eric_herts

Q: Link iMac to Mac Pro for rendering

Hi,

 

Is there anyway to link my Mac Pro with an iMac (neither have Thunderbolt) for shared rendering with Qmaster and, also with After Effects? If so how do I go about doing this, TB ethernet cable?

 

Thanks,

 

Eric.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), iMac

Posted on Mar 1, 2012 6:28 AM

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Q: Link iMac to Mac Pro for rendering

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  • by Shane Ross,

    Shane Ross Shane Ross Mar 1, 2012 7:22 AM in response to eric_herts
    Level 8 (42,999 points)
    Mar 1, 2012 7:22 AM in response to eric_herts

    FCP doesn't access QMaster.  Only Compressor does.  After Effects can render across multiple machines, but with something else. And via Etherenet.

  • by Studio X,Solvedanswer

    Studio X Studio X Mar 1, 2012 11:41 AM in response to eric_herts
    Level 7 (27,059 points)
    Mar 1, 2012 11:41 AM in response to eric_herts

    Connect your machines using cat 5 or 6 cable through a gigabit ethernet router that supplies IP addresses (DHCP is a good way to go).

     

    go to the Digital Rebellion website and do a search for using Qmaster and Compressor. Good instructions there.

     

    Once you have Qmaster set up on both machines, Compressor can send jobs.

     

    To Run AE in render farm mode, you need to install the AE render engine on each network node (computer) and set up a watch folder. The help menu in AE explains it.

     

    x

  • by divination23,

    divination23 divination23 Oct 5, 2012 3:14 PM in response to Studio X
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 3:14 PM in response to Studio X

    Just for the record, AE's watch folder system is highly unreliable.  It was working fine for my simple tests, but when I started throwing actual production compositions at it, it started crashing on built in after effects plugins.

    the aerender command line tool seems much more stable, but it does not offer any sort of automated distribution.

  • by Studio X,

    Studio X Studio X Oct 5, 2012 6:25 PM in response to divination23
    Level 7 (27,059 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 6:25 PM in response to divination23

    Glad you just discovered the FCS forums. However, resurrecting months (if not years) old threads offers nothing to move the state of the art forward.

     

    Sorry you found the AE watch folder problematic. I have not.

     

    Making definitive statements based on your experience only is not productive.

     

    x