Fast Processing

[PabloMack]

I am just loving the multi-core prerender. Today I upgraded the last piece in my network to Gigabit speed, an Ethernet hub. I have two systems that have to pass through a switch and gateway and then another switch to get to the computer that I am using as my file server. I can now run TG and load a scene from that remote location and it is up and ready to go in record time. And now that I have 32 cores to render with, I am in 3D heaven.

[bobbystahr]

/quote]

Yup, sure sounds fine.....

[Dune]

Wow, that is heaven indeed    Now just post some nice renders....

[N-drju]

Hello Pablo, I hate you.

[masonspappy]

I will admit to a slight case of PC envy...
what box have you got that has 32 cores???

[Hannes]

April 1st? 

[Kadri]

April 1st? 

I hope so   

[N-drju]

GAAAAH!! Why didn't I think of that! Nice try Pablo!

[archonforest]

Shit I have only 16 processing cores...you win Pablo

[PabloMack]

I will admit to a slight case of PC envy...what box have you got that has 32 cores???

They are "boxes" (Thus the need for the gigabit network): Three octa-core FX-8350's and two quad-cores (a Phenom II 955 and an A10-7850K). I put the FX-8350's together using inexpensive parts for about $650 each. I used three spare 500GB hard-drives that were otherwise not in use. Two of them (SATA) came from my video surveillance systems (one is a backup). I upgraded the surveillance system that is in use with a 2TB drive to get a month's-worth of video. The 500GB only gave me 11 days. Another 500GB PATA drive was just sitting on the shelf. The cases were about $50 each (CoolerMaster N200) and the mini ATX MB's ran $65 each (Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3). They each have 16GB of RAM but the MB's will support 32GB. The UI for the FX-8350 render farm is a shared HD monitor (1920 x 1080) and USB mouse and a 4-channel KVM by TRENDnet (TK-409K). The integrated MB graphics work just fine so there is no cost for video cards. Power supplies are CORSAIR CX430 ($40 ~ $45). All are running Win7HE.

The A10-7850K is an odd-ball. I mounted it into a CoolerMaster Elite 130 mini ITX using a ASRock MB. It is really pretty but I don't recommend it for TG work. I have had too much trouble with the integrated graphics with it behaving differently from all of the others when it comes to renders. It even crashes on renders where the others don't. So, effectively, my render farm is now usually only 28 cores. But I have had very reliable performance from the FX-8350's and the Phenom II 955.

It was actually March 31 (where I am) when I did my post. But this server is 6 times zones earlier.

[N-drju]

The guy is serious?

[Kadri]

Let's hate him all together

Seriously that sounds good Pablo.
Have you done a test for Terragen how efficient the multyrendering is?

[PabloMack]

Have you done a test for Terragen how efficient the multyrendering is?

Yes. I have actually done several. While you experience the law of diminishing returns on adding more cores to a single processor, you get linear increases in performance by adding more systems. Of course you have to have a fast network so that it doesn't become a bottleneck. My main interactive system (the Phenom x4) serves as the file repository and is used for most of my interactive work and it contributes to the renders. All project information is on drive 'E'. On the other systems, I have created a network drive 'E' so everything looks the same to all systems. I did this panarama 360° using all five systems. The render finished over night (about 7 hours?). At the rate that the Phenom was generating frames, I estimated that it would have taken over two days for it to do the render by itself. The original render was at 800 x 450 but, unknowingly, when I created the video I had expanded it to 1920 x 1080. One of my producer partners sent this link to a potential investor so I can't change it now.

This virtual site is where some of the scenes will take place for a full-feature indy film our production group is doing. It will use live action characters but most of the rest of what you see will be CGI. There will be two main characters in the production, one is a real actor and the other is a CG character. We're planning to use MoCap for the CG characters but that piece of the puzzle is not yet in place. There is so much stuff the author of the screenplay threw in there that we don't know how or if we can do it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9kzFZ5PEvI

[Kadri]

Thanks Pablo.

I use my i7 pc and i7 laptop together with Synergy ( http://synergy-foss.org/ ) right now.
It works very nice and controlling two computers with one mouse and keyboard (mostly) is sweet.

I would like to hear more about your setup -mocap etc- too in the future Pablo.

[Markal]

Soooo, I still have a Commodore 128 with 3.25 floppy's in my garage....I may just fire that sucker up and see what she can do.....
Havin fun!
Mark