Network Rendering
with WorldBuilder 4.
WorldBuilder can use multiple workstations to render
one or more WorldBuilder animations. To perform network rendering
with World Builder you have to satisfy the following requirements:
- There should be at least one registered copy of WorldBuilder
Pro.
- All computers taking part in rendering have to be in a local
network.
- Every computer taking part in rendering must have WB installed.
Note that for those copies of WB that are used for network rendering
only licensing is not required.
- Job file (see below) and all other project files (*.AWB file,
textures, libraries etc.) have to be located on a network disk.
IMPORTANT: This disk must be mapped by the same letter on each
local machine to make it possible to refer to it from anywhere
of your renderfarm.
Note: WorldBuilder Genesis does not support the network rendering.
Please, upgrade to WorldBuilder Pro.
Network rendering is accomplished by creating and
executing the so-called WorldBuilder job files. Job files are ASCII
text files, the headline of which is the full pathname to the *.AWB
file, and the other lines initially contain the frame numbers to
be rendered. An example of contents of a newly created job file
is shown below:
You can create a job file either manually or automatically from
the registered copy of WorldBuilder. To do so, first of all, load
the project file you are about to render. When the project file
is loaded select Tools / Generate job file in the main
menu line of WorldBuilder (see the left panel below). Just the Generate
Job File dialog appears, (the right panel) which allows you to locate
the file and set the required frame range.
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Note that all the rendering options (output
filenames, quality of rendering, etc) must be already specified
in this project. All the input and output filenames must
refer to existing network drives.
Click OK to generate the TestRender.job
file (as shown in the figure above) and save it to the specified
location (say, M:\Projects\TestRender.job).
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When a job file has been created you can execute it
on a local computer. Execution of job files does not require a licensed
copy of World Builder. All that you need is to start WorldBuilder
in the network mode. To do so:
- Start the Command Prompt from the Windows Sart menu.
- Change the current directory to the folder where executable
files of WorldBuilder are located. In the Command Prompt type
"cd <full path to wb4.exe>" and press ENTER.
- In the Command Prompt type the following command: "wb4.exe
-job". Press ENTER.
WorldBuilder starts in the network mode. The main
menu line in this mode consists of the only item "File".
Select File / Execute Job File as shown at the left panel
below
The standard "Open File" dialog appears. Locate the job
file you have just created and click "Open". The rendering
on the local machine starts.
Note that you can execute job file using a licensed
copy of WorldBuilder (so that there is no need to re-start it in
the network mode). To do so select Tools / Execute job file...
in the main menu line (right panel above).
You can also execute job file directly from the
command line. To do so append the full path to the job file to the
previous command. The resulting command (for our example TestRender.job)
will then look like: "wb4.exe -job M:\Projects\TestRender.job"
Execute the job file on each computer that you
want to network render. You can add or remove network-rendering
computers at any time. To interrupt network rendering on a single
computer press the ESC key. If you stop network rendering on a computer,
which is rendering a frame, another computer of the network will
render the frame.
When WorldBuilder is rendering a frame, it places
symbol "w" (for work) before the frame number in the job
file followed by the name of the computer working on this frame.
When the frame is done, “w” is replaced with "d"
(for done), see the example below.
NOTE: If rendering fails because of a power, or network failure
the job file will indicate that some frames are still in progress.
Frames in progress are marked by "w" before the frame
number. Simply edit the Job File and remove the "w" from
all frames, which failed to render, and restart the job file.
TIP: You can also create a batch file for a network
rendering, when you want to specify multiple job files for execution.
This is useful when you want to be sure that all computers, which
take part in a network rendering, are executing the same job file
and thus rendering the same scene. You must also specify the entire
path to the WorldBuilder program and check whether job file and
WorldBuilder program are on the networked disk drive.
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