Network rendering enables many using rendering software to maintain total control over their projects, as they continue to grow, and more plugins are added. But often, things can be difficult to keep track of, which is why we’ve decided to provide some essential tips here to make all of your network rendering projects a success.
- Regularly Check Your Scene for Issues
With large-scale network rendering projects, a lot of things can go wrong if you don’t regularly check for errors. That’s why frequently inspecting your scene for problems is key to any successful project. Before starting the network render process, double-check everything inside and out including all of the possible compatibility issues, as well as the materials you’re using and the geometry of your project.
- Always Keep all Projects & Assets on the Network
One common issue when it comes to network rendering is getting wrapped up in your project and accidentally adding assets that are outside your network. This can throw some serious kinks in the rendering process when you begin, especially if your team is using multiple computers. This means collecting everything (such as textures, materials, plugins, etc.) and moving them to your network drive.
Much of today’s leading network rendering software comes outfitted with features that make it easy to track all of your materials and assets, enabling you to view all of the references used in your project’s files. Just be sure to refresh your list of assets manually after saving files to make certain nothing is overlooked.
- Track Your Plugins
When network rendering, always be sure to keep a keen eye on the plugins you’re using. There is a wealth of plugins available on today’s leading network rendering software designed to drastically improve your workflow. However, often plugin developers will release updates and make changes to improve them, so it’s crucial to always use the latest version. Missing plugins create huge issues, but you can avoid them by being vigilant, checking for the latest updates, and keeping all of them copied to the same network storage drive.
- Track & Streamline RAM Usage
One of the best ways to improve the network rendering process is to ensure all of your assets are running at peak performance levels. Tracking your RAM usage and streamlining it can improve your workflow and productivity. You can check your RAM usage by referring to your rendering software’s memory column to determine precisely how much memory is being used for different materials and textures. In some cases, you can convert them to another format to boost your RAM performance.
- Always Inspect the Logs
There’s a common misconception that rendering logs are designed specifically to be used by developers. However, that’s not the case. It’s also very important for project managers and designers to inspect them as well to check for warnings about any invalid geometry, missing textures, and material problems.
Now that you have some great tips to streamline your network rendering process, it’s time to implement them and start boosting your output today!
