
VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH=$VRAY_SILENT/


VRAY_USE_THREAD_AFFINITY=1
VRAY_USE_NORMAL_DIFFERENTIALS=1


VRAY_TEXTURE_CACHE=16000
VRAY_MAYA_KEEP_BITMAPS=0
VRAY_TERMINATE_ON_FRAME_END=1


VRAY_VFB_SRGB=1


PEREGRINE_LOG_FILE=$YETI_TMP/yeti/log.txt




vray $* -verboseLevel=3 -progressIncrement=5

This is for linux nodes. Last line is the way, deadline opens vrscenes.

For windows workstations, we use a .bat file, with smth like that:

rem #################_VRAY_########################### ################################################

set VRAY_FOR_MAYA2014_PLUGINS_x64=%VRAY_FOR_MAYA2014_P LUGINS_x64%;X:\tools\SOFT\Yeti\2014\bin
set VRAY_PLUGINS_x64=X:\tools\SOFT\Yeti\2014\bin

P.S. I freaking HATE LINUX. All the permission stuff etc...

[AlexP]

You will have to copy the spawner and some other files (like the vraydummy.max file) to the folder where 3dsmax.exe is located and then run that instead of 3dsmax.exe. However copying the files requires adminitrative permissions for the .bat file which may or may not be possible. On the other hand, there is probably no need to update those files for every different V-Ray build.

Vlado, can we have a list of the files that would need to copied in this case?

[AlexP]

And here it is how it could be loaded from arbitrary location in 3DSMax:
http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/V...trary+location

Let us know if you have any questions or difficulties to set it up.

Additionally, I cannot get this to work at all. Max always seems to ignore the plugin.ini specified.
Is there anywhere/anyone that has a step by step (idiots guide) method to setup running plugins from a network location??

[AlexP]

Additionally, additionally, does anyone know how to get Backburner Server to load up Max using a custom plugin.ini OR using the bat file created following the guide above?

[jpmartin]

I'm upgrading from 3.4 to 3.5 and trying to do this method for the first time. I installed vray as normal on the local machines and installed to an arbitrary path for our render farm.

Vray spawner works as planned, but now I get the "Cannot obtain license" message when i try to render to it using distributed rendering. Is there something I have to do to get it to recognize the licenses - I'm guessing there is a new method since this is the new Online License Server. I don't have an "VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH" environment variable on the computer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks!
-Jesse

[NikolayKirov]

I'm upgrading from 3.4 to 3.5 and trying to do this method for the first time. I installed vray as normal on the local machines and installed to an arbitrary path for our render farm.

Vray spawner works as planned, but now I get the "Cannot obtain license" message when i try to render to it using distributed rendering. Is there something I have to do to get it to recognize the licenses - I'm guessing there is a new method since this is the new Online License Server. I don't have an "VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH" environment variable on the computer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks!
-Jesse

Can you please specify how many machines are participating in the renderings and how many render node licenses you have? What is the exact error number you get after "Could not obtain license.."?

The licensing system remains the same and if you are doing installation from arbitrary location you need to specify a vrlclient.xml file for VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH on each machine, so the V-Ray knows where to obtain its license settings. You can save the file on a network accessible location and set the same variable for all machines.

The variable can be set by opening a Command Prompt and executing the command:

setx VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH=\\path\to\vrlclient.xml

where \\path\to should be changed with the path you have chosen for the file. Make sure you use full UNC path and not mapped drive names.

vrlclient.xml file itself should look like this:

<VRLClient>
<LicServer>
<Host>127.0.0.1</Host>
<Port>30304</Port>
<Host1></Host1>
<Port1>30304</Port1>
<Host2></Host2>
<Port2>30304</Port2>
<!Proxy></!Proxy>
<!ProxyPort>0</!ProxyPort>
<User></User>
<Pass></Pass>
</LicServer>
</VRLClient>

where instead of 127.0.0.1 you should place the IP of the machine where the V-Ray license server is located.

Additionally, you can check our documentation regarding arbitrary location installations here:

https://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/...trary+Location

[jpmartin]

Hi Nikolay - thanks so much for the help!!
I have 10 Boxx comptuers and 10 render node licenses. I got it all working by installing vray in each machine and then uninstalling. Doing this installed the VRLClient.xml file in the programfiles/commonfiles/chaosgroup folder and when I uninstalled, those files VRLClient.xml files remained, so it all started to work...sort of.

Once I did that and tested with a production render, none of my railclone objects rendered. I have a deadline to meet and couldn't troubleshoot, so I just installed VRay locally to each machine and all works now, although I'm back to square one with having to manually install and update all plugins on all 10 computers any time there is an update.

Just a few comments - I did follow (to the best of my knowledge) the help doc's instructions to the letter, but there is no mention of the VRLClient variable in there - a very key missing component of the instructions that I think should be added since all of this won't work without it. Also, under limitations in the help doc, there should be some mention that this may not play nicely with certain plugins without some additional work.

Thanks again for the help!!