CPU/GPU Hybrid Using/Choosing CPU Only Render Node

V-Ray V-Ray for Maya General
1

I have Hybrid up and running successfully on my workstation i7 and Quadro M4000 but is it possible to use my dual Xeon render node as well, if so how?

Thanks in advance

2

To connect both machines you can use Distributed rendering. Just make sure that you have enabled the GPU and the CPU no the node as well. You can do that with the ocldeviceselect.exe tool which comes with V-Ray installation.

3

Yes, just use the ocldeviceselect.exe and enable the C++/CPU on each machine that you want to use the Hybrid (it is opt-in, not enabled by default).

Best,
Blago.

4

The render node is a Linux headless using Centos7, I have logged in and enabled the C++/CPU in ocldeviceselect. There is a message saying the OPENCL in not isntalled, does this have to be installed for it to work?

Thanks

5

Oh, okay.

Just set environment variable VRAY_OPENCL_PLATFORMS_x64=c++/cpu;nvidia
For the current terminal process you have to just “export RAY_OPENCL_PLATFORMS_x64=c++/cpu;nvidia”. I am not sure how to export environment variable for the whole OS though (but there is a way).

Best,
Blago.

6

Thanks for help, all working now.

Very rough test file:

Hybrid just on Workstation, i7 5960x with Quadro M4000 = 1m 1.0s

Hybrid on Workstation, i7 5960x with Quadro M4000 plus DR to Dual Xeon E5-2670 node = 1m 2.5s

I

7

I’ve found using Distributed rendering on 11 dual xeon machines to be absolutely amazing the more complicated and longer the frames are. A one minute render is going to have some overhead and not be a good representation of the speed increase. Give it something more to do and it should pull ahead of the other render quite a bit.

8

No issues with just CPU DR which I?ve been using since v2. The very quick test was specifically concerning the Hybrid in 3.6. I?ll throw a more complex scene at it when I have time to try it it out.