MAXX-23128

Now those are a good combination of letters and numbers! The accompanying entry in the 3DS Max 2016 SP2 release notes is "3ds Max 2016 Render from command line adds 9 seconds to a 1 second frame" (I swear that is the wording I used when reporting the problem!)

This was causing me to be unable to use MentalRay or Scanline rendering on the network, as submitting through Backburner is basically the same, and the upshot was it was slower to render using the four machines than to just kick off the render on the one main one!



I am glad that is resolved - I love the Corona Renderer and will be using it in most of my renders still, but, there are times when quick and simple is all I need, no GI etc, and now I have the option back to use the native Max renderers when they are best suited. And the weekend is a good time to get it installed on all four machines, perfect!

----------------------------

I recently relocated, and as it happens all four of my machines are now nicely in one location! My little creative corner where 3D, video and music are all brought into being!

---------------------------------

Just wrapped up a video, all done with 3DS Max and the Corona Renderer, explaining the technical features of the Hamar Stealth laser alignment system - check it out on their YouTube channel:

Upgrades and Updates

Windows 10 ongoing

So Windows 10 remains a success for me. In fact, I added a a dual Xeon E5-2660 to the network and upgraded that to Win 10 too, and no problems yet on any of the four machines.

MSI 980 Ti Gaming

Will be updating the graphics card on the main work machine. The current set up chokes on real-time previews in 3DS Max with some scenes I am working on, and I also want to explore the possibilities offered by the GPU based renderers in Max, Quicksilver and iray.

Tests so far have not lead me to trying GPU based renderers for production work, but I do suspect that is just my current GTX 6800 and the limited memory but have no way to know for sure.

Contemplated a Titan X, The 12 Gb of memory was tempting, as real-time engines have to load the whole scene into the graphics card memory all at once, but in the end couldn't justify the price tag as I am not sure the current disappointments in real-time rendering stem from limited memory.

Instead went for the MSI 980 Ti Gaming, seen here. Not an inexpensive option either but one that current workloads can justify. Will report back on whether that opens up real-time engines as valid options!

Network Expansion

The network may expand yet again shortly - so much work and a lot of it featuring photo-real style renders. Some stuff will be on a client's QVC segment, for instance,

Once I've tested what real-time rendering can offer, I'll see about adding more to the network. If I do expand, it will be with one or two more dual Xeon X5650s as best price performance ratio - the E5 2660 machine was twice the price, but not twice the speed.

All the Xeons have been refurbished ones from The Server Store. Every time I research prices and options, it keeps bringing me back to them! The latest Dell T5600 was a nice addition, did almost double the speed of the network in terms of number crunching renders!

Did look into the option of adding a blade server, but I don't know enough about configuring and running one and in the end elected against that route as too many unknowns,

Deep Dream and back-ups

Haven't put Windows 10 through the tests I need (basically, do Max 2016, Backburner and Corona work well with network rendering, when the master machine is on Win 8.1 Pro) but will look into that today.

Meantime, for when I do upgrade the main machine, I am running a back-up as I do every so often, which takes something crazy like 28 hours as the machine is so choc-a-block (this means sleeping to the loud whirr of its many cooling fans!)

For fun, also ran one of my "for fun" renders through Deep Dream, and got a result that is actually pleasant to look at! No crazy dogs or birds!

Electronics Kitbash Kit 1

It can be good to save a little time while working on a project, and that's where kitbashing comes in - grabbing pre-made components that you can arrange and assemble to make something quick!

I've just released the Electronics Kitbash Kit 1, which features sliders, knobs, buttons and more, for quick assembly of control panels. Duplicate the elements with arrays, and you have your own mixing desk! Quick positioning will let you make your own medical equipment, or add detail to a cockpit.

The renders here were done in 3DS Max 2016 with Corona 1.1.

Get it over at TurboSquid and save yourself some time!