Distro Rendering Fails

[Jim Meston]

V-Ray for Houdini number:11495 hash:36f3030 from 05 Feb 2021 05:00 (build number:11495)
V-Ray Core 4.30.03 [673eba1d] from 1 Feb 2021

This is a typical render log. It says render complete but nothing happens and on the workstation -server command line logs it says "cant load render params"


V-Ray: Rendering image... 6%
V-Ray: Render host workstation36 (192.168.0.96:20207) disconnected by client
V-Ray: Rendering image... 7%
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.96:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host workstation38 (192.168.0.87:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host workstation40 (192.168.0.85:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.87:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host workstation33 (192.168.0.98:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host workstation34 (192.168.0.94:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host workstation35 (192.168.0.93:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host workstation37 (192.168.0.81:20207) is not responding
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.85:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.93:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.94:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.81:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.98:20207 added
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 0.0.0.0:0: Render completed
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.96:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.87:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.85:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.93:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.81:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.98:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Server 192.168.0.94:20207: Scene loaded; starting render
V-Ray: Rendering image... 8%
V-Ray: Rendering image... 9%
V-Ray: Rendering image... 10%
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.93:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.81:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.94:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.98:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host workstation40 (192.168.0.85:20207) disconnected by client
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.85:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host workstation38 (192.168.0.87:20207) disconnected by client
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.87:20207 added
V-Ray: Render host 192.168.0.96:20207 added


I note that since upgrading that I get a error on load and something gets put in a spare parameter...

[bdancer]

> V-Ray: Render host workstation37 (192.168.0.81:20207) is not responding

Well, you'll have to check that V-Ray versions are the same (same VFH build used) and firewall not blocking anything...

> I note that since upgrading that I get a error on load and something gets put in a spare parameter...

It's because you probably have edited parameter interface, this parameter doesn't affect DR in any way anyway.

[david.anastacio]

Hi bdancer,

We've seen that "vfh_is_gpu" here too, whenever we opened a scene with an older VFH build that error shows up. So it looks like this attribute was removed from the ROP in the latest builds.

VFH 4.3, 11 November build, opened with VFH 4.3, 07 of February build:


Best,
David.

[bdancer]

It even says that it's a warning not a error... This won't break anything.

[david.anastacio]

It even says that it's a warning not a error... This won't break anything.

Yes, nothing is affected, this was just in regards,

It's because you probably have edited parameter interface, this parameter doesn't affect DR in any way anyway.

The parameter wasn't added by any user, was just the result of the warning and getting converted to a spare parametter.

best,
David.

[Jim Meston]

Indeed. All versions are the same on all machines.

There are a couple of workstations which are on the DR list but didn't have vray - server running (workstation27 and workstation40)
...so it makes sense that 40 disconnected as is typical in that scenario. Workstation27 was under full load with Vray via Hqueue at that time.

The files needed for to render all 320 frames come in around 50gb and by rough calculation for 1 frame 0.17gb.
The total files referenced in the scene come to around 400gb, but the particle meshing sop is off and all the nodes are bypassed so there is no way that it trying to copy those over.

I am getting the impression correctly or incorrectly that each machine isn't getting the files quick enough so it may be our network is crap at parallel file transfer or there is a timeout on the vray.exe -server instances.

For info I can get DR working fine with a simple scene.

[edit] actually it is this machine specific it works when distro'd on other machines on the network.

Thanks for your imput though guys, much appreciated!!!

[edit 2] furthermore it seems like all of the failed vray -server instances crash after failing the job sent from this machine. Whereas jobs sent from another machine to the same workstations seem to work fine !!! what a tricky one...