REBUS Renderfarm Blog
由Ralph Huchteman写于2009年9月30日，星期一
Konrad Zuse 创造的超级计算机 G3 (1960)
通过实现新概念并利用大量的开发时间，德国公司REBUS农场努力通过使用插件把它的18,000GHz的渲染农场直接整合进3D软件包。
一个商业型渲染农场提供多种用户配置文件，主要分为三个类型：
- 当最后期限逼近时它就是救世主
- 用户无需购买新硬件就能避开高峰期，所有花费都已包含在渲染农场的预算中
- 持续使用渲染服务是基于其花费成本而非其自身硬件
上述设置决定了渲染农场需满足交货速度和用户友好方面的需求。那些落后于预定计划的客户不可能等到第二天才得到结果，就算是一般的客人也不能忍受渲染农场出现重复或繁琐的提交程序。
渲染农场系统的最初概念
到目前为止，不同的渲染农场系统提供手动和半手动的项目提交方法。手动的系统不能满足快速反应的需求，出现的最差的情况是等到第二天才有反应。即使在一个理想的情况下，建立联系和调整项目都需要一个费时的过程。半自动系统为提交作业提供一个WEB界面，它承诺马上开始渲染程序。不幸的是现实总是有所出入：没有任何一个系统能识别3D软件的版本号和其渲染引擎。作为同一项目文件倾向于在不同的软件版本上渲染，这是非常重要的——但意外的结果总是不可避免。此外还不能识别丢失的插件和纹理，而昂贵的渲染程序却依然在进行。
Farminizer概念
没有任何一个现存的手动或半手动系统能说服REBUS农场的运营商。根据开发商自己的需求和专业知识，一个基于几乎安全无忧原理的全自动服务成为可能。上述思想产生了一个新的、基础明显的方法： 用户的项目必须在他的3D软件中得到完整性和兼容性的检查——只有在那里所有的项目信息才仍然有效。Farminizer插件把工作提交给在渲染农场负责管理工作的渲染管理器。在后台Farminizer插件执行对项目文件的一些调整，同时收集软件版本及渲染引擎信息，以便于用户与渲染农场相匹配。基本上渲染农场与项目协调一致。这确保在渲染农场禁用错误的渲染工作时能保持最佳的整合性。一般规则：如果插件提交了工作，那项目文件就会在渲染农场得到正确的渲染。不正确的渲染是不可能出现的：如果有，那就真新奇了。此外，在提交之前还会对项目进行用户常见错误检查，为用户节省不必要的开支。Farminizer插件会生成一个ZIP文件并输出到渲染农场管理器，管理器负责上传项目、运行渲染程序并把渲染完成的影像保存到用户本地输出文件夹。渲染农场的管理器是FTP客户端和渲染监视器的组合体。添加了能允许从其它3D应用程序输入项目文件，该程序能从其本身输出与渲染农场相兼容的项目。如此，渲染服务就从支持Maxwell开始了。
开发
因为所有已知的软件包都必须从一开始就被支持，所以必须为3ds Max, Maya, Cinema4D和Softimage XSI开发独立插件。Farminizer插件实现在3ds Max中的应用开始于2009年，由于开发商的早期支持，它是能支持数量最多的第三方插件。原来，在大多数情况下，Farminizer中3ds Max的算法可以被转化为Cinema4D, Maya, Lightwave, Softimage|XSI和modo，然而，对于不同应用程序的独立软件架构和用户工作流程都需要做出很大的调整。所连接的渲染农场管理器就舒适度和速度方面保持不断增长。它的一大特点是一键点击技术，它允许以全自动模式控制项目，直到完成的渲染文件能在用户的本地输出文件夹中找到为止。
该软件的执行编程是由 at2实现的。经验丰富的团队孜孜不倦的解决每一个难题，让所有雄心勃勃的项目都成为可能。这体现在一个可伸缩的系统中，可进一步扩展3D应用程序、渲染引擎和软件平台。在 Cinema4D社区中，该软件开发商因它的插件SPLURF，enDOFin和ReferenceShader而著名，他们还能够将Cinema4D的专门技术融合进这个项目中。
用户优势
这是一个强大的，以实践为导向的应用程序，它让用户的生活因有了渲染农场而更加轻松，又由于其若 干特点，构成了这基本无形的渲染农场。现在用户不必担心其纹理、输出路径、代理服务器、GI地图、外部参照和HDR文件、插件、复杂的FTP客户端设置等许多问题。目前只有一些非常简单的项目才能不需渲染农场操作或用户采取行动就能完成渲染的。现在即使有高度复杂的项目，Farminizer软件也能 做到在最高程度的可靠性和发货速度的情况下完成。REBUS农场的Farminizer建立一个到渲染农场的无缝链接，并把18,000GHz 的计算能力推送至用户桌面。除了增加的渲染速度之外，跟本地渲染没有任何区别。
实践中
在RebusFarm主页可供免费下载Farminizer软件，同时可安装Farminizer插件和渲染农场管理器。可以免费试用并马上开始渲染。营业费用以GHzh为计算单位，它相当于租用一个1GHz的单核CPU一个小时。当然，现在的CPU都是由更高GHz的多核组成的。Farminizer插件根据它们的个体工作平台整合进3ds Max, Maya, Cinema4D和Softimage|XSI中。例如，在3ds Max中，你可以通过下拉表单 “Rendering”- “Render with REBUSfarm…”启动插件。使用Farminizer软件原来如此有用，开发商的生产单位REBUSmedia利用它把自己的项目提交到渲染农场。用户受益于比现代个人电脑快上600倍的渲染速度。或许更具体的说：一个通常需要25天完成的渲染工作，现在可以在1小时内完成并已能在用户的输出文件夹中找到。
前景
新的渲染农场概念给了3D社群新的动力。渲染农场行业作出的很多承诺都得到实现，并简化了各种规模的3D-studios的工作。可以料想，尽管最后焦点将会缩小的只剩几个重要的供应商，但外部渲染农场的市场还在不断增长。REBUS农场以其Farminizer软件作为技术市场的领导者，感到配备良好，作好了充分准备迎接将要到来的事情。
A render farm inside the desktop
Monday, November 30th, 2009 by Ralph Huchtemann
Supercomputer G3 (1960) by Konrad Zuse
By realizing a new concept and utilizing a lot of development time the German company RebusFarm managed to integrate their 18,000 GHz renderfarm directly into several 3D-packages – through the use of plugins.
A commercial render farm serves different user profiles, which can be separated into three categories:
- It’s a saviour when a deadline can’t be met otherwise
- The user includes the renderfarm in his budget to take the edge off of peaks without the need to purchase new hardware
- Due to costs the rendering service is used constantly instead of the own hardware
The aforementioned settings dictate the demands a render farm has to meet in terms of delivery-speed and user-friendliness. The customer who is behind schedule won’t wait until the next day for his results, while the regular won’t put up with repetitive and cumbersome submission procedures to the render farm.
Previous concepts for render farm systems
To date the market differentiates between render farm systems with manual and semi-manual project-submission. The manual systems can’t fulfil the demand for a quick response, the worst case being that the response takes until the next day. Even in an ideal case a time-consuming process of establishing contact and adjusting the project is required. Semi-automated systems offer a web interface for the render job submission, which promise an immediate rendering start on the project. Unfortunately, most of the time the reality is a bit different: none of the systems are able to identify version numbers of the 3D-software and their rendering engine. This is very important, as one and the same project file tends to render differently on different software versions – bad surprises are inevitable. Furthermore missing plugins and textures aren’t recognized, while the costly rendering process is launched anyway.
The Farminizer concept
The RebusFarm software concept
None of the existing manual and semi-manual systems were able to convince the operators of RebusFarm. Based on the developers’ own demands end expertise, a fully automated service based on the fastsafe-carefree principle had to be possible. The aforementioned ideas led to a new and basically obvious approach: the user’s project had to be checked for completeness and compatibility inside his 3D-software via a plugin - the only place where all information about the project is still available. The Farminizer plugin submits the job to a rendering-manager, which administrates the job to the render farm. In the background the Farminizer plugin performs several adjustments to the project file, while also collecting information about the software versions and rendering engines, to match the render farm to the user. Basically the render farm and the project meet halfway. This ensures optimal conformity while disabling incorrect renderings on the render farm. The general rule: If the plugin submits the job, the project file will be rendered correctly on the render farm. Incorrect renderings are impossible: A novelty. Furthermore the project will be checked for popular user-errors before submission, sparing the user unnecessary costs. The Farminizer plugin generates a Zip-file and exports it to the render farm manager, which uploads the project, launches the rendering process and saves the rendered images in the user’s local output folder. The render farm manager is a combination of FTP-client and rendering-monitor. Added to that, it allows the import of project files from other 3D-applications which are able to export render farm compatible projects on their own. Thus the rendering service is topped off by supporting Maxwell.
Development
Since all known software packages had to be supported from the start, individual plugins had to be developed for 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D and Softimage|XSI. It started in 2009 with the realization of the Farminizer plugin for 3ds Max, since it offers the biggest number of third-party plugins due to its early support for developers. It turned out that the Farminizer’s algorithms for 3ds Max can be translated to the other plugins like Cinema 4D, Maya, Lightwave, Softimage|XSI and Modo for the most part, but still, the individual software architectures and user workflows for the different applications asked for a lot of adjustments. The connected render farm manager kept growing with regards to comfort and speed. One of the highlights is the One-Click-technology, which allows a full automated handling of the project, until the rendered files can be found in the user’s local output folder.
The operative programming of the software was realized by at2. The experienced team tirelessly tackled one obstacle after the other to make the ambitious project possible at all. This resulted in a scalable system, which can be extended upon further 3D applications, rendering engines and software platforms. Amongst the Cinema 4D community the software developer is well-known for its plugins /SPLURF/, /enDOFin/ and /ReferenceShader/, and they were able to incorporate their Cinema 4D expertise into the project.
Advantages for the user
What came out was a robust, practice oriented application, which makes the user’s life with the render farm a lot easier, due to several features which make the renderfarm basically invisible. Now the user doesn’t have to worry about texture and output paths, proxies, GI-maps, XRef- and HDRIfiles, plugins, complicated FTP-client set-ups and hundreds of other little things. So far, only very simple projects could be rendered without the render farm operator or the user taking action. Now the Farminizer software allows a maximum of reliability and delivery speed, even with highly complex rendering projects. The RebusFarm Farminizer sets up a seamless link to the render farm and brings a capacity of 18,000 GHz to the user’s desktop. Except for the increased rendering speed it won’t feel different from a local rendering.
In practice
The Farminizer plugin
The Farminizer software can be downloaded for free on the RebusFarm website and installs the Farminizer plugin as well as the render farm manager. The rendering can be started right away with a free trial. Operating expenses are calculated in GHzh, which is the equivalent of renting one CPU-core with 1 GHz for 1 hour. Of course, a modern CPU consists of several cores with more GHz. The Farminizer plugin is integrated into 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D and Softimage|XSI according to their individual workspaces. In 3ds Max, for example, you can run the plugin via the dropdown-menu “Rendering”-“Render with RebusFarm…” Usage of the Farminizer software turned out to be very useful, that the developer’s own production unit REBUSmedia utilizes it to submit their projects to the render farm. The user profits from a rendering speed over 600 times compared to a modern PC. To be more concrete: A rendering which would normally take 25 days to complete can be found in the user’s output folder after 1 hour.
Prospects
The new render farm concept gives new impetus to the 3D-community. A lot of the promises given by the render farm industry are fulfilled and simplify the work of 3D-studios of any size. It can be expected that the market for external render farms keeps growing, although the focus will be narrowed down to only a few suppliers. RebusFarm, as the technological market leader with their Farminizer software feel well equipped for things to come.
Art Wanted! Featuring Daniel D'Avila
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017 by Julian Karsunky
“Irasshaimase!” and welcome, everybody. On today’s menu: ‘Fresh Hosomaki’, thin rolls of sushi, expertly prepared and served by acclaimed Brazilian 3D artist Daniel D’Avila. Exhibiting the same diligence and craftsmanship as a Japanese chef, his varied work is appreciated by gourmets of the digital arts and business clients alike. Following a long and illustrious career in advertising, Daniel now successfully manages his own studio, which works for global players such as Nestlé, Samsung, Nissan and MasterCard.
If the image above has whet your appetite, continue reading to find out more about Daniel D’Avila’s background and range of expertise.
