blender.md

Set up Blender

This will involve using the workstation to set up a shot to do a test render.

1. Log into your Windows Workstation using mystudio\Admin user account.

2. Open the Documents -> This PC -> Network locations -> share

3. Create a folder called projects (for example Z:\projects).

4. Add a test_project folder in to Z:\projects.

5. Launch Blender by running the blender shortcut located in C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender ${version}

6. The Deadline Blender submitter needs to be re-installed for each user, so you should do that now:

   • Go to Edit → Preferences...

   • Click on Add-ons in the left panel

   • Click Install...

     

   • Navigate to Z:\DeadlineRepository10\submission\Blender\Client\

   • Choose DeadlineBlenderClient.py

   • Click Install Add-on

     

   • Click the checkbox next to Render: Submit Blender to Deadline add-on and close the Preferences window.

     

Test the Blender set up

1. For your test render, you can just use the default blender file with a cube and camera (this is just a test to make sure everything is working correctly. Later on you will make a super fancy file, using Blender Demo library.)

2. Set your output settings:

   • In the Properties Panel on the right, click on Render Properties

   • For Render Engine choose Cycles

     

   • Click on Output Properties (the icon looks like an ink-jet printer)

   • Under Output change the value to //####.png

     

   • Now save the file with Shift Ctrl S as test.blend in Z:\project\test_project\

     

3. Submit your render

   • Choose Render → Submit to Deadline

   • Set the Group to linux_workers

   • Set the Frame List to 1-10

   • Make sure the Blender File and Output File is set properly

     

   • Click Submit and Close the window

4. Go back to Deadline monitor application. You should see your render going in the Deadline Monitor

   

Render something fancy

Now that our rendering farm is set up, let's render something cool. Blender provides ready to render Demo Files, so let's go ahead and use one.

1. The sample file can be found in Z:\assets\bmw272 folder

2. In Blender, go to File -> Open and inside bmw272 folder open the bmw272.cpu.blend file

3. Click on Output Properties and change the value to //####.png

4. Choose Render -> Submit to Deadline

5. Set the Group to linux_workers

6. Change the Frame List to 1-2

7. Make sure the Blender File and Output File are set properly

   

8. Click Submit and Close the window

9. Go back to Deadline monitor application. You should see your render going in the Deadline Monitor

10. Once the job is finished, right click on Task ID 01 | Frame 2 to view the finished outcome of the render job

    

11. It will take about 4 minutes for the job to finish. Below is the outcome of the popular BMW demo by Mike Pan rendered.

    

Congratulations, you have successfully sent a job to render nodes. You can now go back to the main README.