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.
Quote from: PabloMack I am in 3D heaven.
/quote]
Yup, sure sounds fine.....
Wow, that is heaven indeed :o Now just post some nice renders....
Hello Pablo, I hate you. :P :D
I will admit to a slight case of PC envy...
what box have you got that has 32 cores???
April 1st? ;D
GAAAAH!! Why didn't I think of that! :D Nice try Pablo!
Shit I have only 16 processing cores...you win Pablo :(
Quote from: masonspappy on April 01, 2014, 04:22:51 AMI 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.
The guy is serious? :o
Let's hate him all together :D
Seriously that sounds good Pablo.
Have you done a test for Terragen how efficient the multyrendering is?
Quote from: Kadri on April 02, 2014, 05:50:23 AMHave 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
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.
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..... ;D
Havin fun!
Mark
It's female? ;D
Of crs female... :D
I still have an Amiga 500...and still in love :D
I had two Ataris and never checked the gender...
Well u do not have to...here is a test. Hehe..
-Do you love your computer?
-Yes.
-OK.
-Are u gay?
-No.
-Ok.
-Then female :D :D
Since I'm not gay, I had two female compies and dumped them both. I'm afraid, I'm an asshole... ;)
I have a basement full of Amigas from 500-2000...they seem asexual...heh heh heh
I'm working my computers all day and my wife never complains ::) Probably because they're ugly bitches ;)
Quote from: Dune on April 03, 2014, 10:40:30 AM
I'm working my computers all day and my wife never complains ::) Probably because they're ugly bitches ;)
LOL
She will never complain as they make some money :D
Quote from: Markal on April 03, 2014, 12:00:13 AMSoooo, 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.....
I forgot there was a C128. The C64 had a 6510 processor which is basically a 6502 with some memory bank switching in it so that you can reach the 16K of RAM that is behind the system ROM and the BASIC ROM (8K each) and the I/O. Do you know what the processor was in the C128?
I had a C64 and I have a portable called an SX64. Someone offered to buy it one time and I probably should have sold it. I bet it still runs though.
C64...huh...good old days. That was a great computer!!
BTW I had a C+4 also! 8)
I learnt to program on a C64 :-). I have one packed away but I think the power supply is dead. We also had a C128 at some point. IIRC the C128 had an 8502 processor plus something like a Z80. I have an Atari 400 and Atari XEGS, plus several old consoles. I'm not sure I'm up for a port to the Atari 400, the membrane keyboard is kind of a pain :-).
Regards,
Jo
OK, well if you guys are going to run down memory lane, I just want to point out that I was a little kid then. And all I knew about the computers your talking about I learned from this guy:
http://laportecreative.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nerdyrevenge.jpg
From what I remember he had some issues with this guy:
http://www.lowbird.com/data/images/2009/06/revenge-of-the-nerds-nerrrrrrds.gif
But then they found some pot and became friends. True story.
I still have an Atari 800. Back then I paid almost $500 for a 48k (K!) memory upgrade, yeegads! Rom/Ram cartrige slots no less. Had a delusional idea of learning assembly language coding to do graphics, hah! But the Amiga 2500 was my all time favorite early box. Ahhh, memory lane...
Hi Michael,
Quote from: TheBadger on April 04, 2014, 08:45:56 AM
OK, well if you guys are going to run down memory lane, I just want to point out that I was a little kid then.
So was I :-). I think I started programming around the time that movie came out, when I was about 8 or 9. You wouldn't believe how many times I watched that movie with my cousins, I'm surprised my aunty didn't smash the VCR ;-).
Regards,
Jo
;D ;D ;D ;D
You are now one of my favorite people Jo!
Quote from: Kadri on April 02, 2014, 10:40:29 AMI would like to hear more about your setup -mocap etc- too in the future Pablo.
Of course, it is summer time and Kinect 2 for Windows is still not out yet. But today the final piece is in place for my render farm. I now have 40 render cores. Four identical octa-cores are on the KVM. I can't wait to do a serious animation.