Distributed Rendering (batch render), Dark Buckets (Mac, Maya 2018)

[chronopsis]

I've looked up several posts on this subject and none seem to have it solved. I'm batch rendering an sequence from Maya 2018, using distributed rendering with one additional slave computer (both Mac Pros). When rendering a single frame in the VFB on the master Mac (using both computers), all looks well. But upon batch rendering, I'm getting randomly darker buckets from one of the computers. The strategies I've read (and dealt with) in other posts:
- I've got both computers running the same version V-Ray (3.6)
- Both have the same version of Maya (does this even matter?)
- "Transfer missing assets" is checked as is "Abort rendering on missing asset".
- I'm using only procedural shaders - a white Lambert with bump map.
- Scene is lit with V-Ray sun and sky.
- Using Brute Force for both primary and secondary GI
- I've tried rendering with GI both on and off, no difference in bucket problem.
- I've also tried this with a different Mac as the slave with identical results.

[Zdravko.Keremidchiev]

Does disabling the bump map produce the same effect?

[chronopsis]

Based on a quick test of a few frames, removing the bump map does solve the problem - what's going on there?

[Zdravko.Keremidchiev]

Probably, the slaves don't see the map or if it is procedural, the slave doesn't recreate it the same way. What sort of Bump map is it? Does the slave alone produce the wrong buckets? Do you get any errors in the log? Can you attach or send an example scene?

[chronopsis]

It's just a simple noise node attached to the bump map. I did get batch DR to work after re-attaching the bump with no bad buckets. I'll keep testing this here.

Now my question is how to get GPU rendering to work - DR will use the slave's GPU when rendering a single frame, but not when batch rendering.

[chronopsis]

Nevermind about the GPU rendering issue; it was a file naming problem. GPU DR working now as well.