MR Standalone

The overall process of setting up MR Standalone with ButterflyNetRender is very straight forward:

Install:

(Windows):

• 1. Install MR Standalone (render node software) locally on all the Windows Rendernode machines (in the same location on all machines)

• 2. Set the Install paths in the BNR Controller

Configure:

Configure paths and settings in BNR Controller:

In the BNR Controller:

• 1. Turn on the 'MR Standalone' platform: (Options->Configure->Select Platforms)

(if the name is missing you need to add the rendertype cfg file below)

• 2. Set the location of the 'Rendernode.exe' (the local path on each Rendernode) (Options->Configure Platforms - MR Standalone)

• 3. Confirm you have the correct command line settings:

(download the updated 'File:Rendertype13.cfg' file and place into the BNR install folder - replacing the current one - Make sure the Controller is not running when you replace the file)

Restart:

Restart the BNR Controller.

Add:

Now add scene file for rendering: (make sure you select the 'MR Standalone type'

After you add the scene - you will need to:

• 1. Select the Frame range (Output Tab)
• 2. Select the Output format (Output Tab)

Make sure you add the scene from the Shared Network folder (that all the rendernodes have access to - otherwise the rendernodes will not be able to load the scene)

Test:

The best way to test a to confirm the setup is working:

• 1. Make sure MR Standalone is installed on the controller (in the same location as the RenderNodes)
• 2. Add a MR Standalone scene into BNR (*.mi)
• 3. Select the 'Render' Tab
• 4. Press the 'Test Render Command" and then press 'Launch Locally'

This will run the same command the Rendernodes will get - but you will get to see more information directly. You will need to check the 'Task Manager' to see if the command is running in the back ground

• Right click on the Scene and a select "Open Scene Trace Log folder" and you should find the output text "Render_*.txt" - Please open with notepad to view the text.

(note if you see *.csv files - these are BNR Controller state flows)