Deadline 7.1.0.35 User Manual

Deadline User ManualRelease 7.1.0.35

Thinkbox Software

May 04, 2015

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 31.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2 Feature Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.3 Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101.4 Render Farm Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2 Installation 372.1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372.2 Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402.3 Database and Repository Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412.4 Client Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672.5 Submitter Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 832.6 Upgrading or Downgrading Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872.7 Relocating the Database or Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 892.8 Importing Repository Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

3 Getting Started 933.1 Application Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 933.2 Submitting Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 973.3 Monitoring Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043.4 Controlling Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123.5 Archiving Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1443.6 Monitor and User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1483.7 Local Slave Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

4 Client Applications 1634.1 Launcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1634.2 Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1684.3 Slave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1924.4 Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994.5 Balancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2044.6 Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2094.7 Web Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2124.8 Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

5 Administrative Features 2235.1 Repository Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2235.2 User Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2605.3 Slave Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2665.4 Pulse Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2745.5 Balancer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

i

5.6 Job Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2845.7 Pools and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2875.8 Limits and Machine Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2925.9 Job Failure Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2965.10 Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2995.11 Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3015.12 Network Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3105.13 Cross Platform Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

6 Advanced Features 3196.1 Manual Job Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3196.2 Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3286.3 Slave Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3386.4 Farm Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3416.5 Client Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3546.6 Auto Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3596.7 Render Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3626.8 Multiple Slaves On One Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3656.9 Cloud Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3686.10 Job Transferring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

7 Scripting 3757.1 Scripting Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3757.2 Application Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3817.3 Event Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3987.4 Cloud Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4117.5 Balancer Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4177.6 Monitor Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4207.7 Job Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4287.8 Web Service Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4307.9 Standalone Python API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433

8 REST API 4378.1 REST Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4378.2 Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4398.3 Job Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4518.4 Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4538.5 Task Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4588.6 Slaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4598.7 Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4648.8 Balancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4668.9 Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4688.10 Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4718.11 Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4758.12 Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4818.13 Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

9 Application Plugins 4899.1 3ds Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4899.2 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4989.3 After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5529.4 Anime Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5639.5 Arion Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5669.6 Arnold Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5699.7 AutoCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573

ii

9.8 Blender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5779.9 Cinema 4D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5829.10 Cinema 4D Team Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5869.11 Clarisse iFX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5919.12 Combustion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5969.13 Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6009.14 Command Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6029.15 Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6059.16 Corona Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6109.17 Corona Distributed Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6129.18 CSiBridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6199.19 CSiETABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6219.20 CSiSAFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6249.21 CSiSAP2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6279.22 DJV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6299.23 Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6329.24 Draft Tile Assembler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6359.25 EnergyPlus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6389.26 FFmpeg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6419.27 Fusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6449.28 Fusion Quicktime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6509.29 Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6549.30 Hiero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6579.31 Houdini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6619.32 Lightwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6669.33 LuxRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6729.34 LuxSlave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6749.35 Mantra Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6779.36 Maxwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6819.37 Maya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6849.38 Media Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7069.39 Mental Ray Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7099.40 Messiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7139.41 MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7179.42 MetaRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7209.43 MicroStation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7229.44 modo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7289.45 Naiad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7369.46 Natron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7399.47 Nuke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7429.48 Nuke Frame Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7489.49 Octane Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7549.50 PRMan (Renderman Pro Server) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7579.51 Puppet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7609.52 Python . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7629.53 Quicktime Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7649.54 Realflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7679.55 REDLine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7749.56 Renderman (RIB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7779.57 Rendition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7809.58 Rhino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7839.59 RVIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7929.60 Salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7949.61 Shake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 796

iii

9.62 SketchUp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7999.63 Softimage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8029.64 Terragen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8139.65 Tile Assembler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8169.66 V-Ray Distributed Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8189.67 VRay Standalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8289.68 VRay Ply2Vrmesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8319.69 VRay Vrimg2Exr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8349.70 VRED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8379.71 VRED Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8409.72 Vue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8439.73 xNormal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847

10 Event Plugins 85110.1 Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85110.2 FontSync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85310.3 ftrack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85410.4 Puppet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86910.5 Salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87010.6 Shotgun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 871

11 Cloud Plugins 89311.1 Amazon EC2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89311.2 Google Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89611.3 Microsoft Azure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90311.4 OpenStack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90511.5 vCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 907

12 Release Notes 91112.1 Deadline 7.0.0.54 Release Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91112.2 Deadline 7.0.1.3 Release Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93912.3 Deadline 7.0.2.3 Release Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94012.4 Deadline 7.0.3.0 Release Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94212.5 Deadline 7.1.0.35 Release Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942

iv

Deadline User Manual, Release 7.1.0.35

• search

CONTENTS 1


2 CONTENTS

CHAPTER

ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview

Deadline is a hassle-free administration and rendering toolkit for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX based render farms.It offers a world of flexibility and a wide-range of management options for render farms of all sizes, and supports over60 different rendering packages out of the box.

Deadline 7 is the latest version of Thinkbox Software’s scalable high-volume compute management solution. It fea-tures built-in VMX (Virtual Machine Extension) capabilities, which allow artists, architects and engineers to harnessresources in both public and private clouds.

In addition to enhanced cloud support, Deadline 7 expands support for the Jigsaw multi-region rendering feature,which can now be accessed in 3ds Max, Maya, modo, and Rhino. Deadline 7 also includes an updated version ofDraft, Thinkbox’s lightweight compositing and video processing plug-in designed to automate typical post-rendertasks such as image format conversion as well as the creation of animated videos and QuickTimes, contact sheets, andwatermark elements on exported images. Finally, Deadline 7 introduces a wealth of new features, enhancements, andbug fixes.

Deadline 7.1 adds many new features to Deadline 7.0, including new slave metrics, better font synchronization, andnew application support. It also fixes some bugs that were discovered after Deadline 7.0 was released.

Note that a new 7.1 license is required to run this version. If you have a license for Deadline 7.0 or earlier, you willneed an updated license. In addition, the version of Draft that ships with Deadline 7.1 needs a new 1.3 license. If youhave a license for Draft 1.2 or earlier, you will need an updated license.

1.1.1 Components

The Deadline Render Farm Management System is built up of 3 components:

• A single Deadline Database

• A single Deadline Repository

• One or more Deadline Clients

3


The Database and Repository together act as a global system where all of Deadline’s data is stored. The Clients(workstations and render nodes) then connect to this system to submit, render, and monitor jobs. It is important tonote that while the Database and Repository work together, they are still separate components, and therefore can beinstalled on separate machines if desired.

1.1.2 Database

The Database is the global database component of the Deadline Render Farm Management System. It stores the jobs,settings, and slave configurations. The Clients access the Database via a direct socket connection over the network. Itonly needs to be installed on one machine (preferably a server), and does not require a license.

1.1.3 Repository

The Repository is the global file system component of the Deadline Render Farm Management System. It stores theplugins, scripts, logs, and any auxiliary files (like scene files) that are submitted with the jobs. The Clients access theRepository via a shared network path. It only needs to be installed on one machine (preferably a server), and does notrequire a license.

1.1.4 Client

The Client should be installed on your render nodes, workstations, and any other machines you wish to participate insubmitting, rendering, or monitoring jobs. The Client consists of the following applications:

4 Chapter 1. Introduction


• Launcher: Acts as a launch point for the Deadline applications on workstations, and facilitates remote commu-nication on render nodes.

• Monitor: An all-in-one application that artists can use to monitor their jobs and administrators can use to monitorthe farm.

• Slave: Controls the rendering applications on the render nodes.

• Command: A command line tool that can submit jobs to the farm and query for information about the farm.

• Pulse: An optional mini server application that performs maintenance operations on the farm, and managesmore advanced features like Auto Configuration, Power Management, Slave Throttling, Statistics Gathering,and the Web Service. If you choose to run Pulse, it only needs to be running on one machine.

• Balancer: An optional Cloud-controller application that can create and terminate Cloud instances based onthings like available jobs and budget settings.

Note that the Slaves and the Balancer applications are the only Client applications that require a license.

1.1.5 Jobs

A Deadline job typically represents one of the following:

• The rendering of an animation sequence from a 3D scene.

• The rendering of a frame sequence from a composition. It could represent a single write node, or multiple writenodes with the same frame range.

• The generation of a Quicktime movie from an existing image sequence.

• A simulation.

These are just some common cases. Since a job simply represents some form of processing, a plug-in can be createdfor Deadline to do almost anything you can think of.

Job Breakdown

A job can be broken down into one or more tasks, where each task is an individual unit that can be rendered by theSlave application. Each task can then consist of a single frame or a sequence of frames. Here are some examples:

• When rendering an animation with 3ds Max where each frame can take hours to render, each frame can berendered as a separate task.

• When rendering a compositing job with After Effects where each frame can take seconds to render, each taskcould consist of 20 frames.

• When rendering a Quicktime job to create a movie from an existing sequence of images, the job would consistof a single task, and that task would consist of the entire image sequence.

1.1. Overview 5


Job Scheduling

Use numeric job priorities, machine groups and pools, and job-specific machine lists to explicitly control distributionof rendering resources among multiple departments. Limits allow you to handle both limited license plug-ins andrender packages, while job dependencies and scheduling allow you to control when your jobs will begin rendering.



The Slave applications are fully responsible for figuring out which job they should render next, and they do this byconnecting directly to the Database. In other words, there is no central server application that controls which jobs theSlaves are working on. The benefit to this is that as long as your Database and Repository are online, Deadline will befully operational.

1.2 Feature Set

1.2.1 Rock-steady Operation

Deadline’s unique architecture removes the need for a centralized manager application by using a highly-scalabledatabase and basic file sharing to manage the farm. As long as your Database and File Server are running, Deadline isrunning.

1.2.2 Intuitive User Interface

Built with your creativity in mind, Deadline’s User Interface has evolved in response to extensive feedback from artists.The flexible and intuitive interface provides a unified experience to artists and administrators across all platforms.

For job submission, Deadline offers integrated submission scripts for 3ds Max, After Effects, Blender, Cinema 4D,Clarisse iFX, Composite, Fusion, Generation, Hiero, Houdini, Lightwave, Maya, Messiah, modo, Nuke, RealFlow,Rhino, SketchUp 3D, Softimage, and Vue, providing a comfortable native environment for cross-application tasks.

1.2. Feature Set 7


1.2.3 Supported Software

Deadline supports over 60 different rendering packages out of the box. See the Supported Software page in theDeadline documentation for more information.

1.2.4 Customizable and Scriptable

With its Python based plug-in API, studios can customize the out of the box plug-ins and scripts to suit their individualpipelines, or create custom plug-ins to support in-house applications. Event plug-ins can be created to trigger eventslike updating pipeline tools when jobs are submitted or finish rendering, and Cloud plug-ins can be created to controlVMs in public and private Cloud providers. Finally, job scripts can be created to setup custom dependencies, as wellas perform operations when a job starts, when a job finishes, and before and after each task is rendered.

1.2.5 Flexible Job Scheduling

Use numeric job priorities, machine groups and pools, and job-specific machine lists to explicitly control distributionof rendering resources among multiple departments. Limits allow you to handle both limited license plug-ins andrender packages, while job, asset, and script based dependencies allow you to control when your jobs will beginrendering. Stick with the default First-in, First-out scheduling logic, or switch to a Balanced or Weighted system.

Launch and configure an arbitrary number of Slaves on a single machine. Each Slave instance can be given a uniquename, and can be assigned its own list of pools and groups, which allows Slaves to work on separate jobs. A singlehigh performance machine can process multiple 3D, compositing, and simulation jobs simultaneously. Slave instancesrunning on the same machine will share a single Deadline license.

1.2.6 Notifications

Deadline can be configured to notify users of job completion or failure through an automatic e-mail notification or apopup message on the users’ machine.

Administrators can also configure Deadline to notify them with information about Power Management, stalled Slaves,licensing issues, and other issues that may arise on the farm.

1.2.7 Statistics Gathering

Deadline automatically stores job and render farm statistics in the Database. Statistics can be viewed from the Monitor,or retrieved from the Database by custom pipeline tools.

1.2.8 Shotgun and ftrack Integration

Deadline integrates with Shotgun to enable a seamless render and review data flow. When a render job is submitted,a version is automatically created in Shotgun with key metadata. When the render is complete, Shotgun is updatedwith a thumbnail image, paths to frames, render stats, and playback links. Deadline can also automatically upload amovie and/or a filmstrip when the render is complete. Shotgun then dispatches targeted notifications with links backto the work. Studios can view versions in various contexts, create reports, and organize work into playlists for reviewsessions where they can quickly take notes with the Shotgun Note App.

The Deadline/FTrack integration enables a seamless render and review data flow. When Deadline starts a render, anAsset Version is automatically created within FTrack using key metadata. When the render is complete, Deadlineautomatically updates the created Version appropriately – a thumbnail image is uploaded, components are createdfrom the Job’s output paths (taking advantage of FTrack’s location plugins), and the Version is flagged for Review. In



doing so, Deadline provides a seamless transition from Job Submission to Review process, without artists needing tomonitor their renders.

1.2.9 Draft

Draft is a tool that provides simple compositing functionality. It is implemented as a Python library, which exposesfunctionality for use in python scripts. Draft is designed to be tightly integrated with Deadline, but it can also be usedas a standalone tool.

Using the Draft plugin for Deadline, artists can automatically perform simple compositing operations on renderedframes after a render job finishes. They can also convert them to a different image format, or generate Quicktimes fordailies.

Active Deadline subscribers are entitled to Draft licenses at no additional cost. Active Deadline subscribers can requesta Draft license by emailing [email protected].

1.2.10 QuickTime Support

Install QuickTime on your slaves to create QuickTime movies from your own rendered frames.

1.2.11 Jigsaw and Tile Rendering

Jigsaw is available for 3ds Max, Maya, modo, and Rhino, and can be used to split up large frames into arbitrary sizedtiles and distribute them over your render farm. When the tiles are finished rendering, they are automatically assemgedinto the final image using Draft. Specific tiles can be re-rendered and automatically composited on top of the originalimage.

Regular tile rendering, which supports fixed tile sizes only, is still supported as well, and is available for 3ds Max,Maya, modo, Rendition, Rhino, and Softimage.

1.2.12 Easy Installation and Upgrade Deployment

Deadline has gone through rigorous analysis to make the installation and configuration process smooth and efficient. Adetailed document provides easy, step-by-step instructions explaining the various components that will be installed. Inaddition, Deadline has the ability to auto-upgrade the whole render farm from a centralized deployment - an incredibletime-saver for large render farms.

Auto Configuration allows studios to efficiently increase the size of their farm by removing the need to configure eachnew Slave individually. The Repository Path, License Server, and additional settings can be configured in a singlelocation, and broadcast to the slaves when they start up.

1.2.13 Slave Scheduling and Idle Detection

Start and stop the slave based on the time of day to allow workstations to join the render farm overnight. Alternatively,start the slave if the machine has been idle for a certain amount of time, and stop it when the machine is in use again.

Other criteria like CPU usage, memory usage, and running processes can also be checked before starting the slave.Displays a warning message before starting the slave, allowing an artist to choose to delay when the slave starts if theyare still using the machine.

1.2. Feature Set 9

mailto:[email protected]


1.2.14 Local Slave Controls

Artists can monitor and control the slave application running on their workstation, which is useful if the slave isrunning as a service. Override the Idle Detection settings for your slave, or change the slave’s Job Dequeuing Modeto control if the slave should render all jobs, jobs submitted from the artist’s machine, or jobs submitted by specificusers.

1.2.15 Remote Control and Farm Administration

Stream the log from a Slave in real time, or start, stop, and restart Slave instances (as well as the remote machine onwhich it is running) remotely from within the Monitor. In addition, execute arbitrary command lines (applications,command line operations or batch files) on a single or group of remote machines to rollout software or install updates.

In addition, Deadline integrates seamlessly with VNC, Remote Desktop Connection, Apple Remote Desktop, andRadmin using custom scripts. These scripts can be modified or new scripts can be created to support other remoteaccess software.

1.2.16 Access Control and Auditing

While full access is granted for all users to modify their own jobs, the User Group Management System prevents usersfrom inadvertently disrupting other jobs, and allows Administrators to configure the types of actions available to eachuser group. An optional password protected Super User mode allows for global network administration.

Any command that affects a job or Slave is logged along with the originating user name and machine. This allowseveryone, including project managers and supervisors, to track changes and troubleshoot issues with confidence. Italso encourages responsibility and cooperation on the part of all users.

1.2.17 Reduced Energy Footprint

Save on energy consumption, power and cooling costs with Power Management, a feature that shuts down idle ma-chines and starts them back up when needed. This feature is available for render farms with machines that supportWakeOnLan.

1.3 Supported Software

Deadline offers extensive out of the box support for third party applications, as well as an Application Plugin API andEvent Plugin API for custom plugin development. The following applications (and associated renderers) are supportedout of the box.



1.3.1 3ds Max

Highlighted Features Supported Renderers

• Supports Versions 2010 to 2016• 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design• Integrated Submission• RPManager Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Tile Rendering• Jigsaw Support• Interactive VRay Distributed Rendering• Interactive Corona Distributed Rendering• Offload VRay Distributed Rendering• Offload Mental Ray Distributed Rendering• Render To Texture Support• Maxscript Jobs• Scene States/Sub-States• Custom Sanity Check• Local Rendering• Sticky/Default Settings Configuration• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Pre/Post Script Paths• Path Mapping Of Path Config File Path

• Brazil r/s• Corona• finalRender• finalToon• Krakatoa• Maxwell• NVIDIA iray• NVIDIA Mental Ray• Quicksilver• RenderPipe• Scanline• VRay

Documentation: 3ds Max Documentation, 3ds Command Documentation

1.3.2 After Effects

Highlighted Features

• Supports Versions CS3 to CS6 and CC to CC2014• Integrated Submission• Local Rendering• Multi-Machine Rendering• Submit Layers As Separate Jobs• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents (.aepx format only)

Documentation: After Effects Documentation

1.3. Supported Software 11


1.3.3 Anime Studio


• Supports Version 8 to 11• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Path

Documentation: Anime Studio Documentation

1.3.4 Arion Standalone


• Supports Version 2 and Later• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents

Documentation: Arion Standalone Documentation

1.3.5 Arnold Standalone


• Supports the Pre-Release Beta and Version 1• Local Rendering• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Paths• Path Mapping Of Output Path• Path Mapping Of Plugin Folder Paths

Documentation: Arnold Standalone Documentation



1.3.6 AutoCAD


• Supports AutoCAD 2015• Local Rendering• Plotting• Exporting• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support

Documentation: AutoCAD Documentation

1.3.7 Blender


• Supports Version 2.5 and Later• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Path

• All

Documentation: Blender Documentation

1.3.8 Cinema 4D


• Supports Versions 12 to 16• Integrated Submission• Local Rendering• Automatic Scene Exporting• Team Render Support• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Path

• All

Documentation: Cinema 4D Documentation, Cinema 4D Team Render Documentation



1.3.9 Clarisse iFX


• Integrated Submission• Automatic Render Archiving• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Config File Path• Path Mapping Of Module Paths• Path Mapping Of Search Paths

Documentation: Clarisse iFX Documentation

1.3.10 Combustion


• Supports Versions 4 and 2008• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents

Documentation: Combustion Documentation

1.3.11 Command Line


• Run Arbitrary Command Line Jobs• Run The Same Command For Different Frames• Run Different Commands For Different Tasks• Path Mapping Of Executable File Path• Path Mapping Of Arguments

Documentation: Command Line Documentation, Command Script Documentation

1.3.12 Composite


• Supports Versions 2010 to 2016• Integrated Submission• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support

Documentation: Composite Documentation



1.3.13 Corona Standalone


• Override number of passes and render time during submission• Specify multiple configuration files to use when rendering• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Config File Paths

Documentation: Corona Standalone Documentation

1.3.14 Corona Distributed Rendering

Highlighted Features Supported Applications

• Submit DR Jobs to Reserve Machines• Interactive Distributed Rendering• Existing Server Process Handling• Slave Auto Session Timeout Controls

• 3ds Max (fully integrated)• DR Server (server launching only)

Documentation: Corona Distributed Rendering Documentation

1.3.15 CSiBridge


• Submit Solver, Analysis and Reporting jobs• Cleanup Options to Optimize Data Size• Optionally Perform Design after Analysis• Optional Automatic Compression of Output

Documentation: CSiBridge Documentation

1.3.16 CSiETABS


• Submit Solver, Analysis and Reporting jobs• Cleanup Options to Optimize Data Size• Optional Automatic Compression of Output

Documentation: CSiETABS Documentation



1.3.17 CSiSAFE


• Submit Solver, Analysis and Reporting jobs• Cleanup Options to Optimize Data Size• Optionally Export to external Database• Optional Automatic Compression of Output

Documentation: CSiSAFE Documentation

1.3.18 CSiSAP2000


• Submit Solver, Analysis and Reporting jobs• Cleanup Options to Optimize Data Size• Optionally Perform Design after Analysis• Optional Automatic Compression of Output

Documentation: CSiSAP2000 Documentation

1.3.19 DJV


• Image/Movie Type Conversion• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Slate Input Path

Documentation: DJV Documentation

1.3.20 Draft


• Deep Integration With Deadline• Create Movies From Rendered Images• Perform Other Image Processing• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Template File Path• Path Mapping Of Template Arguments

Documentation: Draft Documentation, Draft Event Documentation



1.3.21 EnergyPlus


• Off-load US Gov. Energy Analysis Jobs• Optional Weather EPW Files• Multithreading/DEBUG Options• Post-Processing Options• Optional Automatic Compression of Output

Documentation: EnergyPlus Documentation

1.3.22 FFmpeg


• Up To 10 Input Files or Sequences• Path Mapping Of Input File Paths• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Video Preset File Path• Path Mapping Of Audio Preset File Path• Path Mapping Of Subtitle Preset File Path

Documentation: FFmpeg Documentation

1.3.23 ftrack


• Create new Asset Versions on job submission• Update Version status on job completion• Automatic thumbnail generation and upload• Automatic component upload

Documentation: ftrack Event Documentation

1.3.24 Fusion


• Supports Versions 5 to 7• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Custom Sanity Check• Quicktime Generation• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support

Documentation: Fusion Documentation, Fusion Quicktime Documentation



1.3.25 Generation


• Integrated Submission• Submit Comp Jobs To Fusion

Documentation: Generation Documentation

1.3.26 Hiero


• Integrated Submission• Submit Transcoding Jobs To Nuke

Documentation: Hiero Documentation

1.3.27 Houdini


• Supports Versions 9 to 14• Integrated Submission• Submit ROPs as Separate Jobs• Submit Wedge ROPs as Separate Jobs• IFD Export Jobs• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents• Path Mapping Of IFD File Path

• All

Documentation: Houdini Documentation



1.3.28 Lightwave


• Supports Versions 8 to 11 and 2015• FPrime Rendering• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Config Folder Path• Path Mapping Of Content Folder Path• Path Mapping Of Content File Contents

• All

Documentation: Lightwave Documentation

1.3.29 LuxRender


• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: LuxRender Documentation

1.3.30 LuxSlave


• Submit Luxconsole Jobs to Reserve Machines• Interactive Distributed Rendering• Existing Slave Process Handling• Slave Auto Session Timeout Controls

Documentation: LuxSlave Documentation

1.3.31 Mantra Standalone


• Supports Versions 7 to 13• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of IFD File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of IFD File Contents

Documentation: Mantra Standalone Documentation



1.3.32 Maxwell


• Supports Versions 2 and 3• Cooperative Rendering• Automatic MXI Merging• Local Rendering• Resume Rendering from MXI Files• Override Time and Sampling Level Values• Override Extra Sampling Values• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of MXI File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Maxwell Documentation

1.3.33 Maya


• Supports Versions 2010 to 2016• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Tile Rendering• Jigsaw Support• VRay Distributed Rendering• Local Rendering• Submit Layers As Separate Jobs• Submit Cameras As Separate Jobs• Mental Ray Export Jobs• VRay Export Jobs• Renderman Export Jobs• Arnold Export Jobs• Melscript/Python Script Jobs• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Folder Path• Path Mapping Of Project Folder Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents (.ma format

only)

• 3Delight• Arnold• Caustic Visualizer• Final Render• Gelato• Krakatoa• Maxwell• MayaSoftware• MayaHardware• MayaVector• Mental Ray• Octane• Redshift• Renderman• Renderman RIS• Turtle• VRay

Documentation: Maya Documentation



1.3.34 Media Encoder


• Local Rendering• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Media Encoder Documentation

1.3.35 Mental Ray Standalone


• Local Rendering• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Mental Ray Standalone Documentation

1.3.36 Messiah


• Integrated Submission• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Folder Path• Path Mapping Of Content Folder Path

Documentation: Messiah Documentation

1.3.37 MetaFuze


• Batch Folder Submission• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: MetaFuze Documentation



1.3.38 MetaRender


• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: MetaRender Documentation

1.3.39 MicroStation


• Supports MicroStation v8i SS3• Integrated Submission• Keeps Design File in Memory• Animation Renders• Single View Renders• Batched View Renders• Export to modo scene file• Export to DWG / DXF• Export to ACIS SAT• Export to flat DGN• Export visible edges• Print jobs• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

• Luxology (modo)• All built-in renderers

Documentation: MicroStation Documentation

1.3.40 modo


• Supports Versions 3xx to 8xx• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Modo Distributed Rendering• Tile Rendering• Jigsaw Support• Pass Groups Support• Submit Pass Group As Separate Jobs• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents

• modo’s default renderer• VRay

Documentation: modo Documentation



1.3.41 Naiad


• Simulation Jobs• EMP to PRT Conversion Jobs• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of EMP File Path

Documentation: Naiad Documentation

1.3.42 Natron


• Supports Versions 0.9 to 1.0• Specify Writer Node to Render• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Project File Path• Path Mapping Of Project File Contents

Documentation: Natron Documentation

1.3.43 Nuke


• Supports Versions 6 to 9• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Submit Write Nodes As Separate Jobs• Submit Write Nodes in Precomp Nodes• Specify Views to Render• Render Using Proxy Mode• Nuke Studio Support• Studio Frame Server distributed rendering• Studio Sequence Submission• Custom Sanity Check• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents

Documentation: Nuke Documentation



1.3.44 Octane Standalone


• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Octane Standalone Documentation

1.3.45 PRMan (Renderman Pro Server)


• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Working Directory Path

Documentation: PRMan Documentation

1.3.46 Puppet


• Sync applications and plugins across render nodes• Automatically sync when render nodes are idle

Documentation: Puppet Event Documentation

1.3.47 Python


• Supports Versions 2.3 to 2.7 and 3.0 to 3.2• Submit Python Scripts as Jobs• Path Mapping Of Script File Path• Path Mapping Of Script Arguments

Documentation: Python Documentation



1.3.48 Quicktime


• Generate Quicktime Movies from Images• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Audio File Path

Documentation: Quicktime Documentation

1.3.49 RealFlow


• Supports Versions 4 to 5, and 2012 to 2014• Integrated Submission• Submit IDOCs as Separate Jobs• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: RealFlow Documentation

1.3.50 REDLine


• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output Folder Path• Path Mapping Of RSX File Path

Documentation: REDLine Documentation

1.3.51 Renderman (RIB)

Note that while this plugin supports PRMan, it is recommended that you use PRMan’s dedicated plugin instead if youare using that renderer.




• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Path

• 3Delight• AIR• Aqsis• BMRT• Entropy• PRMan• Pixie• RenderDotC• RenderPipe

Documentation: Renderman Documentation

1.3.52 Rendition


• Tile Rendering• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Rendition Documentation

1.3.53 Rhino


• Supports Versions 4 and 5• Integrated Submission• Render Bongo Animations• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Tile Rendering• Jigsaw Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

• Brazil r/s• Flamingo Raytrace• Flamingo Photometric• Maxwell• Penguin• Rhino• TreeFrog• VRay

Documentation: Rhino Documentation



1.3.54 RVIO


• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Input File Paths• Path Mapping Of Audio File Paths• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: RVIO Documentation

1.3.55 Salt


• Sync applications and plugins across render nodes• Automatically sync when render nodes are idle

Documentation: Salt Event Documentation

1.3.56 Shake


• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: Shake Documentation

1.3.57 Shotgun


• Create new Versions on job submission• Update Version status on job completion• Automatic thumbnail generation and upload• Automatic movie generation and upload• Automatic film strip generation and upload

Documentation: Shotgun Event Documentation



1.3.58 SketchUp


• Supports Versions 7 to 8 and 2013 to 2015• Integrated Submission• Export 3D Models• Export 2D Images• Export 2D Image Sequences• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Export Directory Path

• All

Documentation: SketchUp Documentation

1.3.59 Softimage


• Supports Versions 2010 to 2015• Integrated Submission• Keeps Scene In Memory• Tile Rendering• Local Rendering• Submit Passes As Separate Jobs• Fx Render Tree Jobs• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Workgroup Folder Path

• All

Documentation: Softimage Documentation

1.3.60 Terragen


• Supports Versions 2 to 3• Local Rendering• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path

Documentation: Terragen Documentation



1.3.61 VRay Distributed Rendering

Highlighted Features Supported Applications

• Submit Spawner Jobs to Reserve Machines• Interactive Distributed Rendering

• 3ds Max (fully integrated)• Maya (fully integrated)• Rhino (spawner launching only)• SketchUp (spawner launching only)• Softimage (fully integrated)• VRay Standalone (spawner launching only)

Documentation: VRay Distributed Rendering Documentation

1.3.62 VRay Standalone


• VRIMG to EXR Conversion• PLY to VRMESH Conversion• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path• Path Mapping Of Output File Path• Path Mapping Of Scene File Contents

Documentation: VRay Standalone Documentation, Ply2Vrmesh Documentation, Vrimg2Exr Documentation

1.3.63 VRED


• Supports VRED 2015• Local Rendering• Single Frame and Animation Rendering• Sequencer and RenderQueue Supported• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Draft Support

Documentation: VRED Documentation

1.3.64 VRED Cluster


• Supports VRED 2015• Submit Cluster Jobs to Reserve Machines

Documentation: VRED Cluster Documentation



1.3.65 Vue


• Supports Versions 7 to 11 and 2014 to 2015• Integrated Submission• Shotgun Support• ftrack Support• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: Vue Documentation

1.3.66 xNormal


• Path Mapping Of Scene File Path

Documentation: xNormal Documentation

1.4 Render Farm Considerations

This is a list of things that should be taken into consideration before installing Deadline.

1.4.1 Rendering Software and Licensing

It is recommended that the rendering applications you plan to use for rendering (ie: 3ds Max, Maya, etc) be installedon all of your render nodes. It is preferable that you install an application to the same location on each machine,because this makes configuring the Deadline plugins easier. Note that some applications support being installed andrun from a network location, which can make setup and configuration easier. Refer to your rendering application’sdocumentation to see if this is supported.

In addition, it is recommended that all licensing that your rendering applications require be setup before attempting torender on your network. Deadline doesn’t handle the licensing of 3rd party rendering applications, so you should referto your application’s documentation or contact its support team if you run into issues with licensing.

1.4.2 Store Assets On The Network

It is recommended that all assets (ie: scenes, footage, textures, etc) used by your render jobs be placed on a networkshare (preferably a server), which can be accessed via a shared path or a mapped network drive. This is important fortwo reasons:

• It ensures that all the slaves in your render farm have access to your asset files.

• It ensures that the slaves use the same version of the asset files that are used by your job.

Note that you can optionally submit the scene file with the job. This results in the scene file being sent to the Repositoryor an alternate location, and then copied locally to the Slave that renders it. If the scene file contains relative assetpaths, it is recommended to not submit the scene file with the job, as these relative paths will likely be broken whenthe Slave renders the scene from its local location.



When rendering in a mixed OS environment, you can configure Deadline to swap paths based on the operating systemit is running on. The way this works is often specific to the rendering application that you are using, so please referto Cross-Platform Rendering Considerations section for the plug-in that you are using for more information. You canaccess plug-in specific documentation in the Plug-ins documentation.

1.4.3 Save Output Files To The Network

All output should be saved to a network share as well (preferably a server). This is important because it ensures thatall the slaves in your render farm have access to the output path.

When rendering in a mixed OS environment, you can configure Deadline to swap output paths based on the operatingsystem it is running on. The way this works is often specific to the rendering application that you are using, so pleaserefer to Cross-Platform Rendering Considerations section for the plug-in that you are using for more information. Youcan access plug-in specific documentation in the Plug-ins documentation.

1.4.4 Remote Administration

Deadline has a Remote Administration feature that can be enabled in the Client Setup section of the RepositoryOptions, which can be accessed from the Monitor by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository Options while in SuperUser Mode. This feature allows you to control all the render nodes remotely from a single machine, including startingand stopping the Slave application, and running arbitrary command line applications on each machine. However, thisfeature can be a potential security risk if you are not behind a firewall. If this is the case, we recommend that you keepthis feature disabled.

1.4.5 Automatic Updates

Deadline has an Automatic Updates feature that can be enabled in the Client Setup section of the Repository Options,which can be accessed from the Monitor by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository Options while in Super UserMode. Enabling this feature makes minor Deadline upgrades easy, with little to no downtime. Refer to the UpgradingDocumentation for more information.

1.4.6 Setup An SMTP Server for Emails

Deadline can use email to notify users when their jobs have succeeded or failed. Email can also be used to notifysystem administrators of all sorts of events, like when slaves stall or when jobs fail. It is recommended that an SMTPserver be setup so that you can make use of these features.

You can configure the email notification settings in the Repository Options, which can be accessed from the Monitorby selecting Tools -> Configure Repository Options while in Super User Mode.

1.4.7 Auto Login on Windows Render Nodes

If you’re not running the Slave as a service, it can be set to start automatically when the render mode it is on starts up,but this requires that the render node login automatically. On Windows, this can be done by modifying the registry oneach render node.

These are the steps to setup your render node registry to login:

1. Download the Registry Entry File For Auto Login from the Miscellaneous Deadline Downloads Page.

2. Edit the file to use the username and password you wish to.

3. Login to the render node as the specified user, then double-click on this file to run.

1.4. Render Farm Considerations 31

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/deadline-downloads/deadline-miscellaneous-downloads/


4. The next time you restart the machine, it should login automatically as the specified user.

By default, the Slaves are set to start automatically when the machine logs in. This setting, as well as others, can bemodified from the Launcher on each machine.

1.4.8 App Nap on Mac OS X Render Nodes and Workstations

App Nap is a collection of new features in OS X Mavericks (10.9+) that helps conserve CPU energy use by “slowingdown” or stopping applications that cannot be seen, for example if they are behind another window or the screen hasbeen put to sleep. However, this can have an adverse affect on Deadline and/or the applications it is rendering with.Because of this, we recommend disabling App Nap and screen power saving modes (if applicable) on render nodesacross the entire operating system by enabling the “Prevent App Nap” checkbox via right-click “Get Info” for eachapplication on each machine or by following these steps in terminal:

1. Open a terminal (the Terminal can be found in /Applications/Utilities).

2. Run the following command (sudo rights required) and you must restart the machine

defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAppSleepDisabled -bool YES

If you wish to re-enable App Nap, follow the steps above, but run the following command for (2) instead:

defaults delete NSGlobalDomain NSAppSleepDisabled

You can check the status of the setting (if it already exists on a machine) by the following command, where “1” meansApp Nap is disabled and “0” means it is enabled:

defaults read NSGlobalDomain NSAppSleepDisabled

If workstations are being used as render nodes, it is recommended to disable App Nap on them as well. However, ifworkstations are simply being used to submit and monitor render jobs, then this shouldn’t be necessary.

On Macs which have built-in or connected external displays, once a screen saver has begun or the display has been putto sleep by power management, Deadline as well as other rendering applications will be throttled down to conserveenergy, regardless of the per-app App Nap setting.

Finally, the machine that is running Pulse/Balancer should also have App Nap disabled, or at the very least, disabled forthe Pulse/Balancer applications. To disable App Nap for the Pulse/Balancer application only, right-click (or Command-click) on the DeadlinePulse/DeadlineBalancer application in Finder, and select Get Info. Then in the General section,check the “Prevent App Nap” box. If Pulse/Balancer is currently running, you will have to restart it for the changes totake effect.



1.4.9 Disable WER on Windows

When applications crash on Windows, the system holds the application open in memory and displays a series of helpfulboxes asking if you want to submit the error report to Microsoft. While that’s super handy for all sorts of reasons, ifthere’s no one there to click the dialog (headless render node), Deadline will assume the application is still runningand wait indefinitely by default.

The registry fix below will stop that from popping up on render nodes that don’t have baby sitters. Meaning when theapplication crashes, it actually exits like we know it should. This change is system-wide, but can be configured per-user if you like by changing the registry hive used (HKEY_CURRENT_USER versus HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).Ensure you restart the machine after changing the registry setting and it is always recommended to take a backup beforeediting a machine’s registry. Copy the code below into a file: “DisableCrashReporting.reg” and double-click this fileas a user with administrator privileges. Alternatively, you can manually add/edit the registry entry via “regedit.exe” orinject the registry silently via the command-line “regedit.exe /s DisableCrashReporting.reg”.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting]"Disabled"=dword:00000001

For more information about the possible settings, see here: MSDN article WER Settings.

It’s also possible to just default to sending them if you like, or to store the crash dumps in a safe place if you’re adeveloper.

1.4.10 Firewall, Anti-Virus & Security Considerations

Here is a checklist of items which should be considered by those responsible for deploying Deadline repository andclient software.

Ensure you consider additional configuration requirements for any software/hardware firewall clients, networkswitches, anti-virus software clients and Operating System specific security controls such as Windows UAC orSELinux (Security-Enhanced), which may attempt to block Deadline communication.

It is recommended during initial setup & configuration to disable all firewalls, anti-virus software, etc and test the basicoperation and functionality of Deadline. Once this has been verified as correct, then slowly re-enable all necessaryother software, re-testing and confirming that Deadline execution is still correct.

Windows UAC

Ensure Windows UAC is correctly configured to allow Deadline communication and the correct execution of theDeadline applications.

Anti-Virus Software

Ensure Anti-Virus software does NOT block Deadline and allows Deadline executables to run normally on ALLmachines.

Deadline Executables

Allow Deadline executables to pass-through any applicable Client Firewall. Ensure you consider all applicable policyscopes (Windows - domain, private, public) and both inbound & outbound rules:

• [INSTALL_PATH] Windows executable / Mac OSX executable / Linux executable

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinecommand.exe / DeadlineCommand.app / deadlinecommand

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinecommandbg.exe / DeadlineCommandBG.app / deadlinecommandbg

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinelauncher.exe / DeadlineLauncher.app / deadlinelauncher


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb513638.aspx/


• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinelauncherservice.exe (Windows Only)

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinemonitor.exe / DeadlineMonitor.app / deadlinemonitor

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlineslave.exe / DeadlineSlave.app / deadlineslave

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinepulse.exe / DeadlinePulse.app / deadlinepulse

• [INSTALL_PATH] deadlinebalancer.exe / DeadlineBalancer.app / deadlinebalancer

Deadline’s default local client software [INSTALL_PATH] for each OS are as follows (where # is the Deadline ver-sion):

• Windows: “C:\Program Files\Thinkbox\Deadline#\bin”

• Mac OSX: “/Applications/Thinkbox/Deadline#/bin”

• Linux: “/opt/Thinkbox/Deadline#”

Application Executables

Make sure you allow your application executables to pass-through any applicable Client Firewall. Ensure you considerall applicable policy scopes (Windows - domain, private, public) and both inbound & outbound rules. See here forspecific 3dsMax Firewall Exceptions documentation.

MongoDB Server & Deadline clients

Ensure you allow MongoDB service daemon to pass through any firewall and network switch. Ensure you considerall applicable policy scopes (Windows - domain, private, public) and both inbound & outbound rules:

• [INSTALL_PATH] Windows executable / Mac OSX executable / Linux executable

• [INSTALL_PATH] mongod.exe / mongod / mongod

Deadline’s default local database software [INSTALL_PATH] for each OS are as follows (where # is the Deadlineversion):

• Windows: “c:\DeadlineDatabase#\mongo\application\bin”

• Mac OSX: “/Applications/Thinkbox/DeadlineDatabase#/mongo/application/bin”

• Linux: “/opt/Thinkbox/DeadlineDatabase#/mongo/application/bin”

Mono (Mac OSX / Linux Only)

Ensure Mono executable is allowed to pass-through any firewall / anti-virus software.

Port Configuration.

Ensure the machine(s) running the MongoDB, Deadline repository, Deadline Pulse/Balancer/Monitor/Slave ALL havethe ability to communicate with each other on your local and/or extended network with the following (default) TCP orUDP ports.



Proto-col

PortNumber

Service Comment

UDP 17061 Pulseauto-configuration

Default UDP port - Pulse listens for broadcasts on the UDP port

TCP 17061 Pulseauto-configuration

Default TCP port - Pulse sends auto-config data over TCP

TCP 17062 Pulse Default TCP port - “Configure Repository Options” - “PulseSettings” - “General”

TCP 27017 MongoDBTCP 28017 MongoDB Web

APIAccess the http web site (optional) for database information

TCP 8080 Pulse WebService Default TCP port - “Configure Repository Options” - “PulseSettings” - “WebService”

UDP 7 WoL(Wake-On-Lan)

Default UDP port - “Configure Repository Options” - “Wake OnLan Settings”

UDP 123 NTPTCP 25 SMTP For mail server to receive e-mail notifications from Slaves and

PulseTCP 587 SMTP

(submission)TCP 465 SMTP SSL For sending notifications using SSL

License Server

If necessary, ensure that the Thinkbox Flexlm license file has been configured to run over an exact TCP port andthis port has also been allowed access through any required firewall or network switch. Please refer to the FLEXnetLicensing Documentation.

External Web Service Access & Deadline Mobile

If external network access is required, please see the Web Service and Deadline Mobile documentation.


http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-configuration




CHAPTER

TWO

INSTALLATION

2.1 System Requirements

This section covers the system requirements for all the Deadline components. It is also recommended to read throughthe Render Farm Considerations documentation before proceeding with the installation.

For a more complete description of the Deadline components listed below, see the Deadline Overview documentation.

2.1.1 Database

Deadline uses MongoDB for the Database, and requires MongoDB 2.6.1 or later. The Repository installer can in-stall the MongoDB database for you, or you can use an existing MongoDB installation providing that it is runningMongoDB 2.6.1 or later.

The following operating systems are supported for the Database:

• Windows Server 2003 and later (64-bit)

• Linux (64-bit)

• Mac OS X 10.7 and later (64-bit)

These are the minimum recommended hardware requirements for a production Database:

• 64-bit Architecture

• 8 GB RAM

• 4 Cores

• RAID or SSD disks

• 20 GB disk space

Note that MongoDB performs best if all the data fits into RAM, and it has fast disk write speeds. In addition, largerfarms may have to scale up on RAM and Cores as necessary, or even look at Sharding their database. Finally, whileyou can install MongoDB to a 32-bit system for testing, it has limitations and is not recommended for production. Forexample, the database size will be limited to 2 gigabytes, and Journaling will be disabled. Without Journaling, it willnot be possible to repair the database if a crash corrupts the data. See the MongoDB FAQ for more information.

Windows

If you choose a non-Server Windows Operating System (Vista, 7, or 8) to host the database, you should be awarethat these operating systems have a TCP/IP connection limitation of 10 new connections per second. If your renderfarm consists of more than 10 machines, it is very likely that you’ll hit this limitation every now and then (and the

37

http://www.mongodb.org/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/faq/fundamentals/#what-are-the-32-bit-limitations


odds continue to increase as the number of machines increase). This is a limitation of the operating systems, and isn’tsomething that we can workaround, so we recommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operatingsystem like Linux.

Linux

If you choose a Linux system to host the database, you will need to make sure the system resource limits are configuredproperly to avoid connection issues. More details can be found in the Database and Repository Installation Guide.

Other Linux recommendations include:

• Do not run MongoDB on systems with Non-Uniform Access Memory (NUMA). It can cause a number ofoperational problems, including slow performance or high system process usage.

• Install on a system with a minimum Linux kernel version of 2.6.36.

• Install on a system with Ext4 or XFS file systems.

• Turn off atime or relatime for the storage volume containing the database files, as it can impact performance.

• Do not use hugepages virtual memory pages as MongoDB performs better with normal virtual memory pages.

Mac OS X

If you choose a Mac OS X system to host the database, you will need to make sure the system resource limits areconfigured properly to avoid connection issues. More details can be found in the Database and Repository InstallationGuide.

2.1.2 Repository

The Repository is just a collection of files and folders, so it can be installed to any type of share on any type ofoperating system. Common Repository choices include:

• Windows Server

• Linux

• FreeBSD

While the Repository can be installed on any operating system, the Repository installer is only supported on thefollowing operating systems. To install on a different operating system, first create the network share on thatsystem, and then run the Repository installer on one of the systems below and choose the network share as theinstallation location.

• Windows (32 and 64-bit)

– Windows XP and later (32 and 64-bit)

– Windows Server 2003 and later (32 and 64-bit)

• Linux (64-bit only)

– Ubuntu 12.04 and later

– Debian 7 and later

– Fedora 16 and later

– CentOS 6 and later

– RHEL 6 and later

38 Chapter 2. Installation


• Mac OS X (64-bit only)

– 10.7 (OS X Lion) and later

If you choose a non-Server Windows Operating System (XP, Vista, 7, or 8), these operating systems usually will notallow more than 10 incoming connections without purchasing additional user access licenses from Microsoft. Thismeans that if more than 10 machines (render nodes or workstations) connect to the Repository, connections will bedropped, which could result unexpected behavior. This is a limitation of the operating systems, and isn’t somethingthat we can workaround, so we recommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operating system likeLinux or FreeBSD.

For hardware requirements, it mainly depends on if you are planning to submit scene files and other auxiliary fileswith your jobs. If you are, keep in mind that the Repository machine will need to serve out these files to the Clientmachines, so you will want to treat it like another asset server when it comes to picking hardware. That being said, ifyou already have an asset server, you could probably just install the Repository on it. If you are not submitting yourscene files with your jobs (because they are already stored in a network location), then you should be fine with a lesspowerful machine.

2.1.3 Client

The Client can be installed on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X. The requirements for today’s rendering applications gofar beyond the requirements of the Client, so if a machine is powerful enough to be used for rendering, it is more thancapable of running the Client applications.

If you choose to run Pulse or Balancer, and you wish to run it on the same machine as the Database and/or Repository,you will have to install the Client on that machine as well.

The following operating systems are supported for the Client:












Note that on Linux, the Deadline applications have dependencies on some libraries that are installed with the lsb(Linux Standard Base) package. To ensure you have all the dependencies you need, we recommend installing the fulllsb package. In addition, the libX11 and libXext must be installed on Linux for the Deadline applications to run, evenif running them with the -nogui flag. They’re required for the Idle Detection feature, among other things. To check iflibX11 and libXext are installed, open a Terminal and run the following commands. If they are installed, then the pathto the libraries will be printed out by these commands.

ldconfig -p | grep libX11ldconfig -p | grep libXext

2.1. System Requirements 39


If any of these libraries are missing, then please contact your local system administrator to resolve this issue. Here isan example assuming you have root access, using YUM to install them on your system:

sudo -syum install redhat-lsbyum install libX11yum install libXext

Note that if you are choosing a machine to run Pulse, you should be aware that non-Server editions of Windowshave a TCP/IP connection limitation of 10 new connections per second. If your render farm consists of more than10 render nodes, it is very likely that you’ll hit this limitation every now and then (and the odds continue to increaseas the number of machines increase). This is a limitation of the operating systems, and isn’t something that we canworkaround, so we recommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operating system like Linux.

2.1.4 License Server

Deadline requires Flexnet License Server version 11.12 or later, and the license server can be run on the followingoperating systems:












See the License Server Documentation for more information on the License Server requirements.

Note that if you choose a non-Server Windows Operating System (XP, Vista, 7, or 8), you should be aware that theseoperating systems have a TCP/IP connection limitation of 10 new connections per second. If your render farm consistsof more than 10 machines, it is very likely that you’ll hit this limitation every now and then (and the odds continue toincrease as the number of machines increase). This is a limitation of the operating systems, and isn’t something thatwe can workaround, so we recommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operating system like Linux.

2.2 Licensing

See the License Server Documentation for more information on installing and configuring the License Server.





2.3 Database and Repository Installation

2.3.1 Overview

Before proceeding with this installation, it is highly recommended to read through the Render Farm Considerationsdocumentation.

The Database is the global database component of the Deadline Render Farm Management System. It stores the jobs,settings, and slave configurations. The Clients access the Database via a direct socket connection over the network.It only needs to be installed on one machine (preferably a server), and does not require a license. Deadline usesMongoDB for the Database.

The Repository is the global file system component of the Deadline Render Farm Management System. It stores theplugins, scripts, logs, and any auxiliary files (like scene files) that are submitted with the jobs. The Clients access theRepository via a shared network path. It only needs to be installed on one machine (preferably a server), and does notrequire a license.

The Database and Repository together act as a global system where all of Deadline’s data is stored. The Clientsthen connect to this system to submit, render, and monitor jobs. It is important to note that while the Database andRepository work together, they are still separate components, and therefore can be installed on separate machines ifdesired.

The Repository installer can install the MongoDB database for you, but you can also choose to connect to an existingMongoDB installation.

2.3.2 Installation

While the Repository can be installed on any operating system, the Repository installer is only available for Windows,Linux, and Mac OS X. However, the machine that you run the Repository installer on doesn’t have to be the samemachine you’re installing the Repository to. For example, if you have an existing share on a FreeBSD server or a NASsystem, you can run the Repository installer on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X and choose that share as the installlocation.

To install the Repository, simply run the appropriate installer for your operating system and follow the steps. Thisprocedure is identical for all operating systems. The Repository installer also supports silent installations.

2.3. Database and Repository Installation 41

http://www.mongodb.org/


When choosing the Installation Directory, you can choose either a local path on the current machine, or the path to anexisting network share. Note that if you choose a local path, you must ensure that path is shared on the network so thatthe Clients can access it. Do not install over an existing installation unless it’s the same major version, or therecould be unexpected results.



If you’re installing over an existing Repository installation, all previous binaries, plug-ins, and scripts will be backedup prior to being overwritten. After the installation is complete, you can find these backed up files in the Backup folderin the Repository installation root. Note that installing over an existing repository is only supported for repairing adamaged repository, or for performing a minor upgrade. Major upgrades require a fresh repository installation. Seethe Upgrading or Downgrading Deadline Documentation for more information.



After choosing the installation directory, you will be asked to install the MongoDB Database, or connect to an existingone. If you choose to install the MongoDB Database, you will be asked to choose an installation location and a portnumber. It is highly recommended that you choose a local directory to install the Database.

Note that Deadline 7 requires a newer version of the MongoDB database application than the one shipped withDeadline 6. However, this newer version is backward compatible with Deadline 6. So if you are installing theMongoDB database application to a machine that already has a Deadline 6 database installed, you can justinstall it over top of the existing Deadline 6 database installation.



Next, you need to specify the Database Settings so that the installer can set up the Database. These settings will alsobe used by the Clients to connect to the database. The following are required:

• Database Server: The host name or the IP address of the machine that the MongoDB database is running on.If desired, you can specify multiple entries and separate them with semicolons. There are a couple reasons tospecify multiple entries:

– You have machines on different subnets that need to access the database differently (ie: machines in thecloud might use a different host name than machines on the local network).

– Some machines need to resolve the database machine by its host name, and others need to use its IPaddress.

Note that if there are IP addresses listed that cannot be resolved, the Deadline Command applicationcan run slower on Linux and OSX Clients because it won’t exit until the connection attempt for those IPaddresses time out.

• Database Port: The port that the MongoDB database is listening on.

• Database Name: The name of the Database. If you are setting up a new Database, you can leave this as thedefault. If you are connecting to an existing Database, make sure to enter the same name you used when youinitially set up the Database.

• Replica Set: If you set up your MongoDB database manually and it is part of a Replica Set, specify the ReplicaSet Name here. If you don’t have Replica Set, just leave this blank.

When you press Next, the installer will try to connect to the database using these settings to configure it. This can takea minute or two. If an error occurs, you will be prompted with the error message. If the setup succeeds, you can thenproceed with the installation of the Repository.


http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/replication/


Command Line or Silent Installation

The Repository installer can be run in command line mode or unattended mode on each operating system. Note thoughthat on Mac OS X, you must run the installbuilder.sh script that can be found in the Contents/MacOS folder, which isinside the Mac Repository Installer package.

To run in command line mode, pass the “–mode text” command line option to the installer. For example, on Linux:

./DeadlineRepository-X.X.X.X-linux-x64-installer.run --mode text

To run in silent mode, pass the “–mode unattended” command line option to the installer. For example, on Windows:

DeadlineRepository-X.X.X.X-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended

To get a list of all available command line options, pass the “–help” command line option to the installer. For example,on Mac OS X:

/DeadlineRepository-X.X.X.X-osx-installer.app/Contents/MacOS/installbuilder.sh --help

Note that there are a few Repository installer options that are only available from the command line, which you canview when running the “–help” command. These options include:

• –backuprepo: If enabled, many folders in the Repository will be backed up before overwriting them (this isenabled by default).

• –dbauth: If enabled, Deadline will use the given user and password to connect to MongoDB (if authenticationis enabled on your database).

• –dbuser: The user name to connect to MongoDB if authentication is enabled.

• –dbpassword: The password to connect to MongoDB if authentication is enabled.

• –dbsplit: If enabled, the database collections will be split into separate databases to improve performance (thisis enabled by default).

Database Config File

A file called config.conf is installed to the data directory in the database installation folder. This file is used to configurethe MongoDB database, and can be modified to add or change functionality. This is what you will typically see bydefault:

#MongoDB config file

#where to logsystemLog:

destination: filepath: C:/DeadlineDatabase7/data/logs/log.txtquiet: true#verbosity: <integer>

#port for mongoDB to listen on#uncomment below ipv6 and REST option to enable them.net:

port: 27070#ipv6: true#http:



#RESTInterfaceEnabled: true

#where to store the datastorage:dbPath: C:/DeadlineDatabase7/data

#enable sharding#sharding:

#clusterRole#configDB

#setup replica set with give replica set name#replication:

#replSetName

#enable authentication#security:

#authorization: enabled

After making changes to this file, simply restart the mongod process for the changes to take effect. See the MongoDBConfiguration File Options for more information on the available options.

Manual Database Installation

The Repository installer installs MongoDB with the bare minimum settings required for Deadline to operate. Manuallyinstalling the Database might be preferable for some because it gives you greater control over things like authentication,and allows you to create sharded clusters or replica sets for backup.

If you wish to install MongoDB manually, you can download MongoDB from the MongoDB Downloads Page. OnceMongoDB is running, you can then run the Repository installer, and choose to connect to an existing MongoDBDatabase. Here are some helpful links for manually installing the MongoDB database:

• Installing MongoDB

• Enabling Authentication

• Replication

• Sharding

MongoDB also has a management system called MMS. It’s a cloud service that makes it easy to provision, monitor,backup, and scale your MongoDB databse. Here are some helpful links for setting up and using MMS:

• Getting Started

• Add MongoDB Servers to MMS

• Install the Automation Agent

The Automation Agent mentioned above makes it possible to setup your MongoDB database from a web interface, andeasily configure which MongoDB servers are replica sets or shards. It also allows you to easily upgrade the version ofyour MongoDB database. Here are some additional links for how you can use the Automation Agent:

• Deploy a Replica Set

• Deploy a Sharded Cluster

• Deploy a Standalone MongoDB Instance

• Change the MongoDB Version


http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/reference/configuration-options/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/reference/configuration-options/

http://www.mongodb.org/downloads

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/installation/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/core/authentication/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/replication/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/sharding/

https://mms.mongodb.com

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/getting-started/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/add-servers/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/nav/install-automation-agent/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/deploy-replica-set/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/deploy-sharded-cluster/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/deploy-standalone/

https://docs.mms.mongodb.com/tutorial/change-mongodb-version/


Note though that as of this writing, the Automation Agent is only available for Linux and Mac OS X.

Database Resource Limits

Linux and Mac OS X systems impose a limit on the number of resources a process can use, and these limits canaffect the number of open connections to the database. It is important to be aware of these limits, and make sure theyare set appropriately to avoid unexpected behaviour. Note that MongoDB will allocate 80% of the system limit forconnections, so if the system limit is 1024, the maximum number of connections will be 819.

If you choose a Linux system to host the database, make sure the system limits are configured properly to avoid connec-tion issues. See MongoDB’s Linux ulimit Settings documentation for more information, as well as the recommendedsystem limits to use.

You can check your current Linux/OSX ulimit settings in a terminal shell:

#overall ulimit settings on the machineulimit -a#number of open files allowedulimit -n

MongoDB provides these Recommended ulimit Settings for optimal performance of your database. Note, you mustrestart the Deadline Database daemon after changing these ulimit settings.

If you choose a Mac OS X system to host the database, and you use the Repository installer to install the database,the resource limits will be set to 1024. These limits can be adjusted later by manually editing the HardResourceLimitsand SoftResourceLimits values in /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mongodb.mongod.plist after the Repository installerhas finished.

2.3.3 Open Firewall Ports

To ensure that the Deadline applications can communicate with MongoDB, you will need to update the firewall onthe machine that MongoDB is running on. You can either disable the firewall completely (assuming it operates in aninternal network), or you can open the port that you chose for the database to use during install. More information onopening ports can be found below.

Windows

Open Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. Click on Inbound Rules in the left panel to view all inbout rules,and then right-click on Inbound Rules and select New Rule to start the Inbound Rule Wizard. Select Port for the RuleType, and then click Next.


http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/reference/ulimit/

http://docs.mongodb.org/manual/reference/ulimit/#recommended-ulimit-settings




On the Protocol and Ports page, choose TCP, and then specify the port that you chose for the database during theinstall, and then press next. Then on the Action page, choose Allow The Connection and press Next.





On the Profile page, choose the networks that this rule applies to, and then press next. Then on the Name page, specifya name for the rule (for example, MongoDB Connection), and then press Finish.





Linux

On RedHat and CentOS, the following commands should allow incoming connections to the Mongo database if ipta-bles are being used. Just make sure to specify the port that you chose for the database during the install.

sudo iptables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 27070 -j ACCEPTsudo ip6tables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 27070 -j ACCEPT

Ubuntu has no firewall installed by default, and we have not yet tested Fedora Core’s FirewallD.

Mac OS X

Mac OS X has its firewall disabled by default, but if enabled, it is possible to open ports for specific applications. Openup System Preferences„ choose the Security & Privacy option, and click on the Firewall tab.



Press the Firewall Options button to open the firewall options. Press the [+] button and choose the path to the mongodapplication, which can be found in the database installation folder in mongo/application/bin (for example, /Applica-tions/Thinkbox/DeadlineDatabase7/mongo/application/bin/mongod). Then click OK to save your settings.



2.3.4 Sharing The Repository Folder

In general, the Repository must have open read and write permissions for Deadline to operate properly. This sectionexplains how to share your Repository folder and configure its permissions to ensure the Clients have full access.Without full read/write access, the Client applications will not be able to function properly.

Note that this guide is for applying full read/write permissions to the entire Repository folder structure. For the moreadvanced user, it is possible to enforce tighter restrictions on the Repository folders. Just make sure the Clients havefull read/write access to the following folders in the Repository. The rest must have at least read access.

• jobs: This is where job auxiliary files are copied to during submission.

• jobsArchived: This is where archived jobs are exported to.

• reports: This is where the physical log files for job and slave reports are saved to.

Windows

First, you need to configure the Repository folder permissions. Note that the images shown here are from WindowsXP, but the procedure is basically the same for any version of Windows.

• On the machine where the Repository is installed, navigate to the folder where it is installed usingWindows Explorer.



• Right-click on the Repository folder and select Properties from the menu.

• Select the Security tab.

• If there is already an Everyone item under Group or user names, you can skip the next two steps.

• Click on the Add button.

• In the resulting dialog, type Everyone and click OK.



• Select Everyone under Group or user names.

• Ensure that Modify, Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, and Write are all checked underthe Allow column.

• Click on the OK button to save the settings.



Second, you need to share the Repository folder. Note that the images shown here are from Windows XP, but theprocedure is basically the same for any version of Windows.

• On the machine where the Repository is installed, navigate to the folder where it is installed usingWindows Explorer.

• Right-click on the Repository folder and select Properties from the menu. If you’re unable to see theSharing tab, you may need to disable Simple File Sharing in the Explorer Folder Options.



• Select the Sharing tab.



• Select the option to Share This Folder, then specify the share name.

• Click the Permissions button.

• Give Full Control to the Everyone user.

• Press OK on the Permissions dialog and then the Properties dialog.



Linux

Since the Clients expects full read and write access to the repository, it’s recommended to use a single user accountto mount shares across all machines. It is possible to add particular users to a ‘deadline’ group, but you will need toexperiment with that on your own.

So for both of the sharing mechanisms we explain below, you’ll need to create a user and a group named ‘deadline’.They don’t need a login or credentials, we just need to be able to set files to be owned by them and for their account toshow up in /etc/passwd. So, to do this use the useradd command.

sudo useradd -d /dev/null -c "Deadline Repositry User" -M deadline

This should create a user named “deadline” with no home folder, and a fancy comment. The account login should alsobe disabled, meaning your standard users can’t ssh or ftp into your file server using this account. Set a password usingsudo passwd deadline if you need your users to login as deadline using ftp or ssh.



Now add a group using

sudo groupadd deadline

And finally, have the Repository owned by this new user and group

sudo chown -R deadline:deadline /path/to/repositorysudo chmod -R 777 /path/to/repository

Now you’re ready to set up your network sharing protocol. There are a many ways this can be done, and this justcovers a few of them.

Samba Share

This is an example entry in the /etc/samba/smb.conf file:

[DeadlineRepository]path = /path/to/repositorywriteable = Yesguest ok = Yescreate mask = 0777force create mode = 0777force directory mode = 0777unix extensions = No

NFS Share

The simplest thing that could possibly work. Note that this is not the most secure thing that could possibly work:

For Linux and BSD, open up /etc/exports as an administrator, and make one new export:

/path/to/repository 192.168.2.0/24(rw,all_squash,insecure)

Breakdown of this command is as follows:

• /path/to/repository: The Repository folder to share. Change the path as necessary.

• 192.168.2.0/24: The IP range to allow. The zero is important for these ranges. You can also go by hostname ifyou have reverse DNS, or * to allow from anyone’s computer.

• rw: Allow read/write for the repository, which is required for the Clients to operate properly.

• all_squash: Make every single person who connects to the Repository share map to the nobody:nogroup userand group. This relieves a lot of permissions pain for new users at the cost of zero security. Files and folderswithin your repository will be fully readable and writeable by whomever is able to connect to your NFS server.The Clients require this, but it can also be achieved by creating a group and adding individual users into thatgroup. Many studios will only need all_squash as Deadline will keep track of who submits what jobs.

• insecure: Required for Mac OS X to mount nfs shares. It simply means that NFS doesn’t need to receiverequests on a port in the secure port range (a port number less than 1024).

Once that’s done, you may need to install an NFS server. To do so, open a terminal or your favourite package managerto install one. For Ubuntu Server, type the following:

sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server

Then start up the server (for those living in an init.d world):



sudo /etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start

Any time you change the exports file, you’ll need to issue the same command, but replace ‘start’ with ‘reload’.

There is an excellent tutorial here as well: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpNFSHowTo

Mac OS X

First, you need to configure the Repository folder permissions. Note that the images shown here are from Leopard(10.5), but the procedure is basically the same for any version of Mac OS X.

• On the machine where the Repository is installed, navigate to the folder where it is installed usingFinder.

• Right-click on the Repository folder and select Get Info from the menu.

• Expand the Sharing & Permissions section, and unlock the settings if necessary.

• Give everyone Read & Write privileges.

• While probably not necessary, also give admin Read & Write privileges.


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpNFSHowTo


If you prefer to set the permissions from the Terminal, run the following commands:

$ chown -R nobody:nogroup /path/to/repository$ chmod -R 777 /path/to/repository

Now you can share the folder. There are a many ways this can be done, and this just covers a few of them.

Using System Preferences

Note that the images shown here are from Leopard (10.5), but the procedure is basically the same for any version ofMac OS X.

• Open System Preferences, and select the Sharing option.



• Make sure File Sharing is enabled, and then add the Repository folder to the list of shared folders.

• Under Users, give everyone Read & Write privileges.

• If sharing with Windows machines, press the Options button and make sure the “Share files andfolders using SMB (Windows)” is enabled.

Samba Share

Interestingly, Mac OS X uses samba as well. Apple just does a good job of hiding it. To create a samba share in MacOS X, past this at the bottom of /etc/smb.conf:

[DeadlineRepository]path = /path/to/repositorywriteable = Yesguest ok = Yescreate mask = 0777force create mode = 0777force directory mode = 0777unix extensions = No

2.3.5 Uninstallation

The Repository installer creates an uninstaller in the folder that you installed the Repository to. To uninstall theRepository, simply run the uninstaller and confirm that you want to proceed with the uninstallation.



Note that if you installed the Database with the Repository installer, it will be uninstalled as well. If you chose toconnect to a Database that you manually installed, the Database will be unaffected.

Command Line or Silent Uninstallation

The Repository uninstaller can be run in command line mode or unattended mode on each operating system.


./uninstall --mode text


uninstall.exe --mode unattended


./uninstall --help

2.4 Client Installation

2.4.1 Overview

Before proceeding with this installation, it is highly recommended to read through the Render Farm Considerationsdocumentation.

This guide will walk you through the installation of the Client. At this point, you should already have the Database andRepository installed. If you do not, please see the Database and Repository Installation documentation for installationinstructions.

The Client consists of the following applications:

• Launcher: Acts as a launch point for the Deadline applications on workstations, and facilitates remote commu-nication on render nodes.

• Monitor: An all-in-one application that artists can use to monitor their jobs and administrators can use to monitorthe farm.

• Slave: Controls the rendering applications on the render nodes.

• Command: A command line tool that can submit jobs to the farm and query for information about the farm.

2.4. Client Installation 67


• Pulse: An optional mini server application that performs maintenance operations on the farm, and managesmore advanced features like Auto Configuration, Power Management, Slave Throttling, Statistics Gathering,and the Web Service. If you choose to run Pulse, it only needs to be running on one machine.

• Balancer: An optional Cloud-controller application that can create and terminate Cloud instances based onthings like available jobs and budget settings. If you choose to run Balancer, it only needs to be running on onemachine.

Note that the Slaves and the Balancer applications are the only Client applications that require a license.

2.4.2 Installing The Clients

The Client should be installed on your render nodes, workstations, and any other machines you wish to participate insubmitting, rendering, or monitoring jobs. The Slaves and the Balancer applications are the only Client applicationsthat require a license. Before you can configure the license for the Client, the license server must be running. See theLicensing documentation for more information.

If you choose to run Pulse, you need to install the Client on the chosen machine. Note that if you wish to run it on thesame machine as the Database and/or Repository, you still have to install the Client on that machine.

There are Client installers for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. To install the Client, simply run the appropriateinstaller for your operating system and follow the steps.

Windows

Start the installation process by double-clicking on the Windows Client Installer. The Windows Client installer alsosupports silent installations with additional options.


http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/license-server-configuration/


Choose an installation location and press Next to continue.



Configure the necessary Client Setup and Launcher Setup settings. The following Client settings are available:

• Repository Directory: This is the shared path to the Repository. Note, if you are unable to browse to yourRepository shared path via your drive mapping in the install wizard, then this is more than likely due to aproblem with Windows UAC elevation. Essentially, even if the currently logged in user has the network drive



configured; that configuration is not available in the elevated scope, as you are technically another user here. Thisis something which is handled by the OS so we cannot do anything on our side. However, possible workaroundsare to simply select the UNC path instead that the drive is mapped to OR logon to the system as the user accountwith elevated permissions (local administrator for example) and then run the client install wizard.

• License Server: The license server entry should be in the format @SERVER, where SERVER is the host nameor IP address of the machine that the license server is running on. If you configured your license server to use aspecific port, you can use the format PORT@SERVER. For example, @lic-server or 27000@lic-server. If youare running Deadline in LICENSE-FREE MODE, or you have not set up your license server yet, you can leavethis blank for now.

The following Launcher settings are available:

• Launch Slave When Launcher Starts: If enabled, the Slave will launch whenever the Launcher starts.

• Install Launcher As A Service: Enable this if you which to install the Launcher as a service. The servicemust run under an account that has network access. See the Windows Service documentation below for moreinformation.

After configuring the Client and Launcher settings, press Next to continue with the installation.

Linux

Note that on Linux, the Deadline applications have dependencies on some libraries that are installed with the lsb(Linux Standard Base) package. To ensure you have all the dependencies you need, we recommend installing the fulllsb package. In addition, the libX11 and libXext must be installed on Linux for the Deadline applications to run, evenif running them with the -nogui flag. They’re required for the Idle Detection feature, among other things. To check iflibX11 and libXext are installed, open a Terminal and run the following commands. If they are installed, then the pathto the libraries will be printed out by these commands.


If any of these libraries are missing, then please contact your local system administrator to resolve this issue. Here isan example assuming you have root access, using YUM to install them on your system:


Start the installation process by double-clicking on the Linux Client Installer. The Linux Client installer also supportssilent installations with additional options.











• Repository Directory: This is the shared path to the Repository.



• Launch Slave When Launcher Starts: If enabled, the Slave will launch whenever the Launcher launches.

• Install Launcher As A Daemon: Enable this if you which to install the Launcher as a daemon. You can alsochoose to run the daemon as a specific user. If you leave the user blank, it will run as root instead. See the LinuxDaemon documentation below for more information.


Mac OSX

Start the installation process by double-clicking on the Mac Client Installer. The Mac Client installer also supportssilent installations with additional options.











• Repository Directory: This is the shared path to the Repository. Deadline isn’t able to understand paths startingwith “afp://” or “smb://”, so point the installer to the Repository path mounted under “/Volumes”.



• Launch Slave When Launcher Starts: If enabled, the Slave will launch whenever the Launcher launches.

• Install Launcher As A Daemon: Enable this if you which to install the Launcher as a daemon. You can alsochoose to run the daemon as a specific user. If you leave the user blank, it will run as root instead. See the MacOSX Daemon documentation below for more information.


2.4.3 Command Line or Silent Installation

The Client installer can be run in command line mode or unattended mode on each operating system. Note though thaton OSX, you must run the installbuilder.sh script that can be found in the Contents/MacOS folder, which is inside theMac Client Installer package.




./DeadlineClient-X.X.X.X-linux-x64-installer.run --mode text


DeadlineClient-X.X.X.X-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended

To get a list of all available command line options, pass the “–help” command line option to the installer. For example,on OSX:

/DeadlineClient-X.X.X.X-osx-installer.app/Contents/MacOS/installbuilder.sh --help

Note that there are quite a few Client installer options that are only available from the command line, which you canview when running the “–help” command. These options include:

• –configport: The port that the Client uses for Auto Configuration.

• –slavestartupport: The port that the Slaves use to ensure that only one slave is initializing at a time.

• –slavedatadir: The local path where the Slave temporarily stores plugin and job data from the Repository duringrendering (if not specified, the default location is used).

• –noguimode: If enabled, the Launcher, Slave, and Pulse will run without a user interface on this machine.

• –killprocesses: If enabled, the installer will kill any running Deadline processes before proceeding with theinstallation (Windows only).

• –launcherport: The Launcher uses this port for Remote Administration, and it should be the same on all Clientmachines.

• –launcherstartup: If enabled, the Launcher will automatically launch when the system logs in (non-servicemode on Windows only).

• –restartstalled: If enabled, the Launcher will try to restart the Slave application on this machine if it stalls.

• –autoupdateoverride: Overrides the Auto Update setting for this client installation (leave blank to use the valuespecified in the Repository Options)

• –launcherservicedelay: If the Launcher is running as a service or daemon, this is the amount of seconds it waitsafter starting up before launching other Deadline applications.

2.4.4 Installing as a Service or Daemon

On Windows and Linux, you can choose to install the Launcher as a service or daemon during installation. There area few things to keep in mind when running Deadline in this mode.

Windows Service

When running as a service on Windows, the Launcher will run without displaying its system tray icon. If the Slave orPulse application is started through the Launcher while it is in this mode, they will also run without a user interface.Finally, the Launcher can still perform an auto-upgrade, but only when launching the Slave and Pulse applications(launching the Monitor, for example, will not invoke an upgrade).

Note that when running the Launcher as a service, the Slave or Pulse application will also run in a service context.Since services run in a different environment, and potentially under a different user profile than the one currentlylogged in, certain considerations need to be made.



First, the default user for a service has no access to network resources, so while Launcher service will run without anyissues, neither the Slave nor Pulse applications will be able to access the Repository. To avoid network access issues,you must configure the service to run as a user with network privileges. Typical desktop users have this permission,but check with your system administrator to find which account is best for this application.

Another issue presented by the service context is that there is no access to the default set of mapped drives. Applica-tions will either need to map drives for themselves, or make use of UNC paths. While Deadline supports AutomaticDrive Mapping, the SMB protocol does not allow sharing a resource between two users on the same machine. Thismeans that mapping of drives or accessing a resource with different credentials may fail when running as a service ona machine which already requires access to the Repository.

There is also an issue with hardware-based renderers. Starting with Windows Vista, services now run in a virtualizedenvironment which prevents them from accessing hardware resources. Because the renderer will run in the context ofa service, hardware-based renderers will typically fail to work.

Linux Daemon

When installing the daemon, the Client installer creates the appropriate deadlinelauncherservice script in /etc/init.d.

When running as a daemon on Linux, the Launcher will run without displaying its system tray icon. If the Slave orPulse application is started through the Launcher while it is in this mode, they will also run without a user interface.This is useful when running Deadline on a Linux machine that doesn’t have a Desktop environment.

Mac OSX Daemon

When installing the daemon, the Client installer creates the appropriate com.thinkboxsoftware.deadlinelauncher.plistfile in /Library/LaunchDaemons.

When running as a daemon on Mac OSX, the Launcher will run without displaying its system tray icon. If the Slaveor Pulse application is started through the Launcher while it is in this mode, they will also run without a user interface.

2.4.5 Client License Configuration

Before you can configure the license for the Client, the license server must be running. See the Licensing documenta-tion for more information.

If you didn’t configure the license for the Client during installation (see above), there are a couple of ways to set thelicense for the Client. The quickest way is to use the right-click menu in the Launcher or the File menu in the Slaveapplication to change the license server.




The other option is to set up Auto Configuration so that the Client automatically pulls the license server information.

2.4.6 Uninstallation

The Client installer creates an uninstaller in the folder that you installed the Client to. To uninstall the Client, simplyrun the uninstaller and confirm that you want to proceed with the uninstallation.

Command Line or Silent Uninstallation

The Client uninstaller can be run in command line mode or unattended mode on each operating system.


./uninstall --mode text


uninstall.exe --mode unattended


./uninstall --help



2.5 Submitter Installation

2.5.1 Overview

This guide will walk you through the installation of the integrated submitters, which can be used to submit jobs fromwithin your application (3ds Max, Maya, Nuke, etc). These should be installed on any machines you wish to submitjobs from. Note that jobs can also be submitted from the Submit menu in the Monitor. See the Submitting Jobsdocumentation for more information.

At this point, you should already have the Database and Repository installed, and the Client software installed. Ifyou do not, please see the Database and Repository Installation and Client Installation documentation for installationinstructions. You also need to have the software that you will be submitting from installed as well (3ds Max, Maya,Nuke, etc).

2.5.2 Installing The Submitters

The submitter installers can be found in the submission folder in the Deadline Repository. Open the folder for theapplication you want to install the submitter for (3dsmax, Maya, Nuke, etc), and then open the Installers folder. Therewill be an installer for each operating system that the current application runs on.

Simply run the appropriate installer then follow the step as follows. Note that these steps are similar for each applica-tion and each operating system.

2.5. Submitter Installation 83


The Deadline Client Bin Directory page shows what DEADLINE_PATH is currently set to. This value is originallyset by the Client installer, and is used by the submission scripts to find the Client’s bin directory so that it can find theRepository and submit jobs. You can change the DEADLINE_PATH value here if it’s incorrect or if it doesn’t exist,and the submitter installer will give you the option to make the change permanent.

The next page will show the Repository directory that the Client is currently connected to, which is where the submis-sion scripts are installed from. If this path is incorrect, you can change it here.



Select the components you wish to install (the installer will try to auto select the versions it detects), and then verifythe install location for each one.

After configuring these, press Next to continue with the installation.

2.5. Submitter Installation 85


2.5.3 Silent Installation

The Submitter installers can be run in command line mode or unattended mode on each operating system. Note thoughthat on OSX, you must run the installbuilder.sh script that can be found in the Contents/MacOS folder, which is insidethe Mac Submitter Installer package.


./Nuke-submitter-linux-installer.run --mode text


Maya-submitter-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended

To get a list of all available command line options, pass the “–help” command line option to the installer. For example,on OSX:

/Maya-submitter-osx-installer.app/Contents/MacOS/installbuilder.sh --help

Note that there are quite a few Submitter installer options that are only available from the command line, which youcan view when running the –help command. These options include:

• –enable-components: Select the components which you would like to enable (programs installed in defaultlocations will be auto selected)

• –disable-components: Select the components which you would like to disable (programs installed in defaultlocations will be auto selected)

• –destDir###: The destination directories for the components (will be defaulted to if installed in default loca-tions)

An example batch script that puts these all together:

@echo off.\Maya-submitter-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended --disable-components Maya2014.\3dsMax-submitter-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended

--enable-components 3dsMax2011,3dsMax2015--disable-components 3dsMax2012,3dsMax2013,3dsMax2014--destDir2011 "C:\3dsMax2011_64"

.\Nuke-submitter-windows-installer.exe --mode unattended

This script installs the submitters for Maya (ignoring Maya 2014), 3ds Max(2011 and 2015 only, with 2011 in anunusual directory) and Nuke (default settings)

2.5.4 Change the DEADLINE_PATH Value

The DEADLINE_PATH value is a system setting that the Integrated Submission scripts use to determine where theDeadline Client is installed to, and what the Repository path is. This value is set by the Client installer, and if you’veinstalled more than one version of Deadline on your machine, it’s possible that this value could be incorrect.

You can use a Submitter installer to change the DEADLINE_PATH value without installing anything by followingthese steps:

• Run any submitter installer and set the DEADLINE_PATH value on the Deadline Client Bin Directory page.

• Skip past the Repository Directory page.



• Uncheck all options on the Components page.

• Click Next on the Ready to Install page.

The installer will then update the DEADLINE_PATH variable without actually installing anything.

2.6 Upgrading or Downgrading Deadline

2.6.1 Overview

This will guide you through the process of upgrading or downgrading an existing Deadline installation.

2.6.2 Major Upgrades or Downgrades

If upgrading to a new major version (for example, Deadline 6 to 7), or downgrading from a new major version (forexample, Deadline 7 to 6), you will need to install a new Repository and Database, and you will need to reinstall theClient software. This is necessary because there are often breaking changes between major releases. Do not installover an existing installation unless it’s the same major version, or there could be unexpected results.

Note that Deadline 7 requires a newer version of the MongoDB database application. However, this newerversion is backward compatible with Deadline 6. So if you are installing the MongoDB database applicationto a machine that already has a Deadline 6 database installed, you can just install it over top of the existingDeadline 6 database installation.

You should also reinstall your integrated submission scripts on your workstations, since it’s possible these werechanged between major releases. See the Application Plug-ins documentation for more information on how to setup the integrated submission scripts (where applicable).

The license server should also be upgraded to ensure it will work with newer releases in case there are incompatibilitieswith the previous version of the license server.

Please refer to the following documentation for more information:

• Database and Repository Installation Guide

• Client Installation Guide

• Licensing Guide

2.6.3 Minor Upgrades or Downgrades

If upgrading or downgrading to a minor version that is part of the same major release cycle (for example, Deadline 7.0to 7.0.1, or Deadline 7.1 to 7.1), you can simply install over the existing installation. If you have Automatic Upgrades/ Downgrades enabled, you can have the Clients automatically upgrade or downgrade themselves after upgrading ordowngrading the Database and Repository. Automatic Upgrades / Downgrades can be enabled in the Client Setupsection of the Repository Configuration.

You can also enable Remote Administration in the Client Setup section of the Repository Configuration. This willmake it easier to upgrade or downgrade your render nodes remotely.

Note that this upgrade/downgrade method is only supported when upgrading or downgrading an existing Repositoryinstallation. For example, it is NOT recommended to install the Deadline 7.1 Repository to a new location and thenhave your 7.0 Clients upgrade by pointing them to the new Repository path. Instead, you should first move yourRepository installation and then do the upgrade once your 7.0 Clients are connected to the new Repository.

2.6. Upgrading or Downgrading Deadline 87

http://docs.thinkboxsoftware.com/


Important Notice When Upgrading From 7.0 to 7.1: Due to a change in the Slave Scheduling settings in thedatabase, you should avoid editing the Slave Scheduling settings from a machine running version 7.1 until all machineshave upgraded to 7.1. Otherwise, you will get the following error when the Launcher tries to auto-upgrade. If youget this error when the Launcher tries to auto-upgrade, the workaround is to delete all Slave Scheduling groups in theSlave Scheduling settings, and then recreate them once all machines have upgraded to 7.1.

An error occurred while deserializing the SlaveSchedulingGroups property of classDeadline.Configuration.DeadlineNetworkSettings: Element 'AllSlaves' does not matchany field or property of class Deadline.Slaves.SlaveSchedulingGroup.(System.IO.FileFormatException)

Upgrading or Downgrading the Database and Repository

Launch the new Repository installer, and choose the existing Repository folder for the Installation Directory. Thenchoose the option to connect to an existing MongoDB database, and use the same Database Settings you used wheninstalling the previous version (they should be pre-populated for you).

During the installation, all binaries, plug-ins, and scripts from the previous version will be backed up. You can findthem in the backup folder in the Repository after the installation is complete. Note that any scripts or plugins in the‘custom’ folder will not be affected when upgrading the Repository.

After upgrading or downgrading the Database and Repository, you can then upgrade or downgrade the Clients.

Upgrading or Downgrading Pulse and Balancer

Before upgrading or downgrading all of your client machines, you should first upgrade or downgrade Pulse and theBalancer (if you’re running either of them). If you don’t have Automatic Upgrades / Downgrades enabled, you willhave to upgrade or downgrade Pulse and the Balancer manually, which involves running the Client Installer on thePulse machine. See the Client Installation Guide for more information.

If you have Automatic Upgrades / Downgrades enabled, all you have to do is restart the Pulse or Balancer applicationfrom the Monitor, providing that Remote Administration is enabled. The Client will notice that the Repository hasbeen upgraded or downgraded, and will automatically upgrade or downgrade itself.

• To restart Pulse remotely, select Pulse in the Pulse List in the Monitor while in Super User mode, then rightclick and select Remote Control -> Restart Pulse.

• To restart the Balancer remotely, select the Balancer in the Balancer List in the Monitor while in Super Usermode, then right click and select Remote Control -> Restart Balancer.

See the Remote Control documentation for more information about the remote commands that are available.

Upgrading or Downgrading the Clients

If you don’t have Automatic Upgrades / Downgrades enabled, you will have to upgrade or downgrade the Clientsmanually, which involves running the Client Installers on the machines. See the Client Installation Guide for moreinformation.

If you have Automatic Upgrades / Downgrades enabled, all you have to do is restart the Slave application on eachrender node through the Launcher. The Client will notice that the Repository has been upgraded or downgraded,and will automatically upgrade or downgrade itself. In addition, the next time artists launch the Monitor on theirworkstations through the Launcher, their installation will also be upgraded or downgraded.

To restart the Slaves remotely, Remote Administration must be enabled. Select the Slaves you want to upgrade ordowngrade in the Monitor while in Super User mode, then right click and select Remote Control -> Restart Slaves.



If the slaves are currently rendering and you don’t want to disrupt them, you can choose the option to Restart SlavesAfter Current Task instead. This option will allow the Slaves to upgrade or downgrade after they finishe renderingtheir current task to prevent the loss of any render time. See the Remote Control documentation for more information.

After restarting the Slaves, several Slaves may appear offline or a message may pop up saying the certain Slaves didnot respond. This may occur because all the Slaves are trying to upgrade or downgrade at once. Wait a little bit andeventually all the Slaves should come back online.

2.7 Relocating the Database or Repository

2.7.1 Overview

There may come a time where you have to move the Database or Repository (or both) to another location or anothermachine. This guide will walk you through the steps required.

2.7.2 Migrating the Database

These are the steps to move your Database to a new location:

1. Shut down all the Slave applications running on your render nodes. You don’t want them making changes duringthe move.

2. Stop the mongod process on the Database machine.

3. Copy the Database folder from the original location to the new one.

4. Update the config.conf file in the data folder to point to the new system log folder and storage folder locations.

5. Start the mongod process on the Database machine.

6. Modify the dbConnect.XML file in the settings folder in the Repository to set the new database host name or IPaddress (if you moved it to another machine).

7. Start up the Slaves and ensure that they can connect to the new Database.

Here is an example of how you would update the config.conf file if you copied the new database location wasC:\NEW_DATABASE_FOLDER:

systemLog:destination: filepath: C:/NEW_DATABASE_FOLDER/data/logs/log.txtquiet: true

storage:dbPath: C:/NEW_DATABASE_FOLDER/data

Because the Clients use the dbConnect.xml file in the Repository to determine the database connection settings, youdon’t have to reconfigure the Clients to find the new database.

2.7.3 Migrating the Repository

These are the steps to move your Repository to a new location:

1. Ensure that the share for the new location already exists. Also ensure that the proper permissions have been set.

2.7. Relocating the Database or Repository 89


2. Shut down all the Slave applications running on your render nodes. You don’t want them making changes duringthe move.

3. Copy the Repository folder from the original location to the new location.

4. Redirect all your Client machines to point to the new Repository location.

5. Start up the Slaves and ensure that they can connect to the new Repository location.

6. Delete the original Repository (optional).

As an alternative to step (4), you can configure your share name (if the new Repository is on the same machine) oryour DNS settings (if the new Repository is on a different machine) so that the new Repository location has the samepath as the original. This saves you the hassle of having to reconfigure all of your Client machines.

2.8 Importing Repository Settings

After installing a new Repository, you can import settings from a previous Repository into the new one. To do this,open the Monitor and ensure that you’re connected to the new Repository (the title bar for the Monitor window willshow the Repository that you’re connected to). The enter Super User Mode from the Tools menu, and select Tools ->Import Settings to bring up the Import Repositroy Settings window.

Specify the path to the old Repository that you want to import the settings from, and then choose which settings youwant to import and press the Import Settings button. Note that all passwords in Repository Options (Super User, SMTP,



Mapped Drives) and Users (Web Service, Windows Login) will not be transferred, so these must be set manually afterthe transfer is complete.

Also note that this feature only allows you to import settings from Deadline 6 or later. An un-supported Pythonscript DeadlineV5Migration.py attempts to migrate Deadline v5.x customers over to Deadline v6.x. It can be foundtogether with other useful example scripts on our Github site. Please note the disclaimer before executing this scriptin your Deadline queue.

2.8. Importing Repository Settings 91

https://github.com/ThinkboxSoftware/Deadline/tree/master/Installation/Migration



CHAPTER

THREE

GETTING STARTED

3.1 Application Configuration

3.1.1 Overview

Deadline needs to know the executable file path to your installed application before being able to process jobs acrossyour network. For many applications (which ship themselves with a default install path), the binary executable fileand it’s path for each operating system and version is already included in the “Configure Plugins...” dialog for eachapplication, which can be accessed via Deadline Monitor –> Tools –> Super User Mode –> “Configure Plugins...”.Below are example default application paths for the MayaBatch and Nuke plugins.

93


3.1.2 Multiple Application Paths

Looking at the MayaBatch plugin configuration section as an example. There are multiple render executable pathsdefined. When a Deadline Slave dequeues (starts) a MayaBatch job, amongst many other functions in the ../<Dead-lineRepository>/plugins/MayaBatch/MayaBatch.py plugin file, the slave attempts to retrieve the first ApplicationPath that exists on the machine which has been configured for the exact version of MayaBatch to be used, bitnessbuild (None, 32bit, 64bit) and also for all operating systems. In the example of MayaBatch below we also haveseparate versions for Maya (2016) and Maya’s Extension (2016_5) which are defined in the ../<DeadlineReposi-tory>/plugins/MayaBatch/MayaBatch.dlinit configuration file as a semicolon separated list:

RenderExecutable2016_0=C:\\Program Files\\Autodesk\\Maya2016\\bin\\MayaBatch.exe;/usr/autodesk/maya2016-x64/bin/maya;/Applications/Autodesk/maya2016/Maya.app/Contents/bin/mayaRenderExecutable2016_5=C:\\Program Files\\Autodesk\\Maya2016.5\\bin\\MayaBatch.exe;/usr/autodesk/maya2016.5-x64/bin/maya;/Applications/Autodesk/maya2016.5/Maya.app/Contents/bin/maya

The MayaBatch.dlinit file is automatically written to as you commit UI changes in the Plugin Configuration dialogin Monitor. There is no need to manually edit these text files although this is possible. The ../<DeadlineReposi-tory>/plugins/MayaBatch/MayaBatch.param file is an optional file that is used by the Plugin Configuration dialog inthe Monitor. It declares properties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifying custom settings inthe MayaBatch.dlinit file.

94 Chapter 3. Getting Started


Typically, there are 3 functions in our scripting API which help us identify the correct application executable toreturn as the “Render Executable” to be used, depending on which Build option is selected in your in-app or monitorsubmission UI (see above for an example) to be used - None (default), 32bit or 64bit. These functions check the actualbitness of the application binary executable to ensure we use a 32bit or 64bit application if applicable:

• FileUtils. SearchFileList ( string fileList ) Searches a semicolon separated list of files (fileList) for the firstone that exists. For relative file paths in the list, the current directory and the PATH environment variablewill be searched. Returns the first file that exists, or “” if no file is found.

• FileUtils. SearchFileListFor32Bit ( string fileList ) Searches a semicolon separated list of files (fileList) forthe first 32bit file that exists. For relative file paths in the list, the current directory and the PATH environ-ment variable will be searched. Returns the first file that exists, or “” if no file is found.

• FileUtils. SearchFileListFor64Bit ( string fileList ) Searches a semicolon separated list of files (fileList) forthe first 64bit file that exists. For relative file paths in the list, the current directory and the PATH environ-ment variable will be searched. Returns the first file that exists, or “” if no file is found.

3.1.3 Network Installed Applications

If the application in question supports running across a network, then you can add network application install pathsto the Plugin Configuration dialog in Monitor as well. Access permissions should be correctly configured for the useraccount(s) that Deadline Slave runs under to have the correct access. Alternatively, you may wish to create desktopshortcuts/symlinks instead and configure these paths in the Plugin Configuration dialog. Beyond the scope of thisdocumentation, please note that although many Windows based applications can be installed to a network location,they still require the presence of many c++/c#/.NET re-distribution packages to be installed.

Application Wrapper Scripts

Typically, Linux based VFX studios use a bash/python ‘wrapper’ script which is called to startup an application. Thisallows the studio to execute other commands, configure environment variables accordingly before the actual launchingof an application such as Maya. As the bash/python script file is not a binary executable directly, our 2 x functionswhich check the actual bitness of your script file will cause a failure, which can be skipped by simply ensuring Noneas the build option is used. This can be better explained by showing a working example if we inspect the actual Pythoncode in the MayaBatch plugin:

3.1. Application Configuration 95


## Called by Deadline to get the render executable.def RenderExecutable( self ):

versionString = str( self.Version ).replace( ".", "_" )

mayaExecutable = ""mayaExeList = self.deadlinePlugin.GetConfigEntry( "RenderExecutable" + versionString )

if( self.Build == "32bit" ):self.deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Enforcing 32 bit build of Maya" )if( SystemUtils.IsRunningOnWindows() ):

mayaExecutable = FileUtils.SearchFileListFor32Bit( mayaExeList )if( mayaExecutable == "" ):

self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "32 bit Maya " + versionString + " render executable was not found in the semicolon separated list \"" + mayaExeList + "\". The path to the render executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor." )else:

# Need to check bitness of Render because maya is just a shell script.mayaExeList = mayaExeList.replace( "\\", "/" )for executable in mayaExeList.split( ";" ):

tempExecutable = PathUtils.ChangeFilename( executable, "Render" )tempExecutable = FileUtils.SearchFileListFor32Bit( tempExecutable )if tempExecutable != "":

mayaExecutable = executablebreak

if( mayaExecutable == "" ):self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "32 bit Maya " + versionString + " render executable was not found in the semicolon separated list \"" + mayaExeList + "\". The path to the render executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor." )

elif( self.Build == "64bit" ):self.deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Enforcing 64 bit build of Maya" )if( SystemUtils.IsRunningOnWindows() ):

mayaExecutable = FileUtils.SearchFileListFor64Bit( mayaExeList )if( mayaExecutable == "" ):

self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "64 bit Maya " + versionString + " render executable was not found in the semicolon separated list \"" + mayaExeList + "\". The path to the render executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor." )else:

# Need to check bitness of Render because maya is just a shell script.mayaExeList = mayaExeList.replace( "\\", "/" )for executable in mayaExeList.split( ";" ):

tempExecutable = PathUtils.ChangeFilename( executable, "Render" )tempExecutable = FileUtils.SearchFileListFor64Bit( tempExecutable )if tempExecutable != "":

mayaExecutable = executablebreak

if( mayaExecutable == "" ):self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "64 bit Maya " + versionString + " render executable was not found in the semicolon separated list \"" + mayaExeList + "\". The path to the render executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor." )

else:self.deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Not enforcing a build of Maya" )mayaExecutable = FileUtils.SearchFileList( mayaExeList )if( mayaExecutable == "" ):

self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "Maya " + versionString + " render executable was not found in the semicolon separated list \"" + mayaExeList + "\". The path to the render executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor." )

return mayaExecutable



3.2 Submitting Jobs

3.2.1 Overview

The easiest and most common way to submit render jobs to Deadline is via our many submission scripts, which arewritten for each rendering application it supports. After you have submitted your job, you can monitor its progressusing the Monitor. See the Monitoring Jobs documentation for more information.

If you would like more control over the submission process, or would like to submit arbitrary command line jobs toDeadline, see the Manual Job Submission documentation for more information.

3.2.2 Integrated Submission Scripts

Where possible, we have created integrated submission scripts that allow you to submit jobs directly from the appli-cation you’re working with. These scripts are convenient because you don’t have to launch a separate application tosubmit the job. In addition, these scripts often provide more submission options because they have direct access to thescene or project file you are submitting.

See the Plug-ins documentation for more information on how to set up the integrated submission scripts (where appli-cable) and submit jobs for specific applications.

3.2. Submitting Jobs 97


3.2.3 Monitor Submission Scripts

In cases where an application doesn’t have an integrated submission script, you can submit the jobs from the Submitmenu in the Monitor. Note that applications that have integrated submission scripts also have Monitor scripts here,but in most cases there are less options to choose from. This is because the integrated submission scripts use theapplication’s native scripting language to pull additional information from the file being submitted. See the Plug-insdocumentation for more information on how submit jobs for specific applications.

You can also create your own submission scripts for the Monitor. Check out the Monitor Scripting documentation formore details.

3.2.4 Common Job Submission Options

There are many job options that can be specified on submission. A lot of these options are general job propertiesthat aren’t specific to the application you’re rendering with. Some of these options are described below. There arealso many other options that are specific to the application that you’re rendering with. These are covered in eachapplication’s plug-in guide, which can be found in the Plug-ins documentation.

Job Name

The name of your job. This is optional, and if left blank, it will default to “Untitled”.

Comment

A simple description of your job. This is optional and can be left blank.

Department

The department you belong to. This is optional and can be left blank.

Pool and Group



The pool and group that the job belongs to. See the Job Scheduling documentation for more informationon how these options affect job scheduling.

Priority

A job can have a numeric priority ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 is the lowest priority and 100 is thehighest priority. See the Job Scheduling documentation for more information on how this option affectsjob scheduling.

Task Timeout and Auto Task Timeout

The number of minutes a slave has to render a task for this job before an error is reported and the task isrequeued. Specify 0 for no limit. If the Auto Task Timeout is properly configured in the Repository Op-tions, then enabling the Auto Task Timeout option will allow a task timeout to be automatically calculatedbased on the render times of previous frames for the job.

Concurrent Tasks and Limiting Tasks To A Slave’s Task Limit

The number of tasks that can render concurrently on a single slave. This is useful if the rendering appli-cation only uses one thread to render and your slaves have multiple CPUs. Caution should be used whenusing this feature though if your renders require a large amount of RAM.

If you limit the tasks to a slave’s task limit, then by default, the slave won’t dequeue more tasks then it hasCPUs. This task limit can be overridden for individual slaves by an administrator. See the Slave Settingsdocumentation for more information.

Machine Limit and Machine Whitelists/Blacklists

Use the Machine Limit to specify the maximum number of slaves that can render your job at one time.Specify 0 for no limit. You can also force the job to render on specific slaves by using a whitelist, or youcan avoid specific slaves by using a blacklist. See the Limit Documentation for more information.

Limits

The limits that your job must adhere to. See the Limit Documentation for more information.

Dependencies

Specify existing jobs that this job will be dependent on. This job will not start until the specified depen-dencies finish rendering.

On Job Complete

If desired, you can automatically archive or delete the job when it completes.

Submit Job As Suspended

If enabled, the job will submit in the suspended state. This is useful if you don’t want the job to startrendering right away. Just resume it from the Monitor when you want it to render.

Scene/Project/Data File (if applicable)

The file path to the Scene/Project/Data File to be processed/rendered as the job. The file needs to be ina shared location so that the slave machines can find it when they go to render it directly. See SubmitScene/Project File With Job below for a further option. Note, all external asset/file paths referenced bythe Scene/Project/Data File should be resolvable by your slave machines on your network.

Frame List

The list of frames to render. See the Frame List Formatting Options below for valid frame lists.

Frames Per Task

Also known as Chunk Size. This is the number of frames that will be rendered at a time for each job task.Increasing the Frames Per Task can help alleviate some of the inherited overhead that comes with network



rendering, but if your frames take longer than a couple of minutes to render, it is recommended that youleave the Frames Per Task at 1.

Submit Scene/Project File With Job

If this option is enabled, the scene or project file you want to render will be submitted with the job, andthen copied locally to the slave machine during rendering. The benefit to this is that you have a copy ofthe file in the state that it was in when it was submitted. However, if your scene or project file uses relativeasset paths, enabling this option can cause the render to fail when the asset paths can’t be resolved.

Note, only the Scene/Project File is submitted with the job and ALL external/asset files referenced by theScene/Project File are still required by the slave machines.

If this option is disabled, the file needs to be in a shared location so that the slave machines can findit when they go to render it directly. Leaving this option disabled is required if the file has references(footage, textures, caches, etc) that exist in a relative location. Note though that if you modify the originalfile, it will affect the render job.

3.2.5 Draft and Integration Submission Options

The majority of the submission scripts that ship with Deadline have Integration options to connect to Shotgun andftrack, and/or use Draft to perform post-rendering compositing operations. The Integration and Draft job options areessentially the same in every submission script, and more information can be found in their respective documentation:

• Draft Documentation

• Shotgun Documentation

• ftrack Documentation

3.2.6 Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a flexible multi-region rendering system for Deadline, and is available for 3ds Max, Maya, modo, and Rhino.It can be used to render regions of various sizes for a single frame, and in 3ds Max and Maya, it can be used to trackand render specific objects over an animation.

Draft can then be used to automatically assemble the regions into the final frame or frames. It can also be used toautomatically composite re-rendered regions onto the original frame.

Jigsaw is built into the 3ds Max, Maya, modo, and Rhino submitters, and with the exception of 3ds Max, Jigsawviewport will be displayed in a separate window.



The viewport can be used to create and manipulate regions, which will then be submitted to Deadline to render. Theavailable options are listed below.

General Options

These options are always available:

• Add Region: Adds a new region.

• Delete All: Deletes all the current regions.

• Create From Grid: Creates a grid of regions to cover the full viewport. The X value controls the number ofcolumns and the Y value controls the number of rows.

• Fill Regions: Automatically creates new regions to fill the parts of the viewport that are not currently coveredby a region.

• Clean Regions: Deletes any regions that are fully contained within another region.

• Undo: Undo the last change made to the regions.

• Redo: Redo the last change that was previously undone.

Selected Regions Options

These options are only available when one or more regions are selected.

• Delete: Deletes the selected regions.

• Split: Splits the selected regions into sub-regions based on the Tiles In X and Tyles In Y settings.

These options are only available when a single region is selected:

• Clone: Creates a duplicate region parallel to the selected region in the specified direction.

• Lock Postion: If enabled, the region will be locked to its current position.

• Enable Region: If disabled, the region will be ignored when submitting the job.

• X Position: The horizontal position of the selected region, taken from the left.



• Y Position: The vertical position of the selected region, taken from the top.

• Width: The width of the selected region.

• Height: The height of the selected region.

These options are only available when multiple regions are selected.

• Merge: Combines the selected regions into a single region that covers the full area of the selected regions.

Zoom Options

These zoom options are always available:

• Zoom Slider: Use the slider to zoom the viewport in and out. You can also use the mouse wheel to zoom in andout, and you can click the mouse wheel down to pan the image if it doesn’t fit in the viewport.

• Reset Zoom: Resets the zoom within the viewport.

• Fit Viewport: Zoom to see everything in the viewport.

• Keep Fit: Zoom to see everything in the viewport, and force the viewport to not change. This allows theviewport to scale when resizing the Jigsaw window.

Maya Options

These options are currently only available for Maya:

• Reset Background: Gets the current viewport image from Maya.

• Fit Selection: Create regions surrounding the selected items in the Maya scene.

• Mode: The type of regions to be used when fitting the selected items. The options are Tight (fitting the minimum2D bounding box of the points) and Loose (fitting the minimum 2D bounding box of the bounding box of theobject).

• Padding: The amount of padding to add when fitting the selection (this is a percentage value that is added ineach direction).

• Save Regions: Saves the informations in the regions directly into the Maya scene.

• Load Regions: Loads the saved regions information from the Maya scene.

3.2.7 Frame List Formatting Options

During job submission, you usually have the option to specify the frame list you want to render, which often involvesmanually typing the frame list into a text box. In this case, you can make use of the following frame list formattingoptions.

Specifying Individual Frames or a Sequence

You can specify a single frame just by typing in the frame number:

5

You can specify individual frames by separating each frame with a comma or a space:

5,10,15,205 10 15 20

You can specify a frame range by separating the start and end frame with a dash:



1-100

Specifying a Sequence with a Step Frame

You can specify a step frame for a sequence using x, step, by, or every:

1-100x51-100step51-100by51-100every5

Each of these examples will render every 5th frame between 1 and 100 (1, 6, 11, 16, etc).

Specifying a Reverse Frame Sequence

You can specify a reverse frame range by separating the end frame and start frame with a dash:

100-1

Using a step frame also works for reverse frame sequences:

100-1x5

Advanced Frame Lists

Individual frames for the same job are never repeated when creating tasks for a job, which allows you to get creativewith your frame lists without worrying about rendering the same frame more than once.

To render frames 5, 18, and then from 28 to 100, you can specify one of the following:

5,18,28-1005 18 28-100

To render every 5th frame between 1 to 100, then fill in the rest, you can specify one of the following:

1-100x5,1-1001-100x5 1-100

To render every 10th frame between 1 to 100, then every 5th frame, then every 2nd frame, then fill in the rest, you canspecify one of the following:

1-100x10,1-100x5,1-100x2,1-1001-100x10 1-100x5 1-100x2 1-100

To render in a mix of forward and reverse by different Nth frames, then fill in the rest in reverse, you can specify oneof the following:

100-1x10,0-100x5,100-1100-1x10 0-100x5 100-1

NOTE, a job’s frame range can be modified after a job has been submitted to Deadline by right-clicking on a job andselecting “Modify Frame Range...”.



3.3 Monitoring Jobs

3.3.1 Overview

The Monitor application lets you monitor and control your jobs after they have been submitted to the farm. Thisdocumentation only covers some of the basics regarding the Monitor application. For more in-depth information, seethe Monitor documentation.

If you’re launching the Monitor for the first time on your machine, you will be prompted with a Login dialog. Simplychoose your user name or create a new one before continuing. Once the Monitor is running, you’ll see your user namein the bottom right corner. If this is the wrong user, you can log in as another user by selecting File -> Change User.Note that if your administrator set up Deadline to lock the user to the system’s login account, you will have to log offof your system and log back in as the correct user.

3.3.2 Finding Your Jobs

Information in the Monitor is broken up into different panels. When monitoring your jobs, you typically want to usethe following panels:



• Job Panel: This panel shows all the jobs in the farm.

• Task Panel: When a job is selected, this will show all the tasks for the job.

• Job Reports Panel: When a job is selected, this will show all reports (logs and errors) for the job.

These panels, and others, can be created from the View menu, or from the main toolbar. They can be re-sized, docked,or floated as desired. This allows for a highly customized viewing experience which is adaptable to the needs ofdifferent users. See the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panels in the Monitor.

The easiest way to find your jobs is to enable Ego-Centric Sorting in the job panel’s drop down menu, which can befound in the upper-right corner of the panel. This keeps all of your jobs at the top of the job list, regardless of whichcolumn the job list is sorted on. Then sort on the Submit Date/Time column to show your jobs in the order they weresubmitted.

3.3. Monitoring Jobs 105


3.3.3 Filtering the Job List

Another way to find the jobs you are interested in is to use the filtering options in the job panel. The Quick Filteroption in the job panel’s drop down menu will open a side panel that allows you to filter out jobs based on status, user,pool, group, and plugin.

For more advanced filtering, use the Edit Filter option in the drop down menu to filter on any column in the job list. Ifyou would like to save a filter for later use, use the Pinned Filters option in the drop down menu to pin your filter. You



will then be able to select it later from the Pinned Filters sub menu.



Finally, you can use the search box above the job list to filter your results even further.

3.3.4 Job Batches

Jobs that share the same Batch Name property will be grouped together in the job list. All of the job submitters thatare included with Deadline will automatically set the Batch Name if they are submitting multiple jobs that are relatedto each other. The Batch Name for a job can be modified in the Job Properties in the Monitor.



If you prefer to not have the jobs grouped together in the job list, you can disable the Group Jobs By Batch Nameoption in the Monitor and User Settings.

3.3.5 Controlling Your Jobs

If you need to pause your job, you can right-click on the job in the job list and select Suspend job. When you are readyto let the job continue, simply right-click on the job again and select Resume Job. See the Job States documentationfor more information.

To modify the properties of your job, you can double-click on the job, or right-click on it and select Modify Properties.Here you can change scheduling options such as priority and pool, as well as other general properties like the jobname. If you wish to limit which render nodes your job runs on, as well as the number of nodes that can render itconcurrently, you can do so on the Machine Limit page. Depending on the application you’re rendering with, you



may see an extra page at the bottom of the properties list (with the name of the plug-in) that allows you to modifyproperties which are specific to that application. More information on job properties can be found in the Job Propertiesdocumentation.

3.3.6 Why Is My Job Not Rendering?

If a slave isn’t rendering a job that you think it should be, you can use the Job Candidate Filter option in the panel’s dropdown menu to try and figure out why. See the Job Candidate Filter section in the Slave Configuration documentationfor more information.

The job could also be producing errors when rendering. See the following section below about handling job errors.

3.3.7 Handling Job Errors

If your job starts producing errors, you’ll notice that your job will change from green to brown, then eventually tored (depending on the number of errors). These error reports can be viewed in the Job Reports panel, which can beopened from the View menu, or from the job’s right-click menu. Here you will find all the reports generated for a jobincluding the error reports which will be red. You can filter and sort the reports to help find what you are looking for.

Often, the error reports will clearly show what the cause of the error is, allowing you can take the appropriate stepsto resolve the problem. If you’re ever unsure of what an error means, feel free to email the error report to DeadlineSupport and we’ll try to help. See the Job Reports and History documentation for more information.


http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/support/



3.3.8 Completed Jobs

When your job is complete, you can view the output images by right-clicking on the individual tasks in the task listand selecting the output filename. This will open the image in the application that is set to open that type of file bydefault. Note that this option isn’t always available for some applications. In most cases though, you can view theoutput image folder by right-clicking on the job and selecting Explore Output. See the Job Output documentation formore information.

You can also view the logs for the job in the Job Reports panel, which can be opened from the View menu, or from thejob’s right-click menu. Finally, once you are happy with the results and no longer need the job, you can delete it byright-clicking on the job and selecting Delete Job.



3.3.9 Re-rendering Jobs

If you have a completed job that you need to re-render, you can do so by right-clicking on the job and selectingRequeue Job. If you only need to re-render a few bad frames, you can just requeue their corresponding tasks byright-clicking on one or more tasks in the task list selecting Requeue Tasks.

In some cases, the Monitor can try to detect bad frames for you. You can use this feature by right-clicking on thejob and selecting Scan For Missing Output. The scan will check for missing frames or frames that don’t meet a sizethreshold. You will then have the option to requeue all the corresponding tasks automatically. Note that the Scan ForMissing Output option isn’t available for all jobs. See the Job Output documentation for more information.

3.4 Controlling Jobs

3.4.1 Overview

The Jobs panel allows jobs to be controlled and modified using the right-click menu. In addition, the Task panel allowsspecific tasks to be controlled using the right-click menu. Note that the availability of these options can vary dependingon the context in which they are used, as well as the User Group Permissions that are defined for the current user.



If the Job or Task panels are not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create newpanels in the Monitor.

3.4.2 Job States

The state of jobs can be changed using the Job panel’s right-click menu. In addition, the states of specific tasks can bechanged using the Task panel’s right-click menu. Note that it is possible to modify the states of multiple jobs or tasksat the same time, providing the selected jobs or tasks are all in the same state.

3.4. Controlling Jobs 113


When suspending a job, a confirmation message will appear that gives you the option to suspend the tasks for thejob that are currently rendering. If you disable this option, any tasks that are currently rendering will be allowed tocomplete.

These are the states that a job can be in. They are color coded to make it clear which state the job is in.

• Queued (white): No tasks for the job are currently being rendered.

• Rendering (green): At least one task for the job is being rendered.

• Completed (blue): All tasks for the job have finished rendering.

• Suspended (gray): The job will not be rendered until it is resumed.

• Pending (orange): The job is waiting on dependencies to finish, or is scheduled to start at a later time.

• Failed (red): The job has failed due to errors. It must be resumed before it can be rendered again.

You may notice Queued or Rendering jobs turn slightly red or brown as they sit in the farm. This is an indication thatthe job is reporting errors. See the Job Reports section further down for more information.

The Job panel’s right-click menu also gives the option to delete or archive jobs. Both options will remove the jobsfrom the farm, but archived jobs can be imported again for later use. You can import archived jobs from the File menuin the Monitor. See the Job Archiving documentation for more information.

3.4.3 Resubmitting Jobs

If you want to render a specific job again, but you don’t want to lose the statistics for original job, you can resubmit itfrom the Job panel’s right-click menu. This will bring up a window allowing you to adjust the frame list and framesper task if you want to. All other job properties will remain identical.



Note that you can resubmit it as a normal job or a maintenance job. Maintenance jobs are special jobs where each taskfor the job will render the same frame(s) on a different machine in your farm. This is useful for performing benchmarktests on your machines. When a maintenance job is submitted, a task will automatically be created for each slave, andonce a slave has finished a task, it will no longer pick up the job.

It’s even possible to resubmit specific tasks as a new job, which can be done from the Task panel’s right-click menu.Note though that a Maintenance job can only be resubmitted from the Job panel.

Note that Tile jobs will have their own resubmission dialog, and only the Tile frame can be changed.

3.4.4 Job Properties

To modify job properties, select the Modify Job Properties option from the Job panel’s right-click menu. Double-clicking on a job will also bring up the Job Properties window. There are many pages of properties you can modify,which are covered below. Note that it is possible to modify the properties of multiple jobs at the same time.

General

These are the most common job properties, and most of these were specified when the job was originally submitted.



The properties are as follows:

• Job ID: The internal ID of the job.

• Job Name: The name of the job.

• Comment: The comment for the job.

• Department: The department the job was submitted from.

• Batch Name: The batch the job belongs to. Jobs with the same Batch Name are grouped together in the Monitor.

• User: The user who submitted the job.

• Pool: The pool that the job belongs to.

• Secondary Pool: If enabled, the job can fall back to the secondary pool if there are machines available in thatpool.

• Group: The group that the job belongs to.

• Priority: The priority of the job (0 = lowest, 100 = highest).

• Concurrent Tasks: The number of tasks a slave can dequeue at a time (1-16). Note that not all plug-ins supportthis feature, such as Digital Fusion.

• Limit Tasks To Slave’s Task Limit: If checked, a slave will not dequeue more tasks than it is allowed to basedon its settings.



• On Job Complete: When a job completes, you can auto-archive or auto-delete it. You can also choose to donothing when the job completes.

• Job Is Protected: If enabled, the job can only be deleted by the job’s user, a super user, or a user that belongsto a user group that has permissions to handle protected jobs. Other users will not be able to delete the job, andthe job will also not be cleaned up by Deadline’s automatic house cleaning.

• Re-synchronize Auxiliary Files Between Tasks: If checked, all job files will be synchronized by the Slavebetween tasks for this job. This can add significant network overhead, and should only be used if you aremanually editing any of the files that were submitted with the job.

• Reload Plugin Between Tasks: If checked, the slave reloads all the plug-in files between tasks for the samejob.

• Enforce Sequential Rendering: Sequential rendering forces a slave to render the tasks of a job in order. Ifan earlier task is ever requeued, the slave won’t go back to that task until it has finished the remaining tasks inorder.

• Suppress Event Plugins: If enabled, this job will not trigger any event plugins while in the queue.

• Job Is Interruptible: If enabled, tasks for this job can be interrupted during rendering by a job with a higherpriority.

• Interruptible %: A task for this job will only be interrupted if the task progress is less than or equal to thisvalue.

Timeouts

These properties effect how a job will timeout. It is important to note that the Auto Task Timeout feature is based onthe Auto Job Timeout Settings in the Repository Options. The timeout is based on the render times of the tasks thathave already finished for this job, so this option should only be used if the frames for the job have consistent rendertimes.




• Minimum Task Render Time: The minimum amount of time a Slave has to render a task. If a task finishesfaster, an error will be reported.

• Maximum Task Render Time: The maximum amount of time a Slave has to render a task. If a Maximum StartJob Time is set, the Maximum Task Render Time will not be applied to the Starting phase of a job.

• Maximum Start Job Time: The maximum amount of time a Slave has to start a job.

• On Task Timeout: You have the option to have the job report an error or notify you when a timeout is reached.

• Enable Timeouts For Pre/Post Job Scripts: If checked, then the timeouts for this job will also affect itspre/post job scripts, if any are defined.

• Enable Auto Task Timeout: If the job should automatically timeout based on parameters specified in theRepository Options.

• Use Frame Timeouts: If enabled, timeouts will be calculated based on frames instead of by tasks. The timeoutsentered for tasks will be used for each frame in that task.

Notifications

These properties allow you to notify user(s) are jobs complete. There are two list controls beside each other on thispanel. The left list contains all the current users on your farm. The right list contains the names of the users of whomwill receive notifications. You can move users from one list to another using the arrow controls between the two lists.




• Notification Email Addresses: A comma delimited list of the Notification Users email addresses.

• Job Completion Notes: Notes to attach in the email sent when the job has completed.

• Override Notification Method: If checked, you can select whether to send an email or to not send an email.

Machine Limit

A Machine Limit can be used to limit the number of slaves that can render one particular job. This is useful if youwant to render a bunch of jobs simultaneously. The list you create can be a whitelist or a blacklist. A whitelist is thelist of slaves that are approved to render this job (only these approved machines will render this job) while a black listcontains slaves which are will not render this job. To move a machine from one list to another you can use the arrowbuttons between the two lists, drag and drop the machine names you want, or simply double click the machine name.You are also able to load and save your machine list from a file so you can use the same list across multiple jobs. Thefile used will save each machine name to a single line.



You can modify the following options for the machine limit:

• Slaves that can render this job simultaneously: The number of slaves that can render this job at the sametime.

• Return Limit Stub When Task Progress % Reaches: If enabled, you can have a slave release its limit stubwhen the current task it is rendering reaches the specified progress. Note that not all plug-ins report task progress,in which case the machine limit stub will not be released until the task finishes rendering.

• Whitelisted/Blacklisted Slaves: If slaves are on a blacklist, they will never try to render this job. If slaves areon a whitelist, only those slaves will try to render this job. Note that an empty blacklist and an empty whitelistare functionally equivalent, and have no impact on which machines the job renders on.

• Load Machine List: Open a file dialog to load a list of slaves to be used in the white/blacklist. One machinename per line in the file (.txt).

• Save Machine List: Open a file dialog to save the current white/black list. Each machine name will be writtento a single line.

Limits

Here you can add or remove the limits that will effect your job. Limits are used to ensure floating licences are usedcorrectly on your farm. To add a limit to your job, you can select the limit(s) you require from from the limit list andpress the right arrow between the Limit List and the Required Limits. You are also able to drag and drop your selectedlimits into or from the required limits or just double click a limit to move it from one list to another.



Dependencies

Dependencies can be used to control when a job should start rendering. See the Job Dependency Options below formore information.



Failure Detection

Here you can set how your job handles errors and determine when to fail a job.



The properties are a follows:

• Override Job Error Limit: Once checked, the job override limit will be set to the user specified value.

• Override Task Error Limit: Once checked, the task error limit will be changed to the user specified value.

• Send Warning Notification For Job Errors: Whether or not to send a notification to the users specified in theNotification Panel when a job error occurs.

• Ignore Bad Slave Error Limit: If checked, A bad slave error will not count towards job errors.

• Clear Bad Slave List: Determines whether or not the bad slave list should currently be cleared.

Cleanup

Here you can override if and how your job is automatically cleaned up when it completes.



The properties are a follows:

• Override Automatic Job Cleanup: If enabled, these cleanup settings will be used instead of the ones in theRepository Options.

• Cleanup Job After This Many Days: If enabled, this is the number of days to wait after this job has completedbefore cleaning it up.

• Cleanup Mode: Whether the cleanup should archive the job or delete it.

Scheduling

You can schedule the job to start and/or stop at a specific date and time, and even repeat on regular intervals. Thiscan be useful for maintenance jobs that need to run every few days or weeks. In addition, you can define a customschedule so that the jobs can start and/or stop at different times on different days of the week.



Scheduling properties are as follows:

• Scheduling Mode: Determines how the job will be scheduled. Possible values are Disabled, One Time, Re-peating, or Custom.

• Once or Repeating Scheduling Settings:

– Start Date and Time: The date and time this job should start.

– Stop Date and Time: If enabled, the date and time this job should be marked as complete if it is stillactive.

– Day Interval: The number of days to wait before repeating this job if the Scheduling Mode is set toRepeating.

• Custom Scheduling Settings: Configure the days and times that the job should start and/or stop.

It should be noted that if the job is not put into the Pending state, the job will not wait for the scheduled time to beginrendering. When the scheduling settings change, you will be prompted to put the job in the pending state. This canalso be done by right clicking the job and choosing ‘Mark as Pending’.

Scripts

You can attach custom Python scripts to your job which can be run before and after your job has rendered. You mayalso attach scripts to your job’s tasks which can be run before and after your job’s tasks render. For more informationon creating custom job scripts, see the Job Scripting section of the documentation.



You may attach the following scripts which will be executed at different times:

• Pre Job Script: Executed before a job is run.

• Post Job Script: Executed after a job has completed.

• Pre Task Script: Executed before a task is completed.

• Post Task Script: Executed after a task has completed.

For more details on these script properties, see the Job Scripting section of the documentation.

Environment

When running a job, you are able to attach environment variables through the Environment tab. The environment vari-ables are specified as key-value pairs and are set on the slave machine running the job. You are able to specify whetheryour job specific environment variables will only be set while your job is rendering. All job specific environmentvariables will be removed when the job has finished running.

You are also able to set a custom plugin directory on this panel. This acts as an alternative directory to load your jobsplugin from. It is useful while creating and testing custom job plugins or when you need 1 or more jobs to specificallyuse a custom job plugin which is not stored in the Deadline Repository.



The Environment properties are as follows:

• Custom Plugin Directory: An alternative directory to load your jobs plugin from.

• Environment Variables: A list of environment variables to set while running a job. Stored as a list of key valuepairs.

• Only Use Job Environment Variables When Rendering: Environment variables for your job will only be setwhen the job is in the rendering state. Will be removed when the job is finished rendering.

Extra Info

When a job is submitted, it can have extra information embedded in it. For example, if a studio has an in-housepipeline tool, they may want to embed information in the job that will be used to update the pipeline tool when the jobfinishes rendering.



The Extra Info 0-9 properties can be renamed from the Jobs section of the Repository Options, and have correspondingcolumns in the Job list that can be sorted on. The additional key/value pairs in the list at the bottom do not havecorresponding columns, and can be used to contain internal data that doesn’t need to be displayed in the job list.

Submission Params

Here you can view and export the job info and plugin info parameters that were specified when the job was submitted.The exported files can be passed to the the Command application to manually re-submit the job. See the Manual JobSubmission documentation for more information.



Plugin Specific Properties

The Plug-in specific properties vary between the different plug-ins, and some plug-ins may not have a Plug-in specificproperties tab at all. Note that when modifying properties for multiple jobs at the same time, the Plug-in specific tabwill only be available if all selected jobs use the same plug-in.



To get a description of specific plug-in properties, just hover your mouse cursor over them in the properties dialog anda tooltip will pop up with a description.

3.4.5 Job Dependency Options

Dependencies can be used to control when a job should start rendering. There are three types of dependencies available,and one or more can be specified for a job:

• Jobs: Job dependencies can be used to start a job when other jobs that it depends on are finished.

• Assets: Asset dependencies can be used to start a job when specific files exist on disk.

• Scripts: Script dependencies can be used to start a job based on if a Python script returns True or False.

There are a few ways to set up dependencies in the Monitor, which are described below.

Job Properties

In the Job tab on the Dependencies page, you have the ability to set which jobs your job is dependent on. By default,the job will only resume when each of its dependencies have completed, but you can also have your job resume whenthe dependencies have failed, or have been deleted from the queue. Note that you can only set which jobs this job isdependent on, not which jobs are dependent on this job.

You can also make the job frame dependent, which means that a frame from the job won’t begin rendering until thesame frame from the other job(s) is complete. This is useful if you have a job that is dependent on the frames ofanother job, and you want the two jobs to render concurrently.



In the Asset tab, you can make this job dependent on asset files (textures, particle caches, etc). This job won’t be ableto render on a slave unless it can access all the files listed here.



Iin the Script tab, you can make this job dependent on the results of the specified scripts.



The following properties apply to all dependency types:

• Resume On Completed Dependencies: This job will resume when its dependencies complete.

• Resume On Failed Dependencies: This job will resume when its dependencies fail.

• Resume On Deleted dependencies: This job will resume when its dependencies are deleted from the queue.

• Resume When Each Dependency is % Complete: This job will resume when each of the jobs this job isdependent on reaches a certain percentage of completion.

• Use Frame Dependencies: Specifies that this job is dependent on specific frames from its dependencies, andwill release tasks for this job as appropriate.

• Frame Offset Start/End: Use these to offset the frames that this job is dependent on. It can also be used tomake frames for this job dependent on multiple frames from other jobs.

You can also specify notes and set overrides for individual dependencies by clicking on them in the dependency list.Click the Overrides button to view the overrides panel.



Drag and Drop

In the Jobs panel, you can drag one or more jobs and drop them on another job. You will then be presented with somechoices on how to set the dependencies.



Note that drag & drop dependencies will not work if you are holding down a modifier key (SHIFT, CTRL, etc). Thisis to help avoid accidental drag & drops when selecting multiple jobs in the list.

If you would like to disable drag & drop dependencies, you can do so from the Monitor Options, which can be accessedfrom the main toolbar. Note that if you change this setting, you will have to restart the Monitor for the changes to takeeffect.

Dependency View

The Job Dependency View is used to be able to visualize and modify your jobs and their dependencies. You can openthe Job Dependency View panel from the View menu in the Monitor.



The view will show your currently selected job and all nodes that are linked to it by dependencies. The job node colorsindicate the state of the job, while the asset nodes are yellow and the script nodes are purple.

Jobs are dependent on everything that has a connection to the Square Socket on their left side. Connections can bemade by dragging from the sockets on the nodes (square/circle) to the socket/main body of the other node. Connectionscan be broken by either dragging the connection off of the node or by selecting the connection and pressing the deletekey. Note that changes made in the dependency view do not take effect until saved. If you have made changes and goto close the dependency view, you will be notified that you have unsaved changes.

Additional job nodes can be added to the view by dragging them in from the job list (after locking the dependencyfirst), or through the right click menu. Asset and script nodes can also be added by dragging the file in from yourexplorer/finder window, or through the right click menu as well.

Dependencies can be tested by pressing the Test Dependency button in the toolbar. The results are represented by thefollowing colors:

• Green: The dependency test has passed.

• Red: The dependency test has failed.

• Yellow: The job is frame dependent, and the dependency test for some of the frames has passed.



All the available dependency view options can be found across the toolbar at the top of the view, and/or from theview’s right click menu.

Options in toolbar and right click menu:

• Lock View: When enabled, the view will no longer show the currently selected job and will display the lastjob selected before locking. This is necessary before additional job can be dragged from the job list into thedependency view.

• Reload View: This redraws the dependency view for the selected job. If changes have been made, you will beprompted to save your changes.



• Save View: Saves the changes made to the dependency view for the selected job.

• Selection Style: If off, all nodes and connections touched by the selection area will be selected. If on, onlynodes and connections that are fully contained by the selection are will be selected.

• Minimap: Controls if the minimap is visible and if so, in which corner.

• Elide Titles: Control whether or not the titles of nodes should be elided and if so, in which direction.

• Zoom All: Zoom the view to the point where the entire view (area that has been used) is visible.

• Zoom Extents: Zoom the view to the point where all nodes currently in the view are visible.

Options in toolbar only:

• Modify Job Details: This allows you to set which properties are visible in the nodes.

• Test Dependencies: This allows you to test your dependencies.

• Zoom Level: The current zoom level.

Options in right-click menu only:

• Job Menu: If one or more jobs are selected, you can use the same job menu that is available in the job list.

• Add Job: Choose a job to add to the dependency view.

• Add Asset: Choose an asset file to add to the dependency view.

• Add Script: Choose a script file to add to the dependency view.

• Expand/Collapse: Expand or collapse the details in all nodes.

3.4.6 Job Frame Range

To modify the frame range, select the Modify Frame Range option from the Job panel’s right-click menu. Note thatmodifying these settings will stop and requeue all tasks that are currently rendering.

See the Frame List Formatting Options documentation for more information on options for formatting frame lists.

3.4.7 Job Reports and History

All reports for a job can be viewed in the Job Reports panel. This panel can be opened from the View menu or fromthe main toolbar in the Monitor. It can also be opened from the Job and Task panel’s right-click menu.



The following reports can be viewed from the Job Report panel:

• Render Logs: These are the reports from tasks that rendered successfully.

• Render Errors: This are the reports from tasks that failed to render.

• Event Logs: These are the reports from Events that were handled successfully.

• Event Errors: These are the reports from Events that raised errors.

• Requeues: These are reports explaining why tasks were requeued.

You can use the Job Report panel’s right-click menu to save reports as files to send to Deadline Support. You can alsodelete reports from this menu as well. Finally, if a particular Slave is reporting lots of errors, you can blacklist it fromthis menu (or remove it from the job’s whitelist).

In addition to viewing job reports, you can also view the job’s history. The History window can be brought up fromthe Job panel’s right-click menu by selecting the Job History option.




3.4.8 Job Output

Many jobs have the options to explore and view the job’s output directly from the Job or Task panel’s right-click menu.If the options to explore and view the output are available for the job, there will also be the option to copy the outputpath to the clipboard. This is helpful if you need to paste the path into another application.

Note that the availability of these options is based on how much information about the job’s output could be determinedat the time the job was submitted. In some cases, the submitter can’t determine where all or some of the job’s outputwill be saved to, so these options won’t be available.



When viewing the output for a job, the Monitor will typically open the image file in the default application on themachine. You can configure the Monitor to use specific image viewer applications in the Monitor Options, which canbe accessed from the main toolbar.



Finally, some jobs will support the ability to scan completed tasks for a job to see if any output is missing or below anexpected file size. The Scan For Missing Output window can be opened by right-clicking on a job and selecting JobOutput -> Scan For Missing Output. If any missing output is detected, or the output file is smaller than the MinimumFile Size specified, you are given the option to requeue those tasks (simply place a check mark beside the tasks torequeue).



3.4.9 Job Auxiliary Files

Many jobs have additional files submitted with them, such as the scene file being rendered. These files are copied tothe server and are then copied to the Slaves when they render the jobs. If a job has auxiliary files submitted with it,you can explore these files from the Job panel’s right-click menu. There will also be the option to copy the auxiliarypath to the clipboard, which is helpful if you need to paste the path into another application.



3.5 Archiving Jobs

3.5.1 Overview

Deadline allows you to archive jobs, which is useful if you want to keep a backup of every job you’ve rendered, orif you want to remove a job from one farm and place it in another. It can also be used to give a problematic job toDeadline Support for testing purposes.

Jobs can be archived automatically or manually. When a job is archived, its job and task information are exported asJSON to separate text files. These files are placed in a zip file with any auxiliary files that were submitted with the job,and any reports the job currently has. The name of the zip file will contain the job’s user, plugin, name, and ID (toguarantee uniqueness). It will have the following format:

USER__PLUGIN__JOBNAME__JOBID.zip

Typically, this zip file is placed in the jobsArchived folder in the Repository. However, when manually archiving ajob, you have the option to choose an alternative archive location.

3.5.2 Manual Job Archiving

Users can manually archive a job by right-clicking on it in the job list in the Monitor and selecting Archive Job. Thiswill bring up the following window:




By default, it will save the archive to the jobsArchived folder in the Repository. However, you can choose a differentfolder to archive the job. You can also choose whether or not to delete the job from the database after archiving it.Once case where you might not want to delete it is if you are archiving a job to send to Deadline Support for testingpurposes.

If the Job panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panels inthe Monitor.

3.5.3 Automatic Job Archiving

When submitting a job, users can set the On Job Complete setting to Archive. When the job finishes, it will automati-cally be archived to the jobsArchived folder in the Repository.

3.5. Archiving Jobs 145



Administrators can also configure Deadline to automatically archive all jobs after they have finished rendering andplace them in the jobsArchived folder in the Repository. This can be done in the Job Settings section of the RepositoryOptions.



3.5.4 Importing Archived Jobs

To import an archived job, simply select File -> Import Archived Jobs in the Monitor and choose one or more zip filescontaining archived jobs.

3.5. Archiving Jobs 147


3.6 Monitor and User Settings

3.6.1 Overview

You can customize your Monitor options, User settings, and Styles in the Monitor Options. On Windows and Linux,select Tools -> Options, and on Mac OS X, select DeadlineMonitor -> Preferences. You can also open these settingsfrom the main toolbar in the Monitor.

3.6.2 Monitor Options

The Monitor options allow you to customize a few aspects of the Monitor.



Job List

• Enable Drag & Drop Dependencies: If enabled, you can drag jobs and drop them on other jobs to set de-pendencies. Note that you must restart the Monitor for this setting to take effect. See the Controlling Jobsdocumentation for more information on setting dependencies this way.

• Show Task States In Job Progress Bar: If enabled, the job progress bars will show the states of all the tasksfor the job.

• Group Jobs By Batch Name: If enabled, jobs that have the same Batch Name will be grouped together in thejob list. Note that you must restart the Monitor for this setting to take effect.

• Change Color Of Jobs That Accumulate Errors: If enabled, jobs will change color from the Rendering colorto the Failed color as they accumulate errors. See the Styles section further down for more on the colors.

Task List

• Task Double-click Behavior: Customize the double-click behavior of rendering, completed, and failed tasks inthe task list. Double-clicking on tasks in other states will bring up the task reports panel. These are the availableoptions:

3.6. Monitor and User Settings 149


– View Reports: This will bring up the task reports panel for the selected task.

– Connect To Slave Log: This will connect to the Slave that is rendering or has rendered the selected task.

– View Image: This will open the output image for the selected task in the default viewer.

• Change Color Of Tasks That Accumulate Errors: If enabled, tasks will change color from the Rendering colorto the Failed color as they accumulate errors. See the Styles section further down for more on the colors.

Miscellaneous

• Start In Super User Mode: If enabled, the Monitor will start with Super User mode enabled. If Super Usermode is password protected, you will be prompted for the password when you start the Monitor.

• Stream Job Logs from Pulse: If enabled, the Monitor will stream the job logs from Pulse instead of readingthem directly from the Repository. While streaming the logs this way is typically slower, it can be useful if theconnection to the Repository server is slow.

• Show House Cleaning Updates In Status Bar: If enabled, the Monitor status bar will show when the lastHouse Cleaning was performed.

• Show Repository Repair Updates In Status Bar: If enabled, the Monitor status bar will show when the lastRepository Repair was performed.

• Show Pending Job Scan Updates In Status Bar: If enabled, the Monitor status bar will show when the lastPending Job Scan was performed.

• Enable Slave Pinging: If enabled, the Slave List will show if slave machines can be pinged or not.

3.6.3 Image Viewers

Configure the image viewer applications that the Job and Task panels uses to view output images. See the ControllingJobs documentation for more information on viewing job output.



You can specify up to three image view applications with the following options:

• Executable: The path to the image viewer executable you want to use.

• Arguments: The arguments to pass to the image viewer executable. The default is “{FRAME}”, which repre-sents a path to a single image file for a task. More information about the support argument tags can be foundbelow.

• Name: The viewer name, which is used in the menu item created for this image viewer (defaults to the executablename if left blank).

• Viewer Supports Chunked Tasks: If enabled, the tasks image viewer dialog will not be shown when viewingthe output for jobs with Frames Per Task greater than 1.

The following tags are supported in the custom viewer arguments, and can be combined with other arguments that theimage viewer accepts:



• {FRAME}: This represents the task’s frame file. For example: /path/to/image0002.png

• {SEQ#}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘#’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image####.png

• {SEQ?}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘?’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image????.png

• {SEQ@}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘@’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image@@@@.png

• {SEQ%}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘%d’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image%04d.png

You can also specify the Preferred Image Viewer, which is the default image viewer to use when viewing output files.If set to DefaultViewer, the system’s default application for the output file type will be used.

3.6.4 User Settings

You can configure you user settings here.



Notification Settings

If you would like to receive email notifications for your job, you can specify your email address in the NotificationSettings and enable the option to receive them. Note that this requires your administrator to configure the email settingsin the Repository Options.

If you would like to receive popup message notifications for your job, you can specify your machine name in theNotification Settings and enable the option to receive them. Note that this requires the Launcher to be running on themachine that you specify here.

Render Job As User Settings

If the Render Job As User option is enabled in the job settings in the Repository Options, these options will be used tolaunch the rendering process as the specified user. For Linux and OSX, only the User Name is required. For Windows,the Domain and Password must be provided for authentication. See the Render Jobs As Job’s User documentatisonfor more information.

Web Service Authentication Settings

You can also specify a Web Service password, which is typically used for the Mobile application. A password isrequired to authenticate with the Deadline web service if authentication has been enabled and empty passwords arenot allowed.

Region

A user’s region is used for cross platform rendering. All the paths a user sees in the Monitor will be replaced based onthe path mappings for their region. Example: Viewing the output of a completed job. See Region Settings and Regionsfor more information.

3.6.5 Styles

The Styles panel can be used to customize the color palette and the fonts that the Deadline Applications use. Customstyles can be saved and imported as well.



By default, the current style will be Default Style, which is the style shipped with Deadline and cannot be modified inany way. Previously saved styles will be available in the Saved Styles list. Custom styles can be created and deletedby clicking the Create New Style and Delete Style buttons, respectively.

Once a custom style has been selected, the style’s color palette can be modified:

• The General Palette color is used to generate the colors for the various controls and text in the Deadline appli-cations. Note that dark palettes will result in light text, and light palettes will result in dark text.

• The Selection color is used to highlight selected items or text.

• The remaining colors are used to color the text for jobs, tasks, slaves, etc, based on their current state. It isrecommened to choose colors that contrast well with the General Palette and Selection colors to ensure the textis readable.

The style’s font can be modified as well:

• Primary Font: This is the font used for almost all the text in the Deadline applications.

• Console Font: This is the font used in console and log windows. By default, a monospace font is used for thesewindows.



Any style changes made are not saved until the Monitor Options dialog is accepted by clicking OK. Once the dialoghas been accepted, the Monitor must be restarted in order to apply the style changes. In order to facilitate testing outnew styles, there is a Preview Style button which opens a dialog that displays an approximation of the current stylesettings.

Note that the Deadline applications will always load with the style that was last selected in the Styles panel in theMonitor Options.



Styles may also be saved and loaded using the View menu in the Monitor. Note that when saving styles, all of thecustom styles are saved, and when loading saved styles from disk the loaded styles will be appended to the list of stylescurrently present, overwriting any styles with a shared name.

3.7 Local Slave Controls

3.7.1 Overview

The Local Slave Controls allow you to control the slave on your machine, as well as configure Idle Detection and theJob Dequeing Mode. You can access the Local Slave Controls from the Launcher’s menu, or from the Tools menu inthe Monitor.



Note that it is possible for Administrators to disable the Local Slave Controls. If that’s the case, you will see thismessage when trying to open them.

3.7.2 Slave Controls

This section allows you to view the state of the slave running on your machine. Also, if the slave is rendering, you cansee which job it is currently rendering in the list. Finally, you can control the slave on you machine by right-clickingon them in the list.

3.7. Local Slave Controls 157


More information about the avaiable controls can be found in the Remote Control documentation.

3.7.3 Override Idle Detection

This section overrides the global Slave Scheduling settings for your machine (if there are any). It can be used tostart the slave when your machine becomes idle (based on keyboard and mouse activity), and stop the slave when themachine is in use again. Note that Idle Detection is managed by the Launcher, so it must be running for this feature towork.



The available Idle Detection settings are as follows:

• Start Slave When Machine Is Idle For: This option enables Idle Detection, and you can specify the numberof minutes without keyboard, mouse or tablet activity before the slave should start.

• Only Start Slave If CPU Usage Less Than: If enabled, the slave will only start if the machine’s CPU usage isless then the given value.

• Only Start Slave If Free Memory More Than: If enabled, the slave will only start if the machine has thismuch free memory available.

• Only Start Slave If These Processes Are Not Running: If enabled, the slave will not start if any of the listedprocesses are running.

• Only Start Slave If Launcher Is Not Running As These Users: If eanbled, the slave will not start if theLauncher process is running as any of the listed users.

• Stop Slave When Machine Is No Longer Idle: If enabled, the slave will automatically stop when there iskeyboard, mouse or tablet activity again.

• Only Stop Slave If Started By Idle Detection: If enabled, the Slave will only be stopped when the machine isno longer idle if that Slave was originally started by Idle Detection. If the Slave was originally started manually,it will not be stopped.

• Allow Slave To Finish Its Current Task When Stopping: If enabled, the slave will finish its current task



before stopping when the machine is no longer idle. If disabled, the slave wil requeue its current task beforestopping so that another slave can render it.

There are some limitations with Idle Detection depending on the operating system:

• On Windows, Idle Detection will not work if the Launcher is running as a service. This is because the serviceruns in an environment that is separate from the Desktop, and has no knowledge of any mouse or keyboardactivity.

• On Linux, the Launcher uses X11 to determine if there has been any mouse or keyboard activity. If X11 is notavailable, Idle Detection will not work.

3.7.4 Job Dequeuing Mode

This section can be used to control how your slave dequeues jobs.

The available dequeing modes are:

• All Jobs: This is the default behavior. The slave will dequeue any job that it can work on.

• Only Jobs Submitted From This Slave’s Machine: This option will only allow the slave to dequeue jobssubmitted from the same machine. This is a useful way of ensuring that your slave will only render your jobs.

• Only Jobs Submitted From These Users: This option will only allow the slave to dequeue jobs submitted by



the specified users. This is another way of ensuring that your slave will only render your jobs. However, it canalso be used to make your slave render jobs from other specific users, which is useful if you’re waiting on theresults of those jobs.




CHAPTER

FOUR

CLIENT APPLICATIONS

4.1 Launcher

4.1.1 Overview

The Launcher’s main use is to provide a means of remote communication between the Monitor and the Slave or Pulseapplications, and therefore should always be left running on your render nodes and workstations. It can also detect ifthe Slave running on the machine has stalled, and restart it if it does.

Unless the Launcher is running as a service or daemon, you should see the icon in your system tray or notificationarea. You can right-click on the icon to access the Launcher menu, or double-click it to launch the Monitor.

4.1.2 Running The Launcher

To start the Launcher:

• On Windows, you can start the Launcher from the Start Menu under Thinkbox\Deadline.

• On Linux, you can start the Launcher from a terminal window by running the deadlinelauncher script in the binfolder.

• On Mac OS X, you can start the Launcher from Finder by running the DeadlineLauncher application in Appli-cations/Thinkbox/Deadline.

The Launcher can also be started from a command prompt or terminal window. For more information, see the LauncherCommand Line documentation.

4.1.3 Administration Features

Running the Launcher can help make some administrative tasks easier, which is why it’s recommended to keep itrunning at all times on your render nodes and workstations.

Automatic Updates

If you have enabled Automatic Upgrades under the Client Setup section of the Repository Options, whenever youlaunch the Monitor, Slave, or Pulse using the Launcher, it will check the Repository for updates and upgrade itselfautomatically if necessary before starting the selected application.

Note that the upgrade will only trigger when launching applications through the Launcher. Also, if the Launcher isrunning as a service on Windows, launching the Monitor will not trigger an update.

163


Remote Administration

If you have enabled Remote Administration under the Client Setup section of the Repository Options, you will be ableto control the Slave or Pulse applications remotely, and remotely execute arbitrary commands. Note that it may be apotential security risk to leave it running if you are connected to the internet and are not behind a firewall. In this case,you should leave Remote Administration disabled.

4.1.4 Launcher Menu Options

Right-click on the Launcher system tray icon to bring up the Launcher menu. The available options are listed below.Note that if the Launcher is running as a service or daemon, this menu is unavailable because the system tray icon willbe hidden.

Launch Monitor

Launches the Monitor application. If the Repository has been upgraded recently, and Automatic Updatesis enabled, this will automatically upgrade the client machine.

Launch Slave(s)

Launches the Slave application. If this machine has been configured to run more than one Slave instance,this will launch all of them. If the Repository has been upgraded recently, and Automatic Updates isenabled, this will automatically upgrade the client machine.

Launch Slave By Name

Launch a specific Slave instance, or add/remove Slave instances from this machine (if enabled for thecurrent user). Note that new Slave instances must have names that only contain alphanumeric characters,underscores, or hyphens. See the documentation on running Multiple Slaves On One Machine for moreinformation.

Local Slave Controls

Opens the Local Slave Controls window, which allows you to control and configure the Slave that runs onyour machine.

Launch Slave at Startup

164 Chapter 4. Client Applications


If enabled, the Slave will launch when the Launcher starts up.

Restart Slave If It Stalls

If enabled, the Launcher will try to restart the Slave on the machine if it stalls.

Scripts

Allows you to run general scripts that you can create. Note that these are the same scripts that you canaccess from the Scripts menu in the Monitor. Check out the Monitor Scripts documentation for moreinformation.

Submit

Allows you to submit jobs for different rendering plug-ins. Note that these are the same submission scriptsthat you can access from the Submit menu in the Monitor. More information regarding the Monitor sub-mission scripts for each plug-in can be found in the Plug-Ins section of the documentation. You can alsoadd your own submission scripts to the submission menu. Check out the Monitor Scripts documentationfor more information.

Change Repository

Change the Repository that the client connects to.

Change User

Change the current user on the client.

Change License Server

Change the license server that the Slave connects to.

Explore Log Folder

Opens the Deadline log folder on the machine.

4.1.5 Command Line Options

To run the Launcher from a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows orLinux) or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the ‘deadlinelauncher’ application. To view all available commandline arguments, you can run the following:

deadlinelauncher -help

Available Options

To start the Monitor with the Launcher, use the -monitor option. If another Launcher is already running, this will tellthe existing Launcher to start the Monitor. If an upgrade is available, this will trigger an automatic upgrade:

deadlinelauncher -monitor

To start the Slave with the Launcher, use the -slave option. If another Launcher is already running, this will tell theexisting Launcher to start the Slave. If an upgrade is available, this will trigger an automatic upgrade:

deadlinelauncher -slave

To start Pulse with the Launcher, use the -pulse option. If another Launcher is already running, this will tell the existingLauncher to start Pulse. If an upgrade is available, this will trigger an automatic upgrade:

4.1. Launcher 165


deadlinelauncher -pulse

To start the Balancer with the Launcher, use the -balancer option. If another Launcher is already running, this will tellthe existing Launcher to start the Balancer. If an upgrade is available, this will trigger an automatic upgrade:

deadlinelauncher -balancer

To trigger an automatic upgrade if one is available, use the -upgrade flag:

deadlinelauncher -upgrade

To run the Launcher without a user interface, use the -nogui option. Note that if the Launcher is running in this mode,if you launch the Slave or Pulse through the Launcher, they will also run without a user interface:

deadlinelauncher -noguideadlinelauncher -nogui -slave

To shutdown the Launcher if it’s already running, use the -shutdown option:

deadlinelauncher -shutdown

To shutdown the Slaves, Pulse, and Balancer on the machine before shutting down the Launcher, use the -shutdownalloption:

deadlinelauncher -shutdownall

4.1.6 Launcher As A Service

When installing the Deadline Client on Windows, you can choose to install the Launcher as a service. If you wantto configure the Launcher to run as a service after the Client has been installed, it is possible to set up the servicemanually, which is explained below. However, it’s probably easier to simply run the Client installer again and enablethe service option during installation.

There are also some considerations that need to be made when installing the Launcher as a service. See the WindowsService documentation for more information.

Manually Installing the Launcher Service

You can use Deadline Command along with the following commands to install or uninstall the Launcher service:

InstallLauncherService Installs the Deadline Launcher Service, andoptionally starts it.

[true/false] Whether or not to start the Launcher Serviceafter it has been installed (optional)

InstallLauncherServiceLogOn Installs the Deadline Launcher Service with thegiven account, and optionally starts it.

[User Name] The account user name[Password] The account password[true/false] Whether or not to start the Launcher Service



after it has been installed (optional)

UninstallLauncherService Stops and uninstalls the Deadline LauncherService.

StartLauncherService Starts the Deadline Launcher Service if it isrunning.

StopLauncherService Stops the Deadline Launcher Service if it isrunning.

Here is an example command line to install the service:

deadlinecommand.exe -InstallLauncherServiceLogOn "USER" "PASSWORD"

Here is an example command line to uninstall the service:

deadlinecommand.exe -UninstallLauncherService

4.1.7 FAQ

Why should the Launcher application be left running on the client machines?

Its main purpose is to provide a means of remote communication between the Monitor and the Slaveapplications. If it’s not running, the Slave will have to be stopped and started manually.

In addition, whenever you launch the Monitor or Slave using the Launcher, it will check the Repositoryfor updates and upgrade itself automatically if necessary before starting the selected application. If theLauncher is not running, updates will not be detected.

Finally, the Launcher can detect if the Slave running on the machine has stalled, and restart it.

Can I run the Launcher without a user interface?

Yes, you can do this by passing the -nogui command line argument to the Launcher application:

deadlinelauncher -nogui

I have Idle Detection enabled, but the Launcher doesn’t start the Slave on Linux when it’s been idle long enough.

The libX11 and libXext libraries must be installed on Linux for Idle Detection to work. To check if libX11and libXext are installed, open a Terminal and run the following commands. If they are installed, then thepath to the libraries will be printed out by these commands.


If any of these libraries are missing, then please contact your local system administrator to resolve thisissue. Here is an example assuming you have root access, using YUM to install them on your system:

4.1. Launcher 167



4.2 Monitor

4.2.1 Overview

The Monitor application offers detailed information and control options for each job and Slave in your farm. It providesnormal users a means of monitoring and controlling their jobs, and it gives administrators options for configuring andcontrolling the entire render farm.

If you’re launching the Monitor for the first time on your machine, you will be prompted with a Login dialog. Simplychoose your user name or create a new one before continuing. Once the Monitor is running, you’ll see your user namein the bottom right corner. If this is the wrong user, you can log in as another user by selecting File -> Change User.Note that if your administrator set up Deadline to lock the user to the system’s login account, you will have to log offof your system and log back in as the correct user.



4.2.2 Running the Monitor

To start the Monitor:

• On Windows, you can start the Monitor from the Start Menu under Thinkbox\Deadline, or from the Launcher’sright-click menu.

• On Linux, you can start the Monitor from a terminal window by running the deadlinemonitor script in the binfolder, or from the Launcher’s right-click menu.

• On Mac OS X, you can start the Monitor from Finder by running the DeadlineMonitor application in Applica-tions/Thinkbox/Deadline, or from the Launcher’s right-click menu.

The Monitor can also be started from a command prompt or terminal window. For more information, see the MonitorCommand Line documentation.

4.2.3 Panel Features

Information in the Monitor is broken up into different panels, which are described further down. These panels havemany features in common, which are explained here.

Customization

Monitor panels can be created from the View menu, or from the main toolbar. They can be re-sized, docked, or floatedas desired. This allows for a highly customized viewing experience which is adaptable to the needs of different users.

4.2. Monitor 169


The current layout can be pinned to the Pinned Layouts menu so that it can be restored at a later time. This can bedone from the View menu, or from the main toolbar. The current layout can also be saved to a file from the Viewmenu, and then loaded from that file later.

When you pin a layout you can chose to save the location and size of the monitor by checking the “Save Location andSize” box when pinning the layout.



To prevent accidental modifications to the current layout, you can lock the layout from the View menu, by pressing“Alt-‘”, or from the main toolbar. When locked, panels cannot be moved, but they can still be docked and undocked.To dock a floating panel while the layout is locked, simply double-click on the panels title. It will be docked to thesame location it was originally undocked from.

The columns in monitor panels are customizable. The columns can be resized by simply clicking on the separatorcolumn line and moving it and can be reordered by clicking on a column and moving it. Right clicking on the columnheaders in a panel allows you to toggle the visibility of each column.

4.2. Monitor 171


In this menu you can modify the visibility and ordering of the columns by clicking the “Customize..” menu item.Moving columns to the left side list hides them, and the order that columns are listed in the right list corresponds tothe order they will appear in the panel (top->bottom corresponds to left->right). You move the columns around byclicking the arrow buttons.



Once you have configured your column layout you can pin it.

4.2. Monitor 173


You can also set the current list layout as the list layout to load by default, when opening new panels of the same type,by clicking “Save Current List Layout As Default”. If you want to restore the original list layout default click the“Reset Default List Layout”.

Data Filtering

Almost every panel has a search box that you can use to filter the information you’re interested in. You can simplytype in the word(s) you are looking for, or use regular expressions for more advanced searching.

In addition, every panel that has a search box also supports a more advanced filtering system. To add a filter to apanel, select the Edit Filter option in the panel’s drop down menu, which can be found in the upper-right corner of thepanel. A window will appear allowing you to specify the name the filter being created. You can select to match all ofthe filters added or any of the filters added. If all must match, only records where all data matches each filter will beshown, while if any can match, if a record contains one or more matches it will be shown.



4.2. Monitor 175


Clicking the add filter button generates a new filter. The filter requires a column to be selected, an operation to perform,and a value to use in the operation. Filters can also be removed by clicking the minus button to the right of each filter.After all filters are are entered, press OK to apply the filter to the current panel.

A filter can be cloned and opened in a new tab within the panel through the Clone Filter option in the panel drop downmenu. The Clear Filter option can be used to clear all filters from the current panel.

Finally, you can pin the current filters so that they can be restored at a later time using the Pinned Filters sub menu inthe panel drop down menu. Note that the Pin Current Filter option is only available if a filter is currently being applied.If there are no filters, the Pin Current Filter option will be hidden.

Automatic Sorting and Filtering

Almost every panel has an option to do automatic sorting and filtering when data changes in the panel. When thisoption is disabled, sorting and filters must manually be re-applied to ensure that the data is sorted and filtered properly.

Note that automatic sorting and filtering can affect the Monitor’s performance if there are lots of jobs (10,000+) or lotsof slaves (1000+) in the farm. To improve Monitor performance in this case, it is recommended to disable automaticsorting and filtering. There is an option in the Monitor Settings in the Repository Configuration to automaticallydisable it by default.

Saving and Loading Panel Layouts

Every list-based panel (Jobs, Slaves, Tasks, etc) has an option to save and load the list layout, which you can find inthe panel’s drop down menu. This allows you to save out a list’s filters, column order and visibility, etc, and load themagain later or share them with another user.



Note that when loading a list layout, you must choose a layout that was saved from the same type of list. For example,you cannot save a layout from the Job list and then load it into the Slave list.

Graph Views

Almost every panel supports showing a graphical representation of the data. The graph can be shown by selectingthe Graph View option in the panel’s drop down menu, which can be found in the upper-left corner of the panel. Thegraph view can be saved as an image file by right-clicking anywhere in view and selecting Save Graph As Image.

4.2. Monitor 177


If the graph is a line graph, the following operations are available:

• Zoom In: Use the mouse wheel or the UP arrow key to zoom in. You can also click and hold the left mousebutton and drag to select a sub-area of the graph to zoom in.

• Zoom Out: Use the mouse wheel or the DOWN arrow key to zoom out.

• Reset Zoom: Use the right-click menu to reset the zoom level.

• Pan: Use the middle mouse button or the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to pan the graph.

• Show/Hide Series: If the line graph has a legend, you can use the right-click menu to customize which seriesare shown or hidden.

If the graph is a pie chart, you can filter the data from the graph view by holding down the SHIFT key and clickingon one of the pie slices. The data will be filtered to only show records that are represented by the pie slice that wasclicked on.



Scripts

Almost every panel has the option to run custom scripts from the panel’s right-click menu. Many scripts are alreadyshipped with Deadline, and additional custom scripts can be written. See the Monitor Scripts documentation for moreinformation.

These script menus can also be customized from the Repository Options.

4.2.4 Information Panels

As mentioned earlier, information in the Monitor is broken up into different panels. These panels can be created fromthe View menu, or from the main toolbar. They can be re-sized, docked, or floated as desired. This allows for a highlycustomized viewing experience which is adaptable to the needs of different users.

Jobs

The Jobs panel contains a list that shows all jobs in the farm. It also displays useful information about each job suchas it’s name, user, status, error count, plugin, etc. As jobs change states, their colors will change. Active jobs willappear as green, and will remain green as they continue to render without errors. But if it starts to accumulate errors, itwill turn brown and then eventually red. This allows you to see at a glance which jobs are having problems. For moreinformation on job monitoring, see the Monitoring Jobs documentation.

4.2. Monitor 179


The Jobs panel supports standard filtering, but it also has a Quick Filter option in the panel’s drop down menu to makeit easier to filter out unwanted jobs. By toggling the options within the Status, User, Pool, Group, and Plugin sections,you can quickly drill down to the jobs you are interested in. There is also an Ego-Centric Sorting optino in the panel’sdrop down menu which can be used to keep all of your jobs at the top of the job list.

The Jobs panel also supports the ability to group jobs together based on their Batch Name property. All of the jobsubmitters that are included with Deadline will automatically set the Batch Name if they are submitting multiple jobsthat are related to each other. The Batch Name for a job can be modified in the Job Properties. If you prefer to not



have the jobs grouped together in the job list, you can disable the Group Jobs By Batch Name option in the Monitorand User Settings.

Finally, the Jobs panel allows jobs to be controlled and modified using the right-click menu. You can also bring up theJob Properties window by double clicking on a job. See the Controlling Jobs documentation for more information.

Tasks

The Task panel shows all the tasks for the job that is currently selected. It displays useful information about each tasksuch as its frame list, status, and if applicable, the Slave that is rendering it.

The Task panel also allows you to control tasks from the right-click menu. See the Controlling Jobs documentation

4.2. Monitor 181


for more information. In addition, the double-click behavior in the Task panel can be set in the Monitor and UserSettings, which can be accessed from the main toolbar.

Job Details

The Job Details panel shows all available information about the job that is currently selected. The information is splitup into different sections that can be expanded or collapsed as desired.

Job Dependency View

This panel allows you to view and modify a job’s dependency tree in a node-based view. You can lock the view tothe currently selected job, which allows you to drag & drop other jobs into the view to hook up new dependencies. Inaddition, you can drag & drop Python scripts or asset files directly into the view and hook them up as dependencies.See the Controlling Jobs documentation for more information.



Job Report

All reports for a job can be viewed in the Job Reports panel. This includes error reports, logs, and task requeuereports. This panel can also be opened by right-clicking on a job in the Job List and selecting View Job Reports. Moreinformation can be found in the Controlling Jobs documentation.

4.2. Monitor 183


Slaves

The Slave panel shows all the Slaves that are in your farm. It shows system information about each Slave, as well asinformation about the job the slave is currently rendering.

If you see a slave that is colored orange in the list, this means that the slave is unable to get a license or that the licenseis about to expire. When the slave cannot get a license, it could be because there is a network issue, the license hasexpired, or the license limit has been reached.

If a slave isn’t rendering a job that you think it should be, you can use the Job Candidate Filter option in the panel’s dropdown menu to try and figure out why. See the Job Candidate Filter section in the Slave Configuration documentation



for more information.

The Slave panel’s right-click menu allows you to modify Slave settings and control the Slaves remotely. See the SlaveConfiguration documentation for more information.

Slave Reports

All log and error reports for a Slave can be viewed in the Slave Reports panel. This panel can also be opened byright-clicking on a slave in the Slave List and selecting View Slave Reports.

Pulses

The Pulse panel shows which machine Pulse is running on, as well as previous machines that Pulse has run on. It alsoshows system information about each machine.

4.2. Monitor 185


Balancers

The Balancer panel shows which machines the Balancer is running on. It also shows system information about eachmachine.

The Balancer panel’s right-click menu allows you to modify Balancer settings and control the Balancer remotely. Seethe Balancer Configuration documentation for more information.

Limits

The Limit panel shows all the Limits that are in your farm. You can access many options for the Limits by right-clicking on them. See the Limits and Machine Limits documentation for more information.

Console

The Console panel shows all lines of text that is written to the Monitor’s log.



Remote Commands

The Remote Command panel shows all pending and completed remote commands that were sent from the Monitor.When sending a remote command, if this panel is not already displayed, it will be displayed automatically (assumingyou have permissions to see the Remote Command panel). See the Remote Control documentation for more informa-tion.

Cloud

The Cloud panel shows all the instances from the cloud providers that the Monitor is connected to. This panel allowsyou to control and close your existing instances. See the Cloud Controls documentation for more information.

4.2. Monitor 187


4.2.5 Monitor Menu Options

The available options are listed below. They are available in the Monitor’s main menu, and some are also available inthe main toolbar. Note that the availability of these options can vary depending on the context in which they are used,as well as the User Group Permissions that are defined for the current user.

File Menu

Change Repository

Connect to a different repository, or reconnect to the current repository if the Monitor becomes discon-nected. There is also a toolbar button for this option.

Change User

Change the current user. You have the choice to select a different user or create a new one. There is alsoa toolbar button for this option.

Import Archived Jobs

Opens a file dialog which allows you to select a zip file containing an archived job which you would liketo add back to the monitor. See the Archiving Jobs documentation for more information.

View Menu

Manual Refresh

Forces an immediate refresh of all the data in the Monitor. Manual refreshing is disabled by default, andcan only be enabled in the Monitor Settings in the Repository Configuration.

New Panel

Spawn a new information panel. See the Information Panels section above for more information. Thereis also a toolbar button for this option.

Lock Panels

Prevents the panels from being moved. Panels can still be floated, docked, and closed. To dock a floatingpanel, double-click on the panel’s title. There is also a toolbar button for this option.

Pinned Layouts

You are able to save different Monitor layout for quick use. By selecting Pin Current Layout, your currentlayout will be added to your pinned layouts. Selecting a pinned layout will restore the monitors panels tothe pinned layouts state. There is also a toolbar button for this option.

Open Layout



Load a previously saved layout from file.

Save Layout

Saves the current layout to file.

Save All Pined Layouts

Save all the pinned Monitor layouts to a zip file.

Reset Layout

Reset the current layout to the Monitor’s default layout.

Submit and Script Menus

Submission scripts can be found under the Submit menu, and general scripts can be found under the Scripts menu.Many scripts are already shipped with Deadline, and additional custom scripts can be written. Check out the MonitorScripts documentation for more information.

Tools Menu

Super User

Enter Super User Mode, which allows you to access the administrative Monitor options. Super Usermode can be password protected simply by specifying a password in the Access Control section of theRepository Configuration.

View Repository History

View all repository history entries generated on the farm.

View Power Management History

View all power management history entries on the farm. See the Power Management documentation formore information.

View Farm Reports

View various repository statistical information. See the Farm Statistics documentation for more informa-tion.

Manage Pools

Add or remove Pools, and configure which Pools are assigned to the Slaves. See the Pools and Groupsdocumentation for more information.

Manage Groups

Add or remove Groups, and configure which Groups are assigned to the Slaves. See the Pools and Groupsdocumentation for more information.

Manage Users

Add or remove users, and set user information. See the User Management documentation for moreinformation.

Manage User Groups

Add or remove a user group, and set user group permissions to control which features are accessible. Seethe User Management documentation for more information

Configure Repository Settings

4.2. Monitor 189


Configure a wide range of global settings. See the Repository Configuration documentation for moreinformation.

Configure Slave Scheduling

Configure the slave scheduling options. See the Slave Scheduling documentation for more information.

Configure Power Management Options

Configure the Power Management settings. See the Power Management documentation for more infor-mation.

Configure Cloud Providers

Set up and enable cloud service providers. See the Cloud Controls documentation for more information.

Configure Plugins

Configure the available render plugins, such as 3ds Max, After Effects, Maya, and Nuke. See the plugindocumentation for more information on the configurable settings for each plugin.

Configure Event Plugins

Configure the available event plugins such as Draft and Shotgun. See the event plugin documentation formore information on the configurable settings for each plugin.

Connect to Pulse Log

Use this to remotely connect to the Pulse log. See the Remote Control documentation for more informa-tion.

Perform Pending Jobs Scan

Performs a scan of pending jobs and determines if any should be released. This operation is normallyperformed automatically, but you can force an immediate clean up with this option if desired.

Perform House Cleaning

Clean up files for deleted jobs, check for stalled slaves, etc. This operation is normally performed auto-matically, but you can force an immediate clean up with this option if desired.

Undelete Jobs

Use this to recover any deleted jobs that haven’t been purged from the database yet.

Explore Repository Root

View the root directory of the current Repository.

Import Settings

Import settings from another Repository. See the Importing Repository Settings documentation for moreinformation.

Synchronize Scripts and Plugin Icons

Rebuilds the script-specific menus, and updates your local plugin icon cache with the icons that are cur-rently in the Repository. Note that if any new icons are copied over, you will have to restart the Monitorbefore the jobs in list show the new icons.


Opens the Local Slave Controls window, which allows you to control and configure the Slave that runs onyour machine.

Options

Modify the Monitor and User Settings. There is also a toolbar button for this option.




To run the Monitor from a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows orLinux) or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the ‘deadlinemonitor’ application. To view all available commandline arguments, you can run the following:

deadlinemonitor -help

Available Options

To start a new Monitor if there already another Monitor running, use the -new option:

deadlinemonitor -new

To start the Monitor connected to a different repository, use the -repository option. You can combine this with the-new option to have different Monitors connected to different repositories:

deadlinemonitor -repository "\\repository\path"deadlinemonitor -new -repository "\\repository\path"

To start the Monitor without the splash screen, use the -nosplash option:

deadlinemonitor -nosplash

To shutdown the Monitor if it’s already running, use the -shutdown option:

deadlinemonitor -shutdown

You can also set all of the Monitor Options using command line options. For example:

deadlinemonitor -draganddropdep True -groupjobbatches False

4.2.7 FAQ

I’m unable to move panels in the Monitor, or dock floating panels.

You need to unlock the Monitory layout. This can be done from the View menu or from the toolbar.

Can I dock a floating panel when the Monitor layout is locked?

Yes, you can dock the floating panel by double-clicking on its title bar. It will be docked to its previouslocation, or to the bottom of the Monitor if it wasn’t docked previously.

What does it mean when a Slave is orange in the Slave list?

This means that the Slave is currently unable to get a license.

4.2. Monitor 191


4.3 Slave

4.3.1 Overview

The Slave is the application that controls the rendering applications and should be running on any machine you wantto to include in the rendering process.



4.3.2 Running the Slave

To start the Slave:

• On Windows, you can start the Slave from the Start Menu under Thinkbox\Deadline, or from the Launcher’s

4.3. Slave 193


right-click menu.

• On Linux, you can start the Slave from a terminal window by running the deadlineslave script in the bin folder,or from the Launcher’s right-click menu.

• On Mac OS X, you can start the Slave from Finder by running the DeadlineSlave application in Applica-tions/Thinkbox/Deadline, or from the Launcher’s right-click menu.

You can also configure the Slave to launch automatically when the Launcher starts up. To enable this, just enable theLaunch Slave At Startup option in the Launcher menu.

The Slave can also be started from a command prompt or terminal window. For more information, see the SlaveCommand Line documentation.

4.3.3 Licensing

The Slave requires a license to run, and more information on setting up licensing can be found in the Licensing Guide.

The Slave only requires a license while rendering. If a Slave cannot get a license, it will continue to run, but it won’tbe able to pick up jobs for rendering. In addition when a slave becomes idle it will return it’s license. The Slave’slicensing information can be found under the Slave Information tab (see next section).

If you have more then one slave running on a machine they will all share the same licence.

4.3.4 Job and Slave Information Tabs

The Job Information tab shows information about the job currently being rendered. By default, the tab will showinformation about all render threads combined, but the drop down control gives the option to show information abouta specific render thread. The Slave Information tab shows information about the Slave and the machine that it’s runningon, including license information and resource usage (CPU and memory).




4.3. Slave 195


4.3.5 Viewing the Slave Log

To view the Slave’s current log, simply press the Open Slave Log button at the bottom of the Slave window. This willopen the Slave’s log in a new window to avoid impacting the performance of the main Slave application.

If the Slave is running in the background or without an interface, you can connect to the Slave’s log from the commandline. In a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows or Linux) or theResources folder (Mac OS X) and run the following, where “SLAVENAME” is the name of the Slave you want toconnect to:

deadlinecommand -ConnectToSlaveLog "SLAVENAME"

4.3.6 Slave Menu Options

The available options are listed below. They are available in the Slave’s window, or from the Slave system tray icon’sright-click menu. Note that if the Slave is running in the background or without an interface, these options will beunavailable.



File Menu

Change License Server

Change the license server that the Slave connects to.

Options Menu

Hide When Minimized

The Slave is hidden when minimized, but can be restored using the Slave icon in the system tray.

Minimize On Startup

Starts the Slave in the minimized state.

Control Menu

Search For Jobs

If the Slave is sitting idle, this option can be used to force the slave to search for a job immediately.

Cancel Current Task

If the Slave is currently rendering a task, this forces the slave to cancel it.

Continue Running After Current Task Completion

Check to keep the Slave application running after it finishes its current task completion.

Stop/Restart Slave After Current Task Completion

Check to stop or restart the Slave application after it finishes its current task.

Shutdown/Restart Machine After Current Task Completion

Check to shutdown or restart the machine after the Dealine Slave finishes its current task.


To run the Slave from a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows orLinux) or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the ‘deadlineslave’ application. To view all available commandline arguments, you can run the following:

deadlineslave -help

Available Options

To start a new instance of the Slave, use the -name option. If you already have multiple instances of the Slaveconfigured, use the -name option to start a specific instance:

deadlineslave -name "second-slave"

To start the Slave without a user interface, use the -nogui option:

4.3. Slave 197


deadlineslave -nogui

To start the Slave without the splash screen, use the -nosplash option:

deadlineslave -nosplash

To shut down the Slave if it’s already running, use the -shutdown option. This can be combined with the -name optionif you have more than one Slave instance running and you want to shut down a specific instance:

deadlineslave -shutdowndeadlineslave -shutdown -name "second-slave"

To control what a running Slave should do after it finishes rendering its current task, use the -aftertask option. Theavailable options are Continue, StopSlave, RestartSlave, ShutdownMachine, or RestartMachine. This can be combinedwith the -name option if you have more than one Slave instance running and you want to control a specific instance:

deadlineslave -aftertask RestartSlavedeadlineslave -aftertask RestartMachine -name "second-slave"

4.3.8 FAQ

Can I run the Slave on an artist’s workstation?

Yes. On Windows and Linux, you can set the Affinity in the Slave Settings to help reduce the impact thatthe renders have on the artist’s workstation.

Can I run the Slave as a service or daemon?

Yes. If you’re running the Launcher as a service or daemon, then it will run the Slave in the backgroundas well. See the Client Installation documentation for more information.

The Slave keeps reporting errors for the same job instead of moving on to a different job. What can I do?

You can enable Bad Slave Detection in the Repository Configuration to have a slave mark itself as bad fora job when it reports consecutive errors on it.

What does it mean when a Slave is stalled, and is this a bad thing?

Slaves become stalled when they don’t update their status for a long period of time, and is often anindication that the slave has crashed. A stalled slave isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it’s possible theslave just wasn’t shutdown properly (it was killed from the Task Manager, for example). In either case,it’s a good idea to check the slave machine and restart the slave application if necessary.

On Linux, the Slave is reporting that the operating system is simply ‘Linux’, instead of showing the actualLinux distribution.

In order for the Slave to report the Linux distribution properly, you need to have lsb installed, andlsb_release needs to be in the path. You can use any package management application to install lsb.

On Linux, the Slave crashes shortly after starting up.

The libX11 and libXext libraries must be installed on Linux for the Slave to run, even if running it withthe -nogui flag. To check if libX11 and libXext are installed, open a Terminal and run the followingcommands. If they are installed, then the path to the libraries will be printed out by these commands.




If any of these libraries are missing, then please contact your local system administrator to resolve thisissue. Here is an example assuming you have root access, using YUM to install them on your system:


4.4 Pulse

4.4.1 Overview

Pulse is an optional mini server application that performs maintenance operations on the farm, and manages moreadvanced features like Auto Configuration, Power Management, Slave Throttling, Statistics Gathering, and the WebService. If you choose to run Pulse, it only needs to be running on one machine. Note that Pulse does not play a rolein job scheduling, so if you are running Pulse and it goes down, Deadline will still be fully operational (minus theadvanced features). Note to build redundancy if Primary Pulse fails in your environment, consider protecting yourselfby configuring Pulse Redundancy.

4.4. Pulse 199


If you are choosing a machine to run Pulse, you should be aware that non-Server editions of Windows have a TCP/IPconnection limitation of 10 new connections per second. If your render farm consists of more than 10 render nodes,it is very likely that you’ll hit this limitation every now and then (and the odds continue to increase as the number ofmachines increase). This is a limitation of the operating systems, and isn’t something that we can workaround, so werecommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operating system like Linux.



4.4.2 Running Pulse

To start Pulse:

• On Windows, you can start Pulse from the Start Menu under Thinkbox\Deadline.

• On Linux, you can start Pulse from a terminal window by running the deadlinepulse script in the bin folder.

• On Mac OS X, you can start Pulse from Finder by running the DeadlinePulse application in Applica-tions/Thinkbox/Deadline.

You can configure Pulse to launch automatically when the Launcher starts up (similar to how the Slave does this). Thiscan be done by adding the LaunchPulseAtStartup=True to the system’s deadline.ini file. See the Client Configurationdocumentation for more information.

Pulse can also be started from a command prompt or terminal window. For more information, see the Pulse CommandLine documentation.

4.4.3 Viewing the Pulse Log

To view Pulse’s current log, simply press the Open Pulse Log button at the bottom of the Pulse window. This willopen the Pulse log in a new window to avoid impacting the performance of the main Pulse application.

If Pulse is running in the background or without an interface, you can connect to the Pulse log from the command line.In a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows or Linux) or the Resources

4.4. Pulse 201


folder (Mac OS X) and run the following, where “PULSENAME” is the name of the Pulse you want to connect to:

deadlinecommand -ConnectToPulseLog "PULSENAME"

4.4.4 Configuring Pulse

Pulse needs to be configured so that the Slave applications know how to connect to Pulse. This is necessary for theSlave Throttling feature to function properly. There are a couple different ways to configure Pulse, which are describedbelow.

Auto Configuration

If you launch Pulse, and a Primary Pulse hasn’t been set yet, it will automatically configure itself to be the Primary,and configure itself to be connected to by its host name. These settings can be changed from the Pulse Panel in theMonitor at any time. See the Pulse Configuration documentation for more information.

If Pulse has already been configured, but you want to quickly switch to another machine to run Pulse on, simply launchPulse on the desired machine. Then when it appears in the Pulse list in the Monitor, right-click on it and select AutoConfigure Pulse. Generally, this feature is only available in Super User mode.

Manual Configuration

The connection settings, as well as additional settings, can be configured for Pulse from the Monitor. Advancedfeatures like Auto Configuration, Power Management, Slave Throttling, Statistics Gathering, and the Web Service canalso be configured in the Monitor. See the Pulse Configuration documentation for more information.

4.4.5 Pulse Menu Options

The available options are listed below. They are available in Pulse’s window, or from the Pulse system tray icon’s right-click menu. Note that if Pulse is running in the background or without an interface, these options will be unavailable.



Options Menu

Hide When Minimized

Pulse is hidden when minimized, but can be restored using the Pulse icon in the system tray.

Minimize On Startup

Starts Pulse in the minimized state.

Control Menu

Perform Pending Job Scan

If Pulse is between repository pending job scans, this option can be used to force Pulse to perform apending job scan immediately. A pending job scan releases pending jobs by checking their dependenciesor scheduling options.

Perform Repository Clean-up

If Pulse is between repository clean-ups, this option can be used to force Pulse to perform a repositoryclean-up immediately. A repository clean-up includes deleting jobs that are marked for automatic deletion.

Perform Repository Repair

If Pulse is between repository repairs, this option can be used to force Pulse to perform a repository repairimmediately. A repository repair includes checking for stalled slaves and orphaned limit stubs.

Perform Power Management Check

If Pulse is between power management checks, this option can be used to force Pulse to perform a powermanagement check immediately.


To run Pulse from a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows or Linux)or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the ‘deadlinepulse’ application. To view all available command linearguments, you can run the following:

deadlinepulse -help

Available Options

To start Pulse without a user interface, use the -nogui option:

deadlinepulse -nogui

To start Pulse without the splash screen, use the -nosplash option:

deadlinepulse -nosplash

To shut down Pulse if it’s already running, use the -shutdown option:

deadlinepulse -shutdown

4.4. Pulse 203


4.4.7 FAQ

Does Pulse use any license?

No. It is an unlicensed product and included in the Deadline Client software installer.

Can I run Pulse on any machine in my farm?

You can run Pulse on any machine in your farm, including the Repository or Database machine. However,for larger farms, we recommend running Pulse on a dedicated machine.

When choosing a machine to run Pulse on, you should be aware that non-Server editions of Windowshave a TCP/IP connection limitation of 10 new connections per second. If your render farm consists ofmore than 100 machines, it is very likely that you’ll hit this limitation every now and then (and the oddscontinue to increase as the number of machines increase). Therefore, if you are running Pulse on a farmwith 100 machines or more, we recommend using a Server edition of Windows, or a different operatingsystem like Linux.

Can I run Pulse as a service or daemon?

Yes. If you’re running the Launcher as a service or daemon, then it will run Pulse in the background aswell. See the Client Installation documentation for more information.

If Pulse is shutdown or terminated, is the Power Management feature still functional?

In this case, the only aspect of Power Management that is still functional is the Temperature Checking.Redundancy for Temperature checking has been built into the Slave application, so if Pulse isn’t running,you’re still protected if the temperature in your farm room begins to rise.

Which temperature sensors work with Power Management?

We have tested with many different temperature sensors. Basically, as long as the temperature sensors useSNMP, and you know its OID (which is configurable in the Power Management settings), it should work.

Can I run multiple Pulse’s on separate machines?

Yes and like typical IT best practices, this will provide Pulse Redundancy. Note, only one Pulse can bePrimary at any given time.

4.5 Balancer

4.5.1 Overview

The Balancer is a cloud controller application capable of virtual/physical, private/public, remote/local simultaneousmachine orchestration. It can create, start, stop and terminate cloud instances based on the current queue load takinginto account jobs and tasks. Further customization to take into account other job/task factors can be achieved byutilizing the Deadline plugin API to create a custom Balancer algorithm. Note to build redundancy if Primary Balancerfails in your environment, consider protecting yourself by configuring Balancer Redundancy.



The Balancer works in cycles, and each cycle consists for a number of stages.

• First, the Balancer will do a House Keeping step in which it will clean up any disks or instances that haven’tbeen terminated like they were supposed to.

• Second, the Balancer will execute the Balancer Algorithm. These are the steps of the default algorithm (notethat these steps can be customized with your own Balancer Algorithm plugin):

– Create State Structure: This sets up the data structures used in the rest of the algorithm.

– Compute Demand: Examines the groups for jobs that are queued and assigns a weighting to the groupbased on the amount of tasks that need to be done and the group priority.

– Determine Resources: Here we determine how much space we have available with our provider and howmany limits we have.

– Compute Targets: Based on the Demand and the available Resources we set a target number of instancesfor each group.

– Populate Targets: This sets up a full target data structure for use in Deadline.

4.5. Balancer 205


• Third, the Balancer will equalize the targets by starting or terminating instances.

4.5.2 Running the Balancer

To start the Balancer:

• On Windows, you can start the Balancer from the Start Menu under Thinkbox\Deadline.

• On Linux, you can start the Balancer from a terminal window by running the deadlinebalancer script in the binfolder.

• On Mac OS X, you can start the Balancer from Finder by running the DeadlineBalancer application in Applica-tions/Thinkbox/Deadline.

You can configure the Balancer to launch automatically when the Launcher starts up (similar to how the Slave doesthis). This can be done by adding the LaunchBalancerAtStartup=True to the system’s deadline.ini file. See the ClientConfiguration documentation for more information.

The Balancer can also be started from a command prompt or terminal window. For more information, see the BalancerCommand Line documentation.

4.5.3 Viewing the Balancer Log

To view the Balancer’s current log, simply press the Open Balancer Log button at the bottom of the Balancer window.This will open the Balancer log in a new window to avoid impacting the performance of the main Balancer application.



If the Balancer is running in the background or without an interface, you can connect to the Balancer log from thecommand line. In a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows or Linux)or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the following, where “BALANCERNAME” is the name of the Balanceryou want to connect to:

deadlinecommand -ConnectToBalancerLog "BALANCERNAME"

4.5.4 Configuring the Balancer

The Balancer needs to be configured before it can do anything. See the Balancer Configuration documentation formore information.

4.5. Balancer 207


4.5.5 Balancer Menu Options

The available options are listed below. They are available in the Balancer’s window, or from the Balancer system trayicon’s right-click menu. Note that if the Balancer is running in the background or without an interface, these optionswill be unavailable.

Options Menu

Hide When Minimized

The Balancer is hidden when minimized, but can be restored using the the Balancer icon in the systemtray.

Minimize On Startup

Starts the Balancer in the minimized state.

Control Menu

Perform Balancing

If the Balancer is between Balancing cyles, this option forces the Balancer to perform a balancing cycleimmediately. A balancing cycle looks at tasks, groups, limits and cloud regions to determine if it shouldcreate or terminate cloud instances.


To run the Balancer from a command prompt or terminal window, navigate to the Deadline bin folder (Windows orLinux) or the Resources folder (Mac OS X) and run the ‘deadlinebalancer’ application. To view all available commandline arguments, you can run the following:

deadlinebalancer -help

Available Options

To start the Balancer without a user interface, use the -nogui option:

deadlinebalancer -nogui

To start the Balancer without the splash screen, use the -nosplash option:

deadlinebalancer -nosplash

To shut down the Balancer if it’s already running, use the -shutdown option:

deadlinebalancer -shutdown



4.5.7 FAQ

Can I run Balancer on any machine in my farm?

You can run Balancer on any machine in your farm, including the Repository or Database machine.However, for larger farms, we recommend running Balancer on a dedicated machine.

When choosing a machine to run Balancer on, you should choose a machine which has the correct networkroutable access to your local renderfarm as well as external access to any public/private connections viatechnologies such as VPN.

Can I run Balancer as a service or daemon?

Yes. If you’re running the Launcher as a service or daemon, then it will run Balancer in the backgroundas well. See the Client Installation documentation for more information.

Can I run multiple Balancer’s on separate machines?

Yes and like typical IT best practices, this will provide Balancer Redundancy. Note, only one Balancercan be Primary at any given time and this is the machine which will checkout a Flexlm based Balancerlicense.

Does Balancer use a Deadline Slave license?

No. Primary Balancer will checkout a Balancer specific license which is included to all customers who arecurrently on Thinkbox annual support for Deadline. The Draft and Balancer licenses will be renewed foranother 12 months as you renew your annual Thinkbox Deadline support contract. Please email DeadlineSales for further details.

4.6 Command

4.6.1 Overview

The deadlinecommand application is a command line tool for the Deadline render farm management system. It can beused to control, query, and submit jobs to the farm.

There is also a deadlinecommandbg application which is identical to deadlinecommand, except that it is executed inthe background. When using deadlinecommandbg, the output and exit code are written to the Deadline temp folderas dsubmitoutput.txt and dsubmitexitcode.txt respectively. If you want to control where these files get written to, youcan use the ‘-outputFiles’ option, followed by the paths to the output and exit code file names. For example:

deadlinecommandbg -outputFiles c:\output.txt c:\exitcode.txt -pools

You can find the deadlinecommand and deadlinecommandbg applications in the Deadline bin folder (Windows orLinux) or the Resources folder (Mac OS X).


The supported command line options and their usage instructions can be printed out by running ‘deadlinecommand’from a command prompt or terminal with the ‘-help’ argument.

deadlinecommand -help

To get usage information for a specific command, specify the command name after the -help argument:

4.6. Command 209




deadlinecommand -help SubmitCommandLineJob

4.6.3 Long Command Lines

Some operating systems have a limit on the number of characters that an individual command line can consist of, whichcan cause problems if you are using deadlinecommand with a large number of command line options. To workaroundthis issue, you can create a text file with one command line option per line, and pass that file as the only argument todeadlinecommand or deadlinecommandbg. For example, you can create a file called args.txt that looks like this:

-SubmitMultipleJobs-dependent-job\\path\to\job_1_info_file.txt\\path\to\job_1_plugin_file.txt-job\\path\to\job_2_info_file.txt\\path\to\job_2_plugin_file.txt-job\\path\to\job_3_info_file.txt\\path\to\job_3_plugin_file.txt

You would then pass it to deadlinecommand like this:

deadlinecommand args.txt

4.6.4 Usage Examples

Submitting a Job

To submit a 3dsmax scene (ie. C:\MyScene.max), you must first create a job submission info file (ie. C:\job_info.job)and a 3dsmax plugin info file (ie. C:\max_info.job). See the Manual Job Submission documentation for more infor-mation.

Once the files are created, you can submit the job using this command:

deadlinecommand "C:\job_info.job" "C:\max_info.job" "C:\MyScene.max"

Querying For Jobs Using Filters

To query for all jobs that belong to jsmith or cdavis:

deadlinecommand -getjobsfilter username=jsmith username=cdavis

To query for all of jsmith’s jobs with completed status:

deadlinecommand -getjobsfilterand username=jsmith status=completed



Checking Which Slaves Assigned To A Specific Pool

To check which slaves are assigned to the 3dsmax pool:

deadlinecommand -getslavenamesinpool 3dsmax Assigned

To Check which slaves are excluded from the xsi pool:

deadlinecommand -getslavenamesinpool Xsi Excluded

Querying For Task Information

To query for task information for the job with the ID of “546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5”:

deadlinecommand -getjobtasks 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

Retrieving and Changing Job Status

To retrieve the status of the job with the ID of “546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5”:

deadlinecommand -getjob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To retrieve all of the jobs details:

deadlinecommand -getjobdetails 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To suspend the job with the ID of “546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5”:

deadlinecommand -suspendjob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5deadlinecommand -suspendjobnonrenderingtasks 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To resume the job:

deadlinecommand -resumejob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To requeue the job:

deadlinecommand -requeuejob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To delete the job:

deadlinecommand -deletejob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

To archive the job:

deadlinecommand -archivejob 546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5

4.6. Command 211


Sending An Email

To send the message to [email protected](cc [email protected]):

deadlinecommand -sendemail -to [email protected] -cc [email protected] "the subject" -message "C:\MyMessage.html"

To send the same message with the attachment “C:\MyAttachment.txt”:

deadlinecommand -sendemail -to [email protected] -cc [email protected] "the subject" -message "C:\MyMessage.html" -attach "C:\MyAttachment.txt"

Note that the -to, -subject, and -message options are required. The other two options are optional.

4.6.5 FAQ

What’s the difference between the deadlinecommand and deadlinecommandbg applications?

The deadlinecommandbg application is identical to deadlinecommand, except that it is executed in thebackground. When using deadlinecommandbg, the exit code and output are written to the Deadline tempdirectory as dsubmitexitcode.txt dsubmitoutput.txt respectively.

4.7 Web Service

4.7.1 Overview

The deadlinewebservice application is a command line application for the Deadline render farm management system.It allows you to get query information from Deadline over an Internet connection, which you can view with the Mobileapplication, or you can write custom Web Service Scripts to display this information in a manner of your choice, suchas a web page.

You can find the deadlinewebservice application in the Deadline bin folder (Windows or Linux) or the Resourcesfolder (Mac OS X).

The Pulse application also has the web service built into it, so if you are already running Pulse, you can just connect toit directly instead of running the standalone deadlinewebservice application. That being said, there are a few benefitsto running the standalone deadlinewebservice application if you are already running Pulse:

• If you make heavy use of the web service, it won’t impact Pulse’s performance.

• You can run multiple instances of the standalone deadlinewebservice application on different machines.

• Migrating the web service to another machine doesn’t require you to migrate Pulse as well.

If you would like to use Pulse’s web service feature, you must enable it in Pulse, which can be done from the WebService tab in the Pulse Settings in the Repository Configuration. Note that if you enable or disable the web servicefeature while Pulse is running, you must restart Pulse for the changes to take effect.



4.7.2 Setup

Before you can use the web service, you need to configure the general Web Service settings in the Repository Config-uration. These settings apply to both the standalone deadlinewebservice application, and Pulse’s web service feature.

4.7. Web Service 213


4.7.3 RESTful HTTP API

The RESTful API in the web service can be used to request information from the database, store new data, alterexisting data or remove entries from the database.

See the REST Overview documentation for more information.

4.7.4 Additional Web Service Functionality

This additional web service functionality is still supported, but is now deprecated in favor of the new RESTful HTTPAPI.

Connecting to the Web Service

You can connect to the web service using a URL containing the host name or IP address of the machine that is hostingthe web service application, as well as the port, which we will assume to be 8080 for now (this can be configured in



the Web Service Settings). Note that if port 8080 is being blocked by a firewall, the web service will not be able toaccept web requests. An example URL will look like the following:

http://[myhost]:8080/[command][arguments]

Where:

• myhost is your web service server’s IP address or host name.

• command is the command you want to execute. The web service can support two different types of commands,which are explained below.

• arguments represents the arguments being passed to the command. This can be optional, and depends on thecommand.

To confirm that you can at least connect to the web service, try the following URL.

http://[myhost]:8080/

You should see the following if you connect to the web service successfully:

This is the Deadline web service!

Windows Namespace Reservation

If the web service is running on Windows, you may also need to add a namespace reservation for the current userthat the web service is running under, so that it can reserve namespaces for the URL connection. See the ConfiguringNamespace Reservations section in this MSDN Article for more information.

Note that by default, the web service listens on http://*:8080/, so make sure you set the port number correctly in theURL you use when reserving the namespace. For example:

netsh http add urlacl url=http://*:8080/ user=USERNAME

Ensure you have correctly elevated permissions when executing the above in a command prompt and replace USER-NAME with the appropriate %USERNAME% that the web service is running under. Depending on your local securitypolicy, the user account may need to have local administrator rights temporarily for you to initially reserve the names-pace. The namespace reservation will also need updating if you ever modify the port number or user account used.Use the following command in a command prompt to help list what namespace reservations are currently present onyour machine:

netsh http show urlacl

Running Commands

The first set of commands are the same commands that you can use with the Command application. However, thesecommands are disabled by default. To enable them, you need to enable the Allow Non-Script Commands setting in theWeb Service settings. If left disabled, you will see the following results when trying to call one of these commands:

Error - Non-Script commands are disabled.

Here is an example of how you would use the web service to call the -GetSlaveNames command:

4.7. Web Service 215

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms733768.aspx


http://[myhost]:8080/GetSlaveNames

Here is an example of the results that would be displayed:

JupiterRnd-vistaSlave-29Monkeypantswin7Electron.franticfilms.comTest3MonkeypantsSlave-27dProton.franticfilms.comAtom.franticfilms.comRnd-suseOpensuse-64PathosNeutron.franticfilms.com

Some commands can take arguments. To include arguments, you need to place a ‘?’ between the command name andthe first argument, and then a ‘&’ between additional arguments. Here is an example of how you would use the webservice to call the -GetSlaveNamesInPool command, and pass it two pools as arguments:

http://[myhost]:8080/GetSlaveNamesInPool?show_a&show_b

Here is an example of the results that would be displayed:

MonkeypantsPathos

Calling Python Scripts

The second set of commands are actually Python scripts that you can create in the Repository. These scripts use Pulse’sPython API to get data, and then return the data in a readable manner. So basically, you can create scripts to accessany type of data and display it in any way you want. See the Web Service Scripts documentation for more informationon how to create these scripts.

Once a script has been created, you can call it by using the name of the script, without the .py extension. For example,if you have a web service script called GetFarmStatistics.py, you would call it using:

http://[myhost]:8080/GetFarmStatistics

Some scripts can take arguments. To include arguments, you need to place a ‘?’ between the command name and thefirst argument, and then a ‘&’ between additional arguments. Here is an example of how you would pass arg1, arg2,and arg3 as separate arguments to the GetFarmStatistics.py script:

http://[myhost]:8080/GetFarmStatistics?arg1&arg2&arg3

The way the results are displayed depends on the format in which they are returned. Again, see the Web ServiceScripting documentation for more information.



4.8 Mobile

4.8.1 Overview

The Mobile application allows you to monitor your jobs from anywhere. The application connects to the Deadlineweb service to download information about the state of your jobs, so the web service must be running before you canuse the Mobile application. See the Web Service documentation for more information.

The minimum requirements for the Mobile application are as follows.

Mobile Device Minimum RequirementsAndroid Deadline 5.0 and Android 2.1iPhone or iPad Deadline 4.1 and iPhone OS 3.0 - 7.10Windows Phone Deadline 5.0 and Windows Phone 7.0

4.8.2 Mobile Setup

When you launch the Mobile application for the first time, you will need to configure it so that it can connect to yourDeadline web service. Just press the Settings button in the top left corner. The important settings are the DeadlineUser settings and the Pulse Server settings. For Mobile to connect to the web service, you must provide the followinginformation:

• Deadline User Settings -> User Name: This is the Deadline User is the user that you normally submit renderjobs from.

• Deadline User Settings -> Password: If the web service has been configured to require authentication, andempty passwords are not allowed, you must enter your user password here. This is the password that youspecify in your User Settings in the Monitor. See the User Settings documentation for more information.

• Pulse Server Settings -> Server Name: This is the host name or IP address of the server machine that is runningthe web service.

• Pulse Server Settings -> Server Port: The default is 8080, and should only be changed if the web service hasbeen configured to listen on a different port.

Note that the Pulse Server Settings can be used to connect to a Pulse instance if the web service feature is enabled,or it can be used to connect to the standalone web service application. See the Web Service documentation for moreinformation.

After you have configured your Server and User settings, press the Job List button to return and press the Refreshbutton to connect to the web service and load the job list. If you get an error when Mobile attempts to contact the webservice, see the Troubleshooting section for known errors and solutions.

4.8.3 Job List

The job list is the main screen, and by default it shows all the jobs in the repository. See the Settings section below forinformation on how to sort and filter this list. You can also use the search field to search for specific jobs.

4.8. Mobile 217


To refresh the job list, just press the Refresh button. If you want to see more information about a specific job, pressthe button to the right of the job name to bring up the job details panel.

4.8.4 Job Details

The job details panel shows additional information for a specific job. In this view, you can see most of the informationyou could normally see in the Monitor.

To refresh the job details, just press the Refresh Job button. To return to the job list, press the Job List button in theupper left corner.



4.8.5 Settings

The settings panel can be accessed from the job list by pressing the Settings button. You can access the online help bypressing the Help button in the top right corner (Android) or by scrolling down to find the Online Help link (iPhone).To return to the job list, press the Job List button in the upper left corner.

Auto Refresh Settings

• Job List: If enabled, the job list will automatically refresh itself at the increment defined in Job List Interval.

• Job Details: If enabled, the job’s details will automatically refresh itself at the increment defined in Job DetailsInterval.

Job List Filter Settings

• Configure filters to only show the jobs that you’re interested in.

Job List Sort Settings

• Ego-centric Sort: If enabled, all of your jobs will appear at the top of the job list, followed by the remainingjobs.

• Primary Sort: Set the primary sort field and order for the job list.

• Secondary Sort: Set the secondary sort field and order for the job list.

Deadline User Settings

• User Name: Your Deadline user name. This is the user that you normally submit render jobs under.

• Password: If the web service has been configured to require authentication, and empty passwords are notallowed, you must enter your user password here. This is the password that you specify in your User Settings inthe Monitor. See the User Settings documentation for more information.

Pulse Server Settings

• Server Name: This is the host name or IP address of the server machine that is running the web service.

• Server Port: The default is 8080, and should only be changed if the web service has been configured to listenon a different port.

4.8. Mobile 219


Note that the Pulse Server Settings can be used to connect to a Pulse instance if the web service feature is enabled,or it can be used to connect to the standalone web service application. See the Web Service documentation for moreinformation.

Proxy Server Settings

• Server URL: If you are using a proxy web server, you may need to set a more specific URL to connect to theweb service.

• Http Authorization: If your proxy web server requires HTTP authorization, you should enable this option andspecify the user name and password.

• SSL: If you are using a proxy web server that requires SSL, you should enable this option. Note that this willchange the server port in the Pulse Server Settings to 443 by default.

Download Information

• This a running tally of the data that you’ve downloaded from the web service.

4.8.6 Proxy Server

Depending on the security restrictions of your studio, you may wish to to setup a proxy server that acts as a middlemanbetween Mobile and the web service. You can run the proxy server on a different machine, and configure it to requireauthentication, use SSL, etc.

We have example scripts that you can start with by downloading the Pulse Proxy Script For Deadline Mobile file fromthe Miscellaneous Deadline Downloads Page.

• Place these scripts into a cgi script executable folder. For apache, the default is the cgi-bin directory, but differentfolders can be configured as script folders.

• Once the scripts are in the folder, running them should yield a 403: Not authorized error until the script has beenconfigured.

The proxy scripts have been written to assume that the root web directory will be where the scripts will be run. Becauseof this, if they are placed into the cgi-bin folder you must prepend ‘\cgi-bin\’ to the URI regular expression test in thescripts. Note that all slashes and regular expression special characters must be escaped (hence the double slash).

Common pitfalls with this are forgetting to mark the scripts as executable on unix based systems (use “chmod og+xMobile_GetJob*” to mark them executable), and forgetting to set the owner and group to be the same as the webserverruns as (use “chown www:www Mobile_GetJob*” on most systems).

Note that we provide these scripts as is, and we don’t officially support them. However, if you are having difficulties,contact Deadline Support and we’ll do what we can to help.

4.8.7 Troubleshooting

These are some known Mobile errors and solutions.

You must provide a password for authentication

This error occurs when a password has not been set for the current user while authentication is enabledand empty passwords are not accepted. To resolve this issue, you must fill in the Web Service Passwordfield for the user in the User Settings in the Monitor. Before you can connect, you may need to wait forthe web service to update its network settings or manually restart the web service.

The provided user name and password are invalid





This error occurs when the password provided is incorrect for the given user. If you believe the passwordis correct, you may need to wait for the web service to update its network settings or manually restart theweb service.

The provided user name is invalid

This error occurs when the provided user is not in the web service’s cached list. If the user name isvalid, you may need to wait for the web service to update its network settings or manually restart the webservice.

There was an error connecting to Pulse

This error occurs when there are two errors connecting to the web service in a row. The likely cause ofthis error is that the web service is not running on the specified server. Verify that the web service isrunning on the specified server and that you have entered the server’s name or IP address correctly. If youhave a name specified for the server and are not on the local area network of that machine, you may needto enter the server’s IP address instead of its name.

Network Error

The connection with the server failed. Please check your server settings in the Settings Section

Double check your settings in Mobile to make sure they match the required information. If all the Mobile settingsare entered correctly and you still cannot connect, look in your general mobile device settings and make sure you areconnected to the right network. Depending on how things are set up, your device will try to connect to the strongestnetwork in the area. If the network it switches to doesn’t have the correct settings to connect to your server then theconnection will fail.

If you are still unable to connect try rebooting the device (fully power off your device and power it back on). Thiserror also occurs when the server you are trying to connect to has lost access to the internet. Double check that theserver is connected to the internet.

4.8.8 FAQ

How do I get the Mobile application?

The Mobile application can be downloaded from the Android Market and the iPhone App Store.

How much does Mobile cost?

Nothing, it’s free!

4.8. Mobile 221



CHAPTER

FIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE FEATURES

5.1 Repository Configuration

5.1.1 Overview

There are a wide variety of Repository options that can be configured. These options can be modified at any time fromthe Deadline Monitor while in Super User Mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository Options. If you want torestore all the Repository Options to their defaults, simply click the Reset Settings button.

223


Note that long-running applications like the Launcher, Slave, and Pulse only update these settings every 10 minutes,so after making changes, it can take up to 10 minutes for all machines to recognize them. You can restart theseapplications to have them recognize the changes immediately.

5.1.2 Client Setup

These settings affect the Deadline Client installed on each machine.

• Remote Administration: Enabling Remote Administration allows the Deadline Clients to be controlled re-motely from the Monitor running on another machine. Note that this can be a security risk if you are not behinda firewall.

• Automatic Upgrades: Enabling Automatic Upgrades allows the Deadline Clients to detect if the Repositoryhas been upgraded, and upgrade themselves if necessary. Note that the upgrade check is only performed whenlaunching applications via the Launcher.

224 Chapter 5. Administrative Features


5.1.3 Monitor Settings

These settings affect the Deadline Monitor application on each machine.

Monitor Layouts

Existing Monitor layouts can be added here. These layouts can be assigned to User Groups as a user’s default layout.If the Pinned option is enabled, they can also be chosen from the Pinned Layouts menu in the Monitor. The order ofthe layouts here will be the same in the Pinned Layouts menu.

5.1. Repository Configuration 225


To add a new layout, simply press the Add button, and then choose an existing Monitor layout file, or use the currentMonitor’s layout. Note that Monitor layout files can be saved from the Monitor by selecting View -> Save Layout.

Update Settings

Enable Manual Refreshing

If your Auto Refreshing Intervals are set to longer intervals, manual refreshing in the Monitor can be enabled to allow



users to get the most up to date data immediately. To prevent users from abusing manual refreshing, a minimuminterval between manual refreshes can be configured.

Sorting and Filtering

For farms that have a large number of jobs (10,000+) or slaves (1000+), disabling Automatic Sorting and Filtering inthe lists in the Monitor can improve the Monitor’s overall performance. This option in the Repository Options can beused to disable Automatic Sorting and Filtering by default, and users can enable it later in their Monitors if desired.

5.1.4 Slave Settings

These settings affect the Deadline Slave application on each machine.

Slave Settings

General

• Limit the number of characters per line for standard output handling: Lines of standard output that arelonger than the specified limit will be ignored by the Slave’s stdout handling.



• Delete Offline/Stalled Slaves from the Repository after this many days: Slaves that are Offline or Stalledwill be removed from the Repository after this many days.

• Gather System Resources (CPU and RAM) When Rendering Tasks On Linux/Mac: If enabled, the Slavewill collect CPU and RAM usage for a task while it is rendering. We have seen cases where this can cause theSlave to crash on Linux or Mac, so you should only disable this feature if you run into this problem.

• Use fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for Machine Name instead of host name: If enabled, the Slavewill try to use the machine’s fully qualified domain name (FQDN) when setting its Machine Name instead ofusing the machine’s host name. The FQDN will then be used for Remote Control, which can be useful if theremote machine name isn’t recognized in the local network. If the Slave can’t resolve the FQDN, it will just usethe host name instead.

• Use Slave’s IP Address for Remote Control: If enabled, the Slave’s IP address will be used for remote controlinstead of trying to resolve the Slave’s host name.

Wait Times

• Number of Minutes Before An Unresponsive Slave is Marked as Stalled: If a slave has not provided a statusupdate in this amount of time, it will be marked as stalled.

• Number of Seconds To Wait Fora Response When Connecting to Pulse: The number of seconds a salve thatis connected to plus will wait for pulse to respond when querying for a job.

• Number of Seconds Between Thermal Shutdown Checks if Pulse is Offline: The number of seconds betweenthermal shutdown checks. The Slave only does this check if Pulse is not running.



Extra Properties

Extra arbitrary properties can be set for slaves, and these properties can be given user friendly names so that they caneasily be identified and used to filter and sort slaves in the Monitor.



5.1.5 Performance Settings

These settings are used to influence the performance of Deadline by modifying update intervals.

Auto Adjust

The auto adjust option will try to choose the best interval settings based on the number of slaves in your farm. Theseshould act as a good base that you can modify later as necessary. Press the Auto Adjust button to bring up the intervalsettings. Note that this will show you what your current settings are, and what they’ll be changed to based on thenumber of slaves you entered.



Monitor Referesh Intervals

• Number of Seconds Between Job Updates: This controls how often the Monitor reads in new job updates.

• Number of Seconds Between Slave Updates: This controls how often the Monitor reads in new slave updates.

• Number of Seconds Between Pulse Updates: This controls how often the Monitor reads in new pulse updates.

• Number of Seconds Between Limit Updates: This controls how often the Monitor reads in new limit updates.

• Number of Seconds Between Settings Updates: This controls how often the Settings such as groups, poolsand users are updated.

• Number of Seconds Between Cloud Updates: This controls how often the Monitor updates the Cloud Panel.

• Number of Seconds Between Balancer Updates: This controls how often the Monitor reads in new Balancerupdates.

Slave Intervals

• Number of Seconds Between Slave Information Updates: This controls how often the Slave updates theinformation that’s shown in the Slave list in the Monitor.

• Number of Seconds Between Queries For New Tasks While the Slave is Rendering: The number of secondsa Slave will wait after it finishes a task before moving on to another. This delay is not applied when the Slave isidle.

• Multiplier to determine seconds between queries while the Slave is Idle: The multiplier to be applied to thenumber of slaves that will determine how long a slave will wait between polls to the Repository for tasks when



it is idle.

• Maximum number of seconds between Job queries while the Slave is Idle: The maximum number of secondsa slave will wait between polls to the Repository for tasks when it is idle.

• Minimum number of seconds between Job queries when the Slave is Idle: The minimum number of secondsa slave will wait between polls to the Repository for tasks when it is idle.

5.1.6 Pulse Settings

These settings control how the Slaves connect to Pulse for Throttling, and are also used by the Slave to determine ifPulse is running.

General

• Maximum Incoming Connections: The maximum number of Slaves that can connect to Pulse at any giventime.

• Connection Timeout (in milliseconds): The number of milliseconds messages to and from Pulse have tocomplete before they timeout.



• Maximum Connection Attempts: The maximum number of times a Slave will attempt to connect to Pulsebefore giving up.

• Stalled Pulse Threshold (in minutes): Deadline determines if a Pulse has stalled by checking the last time thatthe Pulse has provided a status update. If a Pulse has not updated its state in the specified amount of time, it willbe marked as Stalled.

• Use Pulse’s IP Address When Slaves Connect To Pulse and For Remote Control: If enabled, the Pulse’s IPaddress will be used when the slaves connect to pulse, and for remote control, instead of trying to resolve thePulse’s host name.

Power Management

• Power Management Check Interval: How often Pulse performs Power Management operations.



Throttling

Throttling can be used to limit the number of slave applications that are copying over the job files at the same time.This can help network performance if large scene files are being submitted with the jobs. Note that a Slave only copiesover the job files when it starts up a new job. When it goes to render subsequent tasks for the same job, it will not beaffected by the throttling feature.

• Enable Throttling: Allow throttling to occur.

• Maximum Number of Slaves That Can Copy Job Files at The Same Time: The maximum number of Slavesthat can copy a scene file at the same time.

• The Interval a Slave Waits Between Updates To See If It Can Start Copying Job Files: The amount oftime(in seconds) a Salve will wait to send throttle checks and updates to Pulse.

• Throttle Update Timeout Multiplier (based on the Slave Interval): The interval a slave waits between up-dates is multiplied by this value to determine the timeout value.



Web Service

Enable the Web Service

The Web Service allows you to execute commands and scripts from a browser, and must be enabled to use the Mobileapplications and the Pulse RESTful API (see REST Overview). While there is a standalone web service application, itcan also be enabled in Pulse if you are running it. All other Web Service settings can be set in the Web Service page,which is covered further down this page.

• Enable the Web Service: Makes the Pulse Web Service Available. Note that if you enable or disable the WebService feature while Pulse is running, it must be restarted for the changes to take effect.



5.1.7 Balancer Settings

These settings control general settings for the Balancer.

• Balancer Update Interval: How often the Balancer performs a balancing cycle.

• Current Algorithm Logic: The Balancer Plugin to use for determining balancing targets.

• Use Balancer’s IP Address for Remote Control: If enabled, the Balancer’s IP address will be used for remotecontrol instead of trying to resolve the Balancer’s host name.

• Stalled Balancer Threshold (in minutes): Deadline determines if a Balancer has stalled by checking the lasttime that the Balancer has provided a status update. If a Balancer has not updated its state in the specifiedamount of time, it will be marked as Stalled.

• Error Tolerance: How many times we try to connect to the primary Balancer before it fails and we makeanother Balancer the new primary.

• Enable Group Switching: If there are group mappings that have the same image and hardware types instanceswill move between groups as needed. If it’s not enabled instances will shutdown and startup like normal.

The settings for the currently selected Algorithm Logic will be shown here as well (if there are any settings).



5.1.8 Region Settings

This is where you can set up Regions in Deadline. Regions are logical groupings for slaves and users. Cross PlatformRendering and Balancer Settings can be unique to each region. For example a slave that’s in the ‘thinkbox_west’Region will use the path mapping settings for that Region. The list on the right shows the Cloud Regions and thelist on the left shows the general Regions. Regions must have a unique name.’all’ and ‘none’ are reserved names thatcannot be used. See Regions for more information.



5.1.9 Email Notification

This section handles all email related settings within the repository.

Primary and Secondary Server

Set up a primary SMTP server to send email notifications. You can set up an optional secondary SMTP server forDeadline to use if the primary server is unavailable.

• SMTP Server: The SMTP server used by Deadline to send emails.

• Sender Account: The email account that Deadline will use to send emails from.

• Port: The SMTP port to use.

• Use SSL: The email account from which the notifications will be sent.

• SMTP Server Requires Authentication: Enable if the SMTP server requires a user name and password toauthenticate.



• Testing: Send a test email to the specified email address.

• Automatically Generate Email Addresses for New Users: Generates new email address for new users in theform username@postfix, where ‘postfix’ is the value entered in the Email Address Postfix field.

Note that if you have SSL enabled, you may need to configure your Linux and OSX machines for SSL to work. Theprocess for doing this is explained in Mono’s Security Documentation.

If you using Google Mail to send emails (smtp.gmail.com), you will typically use port 25 if SSL is disabled, and port465 if SSL is enabled. See Google’s documentation on Sending Emails for more information.

Notifications

• Job Completed: When a job completes, an email will be sent to these email addresses.

• Job Timed Out: When a job times out, an email will be sent to these email addresses.

• Job Error Warning: When a job accumulates a certain number of errors, a warning email will be sent to theseemail addresses. You can configure the warning limit in the Failure Detection settings.

• Job Failed: “When a job fails, an email will be sent to these email addresses.

• Job Corrupted: When a corrupted job is detected, an email will be sent to these email addresses.


mailto:username@postfix

http://www.mono-project.com/FAQ:_Security#Does_SSL_works_for_SMTP.2C_like_GMail_.3F

https://support.google.com/a/answer/176600?hl=en


• Slave License Errors: “When a slave is unable to get a license, an email will be sent to these email addresses.

• Slave Status Errors: When a slave is unable to update its state in the Repository, an email will be sent to theseemail addresses.

• Slave Error Warning: When a slave accumulates a certain number of errors in one session, a warning emailwill be sent to these email addresses. You can configure the warning limit in the Failure Detection settings.

• Stalled Slave: When a stalled slave detected, an email will be sent to these email addresses.

• System Administrator: When users use the option in the Error Report Viewer to report error messages to theirsystem administrator, those emails will be sent to these email addresses.

• Low Database Connections: Low Database connection notification emails will be sent to these email addresses.

• Database Connection Thresholds: When the number of available database connections is below the set thresh-old a warning email will be sent.

Power Management Notifications

• Idle Shutdown: Notifications for Idle Shutdown operations will be sent to these email addresses.

• Machine Startup: Notifications for Machine Startup operations will be sent to these email addresses.



• Thermal Shutdown: Notifications for Thermal Shutdown operations will be sent to these email addresses.

• Machine Restart: Notifications for Machine Restart operations will be sent to these email addresses.

5.1.10 House Cleaning

Pending Job Scan

• Pending Job Scan Interval: The maximum amount of time between Pending Job Scans in seconds.

• Allow Slaves to Perform the Pending Job Scan If Pulse is not Running: If enabled, the Slaves will performthe pending job scan if Pulse is not running. If disabled, only Pulse can perform the pending job scan.

• Run Pending Job Scan in a Separate Process: If enabled, the pending job scan will be run in a separateprocess. This can be useful when using dependency scripts to ensure that a crash caused by the script doesn’tcause the main application (Pulse, Slave, or Monitor) to crash.

– Write Pending Job Scan Output to Seperate Log File: If enabled, all output from the pending job scanwill be placed into a seperate log file.



– Pending Job Scan Process Timeout: If running the pending job scan in a separate process, this is themaximum amount of time the process can take before it is aborted.

• Asynchronous Job Events: If enabled, many job events will be processed asynchronously by the Pending JobScan operation, which can help improve improve the performance of the Monitor when performing operationson batches of jobs. If this is enabled, the OnJobSubmitted event will still be processed synchronously to ensurethat any updates to the job are committed before the job can be picked up by Slaves.

– Maximum Job Events Per Session: The maximum number of pending job events that can be processedper scan.

House Cleaning

• House Cleaning Interval: The maximum amount of time between House Cleaning operations in seconds.

• Allow Slaves to Perform House Cleaning If Pulse is not Running: If enabled, the Slaves will perform housecleaning if Pulse is not running. If disabled, only Pulse can perform house cleaning.

• Run House Cleaning in a Separate Process: If enabled, the house cleaning operation will be run in a separateprocess.



– Write House Cleaning Output to Seperate Log File: If enabled, all output from the house cleaning willbe placed into a seperate log file.

– House Cleaning Process Timeout: If running the house cleaning in a separate process, this is the maxi-mum amount of time the process can take before it is aborted.

• House Cleaning Maximum Per Session

– Maximum Deleted Jobs: The maximum number of deleted jobs that can be purged per session.

– Maximum Archived Jobs: The maximum number of jobs that can be archived per session.

– Maximum Auxiliary Folders: The maximum number of job auxiliary folders that can be deleted persession.

– Maximum Job Reports: The maximum number of jobs report files that can be deleted per session.

Repository Repair

• Repository Repair Interval: The maximum amount of time between Repository Repair operations in seconds.

• Allow Slaves to Perform the Repository Repair If Pulse is not Running: If enabled, the Slaves will performthe repository repair if Pulse is not running. If disabled, only Pulse can perform the repository repair.



• Run Repository Repair in a Separate Process: If enabled, the repository repair operation will be run in aseparate process.

– Write Repository Repair Output to Seperate Log File: If enabled, all output from the repository repairwill be placed into a seperate log file.

– Repository Repair Process Timeout: If running the repository repair in a separate process, this is themaximum amount of time the process can take before it is aborted.

• Automatic Primary Election: If enabled, the Repository Repair operation will elect another runningPulse/Balancer instance as the Primary if the current Primary instance is no longer running.

5.1.11 Auto Configuration

This allows you to configure your Slaves from a single location. When a Slave starts up, it will automatically pull thisconfiguration from Pulse and apply it before fully initializing. See the Auto Configuration documentation for moreinformation.



5.1.12 User Security

• Super User Password: The password needed to access Super User Mode in the Monitor. Leave blank for nopassword.

• Enhanced User Security: When using the System User for the Deadline User, the only way to switch Deadlineusers is to log off the system and log back in as someone else. This helps improve Deadlines’s user security, asit prevents users from impersonating others to modify their jobs.

– Use The System User For The Deadline User: Enable to use enhanced user security, which preventsusers from impersonating others.

• Rendering Jobs As User: By default, the rendering process will run under the same user account that theSlave is running as. If Render Jobs As User is enabled, the rendering process will run under the user accountassociated with the user that submitted the job. Each Deadline user must have their Render Jobs As User settingsconfigured properly for this to work. On Windows, the user’s Run As Name, Domain, and Password settingswill be used to start the rendering process as that user. On Linux and Mac OS X, only the user’s Run As Namesetting will be used with ‘su’ or ‘sudo’ to start the rendering process as that user. Note that on Linux and MacOS X, the Slave must be running as root for this to work properly.



– Render Jobs As User: Enable to have jobs render as the user that submitted them.

– Use ‘su’ Instead Of ‘sudo’ On Linux and Mac OS X: If enabld, ‘su’ will be used to run the process asanother user instead of ‘sudo’. This setting is ignored on Windows.

– Preserve Environment On Linux and Mac OS X: If enabled, the user environment will be preservedwhen running the process as another user using ‘su’ or ‘sudo’. This setting is ignored on Windows, and isignored on Mac OS X when using ‘su’ instead of ‘sudo’.

5.1.13 Job Settings

Job Scheduling

Scheduling Order

• Job Scheduling Order: The order of priority that Deadline uses to schedule jobs. See the Job Schedulingdocumentation for more details.

• Priority Weight: Weight given to job priority when using a Weighted scheduling order.

• Submission Time Weight: Weight given to job submission time when using a Weighted scheduling order.



• Error Weight: Weight given to the number of errors a job has when using a Weighted scheduling order.

• Rendering Task Weight: Weight given to the number of rendering tasks a job has when using a Weightedscheduling order.

• Rendering Task Buffer: A buffer that is used by slaves to give their job extra priority on the farm.

• Enhanced Balancing Logic: If enabled, a more enhanced method of balancing slave between jobs is used,which should prevent slaves from jumping between jobs as much. This feature is still considered experimental.

Submission Limitations

• Task Limit For Jobs: The maximum number of tasks a job can have. Note that this does not impose a framelimit so you you can always increase the number of frames per task to stay below this limit.

• Maximum Job Priority: The maximum priority value a job can have.

Automatic Job Timeout

Configure Deadline to automatically determine a timeout for a job based on the render times of tasks that have alreadycompleted. If a task goes longer than that timeout, a timeout error will occur and the task will be requeued.

• Minimum number of completed tasks required before calculating a timeout: The minimum number of tasksthat must be completed before Auto Job Timeout Checking occurs.

• Minimum percent of completed tasks required before calculating a timeout: The minimum percent of tasksthat must be completed before Auto Job Timeout Checking occurs.

• Enforce an automatic job timeout for all jobs: If enabled, the Auto Job Timeout will be enabled for all jobsoverriding the per job specification of the value.

• Timeout Multiplier: To calculate the Auto Job Timeout, the longest render time of the completed tasks ismultiplied by this value to determine the timeout time.



Failure Detection

Job Failure Detection

Sends warnings and fail jobs or tasks if they generate too many errors.

• Send a warning to the job’s user after it has generated this many errors: A warning will be sent to the job’snotification list once its error count has reach. By default, the submitting user is automatically added to this list.

• Mark a job as failed after it has generated this many errors: The number of errors a job must throw beforeit is marked as failed.

• Mark a task as failed after it has generated this many errors: The number of errors a task must throw beforeit is marked as failed.

• Automatically delete corrupted jobs from the Repository: If enabled, if a job is found to be corrupted it willit will be automatically removed from the the Repository.

• Maximum Number of Job Error Reports Allowed: This is the maximum number of error reports each jobcan generate. Once a job generate this many errors it will fail and can not be resumed until some of it’s errorreports are deleted or this value is increased.



Slave Failure Detection

Sends warnings and prevent Slaves from reattempting jobs that keep generating errors.

• Send a warning after a Slave has generated this many errors for a job in a row: The maximum number oferrors that can occur before email warnings are sent to the users specified in the Email Notification section.

• Mark a Slave as bad after it has generated this many errors for a job in a row: If a Slave hits this manyerrors, it will be marked as bad for its current job.

• Frequency at which a slave will attempt a job that it has been marked bad for: The percentage of time aSlave will attempt a task it has been marked bad for if no good jobs are available.

Cleanup

Automatic Job Cleanup

• Cleanup Jobs After This Many Days: If enabled, this is the number of days to wait before cleaning up un-archived jobs.

• Cleanup Mode: Whether the cleanup should archive the jobs found or delete them.

• You can also set the number of hours since the job was last modified before cleaning it up.



Deleted Job Purging

• Set the number of hours after a job has been deleted before it is purged from the database.

Auxiliary Files

Many jobs have an option to submit the scene file and other auxiliary files with the job. This can be useful because itstores a copy of the scene file with the job that can be referred to later. However, if the size of these files are large andthe Repository server isn’t designed to handle this load, it can seriously impact the Repository machine’s performance.This problem can be avoided by storing these files in a location on a different server that is designed to handle theload.

• Store job auxiliary files in a different location: If enabled, job auxiliary files submitted to Deadline will bestored at a location specified and not the Repository.



Extra Properties

Extra arbitrary properties can be submitted with a job, and these properties can be given user friendly names so thatthey can easily be identified and used to filter and sort jobs in the Monitor.



5.1.14 Application Logging

Application Log Cleanup

• Delete Monitor logs after this many days: The number of days before a Monitor log will be deleted.

• Delete Slave logs after this many days: The number of days before a Slave log will be deleted.

• Delete Pulse logs after this many days: The number of days before a Pulse log will be deleted.

• Delete Balancer logs after this many days: The number of days before a Balancer log will be deleted.

• Delete Launcher logs after this many days: The number of days before a Launcher log will be deleted.

History Entries

• Maximum Number of Repository History Entries: The maximum number of repository history entries thatare stored before old entries are overwritten.

• Maximum Number of Job History Entries: The maximum number of job history entries that are stored beforeold entries are overwritten.



• Maximum Number of Slave History Entries: The maximum number of slave history entries that are storedbefore old entries are overwritten.

• Maximum Number of Pulse History Entries: The maximum number of pulse history entries that are storedbefore old entries are overwritten.

• Maximum Number of Balancer History Entries: The maximum number of balancer history entries that arestored before old entries are overwritten.

Logging Verbosity

• Slave Verbose Logging: If enabled, more information will be written to the Slave log while it is running.

• Pulse Verbose Logging: If enabled, more information will be written to the Pulse log while it is running.

• Balancer Verbose Logging: If enabled, more information will be written to the Balancer log while it is running.

5.1.15 Statistics Gathering

Configure Deadline to keep track of job and farm statistics. Note that Pulse must be running to gather Slave andRepository statistics. Job statistics will be gathered regardless if Pulse is running or not.



• Enable Statistics Gathering: If enabled, Deadline will gather statistical information.

• Slave Statistics Gathering Interval(in minutes): The amount of time between polling Slaves for statisticalinformation.

• Repository Statistics Gathering Interval(in minutes): The amount of time between polling the Repositoryfor statistical information.

• Delete Job Statistics After This Many Days: The number of days from generation that job statistics will bekept before they are deleted.

• Delete Slave Statistics After This Many Days: The number of days from generation that Slave statistics willbe kept before they are deleted.

• Delete Repository Statistics After This Many Days: The number of days from generation that Repositorystatistics will be kept before they are deleted.

5.1.16 Mapped Paths

Paths to be mapped before rendering(based on Operating System). You may add, remove, or edit paths as well asmodify the order in which they will be mapped. See the Cross Platform Rendering section for more details.



5.1.17 Mapped Drives

Drives to be mapped before rendering(Windows Only).

• Drive: The drive to be mapped.

• Remote Path: The remote path for the drive.

• Only Map If Unmapped: Enable to only map the drive if it is unmapped. Disabled by default.

• Requires Authentication: (Optional) Enable if the drive requires authentication. If unchecked, the existinglogged in user account credentials will be used.

• Username: Username. Must not be blank.

• Password: Password. Must not be blank.

Note, drives can be mapped when running as a service. Beware that if a user is logged in and has mapped drives setup for them, the Deadline Slave service won’t see them because they run in a different environment. However, if thedrives are mapped in the service’s environment (which is what the slave is doing), then they will work fine. Using thefollowing setting can help remove this potential situation.



• Only map drives when the Slave is running as a service: If checked, the slave will only map the drives if it’srunning as a service. If unchecked, it will also do it when the slave is running as a normal application.

5.1.18 Script Menus

There are many scripts that ship with Deadline, and it’s more than likely that you don’t need to use them all, especiallythe submission scripts. Here, you can configure the contents of the individual script menus to only display what youuse. You can also set icons and keyboard shortcuts for your script menu items. If a script menu item has the sameshortcut as an existing menu item, the script menu item’s shortcut will take precedence.

Note though that these settings will affect all Monitors that connect to this Repository.



5.1.19 Python Settings

A list of additional paths to be added to the Python search paths. Specify one path per line, and use the Add Pathbutton to browse for paths.



5.1.20 Wake On Lan Settings

Deadline’s Power Management uses Wake On Lan to wake up machines, and you can configure which port(s) theWOL packet is sent over. If no ports are listed here, Deadline will use port 9 by default.



5.1.21 Web Service

The Web Service allows you to execute commands and scripts from a browser, and must be enabled to use Deadline’sMobile applications. The Web Service can be run as a console application or as part of Pulse. Note that only oneinstance of the Web Service can run on a machine at a time. Also note that all changes to the Web Service settingsrequire the Web Service to be restarted before they will be implemented.

• Listening Port: The port on which the Web Service will listen.

• Connection Limit: The maximum number of concurrent connections allowed for the Pulse Web Service.

• Connection Timeout(in seconds): The amount of time in between sending and receiving messages to and fromthe Web Service before a timeout occurs.

If the Web Service requires authentication, users would use their Deadline user name along with the password storedin their User Settings. If empty passwords are allowed, they can leave their password setting blank.

• Require Authentication: If enabled, the Pulse Web Service will require a username and password. These arestored in the user settings.

• Allow Empty Passwords: If enabled, the Web Service will accept empty passwords.



• Allow Execution of Non-Script Commands: If enabled, users are allowed access to Deadline Commandcommands.

5.2 User Management

5.2.1 Overview

Deadline has its own user system, which is primarily used to tie users to Jobs. By default, users cannot control ormodify the settings of another User’s Jobs.

Each user can configure their own user settings from the Monitor by selecting Tools -> Options. See the Monitor andUser Settings documentation for more information on the available user settings.

5.2.2 Managing Users

Administrators can manage the all users from the Monitor. This is done by selecting Tools -> Manage Users in SuperUser mode, or as a user with appropriate User Group privileges. From here, you can add or remove individual users,



and edit their user settings. See the Monitor and User Settings documentation for more information on the availableuser settings.

5.2.3 User Security

User Security settings can be configured in the Repository Configuration.

5.2. User Management 261


By default, Deadline does not enforce Enhanced User Security. This means that a user can switch to a different Userand edit someone else’s Jobs. For some pipelines, this “honor system” will work fine, but for those looking for tightersecurity, you should enable Enhanced User Security, so that it uses the system user as the Deadline User. When thisoption is enabled, users will not be able to switch to a another Deadline User unless they log off their system and logback in as someone else.

It is also recommended that you add a Super User password if you are looking for enhanced security, as a SuperUser without a password would allow Users to circumvent User Job-editing restriction, as well as circumventing anyrestrictions imposed on them by their User Groups (see below).

5.2.4 User Group

User Groups allow Administrators to restrict what functionality is available to certain users, as well as make certainfeatures accessible to others without requiring the use of the Super User mode.

Deadline automatically creates an ‘Everyone’ User Group, which always contains all Users, and cannot be removedor disabled. This User Group is also populated with the default Permission Settings recommended for normal users.



Managing User Groups

The User Group Management section can be accessed as a Super User through the Tools -> Manage User Groupsmenu in the Monitor.

The left side of this dialog contains the list of User Groups that have already been created in the Repository. There arealso controls allowing you to manipulate this list in many ways:

• Add: Will create a new User Group using the default options and feature access levels (equivalent to the default‘Everyone’ group before modification).

• Remove: Will delete the selected User Group from the Repository. Note that the ‘Everyone’ group can neverbe Removed in order to guarantee that all Users will at least be part of this group.

• Clone: Will create a new User Group using the Options and Feature Access Levels of the currently selectedgroup as defaults.

This list is visible regardless of which tab is selected, allowing you to quickly change which Group you’re modifying,and ensuring you’re always aware of which one is currently selected.



General Options

This tab contains basic higher-level settings for User Groups. Note that most of the features on this tab, describedbelow, will be disabled when modifying the ‘Everyone’ group, since it is a special Group that must always be activeand enabled for all Users.

• Group Options

– Group Enabled: This indicates whether or not this User Group is currently active or not. Disablinga User Group instead of Removing it altogether can be useful if you just want to temporarily disableaccess for a group of users without having to re-create it later. This is always true for the ‘Everyone’Group.

– Group Expires: This setting will cause a Group to only be valid up to the specified Date and Time.This can be useful if you are hiring temporary staff and know in advance that you will need to revoketheir access on a certain Date. This cannot be set for the ‘Everyone’ Group.

• Job Access Level

– Can View Other Users’ Jobs: This setting determines whether or not Users belonging to the Groupcan see other users’ jobs.

– Can Modify Other Users’ Jobs: This setting indicates whether or not Users in this Group should beallowed to modify other users’ jobs (change properties, job state, etc).

– Can Handle Protected Jobs: This setting determines whether or not Users belonging to the Groupcan archive or delete protected jobs that don’t belong to them.

– Can Submit Jobs: This setting determines whether or not Users belonging to the Group can submitjobs.

• Default Monitor Layout: Here you can select a Monitor layout that was added to the Repository Configuration.This layout will act as the default for users belonging to this user group. The Priority setting is used as a tiebreaker if a user is part of more than one group with a default layout. When a user selects View -> Reset Layout,it will reset to their user group’s default layout instead of the normal default. Finally, if the Reset Layout OnStartup setting is enabled, the Monitor will always start up with that layout when it is launched.

• Time-Restricted Access: This section allows you to set windows of time during which this Group is consideredActive. This is useful if you want to set up permissions to change based on the time of day, or if you just wantto lock out certain Users after hours. This cannot be enabled for the ‘Everyone’ Group.

• Group Members: This is where you control which Users are considered members of the currently selectedGroup. Users can be part of multiple Groups. All Users are always part of the ‘Everyone’ Group, and thiscannot be changed.

Controlling Feature Access

The other tabs in the Group Management dialog are dedicated to enabling or restricting access to certain Features ona per-group basis.

Each tab groups displays a different type of Feature, that represent different aspects of the end-user experience:

• Menu Items: This tab contains all the Menu Item features, including the main menu bar, right-click menus, andtoolbar items.

• Job Properties: This tab contains all of a Job’s modifiable properties, and determines which ones a User willbe allowed to change. Note that this is only for Jobs a User is allowed to modify in the first place, if he is notallowed to modify other Users’ Jobs (see section above).



• Scripts: This contains all the different type of Scripts a User could run from the Monitor. This section is alittle different than the others, because the actual Features are dynamically generated based on which Scripts arecurrently in the Repository. Note that all scripts will default to a value of ‘Inherited’, so make sure to revisit thisscreen when adding new Scripts to your Repository.

• UI Features: This tab contains all the different types of Panels that a User can spawn in the Monitor, andcontrols whether or not a particular User Group is allowed to spawn them.

These Features are also grouped further within each tab into logical categories, to try and make maintenance easier.

There are three possible Access Levels that you can specify for each Feature:

• Enabled: The members of this Group will have access to this particular Feature.

• Disabled: This Group is not granted access to this Feature. Note, however, that Users in this Group might begranted access to this Feature by a different Group.

• Inherited: Whether or not this Feature is ‘Enabled’ or ‘Disabled’ is deferred to the Feature’s Parent Category.Its current inherited value is reflected in the coloured square next to the dropdown; Red indicates it is cur-rently Disabled, while Green indicates it is currently Enabled. Top-level Parents in a category cannot be set to‘Inherited’.

If Users are part of multiple Groups, they will always use the least-restrictive Group for a particular Feature. In otherwords, a given User will have access to a Feature as long as he is part of at least one currently active Group that hasaccess to that Feature, regardless of whether or not his other Groups typically allow it.



5.3 Slave Configuration

5.3.1 Overview

The Slaves panel allows Slaves to be controlled and modified using the right-click menu. Note that the availability ofthese options can vary depending on the context in which they are used, as well as the User Group Permissions thatare defined for the current user.

If the Slaves panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panelsin the Monitor.

5.3.2 Slave States

These are the states that a Slave can be in. They are color coded to make it clear which state the Slave is in.

• Offline (gray): The Slave application is closed.

• Idle (white): The Slave application is running, but it is not currently rendering.

• Rendering (green): The Slave application is running, and is rendering a job.

• Stalled (red): A Slave becomes stalled if it hasn’t updated its state for a certain amount of time. This could bebecause the machine crashed, or the Slave simply didn’t shutdown cleanly.

• Disabled (yellow): The Slave has been disabled by an administrator. This prevents the Slave application fromlaunching on the machine.* License Warning - Slave received a license error when last attempting to render.View Job Reports to find the exact error message.

• License Problems (orange): The Slave cannot acquire a license, or its temporary license is about to expire.

If you see an orange Slave in the Slave list, it means that the Slave is having licensing problems, or that the license itis using will expire in less than 10 days. You can check the License column in the Slave list to see what the problemis.

If you see a red Slave, it means the Slave has been marked as stalled. This happens if the Slave hasn’t updated its statefor a certain amount of time. You can configure this amount of time in the Wait Times section of the Slave Settings inthe Repository Configuration. When a Slave is marked as stalled, it usually means that the machine crashed, or that theSlave simply didn’t shutdown cleanly. In the latter case, you can simply mark the Slave as offline from the right-clickmenu.

The Slave panel’s right-click menu also gives the option to delete or disable Slaves. When disabled, the Slave applica-tion will not be allowed to launch on the machine. This is useful if you are doing maintenance on a machine and youdon’t want the Slave accidentally starting up on it.

5.3.3 Job Candidate Filter

If a slave isn’t rendering a job that you think it should be, you can use the Job Candidate Filter option in the SlavePanel’s drop down menu to try and figure out why. When the option is enabled, simply click on a job in the Job Paneland the Slave Panel will be filtered to only show the slaves that can render the selected job based on the job’s settings.The filtering takes the following into account:

• The job’s pool and group (see the Pools and Groups documentation for more information).

• The job’s whitelist/blacklist, and the whitelist/blacklist in the job’s assigned limits (see the Limits and MachineLimits documentation for more information).

• If the slave has been marked bad for the job (see the Job Failure Detection documentation for more information).



5.3.4 Slave Settings

Most of the Slave settings be configured from the Monitor while in Super User Mode (or with the proper user priv-ileges) by right-clicking on one or more of them and selecting ‘Modify Slave Properties’. To configure Pools andGroups, you can use the Tools menu, or you can use the Slave panel’s right-click menu. See the Pools and Groupsdocumentation for more information.

Note that the only settings here that have an actual impact on rendering are the Concurrent Tasks and CPU Affinitysettings. Furthermore, the CPU Affinity feature is only supported on Windows and Linux operating systems, sinceOSX does not support process affinity.

General

These are some general Slave settings:

• Slave Description: A description of the selected Slave. This can be used to provide some pertinent informationabout the slave, such as certain system information.

• Slave Comment: A short comment regarding the Slave. This can be used to inform other users why certainchanges were made to that Slave’s settings, or of any known potential issues with that particular Slave.

• Normalized Render Time Multiplier: This value is used to calculate the normalized render time of Tasks. Forexample, a Slave that normally takes twice as long to render a Task should be assigned a multiplier of 2.

5.3. Slave Configuration 267


• Normalized Task Timeout Multiplier: This value is used to calculate the normalized render time of TaskTimeouts. Typically, this should be the same value as above.

• Concurrent Task Limit Override: The concurrent Task Limit for the Slave. If 0, the Slave’s CPU count isused as the limit.

• Host Name/IP Address Override: Overrides the Host name/IP address for remote commands.

• MAC Address Override: This is used to override the MAC Address associated with this Slave. This is usefulin the event that the slave defaults to a different MAC Address than the one needed for Wake On Lan.

• Region: The Slave’s region. Used for cross platform rendering. Default is ‘None’. See Regions for moreinformation.

• Exclude Jobs in the ‘none’ Pool: Enable this option to prevent the Slave from picking up Jobs that are assignedto the ‘none’ Pool.

• Exclude Jobs in the ‘none’ Group: Enable this option to prevent the Slave from picking up Jobs that areassigned to the ‘none’ Group.

Idle Detection

These settings can be used to override the global Slave Scheduling settings for the slave (if there are any). It can beused to start the slave when its machine becomes idle (based on keyboard and mouse activity), and stop the slave whenits machine is in use again. Note that Idle Detection is managed by the Launcher, so it must be running for this featureto work.

• Start Slave When Machine Idle For: If enabled, the Slave will be started on the machine if it is idle. Amachine is considered idle if there hasn’t been any keyboard, mouse or tablet activity for the specified amountof time.



• Only Start Slave If CPU Usage Less Than: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if the machine’s CPUusage is less than the specified value.

• Only Start Slave If Free Memory More Than: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if the machine hasmore free memory than the specified value (in Megabytes).

• Only Start Slave If These Processes Are Not Running: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if thespecified processes are not running on the machine.

• Only Start If Launcher Is Not Running As These Users: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if thelauncher is not running as one of the specified users.

• Stop Slave When Machine Is No Longer Idle: If enabled, the Slave will be stopped when the machine is nolonger idle. A machine is considered idle if there hasn’t been any keyboard, mouse or tablet activity for thespecified amount of time.


• Allow Slave To Finish Its Current Task When Stopping: If enabled, the Slave application will not be closeduntil it finishes its current Task.






Job Dequeuing

These setting are used to determine when a Slave can dequeue Jobs.

• All Jobs: In this mode, the Slave will dequeue any job.

• Only Jobs Submitted From This Slave’s Machine: In this mode, the Slave will only dequeue job submittedfrom the machine it’s running on.

• Only Jobs Submitted From These Users: In this mode, the Slave will only dequeue job submitted from thespecified users.

CPU Affinity

These settings affect the number of CPUs the Slave renders with (Windows and Linux only):

• Override CPU Affinity: Enable this option to override which CPUs the Slave and its child processes are limitedto.

• Specify Number of CPUs to use: Choose this option if you just want to limit the number of CPUs used, andyou aren’t concerned with which specific CPUs are used.

• Select Individual CPUs: Choose this option if you want to explicitly pick which CPUs are used. This is usefulif you are running multiple Slaves on the same machine and you want to give each of them their own set ofCPUs.



Extra Info

Like jobs, extra arbitrary properties can also be set for slaves.



The Extra Info 0-9 properties can be renamed from the Slaves section of the Repository Configuration, and havecorresponding columns in the Slave list that can be sorted on.

5.3.5 Slave Reports and History

All error reports for a Slave can be viewed in the Slave Reports panel. This panel can be opened from the View menuor from the main toolbar in the Monitor. It can also be opened from the Slave panel’s right-click menu.



You can use the Slave Report panel’s right-click menu to save reports as files to send to Deadline Support. You canalso delete reports from this menu as well.

In addition to viewing Slave reports, you can also view the Slave’s history. The History window can be brought upfrom the Slave panel’s right-click menu by selecting the View Slave History option.




5.3.6 Remote Control

You can view the live log for Slaves or control them remotely from the right-click menu. See the Remote Controldocumentation for more information.

5.4 Pulse Configuration

5.4.1 Overview

Pulse has two sets of options that can be configured. There are the global Pulse settings in the Repository Options,which are applied to every running instance of Pulse, and there are the per-Pulse settings that can be configured fromthe right-click menu in the Pulse panel. Note that the availability of these options can vary depending on the contextin which they are used, as well as the User Group Permissions that are defined for the current user.



If the Pulse panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panels inthe Monitor.

5.4.2 Pulse States

These are the states that a Pulse can be in. They are color coded to make it clear which state the Pulse is in.

• Offline (gray): The Pulse application is closed.

• Running (white): The Pulse application is running.

• Stalled (red): Pulse becomes stalled if it hasn’t updated its state for a certain amount of time. This could bebecause the machine crashed, or that Pulse simply didn’t shutdown cleanly.

If you see a red Pulse, it means the Pulse has been marked as stalled. This happens if the Pulse hasn’t updated itsstate for a certain amount of time. You can configure the Stalled Pulse Threshold in the General Pulse settings in theRepository Options. When a Pulse is marked as stalled, it usually means that the machine crashed, or that Pulse simplydidn’t shutdown cleanly. In the latter case, you can simply mark Pulse as offline from the right-click menu.

The Pulse panel’s right-click menu also gives the option to delete Pulses.

5.4.3 Pulse Settings

As mentioned above, there are the global Pulse settings in the Repository Options, which are applied to every runninginstance of Pulse. However, there are also settings that can be specified for individual Pulse instances, which can bemodified by right-clicking on a Pulse in the Pulse panel and selecting ‘Modify Pulse Properties’.

You can also auto-configure a Pulse instance by right-clicking on it in the Monitor and selecting ‘Auto ConfigurePulse’. This will automatically make this Pulse the Primary Pulse, and set its connection settings.

General

These are some general Pulse settings:

• This Pulse Is The Primary: If enabled, this is the Primary Pulse that the Slaves will connect to. If there is noPrimary, the Slaves will not be able to connect to Pulse.

5.4. Pulse Configuration 275


• Override Port: If enabled, this port will be used by Pulse instead of a random port.

• Host Name/IP Address Override: Overrides the Host name/IP address used by the Slaves to connect to Pulse,and for remote commands.

• MAC Address Override: This is used to override the MAC Address associated with this Pulse. This is usefulin the event that the pulse defaults to a different MAC Address than the one needed for Wake On Lan.

• Region: The region for Pulse. Used for path mapping when executing commands with the Web Service.

When the Slaves connect to Pulse, they will use Pulse’s host name, unless the option to use Pulse’s IP address isenabled in the Pulse Settings in the Repository Options. Use the Host Name/IP Address Override setting above tooverride what the Slaves use to connect to Pulse.

5.4.4 Pulse History

You can view a Pulse’s history by right-clicking on it in the Pulse panel and selecting the View Pulse History option.




You can view the live log for Pulse or control it remotely from the right-click menu. See the Remote Control docu-mentation for more information.

5.4.6 Pulse Redundancy

You can run multiple instances of Pulse on separate machines as backups in case your Primary Pulse instance goesdown. If the Primary Pulse goes offline or becomes stalled, Deadline’s Repository Repair operation can elect anotherrunning instance of Pulse as the Primary, and the Slaves will automatically connect to the new Primary instance.

To enable Pulse Redundancy, you must enable the Automatic Primary Pulse Election optin in the Repository Repairsettings in the Repository Options.

Note that when multiple Pulse instances are running, only the Primary Pulse is used by the Slaves for Throttling.In addition, only Primary Pulse is used to perform Housecleaning, Power Management, and Statistics Gathering.However, you can connect to any Pulse instance to use the Web Service.

5.4.7 Advanced Features

Many advanced features are built into Pulse. These features are described below.

Auto Configuration

5.4. Pulse Configuration 277


This allows you to set the repository path in a single location. When a Slave starts up, it will automatically pull therepository path from Pulse and from that apply some settings before fully initializing. See the Auto Configurationdocumentation for more information.

Slave Throttling

Pulse supports a throttling feature, which is helpful if you’re submitting large files with your jobs. This is used to limitthe number of Slaves that copy over the job and plugin files at the same time. See the Network Performance Guidedocumentation for more information.

Power Management

Power management is a system for controlling how machines startup and shutdown automatically based on sets ofconditions on the render farm, including job load and temperature. Power management is built into Pulse, so Pulse mustbe running to use this feature. The only exception to this rule is Temperature checking. See the Power Managementdocumentation for more information.

Statistics Gathering

While Pulse isn’t required to gather job statistics, it is required to gather the Slave and Repository statistics. See theFarm Statistics documentation for more information.

Web Service

While Deadline has a standalone Web Service application, Pulse also has a web service feature built in. The webservice can be used to get information over an Internet connection. It is used by the Mobile application, and can alsobe used to display information in a web page. See the Web Service documentation for more information.

5.5 Balancer Configuration

5.5.1 Overview

Balancer has three sets of options that can be configured:

• Global Balancer settings in the Repository Options.

• Cloud Provider Balancer settings in the Cloud Provider Configuration dialog.

• Per-Balancer settings that can be configured from the right-click menu in the Balancer panel.

Note that the availability of these options can vary depending on the context in which they are used, as well as theUser Group Permissions that are defined for the current user.

If the Balancer panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panelsin the Monitor.

5.5.2 Global Balancer Settings

As mentioned above, there are the global Balancer settings in the Repository Options, which are applied to everyrunning instance of Balancer.

5.5.3 Cloud Provider Configuration

Before the Balancer can do anything, you’ll need to setup a Cloud Region. Balancer settings for each Cloud Providercan be configured in the Cloud Provider Configuration dialog. Deadline supports a number of cloud providers bydefault. Custom cloud plugins can be written to support different providers. Here’s a list of all the supported CloudPlugins.



When adding a new Cloud Region you’ll have to enter all of your credentials and settings for that particular provider.You can look at the documentation for each plugin for further details about all the settings and credentials. Enablingthe region will show instances in the Cloud Panel. Your credentials need to be verified before you’re able to enablethe region to work with the Balancer.

Basic Configuration

The basic configuration options are:

• Enabled: Enabling the region makes it usable by the Balancer.

• Region Preference: Weighting towards the region.

• Region Budget: Total Budget for a region. Governs how many instances will be started for this region.

Asset Checking

Asset Checking can be used to sync assets between the repository and the slaves. The Asset Checking options are:

• Enable Asset Checking: Enables asset crawler for jobs with assets.

• Asset Crawler Hostname: Hostname for the Asset Crawler.

• Asset Crawler Port: Port number for the Asset Crawler.

• Asset Crawler OS: Operating system of the Asset Crawler.

The asset script itself can be found in the vmx folder in the Repository, and is called AssetCrawler_Server.py.

5.5. Balancer Configuration 279


Balancer Plugins

The Balancer uses an algorithm that’s defined in a Balancer Plugin. That can be set in the Balancer Settings section inRepository Configuration. We’ve included a default algorithm that should be fine for most use cases but you can writeyour own for your specific needs.

Group Mappings

Group Mappings are the heart of the Balancer. They tell the Balancer what kinds of instances to start for each group.

A Group Mapping is mainly comprised of a group, an image, a hardware type and a budget. The image and hardwaretype are from the provider. The Cost is how much of the region’s budget will be consumed by each instance.



You can also add Pools to a mapping so that instances will be started in those pools.

5.5.4 Balancer States

These are the states that a Balancer can be in. They are color coded to make it clear which state the Balancer is in.

• Offline (gray): The Balancer application is closed.

• Running (white): The Balancer application is running.

• Stalled (red): Balancer becomes stalled if it hasn’t updated its state for a certain amount of time. This could bebecause the machine crashed, or that Balancer simply didn’t shutdown cleanly.

If you see a red Balancer, it means the Balancer has been marked as stalled. This happens if the Balancer hasn’tupdated its state for a certain amount of time. You can configure the Stalled Balancer Threshold in the GeneralBalancer settings in the Repository Options. When a Balancer is marked as stalled, it usually means that the machinecrashed, or that Balancer simply didn’t shutdown cleanly. In the latter case, you can simply mark Balancer as offlinefrom the right-click menu.

The Balancer panel’s right-click menu also gives the option to delete Balancers.

5.5.5 Balancer Settings

There are settings that can be specified for individual Balancer instances, which can be modified by right-clicking ona Balancer in the Balancer panel and selecting ‘Modify Balancer Properties’.



You can also auto-configure a Balancer instance by right-clicking on it in the Monitor and selecting ‘Auto ConfigureBalancer’. This will automatically make this Balancer the Primary Balancer.

General

These are some general Balancer settings:

• This Balancer Is The Primary: If enabled, this is the Primary Balancer.

• Host Name/IP Address Override: Overrides the Host name/IP address for remote commands.

• MAC Address Override: This is used to override the MAC Address associated with this Balancer. This isuseful in the event that the balancer defaults to a different MAC Address than the one needed for Wake On Lan.

• Region: The region for Balancer.

5.5.6 Balancer History

You can view a Balancer’s history by right-clicking on it in the Balancer panel and selecting the View Balancer Historyoption.




You can view the live log for Balancer or control it remotely from the right-click menu. See the Remote Controldocumentation for more information.

5.5.8 Balancer Redundancy

You can run multiple instances of Balancer on separate machines as backups in case your Primary Balancer instancegoes down. If the Primary Balancer goes offline or becomes stalled, Deadline’s Repository Repair operation can electanother running instance of Balancer as the Primary.

To enable Balancer Redundancy, you must enable the Automatic Primary Balancer Election optin in the RepositoryRepair settings in the Repository Options.



Note that when multiple Balancer instances are running, only the Primary Balancer is starting and stopping virtualinstances.

5.6 Job Scheduling

5.6.1 How a Job is Selected by a Slave

By default, a job is selected by a Slave based on the following properties, in this order:

1. The Pools and Groups that the Job has been submitted to.

• A Slave will only select a Job if it has been assigned to the Pool and Group to which the Job belongs.

• Pools are priority-based, so a Slave will favour Jobs in Pools that are higher on its priority list. Thisordering can be configured on a per-Slave basis through the Manage Pools utility.

• Groups are not priority-based, and are typically just used to ensure that Jobs render on machines withappropriate hardware and software configurations.

2. The Job’s Priority:

• By default, a Job has a numeric Priority ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 is the lowest priority and 100 isthe highest priority. You can adjust the maximum Job priority in the Job Settings section of the RepositoryConfiguration.

• Everything else being equal, the highest Priority Job will always be chosen first when a Slave is selectingits next Job.

3. The Date and Time at which the Job was submitted:

• This is set automatically and is the timestamp of when the Job was submitted to Deadline.

• Everything else being equal, an older Job will take priority over a newer Job when a Slave is looking for anew one.

4. The Job’s Limits and Machine Limits

• With Limits, if a Job has the highest priority, but requires a Limit that is maxed out, a Slave will try toselect a different Job.

• A Machine Limit is a special type of Limit that restricts the number of machines that can render thatparticular Job at the same time.

5.6.2 Changing the Scheduling Order

It is possible to change the order in which Jobs are scheduled in the Job Settings section of the Repository Configura-tion.



The following options are available:

• First-in First-Out: Job order will be based solely on submission date, and will be rendered in the order theyare submitted.

• Pool, First-in First-Out: Job order will be based on the job’s pool first, with submission date being the tie-breaker.

• Pool, Priority, First-in First-Out: This is the default scheduling order that is used. Job order will be based onthe job’s pool, then priority, with submission date being the tie-breaker.

• Priority, First-in First-Out: Job order will be based on the job’s priority first, with submission date being thetie-breaker.

• Priority, Pool, First-in First-Out: Job order will be based on the job’s priority, then pool, with submission datebeing the tie-breaker.

• Balanced: Job order will be balanced so that each job has the same number of slaves rendering them at a time.

• Pool, Balanced: Job order will be based on the job’s pool first, with a balance being applied to jobs that are inthe same pool.

• Pool, Priority, Balanced: Job order will be based on the job’s pool, then priority, with a balance being applied

5.6. Job Scheduling 285


to jobs that have the same pool and priority.

• Priority, Balanced: Job order will be based on the job’s priority first, with a balance being applied to jobs thathave the same priority.

• Priority, Pool, Balanced: Job order will be based on the job’s priority, then pool, with a balance being appliedto jobs that have the same pool and priority.

• Weighted, First-in First-out: A weighted system that takes priority, submission time, number of renderingtasks, and number of job errors into account, but does not take pools into account. If two or more jobs have thesame calculated weight, the submission date will act as the tie-breaker.

• Pool, Weighted, First-in First-out: A weighted system that still respects pool priority. If two or more jobs havethe same calculated weight, the submission date will act as the tie-breaker.

• Weighted, Balanced: A weighted system that takes priority, submission time, number of rendering tasks, andnumber of job errors into account, but does not take pools into account. A balance will be applied to jobs thathave the same calculated weight.

• Pool, Weighted, Balanced: A weighted system that still respects pool priority. A balance will be applied tojobs that have the same calculated weight.

Note that the Secondary Pool feature was designed for job scheduling orders that have Pool listed first, and might notwork as expected otherwise. For example, if Priority is listed first, a job with lower priority that’s found during theinitial Primary Pool scan will be preferred over a job with higher priority that’s found during the Secondary Pool scan.This is because the Secondary Pool scan is only performed if no jobs are found during the initial Primary Pool scan.See the Pools and Groups documentation for more information.

Balanced Scheduling

For the balanced options, you can can have slaves give the job they are currently working on more priority using theRendering Task Buffer. This can help prevent slaves from jumping between jobs. For example, if this is set to 3, aslave will only drop its current job for another one if the other job has more than 3 less rendering tasks than the currentjob.

There is also an experimental option to enhance the balancing logic. When this option is enabled, the slaves will usethe database to get a more accurate snapshot of all the rendering jobs in the farm, and use this information to makebetter decisions about which job they should be rendering. Testing has shown that when this option is enabled, aproper distribution of Slaves among jobs is much more consistent, and Slaves no longer jump between jobs of thesame priority. The result is more predictable behavior, and less wasted time due to the overhead of switching betweenjobs that are expensive to start up.

Weighted Scheduling

For the weighted options, you can control how much weight is applied to the job priority, submission time, number ofrendering tasks, and number of errors. You can also give weight to the job that the slave is currently working on usingthe Rendering Task Buffer. The buffer is subtracted from the rendering task count for the current job, which pushes ithigher in the queue.

Deadline then sorts by this weight so that jobs with the largest weight value have the higher priority. Note that theweight values can be negative. For example, if you set a negative weight value to the number of job errors, a job withmore errors will end up having a lower overall weight so that precedence is given to other jobs in the queue.

Here is how the weight is calculated:

weight = (job.Priority * PW) +(job.Errors * EW) +



((NOW - job.SubmissionTimeSeconds) * SW) +((job.RenderingTasks - RB) * RW)

Where:

• PW = priority weight

• EW = error weight

• SW = submission time weight

• RW = rendering task weight

• RB = rendering task buffer

• NOW = the current repository time

Note that because the job submission time is measured in seconds, it will have the greatest impact on the overallweight. Reducing the SW value can help reduce the submission time’s impact on the weight value.

There is also an experimental option to enhance the balancing logic. When this option is enabled, the slaves will usethe database to get a more accurate snapshot of all the rendering jobs in the farm, and use this information to makebetter decisions about which job they should be rendering. Testing has shown that when this option is enabled, aproper distribution of Slaves among jobs is much more consistent, and Slaves no longer jump between jobs of thesame priority. The result is more predictable behavior, and less wasted time due to the overhead of switching betweenjobs that are expensive to start up.

5.7 Pools and Groups

5.7.1 What are Pools and Groups?

Groups can be used to organize your farm based on machine configurations (e.g., specs, installed software, etc). Forexample, if you have several 64-bit machines with 3ds Max installed, you could assign them to groups like 3dsmax, or3dsmax_64bit, or simply 3D. Groups have no impact on the order in which Jobs are rendered, they just help to ensurethat Jobs render on machines with proper an appropriate hardware/software setup. If you don’t care about groupingyour machines, you can simply use the default ‘none’ Group.

Pools are similar to Groups, except that they do affect the order in which Jobs are rendered. Because of this, it isencouraged to use Pools for prioritizing different shows, shots, types of Jobs, etc. If you don’t want to set up Pools onyour farm, you can simply use the default ‘none’ Pool. Note that the ‘none’ Pool always has the lowest priority of allthe Pools.

Jobs can be added to an optional Secondary Pool. When searching for a Job, a Slave does a first pass using the PrimaryPool of the available Jobs. If the Slave doesn’t find any Jobs using the Primary Pool, it then makes a second pass usingthe Secondary Pool. This system can allow a Job to spread to a Secondary Pool as necessary, and it can also ease theconfiguration of Pools in the farm if there are lots of Pools and Slaves. An example of this is shown below.

Note that the Secondary Pool feature was designed for Job Scheduling Orders that have Pool listed first, and might notwork as expected otherwise. For example, if Priority is listed first, a job with lower priority that’s found during theinitial Primary Pool scan will be preferred over a job with higher priority that’s found during the Secondary Pool scan.This is because the Secondary Pool scan is only performed if no jobs are found during the initial Primary Pool scan.

5.7.2 Managing Pools and Groups

Pools and Groups can be managed from the Monitor while in Super User mode (or as a User with the proper UserGroup privileges). Just select ‘Manage Pools’ (or ‘Manage Groups’) from the ‘Tools’ menu, or from the Slave panel’s

5.7. Pools and Groups 287


right-click menu.

The dialogs are very similar to each other, but the nuances between the two are described below in detail. Note that ifyou used the Slave panel’s right-click menu to open these dialogs, they will be pre-filtered to just show the slaves thatyou right-clicked on. They will also show the same columns that are currently being shown in the slave list.

Group Management Dialog

From here, you can manage individual Groups, and assign them to various Slaves. It is a bit simpler than the PoolManagement Dialog, which will be covered below in more detail, since it does not have to worry about the order ofGroups for a given Slave.

The functions you can perform here are as follows:

• Groups: This section displays existing Groups and allows you to manipulate them, or create new ones. Yourselection here will determine which Groups will be affected by the Group Operations.

– New: This will create a new Group in the Repository, and allow you to assign the Group to different Slaves.You will be prompted for a name for the new Group. Group names cannot be changed once the Group hasbeen created. Adding a Group with the name of previously Deleted Group will effectively ‘re-instate’ thatGroup if it hasn’t been Purged yet (see below).

– Delete: This will Delete all of the selected Groups from the Repository, and enable the option to Purgethem (described below).

– Purge Obsolete Groups on Close: This will purge any obsolete (deleted) Groups from existing Jobs andremove from any Slaves that are currently assigned to it. They will be replaced with the Group selected inthe drop down. Note that if you choose not to Purge the obsolete Groups right now, you can always returnto this dialog and do it later.

• Slaves: This section displays a list of all known Slaves that have connected to your Repository. Your selectionhere will determine which Slaves will be affected by the Groups Operations.



– Only Show Slaves Assigned to a Selected Group: This option will filter the displayed Slaves to onlyinclude the ones that are currently assigned to at least one of the selected Groups.

• Group Operations: These operations are used to manipulate which Groups are assigned to which Slaves. Theytypically require a selection of one or more Groups and one or more Slaves to be active.

– Add: This will add all of the selected Groups to all of the selected Slaves, if it wasn’t already there.

– Remove: This will remove all of the selected Groups from all of the selected Slaves, if applicable.

– Copy: This will copy the groups from the selected slave to the clipboard.

– Paste: This will paste the groups that were copied using the Copy button to the selected slaves.

– Clear: This will clear all the groups from all of the selected Slaves. This option does not require a Groupto be selected.

Pool Management Dialog

The Pool Management dialog functions similarly to the Group Management dialog described above, but with a fewadded options to deal with managing Pool Ordering for individual Slaves.

The functions you can perform here are as follows. Note that a lot of these overlap with the described Group Manage-ment functionality described in the previous section.

• Pools: This section displays existing Pools and allows you to manipulate them, or create new ones. Yourselection here will determine which Pools will be affected by the Pool Operations described below.

– New: This will create a new Pool in the Repository, and allow you to assign it to Slaves. You will beprompted for a name for the new Pool; not that Pool names cannot be changed once the Pool has beencreated. Adding a Pool with the name of previously Deleted Pool will effectively ‘re-instate’ that Pool if ithasn’t been Purged yet (see below).



– Delete: This will Delete all of the selected Pools from the Repository, and enable the option to Purge them(described below).

– Purge Obsolete Pools on Close: This will purge any obsolete (deleted) Pools from existing Jobs andremove them from any Slaves that may have them in their list. They will be replaced with the Poolselected in the drop down. Note that if you choose not to Purge the obsolete Pools right now, you canalways return to this dialog and do it later.

– Priority Distribution: This graph visualizes how many Slaves have one of the selected Pools as #1 prior-ity, #2 priority, etc. It also displays how many Slaves are not currently assigned to the selected Pools.

• Slaves: This section displays a list of all known Slaves that have connected to your Repository. Your selectionhere will determine which Slaves will be affected by the Pool Operations described below.

– Only Show Slaves Assigned to a Selected Pool: This option will filter the displayed Slaves to only includethe ones that are currently assigned to at least one of the selected Pools.

• Pool Operations: These operations are used to manipulate which Pools are assigned to which Slaves. Theytypically require a selection of one or more Pools and one or more Slaves to be active.

– Add: This will add all of the selected Pools to all of the selected Slaves, if it wasn’t already there.

– Remove: This will remove all of the selected Pools from all of the selected Slaves, if applicable.

– Promote: This will bump up the selected Pools by one position in all of the selected Slaves’ Pool lists.Any selected Slaves that are not assigned to the selected Pool(s) are unaffected.

– Demote: This will bump down the selected Pools by one position in all of the selected Slaves’ Pool lists.Any selected Slaves that are not assigned to the selected Pool(s) are unaffected. Note that a Pool cannotbe demoted to be lower than the ‘none’ pool – the ‘none’ Pool is always assigned the lowest priority bySlaves.

– Copy: This will copy the pools from the selected slave to the clipboard.

– Paste: This will paste the pools that were copied using the Copy button to the selected slaves.

– Clear: This will clear all the Pools from all of the selected Slaves. This option does not require a Pool tobe selected.

Preventing Slaves from Rendering Jobs in the ‘none’ Pool or Group

In some cases, it may be useful to prevent on or more Slaves from rendering Jobs that are assigned to the ‘none’ Poolor Group. For example, you may have a single machine that you want to only render Quicktime Jobs. Normally, youcould add this machine to a ‘quicktime’ Group, but if there are noe Quicktime Jobs, the Slave could move on to Jobsthat are in the ‘none’ Group. If you want this machine to only be available for Quicktime Jobs, you can configure it toexclue Jobs in the ‘none’ Group.

The option to exclude Jobs in the ‘none’ Pool or Group can be found in the Slave Settings in the Monitor.

5.7.3 Pools and Job Scheduling

How pools affect the Job selection process is best explained through an example. Note that this example relies on aScheduling Order where Pools are the primary determining factor of scheduling (such as the default Pool -> Priority-> Submit Date scheme).

Say we need to render Jobs for two different shows, and we’ve already created corresponding pools for each show inDeadline:

• show_a



• show_b

Now say we have 10 machine in our render farm, and we want to give each show top priority on half of it. To do this,we’d just assign the pools to our Slaves like this:

• Slaves 1-5:

1. show_a

• Slaves 6-10:

1. show_b

With this setup, if Jobs from both shows are in the queue, then Slaves 1-5 will pick up the Jobs from show_a, whileSlaves 6-10 will work on Jobs from show_b. This effectively splits our farm in half, like we desired, but with thisconfiguration Slaves 1-5 would sit idle once show_a finishes production, even if there are plenty of show_b Jobs in thequeue. The reverse would also be true if show_b production slows down while show_a is still ramping up.

To accomplish this second goal of maximizing our resources, we’ll assign the Pools to our Slaves as follows:

• Slaves 1-5:

1. show_a

2. show_b

• Slaves 6-10:

1. show_b

2. show_a

Now, Slaves 1-5 will still give top priority to show_a Jobs, and Slaves 6-10 will similarly give top priority to show_bJobs. However, if there are no show_a Jobs currently in the queue, Slaves 1-5 will start working on show_b Jobsuntil another show_a Job comes along. Similarly, Slaves 6-10 would start working on show_a if no show_b Jobs wereavailable.

This concept is also extensible to any number of shows/pools, you just have to make sure to have an even PriorityDistribution across your farm (the Priority Distribution graph should help with that). Here’s an example of what thePriority Distribution for a 3-show farm with 15 Slaves could look like:

• Slaves 1-5:

1. show_a

2. show_b

3. show_c

• Slaves 6-10:

1. show_b

2. show_c

3. show_a

• Slaves 11-15:

1. show_c

2. show_a

3. show_b



5.7.4 Secondary Pools and Job Scheduling

How secondary pools affect the Job selection process is best explained through an example. Note that this examplerelies on a Scheduling Order where Pools are the primary determining factor of scheduling (such as the default Pool-> Priority -> First-in First-out option). The Secondary Pool feature was designed for job scheduling orders that havePool listed first, and might not work as expected otherwise.

Let’s say you have 5 pools and 10 slaves. You want each pool to have top priority on 2 machines, but then be able tospread to the rest of them if they are idle. Without using the secondary pool system, you might have something likethis:

• Slaves 0-1: pool_1, pool_2, pool_3, pool_4, pool_5





This can be tricky to maintain if you have to reorganize pools or new slaves are added to the farm. The new secondarypool system can make this easier:

• Slaves 0-1: pool_1, pool_all





In this case, all jobs could have pool_all as their secondary pool, and will spread to the rest of the farm if machinesbecome available.

5.8 Limits and Machine Limits

5.8.1 Overview

In order to support rendering applications that use floating licensing to limit the number of clients rendering at any onetime, Deadline supports the ability to create Limits to manage this restriction. When creating a Limit, be sure to setthe limit to the number of network licenses you have for the product.

For example, if you have 20 nodes in your render farm and only 10 licenses of Nuke, you can create a Nuke Limitwith a limit of 10. During rendering Deadline will ensure that no more than 10 machines are rendering Jobs associatedwith this Nuke Limit at any given time. Because of this, you never have to worry about licensing issues.

Machine Limits function similarly, but are on a per-Job basis. Instead of limiting how many Slaves can render a groupof Jobs, they limit the number of Slaves that can render one particular Job. This is useful if you want to prevent a jobfrom potentially taking up the entire farm.

5.8.2 Job Machine Limits

Machine Limits are a per-Job option, and can be managed through the Job’s Properties window, which you can get toby right-clicking on the Job and selecting ‘Modify Job Properties’. More information on the available Machine Limitsettings can be found in the Controlling Jobs documentation.



5.8.3 Limits

Limits can be managed from the Limit list in the Monitor while in Super User mode (or as a user with appropriateUser Group privileges). This list shows all the Limits that are in your Repository. It also displays useful informationabout each Limit, such as its name, its limit, and the number of Limit stubs that are currently in use. You can accessmany options for the Limits (listed below) by right-clicking on them, and you can create a new Limit by clicking onthe [+] button in the Limit list’s toolbar.

If the Limits panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panelsin the Monitor.

5.8. Limits and Machine Limits 293


New Limit

Use this option to add a new Limit to your Repository.

You can modify the following settings for the new Limit:

Name

The name of the new Limit. Note that this setting cannot be changed once the Limit has been created.

Usage Level

The level at which a Limit Stub will be checked out. ‘Slave’ is the default, and will require each Slaveto acquire a Stub; if ‘Machine’ is selected, only a single Stub will be required for all Slaves on the samemachine. Conversely, if ‘Task’ is selected, Slaves will try to acquire one Stub per concurrent RenderThread. Note that this setting cannot be changed after Limit creation.

Limit

The maximum number of simultaneous uses that this Limit can support at any given time. What counts



as a ‘use’ is based on the usage Level (will be either on a Machine, Slave, or Task level).

Release at Task Progress

If enabled, Slaves will release their Limit stub when the current Task reaches the specified percentage.Note that not all Plugins report Task progress.

Whitelisted/Blacklisted Slaves

If Slaves (or Machines, depending on Level selected above) are on a Blacklist, they will never try to renderJobs associated with this Limit. If Slaves/Machines are on a Whitelist, then they are the only ones thatwill try to render Jobs associated with this Limit. Note that an empty blacklist and an empty whitelist arefunctionally equivalent, and have no impact on which machines the job renders on.

Slaves Excluded From Limit

These Slaves (or Machines, depending on Level selected above) will ignore this Limit and won’t con-tribute to the Limit’s stub count. This is useful if you are juggling a mix of floating and node-lockedlicenses, in which case your machines with node-locked licenses should be placed on this list.

Clone Limit

This option allows you to create a new Limit while using an existing Limit as a template. It will bring up a dialogvery similar to the one pictured in Create Limit, with all the same options. This option is handy if you want to createa Limit that is very similar to an existing one, but with a small variation.

Modify Limit Properties

This option allows you to edit the settings for an existing Limit. All of the settings described in the New Limit sectionabove can be changed except for the Limit’s Name and Usage Level, which cannot be changed once the Limit hasbeen created.

Reset Limit Usage Count

Sometimes a Limit stub will get orphaned, meaning that it is counting against the Limit’s usage count, but not machinesare actually using it. After a while, Deadline will eventually clean up these orphaned Limit stubs. This option providesthe means to delete all existing stubs immediately (whether they are orphaned or not), which will require Slaves toacquire them again.

Delete Limit

Removes an existing Limit from your Repository. Any Jobs associated with deleted Limits will still be able to render,but they will print out Warnings indicating that the Limit no longer exists.

5.8.4 Limits and Job Scheduling

Although Limits and Job Machine Limits aren’t priority-based like Pools, they do have an impact on job scheduling.Here are some examples.

Limits

• If a job is assigned to a Limit, and that Limit is currently maxed out, the job will not be picked up by anyadditional slaves.

5.8. Limits and Machine Limits 295


• If a job is assigned to a Limit, and that Limit has a whitelist, the job will only render on the slaves in thatwhitelist.

• If a job is assigned to two Limits, and one of those Limits is currently maxed out, the job will not be picked upby any additional slaves. This is because a slave must be able to acquire all Limits that the job requires.

• If a job is assigned to two Limits, and one of those Limits has slave_1 on its blacklist, slave_1 will never pickup the job. This is because a slave must be able to acquire all Limits that the job requires.

Job Machine Limits

• If a job has a Machine Limit greater than 0, and that Limit is currently maxed out, the job will not be picked upby any additional slaves.

• If a job has a whitelist, the job will only render on the slaves in that whitelist.

5.9 Job Failure Detection

5.9.1 Overview

Job Failure Detection can be used to prevent problematic Jobs from wasting previous render time on the farm. There aretwo types of Failure Detection, which are both explained below. By default, Jobs will fail after they have accumulated100 errors, but this can be changed in the Job Settings section of the Repository Configuration.



5.9.2 Job Failure Detection

A Job will enter the Failed state when it has accumulated the maximum permitted number of errors. Once in the Failedstate, the Job will no longer be picked up by Slaves for rendering without manual intervention. Because of this, JobFailure Detection can help ensure that problematic Jobs are flagged appropriately and won’t waste precious renderingtime. In the Repository Options, can setup failure thresholds for Jobs and for individual Tasks.

5.9. Job Failure Detection 297


If you’ve resolved the problems that were preventing the Job from rendering properly, you can right-click on it in theMonitor and select ‘Resume Failed Job’. You will then be prompted with the option to ignore or override FailureDetection for this Job going forward. Note that an Error Limit of 0 indicates that there is no limit, and the Job willnever be marked as Failed by Failure Detection.

If you choose not to ignore Failure Detection, make sure to clear the Job’s errors, or a single new error will result inthe Job failing again, because its error limit is still over the maximum. To clear a Job’s errors, simply delete all of theJob’s Error Reports using the Job Reports Panel.

5.9.3 Slave Failure Detection

Slave Failure Detection works a little differently than Job Failure Detection. Basically, if a particular Slave reportsconsecutive errors for a given Job, it will add itself to the Job’s list of Bad Slaves. When a Slave has been marked asbad for a particular Job, it will not try to render that Job again until it has no other Jobs available. This helps ensurethat Slaves aren’t wasting render time on Jobs that they likely aren’t able to render.

If the issue preventing a Slave from rendering a particular Job properly has been resolved, you can remove it from a



Job’s ‘bad’ list by navigating to the ‘Failure Detection’ section of a Job’s Properties dialog. There is also an option inthis section to have your Job completely ignore Slave Failure Detection, if you wish.

5.10 Notifications

5.10.1 Overview

Deadline can be configured to notify Users when their Jobs finish, or if they have failed. In addition, Deadline canbe configured to send notifications to administrators when certain events occur on the farm (e.g., when a Slave hasstalled, or if a Slave is being shutdown by Power Management).

5.10.2 Email Notifications

Before Deadline can send email notifications, you need to configure the Email Notification settings in the RepositoryConfiguration.

5.10. Notifications 299


5.10.3 Popup Message Notifications

The popup message notification system can be used to send job notifications to users by popping up a message windowon their workstations.

In order to receive popup message notifications, the user needs to have the Launcher running on their workstation, andhave their workstation machine name specified in their User Settings (see below).

5.10.4 Job Notifications

Users can edit their User Settings to control whether or not they receive notifications for their own Jobs.



In order to receive email notifications, the user needs to set their Email Address setting and enable the Email Notifi-cation option. Note that email notifications will only be sent if the SMTP settings in the Repository Options are setproperly, as mentioned in the previous section.

In order to receive popup message notifications, the user needs to have the Launcher running on their workstation, andhave their workstation machine name specified in their User Settings.

5.11 Remote Control

5.11.1 Overview

Remote control features are built into the Monitor to make farm administration easier. These features allow you toconnect to and control the Slave application on your render nodes, and also run remote commands on them. They alsoallow you to control Pulse and the Balancer as well (if you’re running them on your farm).

If the Slaves, Pulse, or Balancer panel are not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how tocreate new panels in the Monitor.

5.11. Remote Control 301


5.11.2 Connecting to the Application Logs

You can remotely connect to the Slave, Pulse, or Balancer log from the Monitor.

Connecting to the Slave Log

You can remotely connect to a Slave by double-clicking on it in the Slave panel, or by right-clicking on it and selectingConnect To Slave Log. This will bring up the Slave Log window, allowing you to see what the Slave is currentlydoing.

There are a few places in the Monitor you can find the option to connect to the Slave log:

• The Slave panel right-click menu.

• The Task panel right-click menu. Note that it will only appear for rendering or completed tasks.

• The Job Report panel right-click menu.

• The Slave Report panel right-click menu.



Connecting to the Pulse Log

You can remotely connect to a Pulse by double-clicking on it in the Pulse panel, or by right-clicking on it and selectingConnect To Pulse Log. This will bring up the Pulse Log window, allowing you to see what the Pulse is currently doing.

Connecting to the Balancer Log

You can remotely connect to a Balancer by double-clicking on it in the Balancer panel, or by right-clicking on itand selecting Connect To Balancer Log. This will bring up the Balancer Log window, allowing you to see what theBalancer is currently doing.



5.11.3 Remote Controlling Slaves, Pulses, and Balancers

The Remote Control menu can be found in the Slave, Pulse, and Balancer panel’s right-click menu. Note that theavailability of these options can vary depending on the context in which they are used, as well as the User GroupPermissions that are defined for the current user. Remote Administration must also be enabled on the farm, and can beenabled in the Client Setup.

These are the options that are available in the Slave, Pulse, and Balancer Remote Control menus:

• Start Machine: Starts the machine using Wake On Lan.

• Shutdown Machine: Turns off the machine.

• Restart Machine: Restarts the machine.

• Suspend Machine: Sets the machines state as suspended (Windows Only).

• Execute Command: Executes an arbitrary command on the machine.



When executing an arbitrary command, if you want to execute a DOS command on a Windows machine, the commandmust be preceded with “cmd /C”. This opens the DOS prompt, executes the command, and closes the prompt. Forexample:

cmd /C echo "foo" > c:\test.txt

These remote commands do not allow for user input for any command requiring a prompt. An example where thismight cause confusion is with Microsoft’s xcopy command. Here, if the destination is uncertain to be a file or folder,xcopy will immediately exit as though successful instead of asking what should be done.

If a command returns a non-zero exit code, the command will be interpreted as having failed.

Slave Remote Control Options

These options are only available in the Slave Remote Control menu:

• Search For Jobs: Forces the Slave to search the Repository for a job to do.

• Cancel Current Tasks: Forces the Slave to cancel its current tasks.

• Start Slave: Starts the Slave instance.

• Stop Slave: Stops the Slave instance.

• Restart Slave: Restarts the Slave instance.

• Continue Running After Current Task Completion: The Slave will continue to run after it finishes its currenttask.

• Stop Slave After Current Task Completion: The Slave will stop after the current task is completed.

• Restart Slave After Current Task Completion: The Slave will restart after the current task is completed.

• Shutdown Machine After Current Task Completion: The Machine running the Slave will stop after thecurrent task is completed.

• Restart Machine After Current Task Completion: The machine running the Slave will restart after the currenttask is completed.

• Start All Slave Instances: Starts all the slave instances on the selected machines.

• Start New Slave Instance: Starts a new slave instance with the specified name on the selected machine.



Pulse Remote Control Options

These options are only available in the Pulse Remote Control menu:

• Perform Pending Job Scan: Forces Pulse to perform the Pending Job Scan operation.

• Perform House Cleaning: Forces Pulse to perform the House Cleaning operation.

• Perform Repository Repair: Forces Pulse to perform the Repository Repair operation.

• Perform Power Management Check: Forces Pulse to perform the Power Management check.

• Start Pulse: Starts the Pulse instance.

• Stop Pulse: Stops the Pulse instance.

• Restart Pulse: Restarts the Pulse instance.



Balancer Remote Control Options

These options are only available in the Pulse Remote Control menu:

• Perform Balancing: Forces the Balancer to perform the Balancing operation.

• Start Balancer: Starts the Balancer instance.

• Stop Balancer: Stops the Balancer instance.

• Restart Balancer: Restarts the Balancer instance.

5.11.4 Remote Commands Panel

The Remote Command panel shows all pending and completed remote commands that were sent from the Monitor.When sending a remote command, if this panel is not already displayed, it will be displayed automatically (assumingyou have permissions to see the Remote Command panel).

You can view the results of a remote command by clicking on the command in the list. The full results will be shownin the log window below. All successful commands will start with “Connection Accepted.”

5.11.5 Remote Desktop Software

There are many applications which allows you to remotely control another computer. The following applications aresupported by Deadline out of the box via Monitor scripts. The scripts can be run from the Scripts menu in the Monitor,or by right-clicking on a Slave, Pulse, or Balancer in their respective panels. Right-click scripts can also be found inthe Task and Report panels.



Apple Remote Desktop (ARD)

With Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), you can observe and obtain access to the computers on your network. Note thatin order to connect to a machine from the Monitor, that machine must already be in the ARD list of computers becauseDeadline can’t create new computer entries and add them to the list. An error message is displayed if the machinecan’t be found in the ARD list.

The following options are available in the ARD window in the Monitor:

• Machine IP Address(s): Specify which machines to connect to. Use a comma to separate multiple machinenames.

• Hide this window if running from a right-click Scripts menu: If enabled, this window will be hidden if runfrom a right-click menu in the Monitor. You can always run it from the main Scripts menu to see this window.

Radmin

Radmin is fast, secure and affordable remote-control software that enables you to work on a remote computer in realtime as if you were sitting in front of it.


http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/

http://www.radmin.com/


The following options are available in the Radmin window in the Monitor:

• Machine Name(s): Specify which machines to connect to. Use a comma to separate multiple machine names.

• Radmin Viewer: The Radmin viewer executable to use.

• Radmin Port: The Radmin port.


Remote Desktop Connection (RDC)

With Remote Desktop Connection (RDC), you can easily connect to a terminal server or to another computer runningWindows. All you need is network access and permissions to connect to the other computer.

The following options are available in the RDC window in the Monitor:


• Settings:

– No Settings: When this option is chosen, no existing RDP settings are used to connect.

– Settings File: When this option is chosen, the specified RDP config file is used to connect.

– Settings Folder: When this option is enabled, existing RDP config files in this folder are used toconnect. If the machine does not have an RDP config file, you’ll have the option to save one beforeconnecting.




VNC

Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a desktop protocol to remotely control another computer. It transmits the key-board presses and mouse clicks from one computer to another relaying the screen updates back in the other direction,over a network. There are many options available for VNC software. TightVNC, RealVNC, UltraVNC, and Chickenhave all been used successfully with Deadline.

The following options are available in the VNC window in the Monitor:


• VNC Viewer: The VNC viewer executable to use.

• Password: The VNC password.

• VNC Port: The VNC port.

• Remember Password: Enable to remember your password between sessions.


5.12 Network Performance

5.12.1 Overview

This guide is intended to help you find and fix potential bottlenecks in your Deadline render farm. If you are noticingsluggish performance when you are using Deadline, there are a few things you can do to try and improve it.

5.12.2 Adjust Monitor and Slave Settings

There are a few Monitor and Slave settings in the Repository Options that you can tweak to help improve performance,and reduce load on both the network and the database. You can also use the Auto Adjust option to figure out the bestdefault values to use based on the number of Slaves in your farm. See the Repository Options documentation for moreinformation.


http://www.tightvnc.com/

http://www.realvnc.com/

http://www.uvnc.com/

http://sourceforge.net/projects/chicken/


5.12.3 Enable Throttling

Pulse supports a Throttling feature, which is helpful if you’re submitting large files with your jobs. This can be usedto limit the number of Slaves that are copying over the Job files at the same time. The Throttling settings can be foundin the Pulse Settings section of the Repository Options.

5.12. Network Performance 311


For example, if you have 100 Slaves, and you’re submitting 500MB scene files with your jobs, you may notice aperformance hit if all 100 Slaves try to copy over the Job and Plugin files at the same time. You could set the SlaveThrottle Limit to 10, so that only 10 of those Slaves will ever be copying those files at the same time. When it goesto render subsequent tasks for the same Job, it will not be affected by the throttling feature, since it already has therequired files. Note that for this feature to work, you must be running Pulse.

5.12.4 Utilize Limits / Machine Limits

Irrespective of Pulse Throttling, if your scene files (Maya, 3dsMax, modo, etc) are referencing a large amount ofexternal asset files (textures, geo caches), then at initial startup of this job on multiple machines, your network filestorage solution may struggle with this ‘fire storm’ of i/o demand. To lower this demand on your file server, you canuse Machine Limits or Limits. One of the aspects of the limits feature is the ability to tell the slave to not return thestub until the particular task being rendered by the slave in question has reached a certain percentage, which wouldpresume it has downloaded all the assets it needs. Note that not all Plugins report task progress, which is a requirementof this feature to operate correctly.



5.12. Network Performance 313


5.12.5 Manage Job Auxiliary Files

If you are submitting your scene files with your Jobs, this can affect overall performance if the scene files are quitelarge. This is because whenever a Slave starts a new Job, it copies those Job files locally before rendering, includingthe Scene file if submitted with the Job. As mentioned in the previous section, if you have hundreds of Slaves startinga Job with a large scene file, and your Repository hardware isn’t built to handle a large load, your performance willsuffer.

If enabling Throttling isn’t helping, another option (which can also be used in conjunction if you wish) is to configureDeadline to store these scene files in an alternate location (like a separate, dedicated file server). This can be done byconfiguring the Job Auxiliary Files settings in the Repository Options.



From here, you can choose a server that’s better equipped to handle the load, which will help improve the performanceand stability of your Repository machine, especially if it is also hosting your Database backend. In a mixed farmenvironment, you need to ensure that the paths for each operating system resolve to the same location. Otherwise, ascene file submitted with the Job on one operating system will not be visible to a Slave running on another.

5.13 Cross Platform Rendering

5.13.1 Overview

Many of the applications that Deadline supports are available for multiple operating systems, and if you have a mixedfarm, you will probably run into one or more of these scenarios:

• You want to submit Jobs from one operating system and render on a different one.

• You want one or more Jobs to render on machines with different operating systems concurrently.

Both of these can be achieved, thanks to Deadline’s Path Mapping feature. While there may be other considerations totake into account, depending on the application you’re rendering with, the Path Mapping feature will do most of thework for you.

5.13. Cross Platform Rendering 315


5.13.2 Mapped Path Setup

When using a mixed render farm, it is all but guaranteed that asset paths will be different on each operating system.In many cases, Deadline is aware of the paths being passed to the rendering application, so you can configure PathMappings to swap out these paths when appropriate based on the operating system.

To add a new Path Mapping, just click the ‘Add’ button. Then, you specify the path that needs to be swapped out,along with the paths that will be swapped in based on the operating system. You can also specify a region so you canhave different mappings for the same path across different regions. For best results, make sure that all paths end withtheir appropriate path separator (‘/’ or ‘\’). This helps avoid mangled paths that are a result of one path with a trailingseparator, and one without.



Note that these swaps only work one-way, so if you are swapping from PC to Linux and vice-versa, you will needtwo separate entries. For example, let’s say the PC machines use the path ‘\\server\share\’ for assets, while the Linuxmachines use the path ‘/mnt/share/’. Here are what your two entries should look like:

• Entry 1 (replaces the Linux path with the PC path on PCs):

Replace Path: /mnt/share/Windows Path: \\server\share\Linux Path:Mac Path:

• Entry 2 (replaces the PC path with the Linux path on Linux):

Replace Path: \\server\share\Windows Path:Linux Path: /mnt/share/Mac Path:

If you have Mac machines as well, you will need three entries. For example, if the Macs use ‘/Volumes/share/’ toaccess the assets from the previous example, here are what your three entries should look like:

• Entry 1 (replaces the Linux path with the PC path on PCs and the Mac path on Macs):

Replace Path: /mnt/share/Windows Path: \\server\share\Linux Path:Mac Path: /Volumes/share/

• Entry 2 (replaces the PC path with the Linux path on Linux and the Mac path on Macs):

Replace Path: \\server\share\Windows Path:Linux Path: /mnt/share/Mac Path: /Volumes/share/

• Entry 3 (replaces the Mac path with the PC path on PCs and the Linux path on Linux):

Replace Path: /Volumes/share/Windows Path: \\server\share\

5.13. Cross Platform Rendering 317


Linux Path: /mnt/share/Mac Path:

By default, Deadline just uses regular string replacement to swap out the paths. In this case, Deadline takes care ofthe path separators (‘/’ and ‘\’) automatically. If you want more flexibility, you can configure your path mappings touse regular expressions, but not that you will need to handle the path separators manually using ‘[/\\]’ in your regularexpressions.

5.13.3 Application-Specific Considerations

For some applications, like Maya and Nuke, configuring Path Mappings is enough to allow for cross-platform render-ing. For other applications, like After Effects and Cinema 4D, more setup is required. More information on how torender with these applications on mixed farms can be found in their Cross-Platform Rendering Considerations sectionsin the Plugins documentation.

5.13.4 Regions

Regions can be used to setup different mappings for the same path across your farm. For example, let’s say we have alocal farm and a remote farm, and we want to map the path ‘/mnt/share/’ in our remote farm but not in our local farm.All we have to do is set the region of our mapping to the same region our remote slaves are in. Slaves in the regionwill replace ‘/mnt/share/’ but all the other slaves will use ‘/mnt/share/’ normally. We could also setup an alternate pathfor the slaves in our local farm.

A mapping in the ‘All’ region will apply to every region. It should be noted that a region’s mapping is applied beforethe ‘All’ region.


CHAPTER

SIX

ADVANCED FEATURES

6.1 Manual Job Submission

6.1.1 Overview

Manual job submission is useful if you want more control over the submission process. For example, if you’re writinga custom submission script, or you are integrating the submission process into an internal pipeline tool, you willprobably want full control over which job settings are being set.

If you are just looking to submit jobs from one of the many scripts that are shipped with Deadline, you should refer tothe Submitting Jobs documentation.

6.1.2 Arbitrary Command Line Jobs

To manually submit arbitrary command line jobs, you can use the -SubmitCommandLineJob option with the Commandapplication. The key parameters that you need to specify are:

• -executable: The executable we wish to use.

• -arguments: The arguments we wish to pass to the executable. In the arguments string, there are a few keywords that will be replaced with the appropriate text when rendering the job:

– <STARTFRAME> will be replaced with the current start frame for each task.

– <ENDFRAME> will be replaced by the current end frame for each task.

– <STARTFRAME%#> will be replaced with the current start frame for each task, and will be padded with0’s to match the length specified for #. For example, <STARTFRAME%4> will ensure a start framepadding of 4.

– <ENDFRAME%#> will be replaced by the current end frame for each task, and will be padded with 0’s tomatch the length specified for #. For example, <ENDFRAME%6> will ensure an end frame padding of 6.

– <QUOTE> will be replaced with an actual quote character (”).

• -frames: The frames we wish to render.

The following parameters can also be included, but are optional:

• -startupdirectory: The directory that the command line will start up in.

• -chunksize: The number of frames per task (defaults to 1).

• -pool: The pool we wish to submit to (defaults to none).

• -group: The group we wish to submit to (defaults to none).

319


• -priority: The job’s priority (defaults to 50).

• -name: The job’s name (defaults to “Untitled”).

• -department: The job’s department (defaults to “”).

• -initialstatus: Specify “Active” or “Suspended” (defaults to “Active”).

• -prop: Specify additional job properties in the form KEY=VALUE, where KEY is any of the property namesthat can be specified in the Job Info File.

For example, say we want to submit a job that uses 3dsmaxcmd.exe to render frames in the scene file“\\shared\path\scene.max”. We want to render frames 1 to 10, and we want an image resolution of 480x320. Thecommand line to do this from a command prompt would look like:

3dsmaxcmd.exe-start:1-end:10-width:480-height:320"\\shared\path\scene.max"

For the job, we want a task chunk size of 2, we want to submit to the 3dsmax group, we want a priority of 50, and wewant a machine limit of 5. Finally, we want to call the job “3dsmax command line job”. The command line to submitthis job would look like this:

deadlinecommand.exe-SubmitCommandLineJob-executable "c:\Program Files\Autodesk\3dsmax8\3dsmaxcmd.exe"-arguments "-start:<STARTFRAME> -end:<ENDFRAME>

-width:480 -height:320 <QUOTE>\\shared\path\scene.max<QUOTE>"-frames 1-10-chunksize 2-group 3dsmax-priority 50-name "3dsmax command line job"-prop MachineLimit=5

6.1.3 Maintenance Jobs

Maintenance jobs are special jobs where each task for the job will render on a different machine in your farm. Thisis useful for performing benchmark tests, installing new software, synchronizing files to each machine, etc. When amaintenance job is submitted, a task will automatically be created for each slave, and once a slave has finished a task,it will no longer pick up the job.

One way to submit a Maintenance job is to manually submit a job to Deadline by creating the the necessary jobsubmission files as documented below. In the job info file, you must set MaintenanceJob to True:

MaintenanceJob=True

By default, a Maintenance job will render frame 0 on every machine. To render a different frame, or a sequence offrames, you can specify the MaintenanceJobStartFrame and MaintenanceJobEndFrame options in the job info file:

MaintenanceJob=TrueMaintenanceJobStartFrame=1MaintenanceJobEndFrame=5

320 Chapter 6. Advanced Features


Note that if you specify a whitelist or blacklist in the job info file, the number of tasks that are created for the Mainte-nance job will equal the number of valid slaves that the job could render on.

Another way to submit a Maintenance job is to right-click on an existing job in the Monitor and choose the ResubmitJob option. See the Resubmitting Jobs section of the Controlling Jobs documentation for more information.

6.1.4 Creating Job Submission Files

This is the method that our submission scripts use to submit jobs. This method is far more flexible, but requires morework to setup the job. It also uses the Command application to submit the job.

Before the job can be submitted though, a Job Info File and a Plug-in Info File must be created. These are the first twofiles that should always be submitted with the job.

You can also submit additional auxiliary files with the job, such as the scene file you want to render, or any other filesthe job will need. Any number of auxiliary files can be specified after the job info and plugin info file. These auxiliaryfile are copied to the Repository, and are then copied locally to each machine during rendering. Because these fileswill be copied to the same folder, it is necessary that every file name be unique.

Once these files are ready to go, you can submit the job using the command line:

deadlinecommand.exe[Job Info File] [Plug-in Info File] [Auxiliary File 1] [Auxiliary File 2]

Job Info File

The Job Info File is a plain text file that uses Key/Value pairs (key=value) to define all the generic job options used torender the job. A couple options are required, but most are optional. All jobs can use these options, regardless of theplug-in that they use. Some examples have been provided further down. Required Options

These options must be specified in the job info file, or the job will fail to submit. The rest of the options are optional.

• Plugin=<plugin name> : Specifies the plugin to use. Must match an existing plugin in the repository.

General Options

• Frames=<1,2,3-10,20> : Specifies the frame range of the render job. See the Frame List Formatting Options inthe Job Submission documentation for more information (default = 0).

• Name=<job name> : Specifies the name of the job (default = Untitled).

• UserName=<username> : Specifies the job’s user (default = current user).

• MachineName=<machineName> : Specifies the machine the job was submitted from (default = current ma-chine).

• Department=<department name> : Specifies the department that the job belongs to. This is simply a way togroup jobs together, and does not affect rendering in any way (default = blank).

• Comment=<comment> : Specifies a comment for the job (default = blank).

• Group=<groupName> : Specifies the group that the job is being submitted to (default = none).

• Pool=<poolName> : Specifies the pool that the job is being submitted to (default = none).

• SecondaryPool=<poolName> : Specifies the secondary pool that the job can spread to if machines are avail-able. If not specified, the job will not use a secondary pool.

• Priority=<0 or greater> : Specifies the priority of a job with 0 being the lowest (default = 50). The maximumpriority can be configured in the Job Settings of the Repository Options, and defaults to 100.

6.1. Manual Job Submission 321


• ChunkSize=<1 or greater> : Specifies how many frames to render per task (default = 1).

• ForceReloadPlugin=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not to reload the plugin between subsequent frames ofa job (default = false). This deals with memory leaks or applications that do not unload all job aspects properly.

• SynchronizeAllAuxiliaryFiles=<true/false> : If enabled, all job files (as opposed to just the job info and plugininfo files) will be synchronized by the Slave between tasks for this job (default = false). Note that this can addsignificant network overhead, and should only be used if you plan on manually editing any of the files that arebeing submitted with the job.

• InitialStatus=<Active/Suspended> : Specifies what status the job should be in immediately after submission(default = Active).

• LimitGroups=<limitGroup,limitGroup,limitGroup> : Specifies the limit groups that this job is a member of(default = blank).

• MachineLimit=<0 or greater> : Specifies the maximum number of machines this job can be rendered on atthe same time (default = 0, which means unlimited).

• MachineLimitProgress=<0.1 or greater> : If set, the slave rendering the job will give up its current machinelimit lock when the current task reaches the specified progress. If negative, this feature is disabled (default =-1.0). The usefulness of this feature is directly related to the progress reporting capabilities of the individualplugins.

• Whitelist=<slaveName,slaveName,slaveName> : Specifies which slaves are on the job’s whitelist (default =blank). If both a whitelist and a blacklist are specified, only the whitelist is used.

• Blacklist=<slaveName,slaveName,slaveName> : Specifies which slaves are on the job’s blacklist (default =blank). If both a whitelist and a blacklist are specified, only the whitelist is used.

• ConcurrentTasks=<1-16> : Specifies the maximum number of tasks that a slave can render at a time (default= 1). This is useful for script plugins that support multithreading.

• LimitTasksToNumberOfCpus=<true/false> : If ConcurrentTasks is greater than 1, setting this to true willensure that a slave will not dequeue more tasks than it has processors (default = true).

• Sequential=<true/false> : Sequential rendering forces a slave to render the tasks of a job in order. If an earliertask is ever requeued, the slave won’t go back to that task until it has finished the remaining tasks in order(default = false).

• Interruptible=<true/false> : Specifies if tasks for a job can be interrupted by a higher priority job duringrendering (default = false).

• SuppressEvents=<true/false> : If true, the job will not trigger any event plugins while in the queue (default =false).

• NetworkRoot=<repositoryUNCPath> : Specifies the repository that the job will be submitted to. This isrequired if you are using more than one repository (default = current default repository for the machine fromwhich submission is occurring).

Cleanup Options

• Protected=<true/false> : If enabled, the job can only be deleted by the job’s user, a super user, or a user thatbelongs to a user group that has permissions to handle protected jobs. Other users will not be able to delete thejob, and the job will also not be cleaned up by Deadline’s automatic house cleaning.

• OnJobComplete=<Nothing/Delete/Archive> : Specifies what should happen to a job after it completes (de-fault = Nothing).

• DeleteOnComplete=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the job should be automatically deleted after itcompletes (default = false).



• ArchiveOnComplete=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the job should be automatically archived after itcompletes (default = false).

• OverrideAutoJobCleanup=<true/false> : If true, the job will ignore the global Job Cleanup settings andinstead use its own (default = false).

• OverrideJobCleanup=<true/false> : If OverrideAutoJobCleanup is true, this will determine if the job shouldbe automatically cleaned up or not.

• JobCleanupDays=<true/false> : If OverrideAutoJobCleanup and OverrideJobCleanup are both true, this is thenumber of days to keep the job before cleaning it up.

• OverrideJobCleanupType=<ArchiveJobs/DeleteJobs> : If OverrideAutoJobCleanup and OverrideJob-Cleanup are both true, this is the job cleanup mode.

Environment Options

• EnvironmentKeyValue#=<key=value> : Specifies environment variables to set when the job renders. Thisoption is numbered, starting with 0 (EnvironmentKeyValue0), to handle multiple environment variables. Foreach additional variable, just increase the number (EnvironmentKeyValue1, EnvironmentKeyValue2, etc). Notethat these variables are only applied to the rendering process, so they do not persist between jobs.

• IncludeEnvironment=<true/false> : If true, the submission process will automatically grab all the environmentvariables from the submitter’s current environment and set them in the job’s environment variables (default =false). Note that these variables are only applied to the rendering process, so they do not persist between jobs.

• UseJobEnvironmentOnly=<true/false> : If true, only the job’s environment variables will be used at rendertime (default = false). If False, the job’s environment variables will be merged with the slave’s current environ-ment, with the job’s variables overwriting any existing ones with the same name.

• CustomPluginDirectory=<directoryName> : If specified, the job will look for for the plugin it needs to renderin this location. If it does not exist in this location, it will fall back on the Repository plugin directory. For exam-ple, if you are rendering with a plugin called MyPlugin, and it exists in \\server\development\plugins\MyPlugin,you would set CustomPluginDirectory=\\server\development\plugins.

Failure Detection Options

• OverrideJobFailureDetection=<true/false> : If true, the job will ignore the global Job Failure Detectionsettings and instead use its own (default = false).

• FailureDetectionJobErrors=<0 or greater> : If OverrideJobFailureDetection is true, this sets the number oferrors before the job fails. If set to 0, job failure detection will be disabled.

• OverrideTaskFailureDetection=<true/false> : If true, the job will ignore the global Task Failure Detectionsettings and instead use its own (default = false).

• FailureDetectionTaskErrors=<0 or greater> : If OverrideTaskFailureDetection is true, this sets the numberof errors before a task for the job fails. If set to 0, task failure detection will be disabled.

• IgnoreBadJobDetection=<true/false> : If true, slaves will never mark the job as bad for themselves. Thismeans that they will continue to make attempts at jobs that often report errors until the job is complete, or untilit fails (default = false).

• SendJobErrorWarning=<true/false> : If the job should send warning notifications when it reaches a certainnumber of errors (default = false).

Timeout Options

• MinRenderTimeSeconds=<0 or greater> : Specifies the minimum time, in seconds, a slave should render atask for, otherwise an error will be reported (default = 0, which means no minimum). Note that if MinRender-TimeSeconds and MinRenderTimeMinutes are both specified, MinRenderTimeSeconds will be ignored.



• MinRenderTimeMinutes=<0 or greater> : Specifies the minimum time, in minutes, a slave should render atask for, otherwise an error will be reported (default = 0, which means no minimum). Note that if MinRender-TimeSeconds and MinRenderTimeMinutes are both specified, MinRenderTimeSeconds will be ignored.

• TaskTimeoutSeconds=<0 or greater> : Specifies the time, in seconds, a slave has to render a task before ittimes out (default = 0, which means unlimited). Note that if TaskTimeoutSeconds and TaskTimeoutMinutes areboth specified, TaskTimeoutSeconds will be ignored.

• TaskTimeoutMinutes=<0 or greater> : Specifies the time, in minutes, a slave has to render a task before ittimes out (default = 0, which means unlimited). Note that if TaskTimeoutSeconds and TaskTimeoutMinutes areboth specified, TaskTimeoutSeconds will be ignored.

• StartJobTimeoutSeconds=<0 or greater> : Specifies the time, in seconds, a slave has to start a render jobbefore it times out (default = 0, which means unlimited). Note that if StartJobTimeoutSeconds and StartJob-TimeoutMinutes are both specified, StartJobTimeoutSeconds will be ignored.

• StartJobTimeoutMinutes=<0 or greater> : Specifies the time, in minutes, a slave has to start a render jobbefore it times out (default = 0, which means unlimited). Note that if StartJobTimeoutSeconds and StartJob-TimeoutMinutes are both specified, StartJobTimeoutSeconds will be ignored.

• OnTaskTimeout=<Error/Notify/ErrorAndNotify/Complete> : Specifies what should occur if a task timesout (default = Error).

• EnableAutoTimeout=<true/false> : If true, a slave will automatically figure out if it has been rendering toolong based on some Repository Configuration settings and the render times of previously completed tasks (de-fault = false).

• EnableTimeoutsForScriptTasks=<true/false> : If true, then the timeouts for this job will also affect itspre/post job scripts, if any are defined (default = false).

Dependency Options

• JobDependencies=<jobID,jobID,jobID> : Specifies what jobs must finish before this job will resume (default= blank). These dependency jobs must be identified using their unique job ID, which is outputted after the jobis submitted, and can be found in the Monitor in the “Job ID” column.

• JobDependencyPercentage=<-1, or 0 to 100> : If between 0 and 100, this job will resume when all of itsjob dependencies have completed the specified percentage number of tasks. If -1, this feature will be disabled(default = -1).

• IsFrameDependent=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the job is frame dependent (default = false).

• FrameDependencyOffsetStart=<-100000 to 100000> : If the job is frame dependent, this is the start frameoffset (default = 0).

• FrameDependencyOffsetEnd=<-100000 to 100000> : If the job is frame dependent, this is the end frameoffset (default = 0).

• ResumeOnCompleteDependencies=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the dependent job should resumewhen its dependencies are complete (default = true).

• ResumeOnDeletedDependencies=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the dependent job should resumewhen its dependencies have been deleted (default = false).

• ResumeOnFailedDependencies=<true/false> : Specifies whether or not the dependent job should resumewhen its dependencies have failed (default = false).

• RequiredAssets=<assetPath,assetPath,assetPath> : Specifies what asset files must exist before this job willresume (default = blank). These asset paths must be identified using full paths, and multiple paths can beseparated with commas. If using frame dependencies, you can replace padding in a sequence with the ‘#’characters, and a task for the job will only be resumed when the required assets for the task’s frame) exist.



• ScriptDependencies=<scriptPath,scriptPath,scriptPath> : Specifies what Python script files will be executedto determine if a job can resume (default = blank). These script paths must be identified using full paths,and multiple paths can be separated with commas. See the Scripting section of the documentation for moreinformation on script dependencies.

Scheduling Options

• ScheduledType=<None/Once/Daily> : Specifies whether or not you want to schedule the job (default = None).

• ScheduledStartDateTime=<dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm> [The date/time at which the job will run. The startdate/time must match the specified format. Here’s an explanation:]

– dd: The day of the month. Single-digit days must have a leading zero.

– MM: The numeric month. Single-digit months must have a leading zero.

– yyyy: The year in four digits, including the century.

– HH: The hour in a 24-hour clock. Single-digit hours must have a leading zero.

– mm: The minute. Single-digit minutes must have a leading zero.

• ScheduledDays=<day interval> : If scheduling a Daily job, this is the day interval for when the job runs(default = 1).

• JobDelay=<dd:hh:mm:ss> : A start time delay. If there is no ScheduledStartDateTime this delay will beapplied to the submission date. The delay value is represented by the number of days, hours, minutes, andseconds, all separated by colons.

Output Options

• OutputFilename#=<fileName> : Specifies the output image filenames for each frame (default = blank). Thisallows the Monitor to display the “View Output Image” context menu option in the task list. There is nominimum or maximum limit to padding length supported. A padding of 4 x #### is very common in manyapplications. If the filename is a full path, then the OutputDirectory# option is not needed. This option is num-bered, starting with 0 (OutputFilename0), to handle multiple output file names per frame. For each additionalfile name, just increase the number (OutputFilename1, OutputFilename2, etc).

• OutputFilename#Tile?=<fileName> : Specifies the output image filenames for each task of a Tile job (default= blank). This allows the Monitor to display the “View Output Image” context menu option in the task list forTile jobs. The ‘#’ is used to support multiple outputs per frame (see OutputFilename# above), and the ‘?’ isused to specify the output for each task in the Tile job. For example, a Tile job with 2 outputs and 2 tiles wouldspecify OutputFilename0Tile0, OutputFilename0Tile1, OutputFilename1Tile0, and OutputFilename1Tile1.

• OutputDirectory#=<directoryName> : Specifies the output image directory for the job (default = blank). Thisallows the Monitor to display the “Explore Output” context menu option in the job list. If the filename is a fullpath, then the OutputDirectory# option is not needed. This option is numbered, starting with 0 (OutputDirec-tory0), to handle multiple output directories per frame. For each additional directory, just increase the number(OutputDirectory1, OutputDirectory2, etc).

OutputDirectory0=\\fileserver\Project\Renders\OutputFolder\OutputFilename0=o_HDP_010_BG_v01.####.exrOutputDirectory1=\\fileserver\Project\Renders\OutputFolder\OutputFilename1=o_HDP_010_SPEC_v01####.dpxOutputDirectory2=\\fileserver\Project\Renders\OutputFolder\OutputFilename2=o_HDP_010_RAW_v01_####.png

Notification Options

• NotificationTargets=<username,username,username> : A list of users, separated by commas, who should benotified when the job is completed (default = blank).



• ClearNotificationTargets=<true/false> : If enabled, all of the job’s notification targets will be removed (default= false).

• NotificationEmails=<email,email,email> : A list of additional email addresses, separated by commas, to sendjob notifications to (default = blank).

• OverrideNotificationMethod=<true/false> : If the job user’s notification method should be ignored (default =false).

• EmailNotification=<true/false> : If overriding the job user’s notification method, whether to use email notifi-cation (default = false).

• PopupNotification=<true/false> : If overriding the job user’s notification method, whether to use popup noti-fication (default = false).

• NotificationNote=<note> : A note to append to the notification email sent out when the job is complete (default= blank). Separate multiple lines with [EOL], for example:

This is a line[EOL]This is another line[EOL]This is the last line

Script Options

• PreJobScript=<path to script> : Specifies a full path to a python script to execute when the job initially startsrendering (default = blank).

• PostJobScript=<path to script> : Specifies a full path to a python script to execute when the job completes(default = blank).

• PreTaskScript=<path to script> : Specifies a full path to a python script to execute before each task startsrendering (default = blank).

• PostTaskScript=<path to script> : Specifies a full path to a python script to execute after each task completes(default = blank).

Tile Job Options

• TileJob=<true/false> : If this job is a tile job (default = false).

• TileJobFrame=<frameNumber> : The frame that the tile job is rendering (default = 0).

• TileJobTilesInX=<xCount> : The number of tiles in X for a tile job (default = 0). This should be specifiedwith the TileJobTilesInY option below.

• TileJobTilesInY=<yCount> : The number of tiles in Y for a tile job (default = 0). This should be specifiedwith the TileJobTilesInX option above.

• TileJobTileCount=<count> : The number of tiles for a tile job (default = 0). This is an alternative to specifyingthe TileJobTilesInX and TileJobTilesInY options above.

Maintenance Job Options

• MaintenanceJob=<true/false> : If this job is a maintenance job (default = false).

• MaintenanceJobStartFrame=<frameNumber> : The first frame for the maintenance job (default = 0).

• MaintenanceJobEndFrame=<frameNumber> : The last frame for the maintenance job (default = 0).

Extra Info Options

These are extra arbitrary properties that have corresponding columns in the Monitor that can be sorted on. There are atotal of 10 Extra Info properties that can be specified.

• ExtraInfo0=<arbitrary value>












These are additional arbitrary properties. There is no limit on the number that are specified, but they do not havecorresponding columns in the Monitor.

• ExtraInfoKeyValue0=<key=value>




• ...

Job Info File Examples

3ds Max Job Info File:

Plugin=3dsmaxForceReloadPlugin=falseFrames=0-400Priority=50Pool=3dsmaxName=IslandWaveScene_lighted01Comment=TestingOutputDirectory0=\\fileserver\Renders\OutputFolder\OutputFilename0=islandWaveBreak_Std####.png

Lightwave Job Info File:

Plugin=LightwaveFrames=1-10,21-30ChunkSize=10Priority=99Pool=LightwavePoolGroup=NiceShotName=Lightwave TestOutputFilename0=\\fileserver\Renders\OutputFolder\test####.tifDeleteOnComplete=trueMachineLimit=5SlaveTimeout=3600

Fusion Job Info File:

Plugin=FusionFrames=1-100Priority=50



Group=FusionName=Fusion Dependency TestOutputFilename0=\\fileserver\Renders\OutputFolder\dfusion_test####.tifJobDependencies=546cc87357dbb04344a5c6b5,53d27c9257dbb027b8a4ccd2InitialStatus=SuspendedLimitGroups=DFRNodeExtraInfo0=Regression TestingExtraInfoKeyValue0=TestID=344ExtraInfoKeyValue1=DeveloperID=12

Plug-in Info File

The Plug-in Info File is a plain text file that uses Key/Value pairs (key=value) to define the plug-in specific optionsthat are used by the individual plug-ins to render the job. Often, these options are used to build up the command linearguments that are to be passed on to the rendering application.

The plug-ins read in the settings from the Plug-in Info File using the script functions GetPluginInfoEntry(...) andGetPluginInfoEntryWithDefault(...), which are discussed in more detail in the Plug-in Scripting documentation (Ap-plication Plugins).

6.2 Power Management

6.2.1 Overview

Power Management is a system that automatically controls when machines in the farm start up or shut down, based onthe current conditions of the farm. It can start machines if they are required to render jobs in the farm, and it can shutdown machines that are no longer needed for rendering. It can also poll an external temperature sensor using SNMPand shut down machines if the server room is too hot. Finally, it can reboot problematic machines on a regular basis.

6.2.2 Running Pulse

Power Management is built into Pulse, so Pulse must be running for Power Management to work. The only exceptionfor this is the Thermal Shutdown feature. Redundancy for this feature has been built into the Slave applications, so ifPulse isn’t running, you’re still protected if the temperature of your server room gets too hot.

See the Pulse documentation for more information about running and configuring Pulse.



6.2.3 Configuration

Power Management can be configured from the Monitor by selecting ‘Tools’ -> ‘Configure Power Management’. Youwill need to be in Super User mode for this, if you are not part of a User Group that has access to this feature.

6.2. Power Management 329


Machine Groups are used by Power Management to organize Slave machines on the farm, and each group has foursections of settings that can be configured independently of each other. To add a new Machine Group, simply click theAdd button in the Machine Group section.



Power Management Group Settings:

• Group Name: The name with which the Power Management Group will be identified.

• Group Mode: Whether this particular Group is enabled or disabled.

• Include All Slaves in this Group: If enabled, all slaves will be included in this group. Note that you cannotoverride the slave order for the Power Management features if this is enabled.

• Slaves Not In Group: The Slaves that will not be part of this Group.

• Slaves In Group: Slaves that will be part of this Group.

To edit the Power Management settings within a group, simply click on the group in the Machine Groups list.

Idle Shutdown

Idle Shutdown is a system that forces Slaves to shutdown after they have been idle for a certain period of time. Thiscan be used to save on energy costs when the render farm is idle, without having to shutdown machines manually.Combining this feature with Wake-On-Lan will ensure that machines in the render farm are only running when theyare needed.

You can split the idle time period between a Daytime period and an Evening period. This is useful because in mostcases, you want most of your machines to stay on during the workday, and then shutdown during the evening whenthere are no renders left. In addition, you can also specify exceptions to these two periods, which means (for example)you could have different idle periods for the weekend.



Idle Shutdown Settings:

• Idle Shutdown Mode: Select Disabled, Enabled, or Debug mode. In Debug mode, all the checks are performedas normal, but no action is actually taken.

• Number of Minutes Before Idles Slaves Will be Shutdown: Self explanatory.

• Number of Slaves to Leave Running: The minimum number of Slaves to keep running at all times.

• Slave Shutdown Type: The method that will be used to shutdown Idle Slaves:

• Shutdown: Power off the machine using the normal shutdown method.

• Suspend: Suspends the machines instead of shutting them down. Only works for Windows Slaves.

• Run Command: Use this method to have the Slave run a command when attempting to shutdown a Slave.

• Important Processes: If the Slave has any of these processes running, it will not shutdown.



• Overrides: Define overrides for different days and times. Simply specify the day(s) of the week, the timeperiod, the minimum number of Slaves, and the idle shutdown time for each override required. For example, ifmore machines are required to be running continuously for Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, this can beaccomplished with an override.

• Override Shutdown Order: Whether or not to define the order in which Slaves are shutdown. If disabled,Slaves will be shut down in alphabetical order. If enabled, use the Set Shutdown Order dialog to define the orderin which you would like the Slaves to shut down. Note that this feature is not available if the Power ManagementGroup is configured to include all slaves.

Machine Startup

This is a system that allows powered-down machines to be started automatically when new Jobs are submitted to therender farm. Combining this feature with Idle Shutdown will ensure that machines in the render farm are only runningwhen they are needed.

If Slave machines support it, Wake On Lan (WOL) or IPMI commands can be used to start them up after they shut-down. By default, the WOL packet is sent over port 9, but you can change this in the Wake On Lan settings in theRepository Configuration. Make sure there isn’t a firewall or other security software blocking communication over theselected port(s).

WOL Packets are sent to the MAC addresses that Deadline has on file for each of the Slaves. If your Slaves have mul-tiple Ethernet ports, the Slave may have registered the wrong MAC address, which may prevent WOL from workingproperly. If this is the case, you will have to manually set MAC Address overrides for the Slaves that are having thisproblem, which can be done through the Slave Settings dialog.

Note that if machines in the group begin to be shutdown due to temperature, this feature may be automatically disabledfor the group to prevent machines from starting up and raising the temperature again.



Machine Startup Settings:

• Machine Startup Mode: Select Disabled, Enabled, or Debug mode. In Debug mode, all the checks are per-formed, but no action is actually taken.

• Number of Slaves to Wake Up per Interval: The maximum number of machines that will be started in a givenPower Management check interval. The interval itself can be configured in the Pulse section of the RepositoryOptions.

• Wake Up Mode: This determines how the machines will be woken up. See the available Wake Up Modes belowfor more information.

• Override Startup Order: Whether or not to define the order in which Slaves are started up. If disabled, Slaveswill be started in alphabetical order. If enabled, use the ‘Set Startup Order’ dialog to define the order. Note thatthis feature is not available if the Power Management Group is configured to include all slaves.

Wake Up Modes:

• Use Wake On Lan: Wake On Lan packets will be sent to machines to wake them up.



• Run Command: This is primarily for IPMI support. If enabled, Pulse will run a given command to start Slavemachines. This command will be run once for each Slave that is being woken up. A few tags can be used withinthe command:

– {SLAVE_NAME} is replaced with the current Slave’s hostname.

– {SLAVE_MAC} is replaced with the current Slave’s MAC address.

– {SLAVE_IP} is replaced with the current Slave’s IP address.

Thermal Shutdown

The Thermal Shutdown system polls temperature sensors and responds by shutting down machines if the temperaturegets too high. The sensors we have used for testing are NetTherms, and APC Sensors are also known to be compatible.Note that the temperature sensor uses port 161, and should be automatically unblocked.

Thermal Shutdown settings:



• Thermal Shutdown Mode: Select Disabled, Enabled, or Debug mode. In Debug mode, all the checks will beperformed, but no action is actually taken.

• Temperature Units: The units used to display and configure the temperatures. Note that this is separate fromthe units that the actual sensors use.

• Thermal Sensors: The host and OID (Object Identifier) of the sensor(s) in the zone. To add a new sensor,simply click the ‘Add’ button.

• Temperature Threshold: Thresholds can be added for any temperature. When a sensor reports a temperaturehigher than a particular threshold, the Slaves in the zone will respond accordingly. Note that higher temperaturethresholds take precedence over lower ones.

• Shut down Slaves if sensors are offline for this many minutes: If enabled, Slaves will shut down after a periodof time in which the temperature sensor could not be reached for temperature information.

• Disable Machine Startup if thermal threshold is reached: If enabled, Machine Startup for the current groupwill be disabled if a thermal threshold is reached.

• Re-enable Machine Startup when temperature returns to: If enabled, this will re-enable Machine Startupwhen the temperature returns to the specified temperature.

• Override Shutdown Order: Whether or not to define a custom order in which Slaves will be shutdown. Ifdisabled, Slaves will be shut down in alphabetical order. If enabled, use the ‘Set Shutdown Order’ dialog todefine the order. Note that this feature is not available if the Power Management Group is configured to includeall slaves.

Sensor Settings:

• Sensor Hostname or IP Address: The host of the temperature sensor.

• Sensor OID: The OID (Object Identifier) of the temperature sensor. The default OID is for the particular typeof sensor we use.

• Sensor SNMP Community: If testing the sensor fails with private is selected, try using public.



• Sensor Reports Temperature As: Select the units that your temperature sensor uses to report the temperature.

• Sensor Timeout in Milliseconds: The timeout value for contacting the sensor.

• Sensor Testing Temperature: If enabled, the corresponding temperature will always be returned by this sensor.This is useful for testing purposes.

• Test Sensor: Queries the sensor for the current temperature, and displays it. If the temperature displayed seemsincorrect, make sure you have selected the correct unit of temperature above.

If you simply want to test the Thermal Shutdown feature, but you don’t have any thermal sensors to test with, youcan enable the Sensor Testing Temperature in the Sensor settings above. When enabled, you don’t need to provide aSensor Hostname or Sensor OID, and the test sensor will alway return the specified temperature.

Machine Restart

If you have problematic machines that you need to reboot periodically, you can configure the Machine Restart featureof Power Management to restart your Slaves for you . Note that if the Slave on the machine is in the middle ofrendering a Task, it will finish its current Task before the machine is restarted.



Machine Restart settings:

• Machine Restart Mode: Select Disabled, Enabled, or Debug mode. In Debug mode, all the checks are per-formed as normal, but no action is actually taken.

• Restart machines after Slave has been running for: The interval, in minutes, at which this group of Slaveswill be restarted.

6.3 Slave Scheduling

6.3.1 Overview

You can use the Slave Scheduling feature to configure when Slaves applications should be launched and shut down.Slave Scheduling is controlled by the Launcher, so the Launcher must be running on the machines for Slave Schedulingto work.



If a slave is scheduled to start on a machine, a notification message will pop up for 30 seconds indicating that the slaveis scheduled to start. If someone is still using the machine, they can choose to delay the start of the slave for a certainamount of time.

6.3.2 Configuration

Slave Scheduling can be configured from the Monitor by selecting ‘Tools’ -> ‘Configure Slave Scheduling’. You willneed to be in Super User mode for this, if you are not part of a User Group that has access to this feature.

Machine Groups are used by Slave Scheduling to organize Slave machines on the farm, and each group can havedifferent scheduling settings. To add a new Machine Group, simply click the Add button in the Machine Groupsection.

6.3. Slave Scheduling 339


Slave Scheduling Group Settings:

• Group Name: The name with which the Slave Scheduling Group will be identified.

• Group Mode: Whether this particular Group is enabled or disabled.

• Include All Slaves in this Group: If enabled, all slaves will be included in this group.

• Unassigned Slaves: The Slaves that will not be part of this Group.

• Slaves In Group: Slaves that will be part of this Group.

To edit the scheduling settings within a group, simply click on the group in the Machine Groups list.

Slave Scheduling

These settings are used to define the schedule for when slaves should start and stop.

• Ensure Slave Is Running During Scheduled Hours: If enabled, slaves will be restarted if they are shut downduring the scheduled hours.

• Day of the Week: Configure which days of the week you want to set a schedule for.

• Start Time: The time on the selected day that the Slave application should be launched if it is not alreadyrunning.

• Stop Time: The time on the selected day that the Slave application should be closed if it is running.



Idle Detection

These settings are used to launch the slave if the machine has been idle for a certain amount of time (“idle” means nokeyboard or mouse input). There is also additional criteria that can be checked before launching the slave, includingthe machine’s current memory and CPU usage, the current logged in user, and the processes currently running on themachine. Finally, this system can stop the slave automatically when the machine is no longer idle.

• Start Slave When Machine Is Idle For ___ Minutes: If enabled, the Slave will be started on the machine ifit is idle. A machine is considered idle if there hasn’t been any keyboard or mouse activity for the specifiedamount of time.

• Stop Slave When Machine Is No Longer Idle: If enabled, the Slave will be stopped when the machine is nolonger idle. A machine is considered idle if there hasn’t been any keyboard or mouse activity for the specifiedamount of time.





Note that Idle Detection can be overridden in the Local Slave Controls so that users can configure if their local slaveshould launch when the machine becomes idle.

Miscellaneous Options

These settings are applied to both Slave Scheduling and Idle Detection.

• Only Start Slave If CPU Usage Less Than ___%: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if the machine’sCPU usage is less than the specified value.

• Only Start Slave If Free Memory More Than ___ MB: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if themachine has more free memory than the specified value (in Megabytes).

• Only Start Slave If These Processes Are Not Running: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if thespecified processes are not running on the machine.

• Only Start If Launcher Is Not Running As These Users: If enabled, the slave will only be launched if thelauncher is not running as one of the specified users.

• Allow Slaves to Finish Their Current Task When Stopping: If enabled, the Slave application will not beclosed until it finishes its current Task.

6.4 Farm Statistics

6.4.1 Overview

Deadline can keep track of some basic statistics. It can keep track of all of your completed Jobs so that you refer tothem later. It stores the User that submitted the Job, when the Job was submitted, the error count, as well as some

6.4. Farm Statistics 341


useful rendering metrics like render time, CPU usage, and memory usage. You can use all of this information to figureout if there are any Slaves that aren’t being utilized to their full potential.

Statistical information is also gathered for individual slaves, including the slave’s running time, rendering time, andidle time. It also includes information about the number of tasks the slave has completed, the number of errors it hasreported, and its average Memory and CPU usage.

Note that some statistics can only be gathered if Pulse is running.

6.4.2 Enabling Statistics Gathering

You must first make sure Statistics Gathering has been enabled before Deadline will start logging information, whichcan be done in the Statistics Gathering section of the Repository Options.

Note that if Pulse is not running, only statistics for completed Jobs, User usage and Slave Statistics will be recorded.You must run Pulse to keep track of Slave Resource Usage and overall Repository statistics. When running, Pulse willperiodically gather information about Slaves Resource Usage and the general state of the repository, and record themin the Database.



6.4.3 Viewing Farm Reports

To view Statistics, open the Monitor and select ‘Tools’ -> ‘View Farm Reports’. This must be done in Super Usermode, unless you have the proper User Privileges to do so.

From this window, you can specify which type of report(s) to generate, and a date range to filter the statistics. You canalso specify a region to filter the statistics, but only the Active Slave Stats and Slaves Overview reports will use it.

There are five default Reports that will always be available, but custom reports can also be created and saved for lateruse (see the ‘Custom Reports’ section below for more info).

Active Slave Stats

The Active Slave Stats report displays Slave usage statistics for the farm, which are logged by Slaves as they arerunning. The statistics displayed by this report are generated by each individual slave at regular intervals and do notrequire Pulse to be running.



Completed Job Stats

The Completed Job Stats report consists of a list of completed Jobs with detailed statistics. Pulse does not need to berunning to gather these statistics.



Farm Overview

The Farm Overview report displays statistics about the Farm using graphs. The statistics displayed by this report areassembled by Pulse, and will therefore only be gethered if Pulse is running.

The State Counts section displays the statistics in terms of counts.



The State Totals gives a visual representation of the statistics in terms of percentages.



Slaves Overview

The Slaves Overview report displays the statistics for each Slave on the farm with graphs to help display the statistics.The statistics displayed by this report are assembled by Pulse, and will therefore only be gathered if Pulse is running.

The Slaves Overview chart shows now many slaves were in each state (starting job, rendering, idle, offline, stalled,and disabled).

The Available/Active Slaves charts show the number of slaves that are available, and the number of available slavesthat are active.



The Individual Slaves list and charts show the average CPU and Memory usage for individual slaves, as well as averagetime each slave spends in each state.



User Farm Time Report

The User Farm Time Report displays the farm usage statistics for each User. Pulse does not need to be running togather these statistics.



Custom Reports

Users can create their own custom Reports to control how the gathered statistics are aggregated and presented. Bydoing this, users can create their own arsenal of specialized reports that help to drill down and expose potentialproblems with the farm.

In order to create or edit Custom Reports you first need to be in Super User mode, or have the appropriate User GroupPermissions to do so. If that is the case, there should be a new set of buttons below the list of Reports, providingcontrol over Custom Reports.

By clicking the ‘New’ button, you will be prompted to specify a name for your new report and select the type ofstatistics which this report will display.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be brought to the Edit view for your new Report. You’ll note that this is very sim-ilar to generating a report under normal circumstances, but with the addition of several buttons that allow further



customization of your Report.

Chief among these new buttons is the ‘Edit Data Columns’ button, which will allow you to select which columns aredisplayed. You can also specify if you want to aggregate row information by selecting a Group By column, and aGroup Op for each other column.



The way the aggregation works is similar to a SQL query with a “group by” statement. Data rows will be combinedbased on identical values of the Group By column, while the values of other columns will be determined by performingthe Group Ops on the combined rows.

As a simple example to demonstrate how this works in practice, let us consider a case where you might want to viewthe error information on a per-plugin basis. We don’t have a built-in report to do this, but all this information iscontained in Completed Job Stats. With that in mind, you can create a Custom Report based on Completed Job Statsto group by Plugin, and aggregate Error Counts and Wasted Error Time, as illustrated below.



Once you’ve specified which columns are displayed, and whether/how rows are aggregated, you can also add simpleGraphs to your report. Simply click the ‘Add Graph’ button, and specify the type of graph you want along with thecolumns on which the graph should be based. Graphs are always based on all of the data presented the list view, andcurrently cannot be based on selection or a different data model.

Once you’re done customizing your new report, simply click the ‘OK’ button on the Farm Status Reports window, andyour changes will be committed to the Database. Now, every time anyone brings up this dialog, they should be able to



generate the report you’ve just created!

6.4.4 Custom Statistics

If you need to keep track of more information, we suggest writing your own tool that uses Deadline Command.Deadline Command can be used to query the repository for all sorts of information, like the current state of all theJobs and all the Slaves. You can have it print these out in an ini file format and use any ini file parser to extract theinformation (Python has a module for this). This is also handy if you want to post stats to a web page, or insert entriesinto a separate database.

6.5 Client Configuration

6.5.1 Overview

Clients are configured using the deadline.ini file. Some settings are stored in a system deadline.ini file, and someare stored in a per-user deadline.ini file. Most of these settings are set during the Client Installation, but they can bechanged afterwards by editing the deadline.ini file directly. Some of these settings can also be updated using AutoConfiguration.

This guide will cover the various settings, and how they can be configured.

6.5.2 DEADLINE_PATH Environment Variable

The DEADLINE_PATH Environment variable is an environment variable on Windows and Linux which contains thepath to Deadline’s bin directory. On OSX, it is instead a file located at /Users/Shared/Thinkbox which contains thepath to Deadline’s resources directory.

DEADLINE_PATH is used by the integrated submisison scripts that are shipped with Deadline to determine where theDeadline Client is installed to, and what the Repository path is. While it is possible to modify this value on the systemmanually, you can instead use one of the Submitter installers to Change the DEADLINE_PATH Value.

6.5.3 Local Slave Instance Files

Deadline supports the ability to run Multiple Slaves On One Machine. The local slave instances are represented by .inifiles which are stored in the “slaves” folder in the following locations. Note that the # in the path will change based onthe Deadline version number.

• Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\Thinkbox\Deadline#\slaves\

• Linux: /var/lib/Thinkbox/Deadline#/slaves/

• OSX: /Users/Shared/Thinkbox/Deadline#/slaves/

To remove local slave instances, simply delete their corresponding .ini file. Note that this does not remove the slaveentries from the repository that the slaves connected to.

6.5.4 Configuration File Format

The deadline.ini file has an ini file format, so there will be a [Deadline] section followed by a number of key=valuepairs that represent each setting. For example:



[Deadline]LicenseServer=@my-serverNetworkRoot=\\\\repository\\pathLauncherListeningPort=17060AutoConfigurationPort=17061

6.5.5 System Configuration File

The system deadline.ini file can be found in the following locations. Note that the # in the path will change based onthe Deadline version number.

• Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\Thinkbox\Deadline#\deadline.ini

• Linux: /var/lib/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

• OSX: /Users/Shared/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

The following settings can be configured in the system deadline.ini file. Note that other settings can show up in thisfile, but they are used internally by Deadline and are not documented here.

NetworkRoot

The NetworkRoot setting tells the Client which Repository to connect to.

NetworkRoot=\\\\repository\\path

There can also be additional NetworkRoot# settings that store previous Repository paths. These paths will be pre-populated in the drop down list when changing Repositories.

NetworkRoot0=\\\\repository\\pathNetworkRoot1=\\\\another\\repositoryNetworkRoot2=\\\\test\\repository

This setting can be changed using the Change Repository option in the Launcher or the Monitor, and it can also beconfigured using Auto Configuration.

LicenseServer

The LicenseServer setting tells the Client where it can get a license from.

LicenseServer=@my-server

This setting can be changed using the Change License Server option in the Launcher or the Slave, and it can also beconfigured using Auto Configuration.

LauncherListeningPort

The LauncherListeningPort setting is the port that the Launcher listens on for Remote Control. It must be the same onall Clients.

6.5. Client Configuration 355


LauncherListeningPort=17060

This setting can only be changed manually.

LauncherServiceStartupDelay

The LauncherServiceStartupDelay setting is the number of seconds that the Launcher waits during startup when run-ning as a service or daemon. This delay helps ensure that the machine has set its host name before the Launcher startsup any other Deadline applications.

LauncherServiceStartupDelay=60


SlaveStartupPort

The SlaveStartupPort setting is the port that the Slaves on this machine use when starting up to ensure that only oneSlave starts up at a time.

LauncherListeningPort=17063


AutoConfigurationPort

The AutoConfigurationPort setting is the port that the Clients use when Auto Configuring themselves. It must be thesame on all Clients.

AutoConfigurationPort=17061

This setting can only be changed manually

SlaveDataRoot

The SlaveDataRoot setting tells the Slave where to copy its job files temporarily during rendering. The default locationis the “slave” folder in the same folder as the per-user deadline.ini file. If left blank, the default location will be usedas well.

SlaveDataRoot=C:\\LocalSlaveData

This setting can be configured using Auto Configuration.

MultipleSlavesEnabled

The MultipleSlavesEnabled setting indicates if multiple slaves are allowed to run on this machine or not. The defaultis True.

MultipleSlavesEnabled=True




RestartStalledSlave

The RestartStalledSlave setting indicates if the Launcher should try to restart the Slave on the machine if it becomesstalled. The default is True.

RestartStalledSlave=True

This setting can be changed from the Launcher menu, and it can also be configured using Auto Configuration.

LaunchPulseAtStartup

The LaunchPulseAtStartup setting controls if the Launcher should automatically launch Pulse after the launcher startsup. The default is False.

LaunchPulseAtStartup=True


KeepPulseRunning

The KeepPulseRunning setting controls if the Launcher should automatically relaunch Pulse if it is shut down orcrashes. The default is False.

KeepPulseRunning=True


LaunchBalancerAtStartup

The LaunchBalancerAtStartup setting controls if the Launcher should automatically launch the Balancer after thelauncher starts up. The default is False.

LaunchBalancerAtStartup=True


KeepBalancerRunning

The KeepBalancerRunning setting controls if the Launcher should automatically relaunch Balancer if it is shut downor crashes. The default is False.

KeepBalancerRunning=True


6.5. Client Configuration 357


LaunchWebServiceAtStartup

The LaunchWebServiceAtStartup setting controls if the Launcher should automatically launch the Web Service afterthe launcher starts up. The default is False.

LaunchWebServiceAtStartup=True


KeepWebServiceRunning

The KeepWebServiceRunning setting controls if the Launcher should automatically relaunch Web Service if it is shutdown or crashes. The default is False.

KeepWebServiceRunning=True


AutoUpdateOverride

The AutoUpdateOverride setting can be used to override the Automatic Upgrades setting in the Repository Configu-ration. If left blank, then it will not override the Repository Options, which is also the default behavior if this settingisn’t specified.

AutoUpdateOverride=False

This setting can be configured using Auto Configuration.

6.5.6 Per-User Configuration File

The per-user deadline.ini file can be found in the following locations. Note that the # in the path will change based onthe Deadline version number.

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Thinkbox\Deadline#\deadline.ini

• Linux: ~/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

• OSX: ~/Library/Application Support/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

The following settings can be configured in the per-user deadline.ini file.

User

The User setting is used by the Client to know which user you are when launching the Monitor or when submittingjobs.

User=Ryan

This setting can be changed using the Change User option in the Launcher or the Monitor. To prevent users fromchanging who they are, see the User Management documentation.



LaunchSlaveAtStartup

The LaunchSlaveAtStartup setting controls if the Launcher should automatically launch the Slave after the launcherstarts up. The default is True.

LaunchSlaveAtStartup=False

This setting can be changed from the Launcher menu, and it can also be configured using Auto Configuration.

6.6 Auto Configuration

6.6.1 Overview

Auto Configuration allows you to configure many Client settings from a single location. When the Deadline applica-tions start up, they will automatically pull these settings, save them locally, and apply them before fully initializing.

Note that Pulse must be running for the Deadline applications to pull the Repository Path setting. All the other settingsare pulled directly from the Database once the applications are able to connect to it. Note that if Pulse isn’t running, theother settings will still be pulled directly from the Database. To configure and run Pulse, see the Pulse documentation.

6.6. Auto Configuration 359


6.6.2 Rulesets

You can set up Client Configuration Rulesets from the Auto Configuration section of the Repository Configuration. Ifyou want to configure groups of Clients differently from others, you can add multiple Rulesets. This is useful if youhave more than one Repository on your network, or if you want to configure your render nodes differently than yourworkstations.

New Rulesets can be added by pressing the Add button. You can give the Ruleset a name, and then choose a ClientFilter method to control which Clients will use this Ruleset. There are currently three types of Slave Filters:

• Hostname Regex: You can use regular expressions to match a Client’s host name. If your Slaves are using IPv6,this is probably the preferred method to use. Note that this is case-sensitive. For example:

– .*host.* will match hostnames containing the word ‘host’ in lower case.

– host.* will match hostnames starting with ‘host’.

– .*[Hh]ost will match ending with ‘Host’ or ‘host’.

– .* will match everything.

• IP Regex: You can use regular expressions to match a Client’s IP address. This works with both IPv4 and IPv6addresses. For example:

– 192.168..* will match IPv4 addresses not transported inside IPv6 starting with “192.168”.

– [:fF]*192.168. should match IPv4 address even if they are carried over IPv6 addresses (ex”::ffff:192.168.2.128”).

– .* will match everything.

• IPv4 Match: You can specify specific IP addresses, or a range of IP addresses (by using wildcards or ranges).Note that this only works with IPv4. Do not use this for IPv6 addresses. For example:

– 192.168.0.1-150

– 192.168.0.151-255

– 192.168.*.*

– *.*.*.*

Configurations are generated starting from the top rule working down one by one. When there is a match for therequesting Client, any properties in the rule which are not marked as ‘(Inherited)’ will override a previous setting. Bydefault, Slaves will use their local configuration for any property which is not set by a rule. Based on the examplehere, all clients starting with the name ‘Render-‘ and ending with a whole number will use the same Repository Pathand launch the Client at startup, while the ‘Default’ rule above it matches all Clients and sets their license server.



The available options are:

• License Server: The license server setting. Use the format ‘@SERVER’, or if you have configured your licensefile to use a specific port, use ‘PORT@SERVER’.

• Launch Slave At Startup: Whether or not the Slave should automatically launch when the Launcher starts up.

• Auto Update Override: Whether or not launching the Client should trigger an automatic upgrade if it is avail-able.

• Restart Slave If It Stalls: If enabled, the Launcher will try to restart the Slave on the machine if it stalls.

• Repository Path: This is the path to the Repository that the Slave will connect to. You can specify a differentpath for each operating system.

• Local Data Path: The local path where the Client temporarily stores plugin and job data from the Repositoryduring rendering. Note that this should be a local path to avoid conflicts. You can specify a different path foreach operating system.

6.6. Auto Configuration 361


6.7 Render Environment

6.7.1 Job Environment Variables

Environment variables can be set for a job, and these variables will be applied to the rendering process’ environment.These variables can be set in the Job Properties in the Monitor, and they can be set during Manual Job Submission.

Manual Job Submission

For manual job submission, these variables can be specified in the job info file like this:

EnvironmentKeyValue0=mykey=myvalueEnvironmentKeyValue1=anotherkey=anothervalueEnvironmentKeyValue2=athirdkey=athirdvalue...

There is also an IncludeEnvironment option that takes either True or False (False is the default). When IncludeEnviron-ment is set to True, Deadline will automatically grab all the environment variables from the submitter’s environmentand set them as the job’s environment variables.

IncludeEnvironment=True

This can be used in conjunction with the EnvironmentKeyValue# options above, but note that the EnvironmentKey-Value# options will take precedence over any current environment variables with the same name.

Finally, there is a UseJobEnvironmentOnly option that takes either True or False (False is the default):

UseJobEnvironmentOnly=True

The UseJobEnvironmentOnly setting controls how the job’s environment variables are applied to the rendering envi-ronment. If True, ONLY the job’s environment variables will be used. If False, the job’s environment variables willbe merged with the Slave’s current environment, with the job’s variables overwriting any existing ones with the samename.

Job Rendering

At render time, the job’s environment variables are applied to the rendering process. As explained above, the job’senvironment can either be merged with the Slave’s current environment, or the job’s environment can be used exclu-sively.

Note though that if the job’s plugin defines any environment variables, those will take precedence over any job environ-ment variables with the same name. In a job’s plugin, there are two functions that are available for the DeadlinePluginobject that can be used to set environment variables:

• SetProcessEnvironmentVariable( key, value ):

– This should be used in Advanced plugins only.

– Any variables set by this function are applied to all process launched through Deadline’s plugin API.

– Note that calling SetProcessEnvironmentVariable in Simple plugins or within ManagedProcess callbackswill not affect the current process’ environment.

– When using SetProcessEnvironmentVariable in an Advanced plugin, make sure to call it outside of theManagedProcess callbacks.



• SetEnvironmentVariable( key, value ):

– This is typically used in Simple plugins, or within ManagedProcess callbacks in Advanced plugins.

– Any variables set by this function are only applied to the process they are starting up, and they takeprecedence over any variables set by SetProcessEnvironmentVariable.

See the Application Plugins documentation for more information.

6.7.2 Render Jobs As Job’s User

Deadline has some features that allow jobs to be rendered with the the job’s user account, rather than the user accountthat the Slave is running as.

• On Windows, this is done by using the job’s user account credentials to start the rendering process using thataccount.

• On Linux and Mac OS X, the Slave must be running as root. It will then use “sudo” to start the rendering processusing the job’s user account.

Enabling Render Jobs As User

To render jobs as the job’s user, you must enable Render Jobs As User in the User Security section of the RepositoryOptions. Note that this setting affects all jobs, and requires users to ensure that their User Account Settings areconfigured properly (see below).

6.7. Render Environment 363


User Account Settings

The user account settings used to start the rendering process are stored in the User Settings for each user. For Linuxand OSX, only the User Name is required. For Windows, the Domain and Password must also be provided forauthentication.



6.8 Multiple Slaves On One Machine

6.8.1 Overview

Deadline has the ability to launch and configure an arbitrary number of Slave instances on a single machine. EachSlave instance can be given a unique name, and can be assigned its own list of Pools and Groups, which allows Slavesto work independently on separate Jobs. A single high-performance machine could potentially process multiple 3D,compositing, and simulation Jobs simultaneously.

Note that the configurations for these slave instances are stored locally on the slave machine. This means that theseslave instances exist independently from the repository that the slaves connect to. So if you delete a slave from therepository, the local configuration for that slave instance still exists. Conversely, if you delete a local slave instance,the slave will still have an entry in the repository. It is possible to remove both the slave from the repository and thelocal slave instance from the slave machine, which is covered below.

6.8. Multiple Slaves On One Machine 365


6.8.2 Licensing

In Deadline 7, all Slave instances running on a single machine will use the same license. For example, if you had 3slave instances running on one machine, they would only use 1 license.

6.8.3 Adding and Running Slaves

There are three ways to launch new slave instances:

• From the Launcher menu by selecting Launch Slave By Name -> New Slave Instance. This is disabled bydefault, but can be enabled in the User Group Management settings.

• From the right-click menu in the Slave list in the Monitor by selecting Remote Control -> Slave Commands ->Start New Slave Instance. By default, this is only available when in Super User Mode.

• From the command line using the -name option.

deadlineslave -name "instance-01"

Additonally for a headless/no GUI machine, you would add a -nogui flag.

deadlineslave -name "instance-01" -nogui

Note that the name you enter is the postfix that is appended to the slave’s base name. For example, if the slave’s basename is “Render-02”, and you start a new instance on it called “instance-01”, the full name for that slave instance willbe “Render-02-instance-01”. This is done so that if the slave’s machine name is changed, the full slave name will beupdated accordingly. Using the same example, if the machine was renamed to “Node-05”, the slave instance will nowbe called “Node-05-instance-01”.

Once the new Slave shows up in the Slave List in the Monitor, you can configure it like any other Slave. You mightwant to use Slave Settings (see Slave Configuration) to assign the different Slaves to run on separate CPUs. It mightalso be a good idea to assign them to different Pools and Groups, so that they can work on different types of Jobs toavoid competing for the same resource (e.g., you could have one Slave assigned to CPU intensive Jobs, while the otherworks on RAM intensive ones).

Once the Slave has been created, you can also launch it remotely like you would any other Slave. See the RemoteControl documentation for more information.



6.8.4 Removing Slaves

There are three ways to remove existing slave instances:

• From the Launcher menu by selecting Launch Slave By Name -> Remove Slave Instances. This is disabled bydefault, but can be enabled in the User Group Management settings.

• From the right-click menu in the Slave list in the Monitor by selecting Remote Control -> Slave Commands-> Remove Slave Instance. This method gives the additional option to automatically remove the slave instancefrom the repository as well. By default, this is only available when in Super User Mode.

• Manually delete the .ini files that define the local slaves instances on the machine that the slave runs on. See theClient Configuration documentation for more information.

6.8.5 Limiting and Disabling Multiple Slaves

By default, users do not have the ability to launch additional Slaves on their own machines (see User Group Manage-ment). However, there are some cases where you might want to completely disable the ability to run multiple slaveson the same machine.

The only known situation where this might be necessary is if your render nodes all net-boot off the same installation(meaning they share the same file system). In this case, if multiple Slaves are enabled, each render node will end uptrying to run a Slave instance for every other render node net-booting off the same installation.

6.8. Multiple Slaves On One Machine 367


In this scenario, you can disable the multi-slave feature by opening the system’s deadline.ini file and adding this line:

MultipleSlavesEnabled=False

The system deadline.ini file can be found in the following locations. Note that the # in the path will change based onthe Deadline version number.

• Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\Thinkbox\Deadline#\deadline.ini

• Linux: /var/lib/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

• OSX: /Users/Shared/Thinkbox/Deadline#/deadline.ini

6.9 Cloud Controls

6.9.1 Overview

Deadline has some built in cloud features that allows it to connect to different cloud providers and control yourinstances. Currently, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, OpenStack, and vCenter are supported, but moreproviders may be added in the future.

Note that Deadline only allows you to control existing instances. It does not create instances for you, except in thecase where you clone an existing instance. In order to use instances for rendering, you will need to set them up first,which includes installing the Deadline Client, installing your rendering software, and setting up any licensing that isrequired.

Permission for the Cloud Panel can be editted in the User Group Permissions form. See Controlling Feature Access.

6.9.2 Cloud Providers

Cloud providers can be configured from the Monitor by selecting Tools -> Configure Cloud Providers. By default, thisoption is hidden for normal users, so you may need to enter Super User Mode. This will bring up the Cloud Optionswindow.



Adding Providers

To add a provider, click the Add button under the Cloud Region list. Choose the Cloud plugin you wish to use, andgive it a region name. This is useful for providers like Amazon EC2 that have more than one region. Then click OK.

The new Cloud region will now show up in the Cloud Region list.

Configuring Providers

To configure an existing provider, select it in the Cloud Region box, which will bring up its configuration settings.This are the settings that the Monitor will use to connect to your cloud provider(s).

6.9. Cloud Controls 369


Every provider has an option to enable or disable it, but the other options can vary between providers. To get moreinformation about a particular setting, just hover your mouse over the setting text, or refer to the Cloud Plugins sectionof the documentation.

6.9.3 Cloud Panel

The Cloud panel in the Monitor shows all the instances from the cloud providers that the Monitor is connected to. Bydefault, this panel is hidden for normal users, so you may need to enter Super User Mode before you can open it.

If the Cloud panel is not visible, see the Panel Features documentation for instructions on how to create new panels inthe Monitor.

Controlling Instances

The Cloud panel allows you to create new instances and control your existing instances using the right-click contextmenu. The following options are available when you right-click on an instance:

• Create New Instance: Creates a new instance.

• Start Instance: Starts an instance that is currently stopped.

• Stop Instance: Stops an instance that is currently running.



• Destroy Instance: Destroys an existing instance. Once an instance is destroyed, it can not be recovered.

• Clone Instance: Clones an existing instance. This allows you to quickly launch multiple copies of the selectedinstance.

• Reboot Instance: Reboots an instance that is currently running.

It should be noted that some cloud providers don’t provide the ability to Start/Stop instances.

6.9.4 Cloud Plug-ins

Cloud providers are supported via the Cloud Plug-in system. This means that the existing ones can be customized,or you can write your own. See the Cloud Plugins documentation for more information on creating cloud plug-ins.Plugin data is only loaded and updated when the Cloud Panel is being displayed.

6.10 Job Transferring

6.10.1 Overview

If you have multiple office locations that each have their own Deadline Repository, it is possible to transfer Jobsbetween them. This can be handy if one office’s farm is sitting idle while the other is completely swamped.

Note though that Deadline will only transfer over the files that are submitted with the Job, which in most cases is justthe scene file. You must ensure that all assets the scene requires and all output paths that it writes to exist in the remotelocation before transferring the Job.

6.10.2 Setting Up a Transfer

Before you can transfer a Job, it must be in the Suspend, Completed, or Failed state. Just right-click on the Job, andselect ‘Scripts’ -> ‘TransferSubmission’. A Transfer Job window will be displayed.

6.10. Job Transferring 371


You’ll notice that you’re actually submitting another Job that will transfer the original Job. The general Deadlineoptions are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Job Transfer specific options are:

• Frame List and Frames Per Task: This is the frame list for the original Job that will be transferred. It willdefault to the values for the original Job, but you can change them if you only want to transfer a subset of frames.

• New Repository: This is the path to the remote Repository that the original Job will be transferred to. Note thatthe Slaves that the transfer Job will be running on must be able to see this path in order to transfer the originalJob to the new repository.

• Compress Files During Transfer: If enabled, the original Job’s files will be compressed during the transfer.

• Suspend Remote Job After Transfer: If enabled, the original Job will be submitted in the Suspended state tothe new Repository.

• Email Results After Transfer: If enabled, you will be emailed when the original Job has been successfully



transferred. Note that this requires you to have your email notification options set up properly.

• Remove Local Job After Transfer: If enabled, the original Job in the local Repository will be deleted after theJob has been successfully transferred to the remote Repository.

Once you have your options set, click the Submit button to submit the transfer Job.

6.10.3 Global Transfer Options

Job Transfers are handled by a JobTransfer plugin, which has a few options that can be configured which will affectall transfers. To change the JobTransfer plugin options, open the Monitor and select ‘Tools’ -> ‘Configure Plugins’ asa Super User, and then select the JobTransfer plugin from the list on the left.


• Notification Email(s): The email(s) where successful Job Transfer reports will be sent, so that sys admins cankeep track of all successfully transferred Jobs. Leave blank to disable this feature. Use commas to specify morethan one email address.

6.10. Job Transferring 373



CHAPTER

SEVEN

SCRIPTING

7.1 Scripting Overview

7.1.1 Overview

Scripts can be used to customize various aspects of Deadline, including creating custom plug-ins, submitting jobs tothe farm, or automating specific tasks after a job completes. The scripting language that Deadline uses is Python 2.7,which is supported using Python for .NET. In addition to supporting native cPython modules, Python for .NET allowsyour scripts to make use of the .NET Libraries. This fantastic combination of cPython & .NET allows for the bestof both worlds, suiting both seasoned cPython scripters and .NET technology based developers. Studios are free tochoose to use either or both technologies to their advantage in further customizing the Deadline compute managementframework.

7.1.2 Custom Repository Folder

If desired, custom scripts and plugins can be placed in the ‘custom’ folder in the Repository. This folder containssubfolders for different plugins and scripts, allowing you to customize the following areas of Deadline:

• Application Plugins ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/plugins/

• Event Plugins ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/events/

• Cloud Plugins ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/cloud/

• Balancer Plugins ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/balancer/

• Monitor Scripts

• Submission Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Submission/

• General Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/General/

• Job Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Jobs/

• Task Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Tasks/

• Slave Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Slaves/

• Pulse Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Pulse/

• Balancer Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Balancer/

• Limit Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/Limits/

• Job Report Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/JobReports/

• Slave Report Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/SlaveReports/

375

https://www.python.org/

http://pythonnet.sourceforge.net/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg145045%28VS.100%29.aspx


• Web Service Scripts ../<DeadlineRepository>/custom/scripts/WebService/

Note that any scripts or plugins in the ‘custom’ folder will not be affected when upgrading or downgrading the Repos-itory. The Repository installer also creates a backup of the ‘custom’ directory together with the other Deadline di-rectories during the install process to ‘../backup/[timeStamp] and/or [mostRecent]/custom’ directory. In addition, anyscripts or plugins in the ‘custom’ folder will override any scripts or plugins that are shipped with Deadline if they sharethe same name. If you want to check out the scripts and plugins that are shipped with Deadline, you can find then inthe ‘events’, ‘plugins’, and ‘scripts’ folders in the Repository.

There is also an option for a job to load its Application Plug-in from another location, which can be set in the JobProperties. This can be useful when testing plugins before updating them directly in the Repository.

Note, the in-app submitters stored under ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/ are not included in the “Custom Repos-itory Folder” system, due to the complexity and limitation of some of the application scripting languages. To customizeany of the code under the “submission” directory, it is recommended to take a copy/backup for later reference. Note,any customization you make, will still get backed up when the repository installer is run during an upgrade. However,the contents of the “submission” directory will be overwritten during an upgrade.

7.1.3 Scripting Reference

The full Deadline Scripting Reference can be found on the Thinkbox Software Documentation Website. Offline PDFand HTML versions can be downloaded from here as well. Ensure you select the correct drop-down version ofDeadline to view the matching API to your current Deadline version.

There are also many scripts and plug-ins that are shipped with Deadline, which you can use as a reference or startingpoint for your own customization. These scripts can be found in the following folders in the Repository:

• ../<DeadlineRepository>/cloud Cloud Plugins

• ../<DeadlineRepository>/events Event Plugins

• ../<DeadlineRepository>/plugins Application Plugins

• ../<DeadlineRepository>/scripts Monitor Scripts

7.1.4 Application Submission Scripting Reference

Located under the ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission directory in Deadline’s repository are the application specificscript files for all the deeply integrated application submitters. Each application directory where applicable has 3 xsub-directories:

• Client: The local proxy Client script is stored here, which typically is manually copied over to the local submit-ting client machine, thereby allowing users to open up the submission UI. These scripts tend not to be modifiedvery often and purely serve as a proxy script, which references/pulls the Main submission script from the Dead-line repository, where the actual submission code resides.

• Main: The Main script(s) files here are referenced or loaded into application memory, typically by the localproxy Client script. It is in these script file(s) that the deep, submission integration code resides for eachapplication in question. All this code is unprotected and studios are invited to customize if they so choose.Note, the in-app submitters stored under ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission are not included in the “CustomRepository Folder” system, due to the complexity and limitation of some of the application scripting languages.To customize any of the code under the “submission” directory, it is recommended to take a copy/backup forlater reference. Note, any customization you make, will still get backed up when the repository installer is runduring an upgrade. However, the contents of the “submission” directory will be overwritten during an upgrade.

• Installers: Each of our applications that have an in-app submitter, on their respective documentation page, therewill be instructions on how to manually install the local proxy Client script into the correct directory and anyfurther configuration that may be required to get up and running. As an alternative, we provide Installer(s) which

376 Chapter 7. Scripting

http://docs.thinkboxsoftware.com


can be run with the correct access permissions, to install the local proxy Client script(s) for you and also carryout any further configuration that may be required. Where applicable, Installers are provided for the differentoperating systems.

The following in-application deeply integrated submitters are available for reference or as a starting point for yourown custom submitter:

• 3ds Command ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/3dsCmd/

• 3ds Max ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/3dsmax/

• Corona Distributed Rendering ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/3dsmaxCoronaDR/

• RPManager Script Setup ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/3dsmaxRPM/

• 3ds Max ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/3dsmaxVRayDBR/

• After Effects ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/AfterEffects/

• AutoCAD ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/AutoCAD/

• Blender ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Blender/

• Cinema 4D ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Cinema4D/

• Cinema 4D Team Render ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Cinema4DTeamRender/

• Clarisse iFX ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Clarisse/

• Composite ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Composite/

• Draft ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Draft/

• ftrack ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/FTrack/

• Fusion ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Fusion/

• Generation ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Generation/

• Hiero ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Hiero/

• Houdini ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Houdini/

• Jigsaw ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Jigsaw/

• Lightwave ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Lightwave/

• Maya ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Maya/

• Maya ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/MayaVRayDBR/

• Messiah ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Messiah/

• MicroStation ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/MicroStation/

• modo ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Modo/

• Interactive Distributed Rendering ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/ModoDBR/

• Nuke ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Nuke/

• Realflow ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/RealFlow/

• Rhino ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Rhino/

• SketchUp ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/SketchUp/

• Softimage ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/Softimage/

• Softimage ../<DeadlineRepository>/submission/SoftimageVRayDBR/

7.1. Scripting Overview 377


7.1.5 Running Scripts from the Command Line

To run scripts from the command line, the only requirement is that you define a __main__ function. This is the functioncalled by the Command application when it executes the script.

def __main__( *args ):# Replace "pass" with codepass

If you save this script to a file called myscript.py, you can execute it using this command:

deadlinecommand -ExecuteScript "myscript.py"

If you are running the script in a headless environment where there is no display, you should use this command again:

deadlinecommand -ExecuteScriptNoGui "myscript.py"

The only difference between these commands is that ExecuteScriptNoGui doesn’t pre-import any of the user interfacemodules so that it can run in a headless environment. If your script doesn’t use any user interface modules, then youcan use ExecuteScriptNoGui regardless of whether or not you’re in a headless environment.

7.1.6 Migrating Scripts From Deadline 5

Some changes were made to the Scripting API in Deadline 6, which means that Deadline 6 and later are NOT backwardcompatible with scripts written for Deadline 5.

One change that affects all Deadline scripts is that the globally defined Deadline functions are no longer available.However, many have functional replacements, which are mentioned below.

For migration tips for specific scripts, see the appropriate documentation:

• Application Plug-ins

• Event Plug-ins

• Monitor Scripts

• Job Scripts

• Web Service Scripts



Deadline Repository Path Functions

OriginalGlobalFunction

Replacement Function

GetJobsDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because most job information is now stored in theDatabase. If you want to get the auxiliary folder for a job, useRepositoryUtils.GetJobAuxiliaryPath(job), which takes an instance of a job as a parameter.

GetJobDropDi-rectory()

There is no replacement for this function because drop jobs have been removed.

GetLimit-GroupsDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because Limit information is now stored in theDatabase.

GetPluginsDi-rectory()

RepositoryUtils.GetPluginsDirectory()

GetPulseDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because Pulse information is now stored in theDatabase.

GetRootDirec-tory()

RepositoryUtils.GetRootDirectory()

GetScriptsDi-rectory()

RepositoryUtils.GetScriptsDirectory()

GetSettingsDi-rectory()

RepositoryUtils.GetSettingsDirectory()

GetSlavesDi-rectory()

There is no replacement for this function because Slave information is now stored in theDatabase.

GetSubmis-sionDirectory()

There is no replacement for this function.

GetTempDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because there is no longer a temp folder in theRepository.

GetTrashDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because there is no longer a trash folder in theRepository.

GetUsersDirec-tory()

There is no replacement for this function because User information is now stored in theDatabase.

Deadline Client Path Functions

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionGetDeadlineBinPath() ClientUtils.GetBinDirectory()GetDeadlineHomeCurrentUserPath() ClientUtils.GetCurrentUserHomeDirectory()GetDeadlineHomePath() ClientUtils.GetUsersHomeDirectory()GetDeadlineSettingsPath() ClientUtils.GetUsersSettingsDirectory()GetDeadlineTempPath() ClientUtils.GetDeadlineTempPath()GetLocalApplicationDataPath() PathUtils.GetLocalApplicationDataPath()GetSystemTempPath() PathUtils.GetSystemTempPath()

7.1. Scripting Overview 379


General Process Functions

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionIsProcessRunning(processName) ProcessUtils.IsProcessRunning(name)KillAllProcesses(processName) ProcessUtils.KillProcesses(name)KillParentAndChildProcesses(processName) ProcessUtils.KillParentAndChildProcesses(name)WaitForProcessToStart(processName,timeoutSeconds)

ProcessUtils.WaitForProcessToStart(name,timeoutMilliseconds)

File/Path/Directory Functions

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionAddToPath(semicolonSeparatedList) DirectoryUtils.AddToPath(directory)ChangeFilename(path, filename) PathUtils.ChangeFilename(path, filename)FileExists(filename) FileUtils.FileExists(filename)GetExecutableVersion(filename) FileUtils.GetExecutableVersion(filename)GetFileSize(filename) FileUtils.GetFileSize(filename)GetIniFileKeys(iniFilename, section) FileUtils.GetIniFileKeys(fileName, section)GetIniFileSections(iniFilename) FileUtils.GetIniFileSections(fileName)GetIniFileSetting(iniFilename, section, key,default)

FileUtils.GetIniFileSetting(fileName, section, key, defaultValue)

Is64BitDllOrExe(filename) FileUtils.Is64BitDllOrExe(filename)SearchDirecto-ryList(semicolonSeparatedList)

DirectoryUtils.SearchDirectoryList(directoryList)

SearchFileList(semicolonSeparatedList) FileUtils.SearchFileList(fileList)SearchFileList-For32Bit(semicolonSeparatedList)

FileUtils.SearchFileListFor32Bit(fileList)

SearchFileList-For64Bit(semicolonSeparatedList)

FileUtils.SearchFileListFor64Bit(fileList)

SearchPath(filename) DirectoryUtils.SearchPath(filename)SetIniFileSetting(iniFilename, section, key,value)

FileUtils.SetIniFileSetting(filename , section, key, value)

SynchronizeDirectories(srcPath, destPath,deepCopy)

DirectoryUtils.SynchronizeDirectories(sourceDirectory,destDirectory,deepCopy)

ToShortPathName(filename) PathUtils.ToShortPathName(path)

Miscellaneous Functions

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionBlankIfEitherIsBlank(str1, str2) StringUtils.BlankIfEitherIsBlank(str1, str2)ExecuteScript(scriptFilename, arguments) ClientUtils.ExecuteScript(scriptFilename, arguments)Sleep(milliseconds) SystemUtils.Sleep(milliseconds)



OS Functions

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionGetAvailableRam() SystemUtils.GetAvailableRam()GetApplicationPath(filename) PathUtils.GetApplicationPath(applicationName)GetCpuCount() SystemUtils.GetCpuCount()GetRegistryKeyValue(keyName, valueName,defaultValue)

SystemUtils.GetRegistryKeyValue(keyName, valueName,defaultValue)

GetTotalRam() SystemUtils.GetTotalRam()GetUsedRam() SystemUtils.GetUsedRam()Is64Bit() SystemUtils.Is64Bit()IsRunningOnLinux() SystemUtils.IsRunningOnLinux()IsRunningOnMac() SystemUtils.IsRunningOnMac()IsRunningOnWindows() SystemUtils.IsRunningOnWindows()

7.2 Application Plugins

7.2.1 Overview

All of Deadline’s plug-ins are written in Python, which means that it’s easy to create your own plug-ins or customizethe existing ones. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information, and links to the Deadline Scriptingreference.

Note that because the Python scripts for application plug-ins will be executed in a non-interactive way, it is importantthat your scripts do not contain any blocking operations like infinite loops, or interfaces that require user input.

When a plugin is loaded the log will show where the plugin is being loaded from.

7.2.2 General Plug-in Information

There are two types of plug-ins that can be created:

• Simple

• Advanced

Simple plug-ins provide the basics to wrap a command line application, and is typically used to build up commandline arguments to pass to the application. Advanced plug-ins provide more control, and are typically used whenrunning a simple command line application isn’t enough. Other than the plug-in Python script itself though, Simpleand Advanced plug-ins are very similar.

7.2.3 Creating a New Plug-in

This section covers the the areas that Simple and Advanced plug-ins have in common. Specifics for Simple andAdvanced plug-ins are covered later on.

To create a new plug-in, start by creating a folder in the Repository’s custom\plugins folder and give it the name ofyour plug-in. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’ folder in the Repositoryand how it’s used.

For the sake of this document, we will call our new plug-in MyPlugin. All relative script and configuration files forthis plug-in are to be placed in this plug-in’s folder (some are required and some are optional).

7.2. Application Plugins 381


The dlinit File - Required

The first required file is MyPlugin.dlinit, which is the main configuration file for this plug-in. It is a plain text file thatdefines a few general key=value plug-in properties, which include:

KeyName

Description

About A short description of the plug-in.Concur-rentTasks

Set to True or False (default is False). If tasks for this plug-in can render concurrently withoutinterfering with each other, this can be set to True.

Debu-gLogging

Set to True or False (default is False). If set to True, then debug plug-in logging will be printed outduring rendering.

Deprecat-edMode

Set to True or False (default is False). Only set to True if you want a custom Python.NET plug-infrom Deadline 5.1 or 5.2 to work with Deadline 6 or later. More information on DeprecatedModecan be found later on.

It can also define key=value custom settings to be used by the plug-in. A common custom setting is the executable touse to render the job. For this example, our MyPlugin.dlinit file might look like this:

About=My Example Plugin for Deadline# This is a commentConcurrentTasks=TrueMyPluginRenderExecutable=c:\path\to\my\executable.exe

The py File - Required

The other required file is MyPlugin.py, which is the main plug-in script file. It defines the main DeadlinePlugin classthat contains the necessary code that Deadline uses to render a job. This is where Simple and Advanced plug-ins willdiffer, and the specifics for each can be found later on, but the template for this script file might look like this:

from Deadline.Plugins import *

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main DeadlinePlugin class.######################################################################def GetDeadlinePlugin():

return MyPlugin()

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls when the plugin is no## longer in use so that it can get cleaned up.######################################################################def CleanupDeadlinePlugin( deadlinePlugin ):

deadlinePlugin.Cleanup()

######################################################################## This is the main DeadlinePlugin class for MyPlugin.######################################################################class MyPlugin (DeadlinePlugin):

# TODO: Place code here instead of "pass"pass



The first thing to note is that we’re importing the Deadline.Plugins namespace so that we can access the DeadlinePluginclass.

The GetDeadlinePlugin() function is important, as it allows the Slave to get an instance of our MyPlugin class (which isextending the abstract DeadlinePlugin class). In Deadline 6.2 and later, the GetDeadlinePluginWithJob( job ) functioncan be defined as an alternative. It works the same as GetDeadlinePlugin(), except that it accepts an instance of theJob object that the plug-in is being loaded for. If either of these functions are not defined, the Slave will report an errorwhen it tries to render the job.

The MyPlugin class will need to implement certain callbacks based on the type of plug-in it is, and these callbacks mustbe hooked up in the MyPlugin constructor. One callback that all plug-ins should implement is the InitializeProcessfunction. There are many other callbacks that can be implemented, which are covered in the Events section for theDeadlinePlugin class in the Deadline Scripting reference.

The CleanupDeadlinePlugin() function is also important, as it is necessary to clean up the plug-in when it is no longerin use. Typically, this is used to clean up any callbacks that were created when the plug-in was initialized.

To start off, the InitializeProcess callback is typically used to set some general plug-in settings:



return MyPlugin()




## Hook up the callbacks in the constructor.def __init__( self ):

self.InitializeProcessCallback += self.InitializeProcess

## Clean up the plugin.def Cleanup():

del self.InitializeProcessCallback

## Called by Deadline to initialize the plugin.def InitializeProcess( self ):

# Set the plugin specific settings.self.SingleFramesOnly = Falseself.PluginType = PluginType.Simple

These are the common plug-in properties that can be set in InitializeProcess callback. See the DeadlinePlugin class inthe Deadline Scripting reference for additional properties.



Property DescriptionPluginType The type of plug-in this is (PluginType.Simple/PluginType.Advanced).Single-FramesOnly

Set to True or False. Set to True if your plug-in can only work on one frame at a time, ratherthan a frame sequence.

The param File - Optional

The MyPlugin.param file is an optional file that is used by the Plugin Configuration dialog in the Monitor. It declaresproperties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifying custom settings in the MyPlugin.dlinit file.After you’ve created this file, open the Monitor and enter Super User mode. Then select Tools -> Configure Pluginsand look for your plug-in in the list on the left.

The file might look something like:

[MyPluginRenderExecutable]Type=filenameLabel=My Plugin Render ExecutableDefault=c:\path\to\my\executable.exeDescription=The path to the executable file used for rendering.

Comment lines are supported in the param file, and must start with either ‘;’ or ‘#’. For example:

# This is the file name picker control to set the executable for this plugin.[MyPluginRenderExecutable]Type=filenameLabel=My Plugin Render ExecutableDefault=c:\path\to\my\executable.exeDescription=The path to the executable file used for rendering.



You’ll notice that the property name between the square brackets matches the MyPluginRenderExecutable customsetting we defined in our MyPlugin.dlinit file. This means that this control will change the MyPluginRenderExecutablesetting. The available key=value pairs for the properties defined here are:

KeyName

Description

Category The category the control should go under.Catego-ryIndex

This determines the control’s order under its category. This does the same thing as Index.

Category-Order

This determines the category’s order among other categories. If more than one CategoryOrder isdefined for the same category, the lowest value is used.

Default The default value to be used if this property is not defined in the dlinit file. This does the same thingas DefaultValue.

Default-Value

The default value to be used if this property is not defined in the dlinit file. This does the same thingas Default.

Descrip-tion

A short description of the property the control is for (displayed as a tooltip in the UI).

DisableIf-Blank

If True, a control will not be shown if this property is not defined in the dinit file (True/False). Thisdoes the same thing as IgnoreIfBlank.

IgnoreIf-Blank

If True, a control will not be shown if this property is not defined in the dinit file (True/False). Thisdoes the same thing as DisableIfBlank.

Index This determines the control’s order under its category. This does the same thing as CategoryIndex.Label The control label.Required If True, a control will be shown for this property even if it’s not defined in the dlinit file (True/False).Type The type of control (see table below).

These are the available controls.

Control Type DescriptionBoolean A drop-down control that allows the selection of True or False.Color Allows the selection of a color.Enum A drop-down control that allows the selection of an item from a list.Enumeration Same as Enum above.Filename Allows the selection of an existing file.FilenameSave Allows the selection of a new or existing file.Float An floating point spinner control.Folder Allows the selection of an existing folder.Integer An integer spinner control.Label A read-only text field.MultiFilename Allows the selection of multiple existing files, which are then separated by semicolons in

the text field.MultiLineMultiFile-name

Allows the selection of multiple existing files, which are then placed on multiple lines inthe text field.

MultiLineMulti-Folder

Allows the selection of multiple existing folders, which are then placed on multiple linesin the text field.

MultiLineString A text field with multiple lines.Password A text field that masks the text.SlaveList Allows the selection of existing Slaves, which are then separated by commas in the text

field.String A text field.

There are also key/value pairs for specific controls:



Key Name DescriptionDecimalPlaces The number of decimal places for the Float controls.Filter The filter string for the Filename, FilenameSave, or MultiFilename controls.Increment The value to increment the Integer or Float controls by.Items The semicolon separated list of items for the Enum control. This does the same thing as Values.Maximum The maximum value for the Integer or Float controls.Minimum The minimum value for the Integer or Float controls.Validator A regular expression for the String control that is used to ensure the value is valid.Values The semicolon separated list of items for the Enum control. This does the same thing as Items.

The options File - Optional

The MyPlugin.options file is an optional file that is used by the Job Properties dialog in the Monitor. It declaresproperties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifying plug-in specific options as they appear inthe plug-in info file that was submitted with the job. After you’ve created this file, you can right-click on a job in theMonitor that uses this plug-in and select Modify Properties. You should then see a MyPlugin page at the bottom of thelist on the left which you can select to view these properties.

Often, these plug-in specific options are used to build up the arguments to be passed to the rendering application. Let’sassume that our render executable takes a “-verbose” argument that accepts a boolean parameter, and that the plug-ininfo file submitted with the job contains the following:

Verbose=True



Now we would like to be able to change this value from the Job Properties dialog in the Monitor, so our MyPlu-gin.options file might look like this:

[Verbose]Type=booleanLabel=Verbose LoggingDescription=If verbose logging is enabled.Required=trueDisableIfBlank=falseDefaultValue=True

You’ll notice that the property name between the square brackets matches the Verbose setting in our plug-in info file.This means that this control will change the Verbose setting. The available key=value pairs for the properties definedhere are the same as those defined for the param file above. Comment lines are also supported in the options file in thesame way they are supported in the param file.

The ico File - Optional

The MyPlugin.icon file is an optional 16x16 icon file that can be used to easily identify jobs that use this plug-in inthe Monitor. Typically, it is the plug-in application’s logo, or something else that represents the plug-in. If a plug-indoes not have an icon file, a generic icon will be shown in the jobs list in the Monitor

The JobPreLoad.py File - Optional

The JobPreLoad.py file is an optional script that will be executed by the Slave prior to loading a job that uses thisplug-in. Note that in this case, the file does not share its name with the plug-in folder. This script can be used to dothings like synchronize plug-ins or scripts prior to starting the render job.

The only requirement for the PreJobLoad.py script is that you define a __main__ function, which is called by the Slavewhen it executes the script. It must accept a single parameter, which is the current instance of the DeadlinePlugin class.Here is an example script that copies a couple files from a server to the local machine, and sets some environmentvariables:

from System import *from System.IO import *

def __main__( deadlinePlugin ):deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Copying some files" )File.Copy( r"\\server\files\file1.ext", r"C:\local\files\file1.ext", True )File.Copy( r"\\server\files\file2.ext", r"C:\local\files\file2.ext", True )

deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Setting EnvVar1 to True" )deadlinePlugin.SetProcessEnvironmentVariable( "EnvVar1", "True" )

deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Setting EnvVar2 to False" )deadlinePlugin.SetProcessEnvironmentVariable( "EnvVar2", "False" )

The PluginPreLoad.py File - Optional

The PluginPreLoad.py file is an optional script that will be executed by the Slave prior to executing any python scriptfor the plug-in (MyPlugin.py or JobPreLoad.py), and any pre or post job or task script for the current job. Note thatin this case, the file does not share its name with the plug-in folder. This script can be used to set up the Python



environment prior to running any other python script, including setting sys.path to control where additional moduleswill be loaded from.

The only requirement for the PluginPreLoad.py script is that you define a __main__ function, which is called by theSlave when it executes the script. It does not accept any parameters. Here is an example script that updates sys.pathwith custom paths:

import sys

def __main__():path = r"\\server\python"if path not in sys.path:

sys.path.append( path )

7.2.4 Simple Plug-ins

A render job goes through three stages:

• StartJob: A job enters this stage when it is first picked up by a Slave.

• RenderTasks: A job can enter this stage many times (once for each task a Slave dequeues while it has thecurrent job loaded).

• EndJob: A job enters this stage when a Slave is unloading the job.

Simple plug-ins only covers the RenderTasks stage, and are pretty straight forward. They are commonly used to renderwith applications that support simple command line rendering (running a command line executable and waiting for itto complete). For example, After Effects has a command line renderer called aerender.exe, which can be executed bythe Slave to render specific frames of an After Effects project file.

Initialization

By default, a plug-in is considered to be a Simple plug-in, but you can explicitly set this in the InitializeProcess()callback (as explained above). You can also define settings specific to the simple plug-in, as well as any popup orstdout handlers that you need. These additional settings are covered in the ManagedProcess class in the DeadlineScripting reference (note that the DeadlinePlugin class inherits from the ManagedProcess class). For example:


from System.Diagnostics import *


return MyPlugin()



######################################################################



## This is the main DeadlinePlugin class for MyPlugin.######################################################################class MyPlugin (DeadlinePlugin):




# Clean up stdout handler callbacks.for stdoutHandler in self.StdoutHandlers:

del stdoutHandler.HandleCallback


## Called by Deadline to initialize the process.def InitializeProcess( self ):


# Set the ManagedProcess specific settings.self.ProcessPriority = ProcessPriorityClass.BelowNormalself.UseProcessTree = True

#StdoutHandling should be enabled if required in your pluginself.StdoutHandling = True

#PopupHandling should be enabled if required in your pluginself.PopupHandling = True

# Set the stdout handlers.self.AddStdoutHandlerCallback(

"WARNING:.*" ).HandleCallback += self.HandleStdoutWarningself.AddStdoutHandlerCallback(

"ERROR:(.*)" ).HandleCallback += self.HandleStdoutError

# Set the popup ignorers.self.AddPopupIgnorer( "Popup 1" )self.AddPopupIgnorer( "Popup 2" )

# Set the popup handlers.self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 3", "OK" )self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 4", "Do not ask me this again;Continue" )

## Callback for when a line of stdout contains a WARNING message.def HandleStdoutWarning( self ):

self.LogWarning( self.GetRegexMatch(0) )

## Callback for when a line of stdout contains an ERROR message.def HandleStdoutError( self ):

self.FailRender( "Detected an error: " + self.GetRegexMatch(1) )



Stdout Handlers

The AddStdoutHandlerCallback() function accepts a string parameter, which is a POSIX compliant regular expressionused to match against lines of stdout from the command line process. This function also returns a RegexHandlerCall-back instance, which you can hook up a callback to that is called when a line of stdout is matched. This can all bedone on one line, which is shown in the example above.

Examples of handler callback functions are also shown in the example above. Within these handler functions, theGetRegexMatch() function can be used to get a specific match from the regular expression. The parameter passed toGetRegexMatch() is the index for the matches that were found. 0 returns the entire matched string, and 1, 2, etc returnsthe matched substrings (matches that are surrounded by round brackets). If there isn’t a corresponding substring, you’llget an error (note that 0 is always a valid index).

In HandleStdoutWarning(), 0 is the only valid index because there is no substring in round brackets in the regularexpression. In HandleStdoutError(), 0 and 1 are valid. 0 will return the entire matched string, whereas 1 will returnthe substring in the round brackets.

For further examples, please open up any of our application plugin Python script files and inspect them. An exampleof comprehensive Stdout handlers can be found in the MayaBatch plugin.

• ../plugins/MayaBatch/MayaBatch.py

Note, that Deadline’s default shipping StdoutHandlers require the Slave’s Operating System to be using ENGLISH asit’s language.

Popup Ignorers and Handlers

The AddPopupIgnorer() function accepts a string parameter, which is a POSIX compliant regular expression. If apopup is displayed with a title that matches the given regular expression, the popup is simply ignored. Popup ignorersshould only be used if the popup doesn’t halt the rendering because it is waiting for a button to be pressed. In thecase where a button needs to be pressed to continue, popup handlers should be used instead. The AddPopupHandler()function takes two parameters: a regular expression string, and the button(s) to press (multiple buttons can be separatedwith semicolons).

Note, that Deadline’s default shipping PopupIgnorers and PopupHandlers require the Slave’s Operating System to beusing ENGLISH as it’s language.

Here is an example using ”.*” at the beginning and end of the title search string which acts as a wildcard. The dialogalso has a “Adopt the File’s Unit Scale” checkbox that needs to be checked ON and then the “OK” button should bepressed in that order.

self.PopupHandling = Trueself.AddPopupHandler( ".*File Load: Units Mismatch.*", "Adopt the File's Unit Scale?;OK" )

In this example, the Optical Flares license popup uses a “wxWindowClassNR” control for its “OK” button, so we needto add this special class type to our built-in list of possible button classes, just for the After Effects plugin. Once thisclass is added, we can search for it and react by pressing the “OK” button in it’s dialog. Although, in this case, visuallythe button displays the word “OK”, but actually the name of the button is “panel”.

self.PopupHandling = Trueself.PopupButtonClasses = ( "Button", "wxWindowClassNR" )# Handle Optical Flares License popup (the "OK" button is actually called "panel")self.AddPopupHandler( ".*Optical Flares License.*", "panel" )

For users without access to a recent (2012+) version of Visual Studio which includes the Spy++ utility, then the freeapplication WinSpy++ is very useful to help identify the correct syntax for a dialog’s title or button.


http://www.catch22.net/software/winspy-17/


In this example, we force all Qt based widgets to be native instead of alien based widgets, set our HandleQtPopupsvariable to True and then we are able to handle V-Ray Qt based alien widget based dialogs whilst rendering in Rhinoby pressing the [X] symbol in the top right corner of the Rhino Qt dialog:

self.PopupHandling = Trueself.HandleQtPopups = Trueself.SetEnvironmentVariable( "QT_USE_NATIVE_WINDOWS","1" )self.AddPopupHandler( r"Rhino", "[X]" )

In this final example, we need to handle Windows 8 Mobile / Windows 10 based popup dialogs and ensure we reactcorrectly depending on the name of the dialog title. A sometimes tricky task if you have multiple, very similar namedpopup title dialogs in the application. We use the ”.*” characters as a wildcard, the “^” character to ensure the textappears at the start of the string and the “$” character to ensure the text appears at the end of the string we are searchingfor.

self.PopupHandling = Trueself.HandleWindows10Popups = Trueself.AddPopupIgnorer( "SAFE 12.*" )self.AddPopupIgnorer( "^SAFE$" )self.AddPopupHandler( "^$", "[X]" )self.AddPopupHandler( "Tip of the Day", "[X]" )

For further examples, please open up any of our application plugin Python script files and inspect them. Good examplesare to be found in:

• ../plugins/3dsmax/3dsmax.py

• ../plugins/AfterEffects/AfterEffects.py

• ../plugins/CSiSAFE/CSiSAFE.py

• ../plugins/Rhino/Rhino.py

Further information on Regular Expressions can be found on Wikipedia and many online POSIX compliant RegExtesters are available to help you develop and test your RegEx before testing your code in Deadline:

• regex101

• regexr

• regexpal

• regextester

Finally, the Deadline “FranticX.Processes.ManagedProcess” class has a number of functions to further assist withPopup Handling and it is recommended to review our Scripting API docs for further information on these functions:

• PopupButtonClasses

• PopupMaxChildWindows

• PopupTextClasses

• PressEnterDuringRender

Render Executable and Arguments

The RenderExecutable() callback is used to get the path to the executable that will be used for rendering. This callbackmust be implemented in a Simple plug-in, or an error will occur. Continuing our example from above, we’ll use thepath specified in the MyPlugin.dlinit file, and we can access it using the global GetConfigEntry() function.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression

https://regex101.com/

http://www.regexr.com/

http://regexpal.com/

http://www.regextester.com/


Another important (but optional) callback is the RenderArgument() callback. This callback should return the argu-ments you want to pass to the render executable. Typically, these arguments are built from values that are pulled fromthe DeadlinePlugin class (like the scene file name, or the start and end frame for the task), or from the plug-in info filethat was submitted with the job using the GetPluginInfoEntry() function. If this callback is not implemented, then noarguments will be passed to the executable.

After adding these callbacks, our example plug-in script now looks like this:


from System.Diagnostics import *


return MyPlugin()





self.InitializeProcessCallback += self.InitializeProcessself.RenderExecutableCallback += self.RenderExecutableself.RenderArgumentCallback += self.RenderArgument




del self.InitializeProcessCallbackdel self.RenderExecutableCallbackdel self.RenderArgumentCallback



# Set the ManagedProcess specific settings.self.ProcessPriority = ProcessPriorityClass.BelowNormalself.UseProcessTree = Trueself.StdoutHandling = Trueself.PopupHandling = True







# Set the popup handlers.self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 3", "OK" )self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 4", "Do not ask me this again;Continue" )


self.LogWarning( self.GetRegexMatch(0) )


self.FailRender( "Detected an error: " + self.GetRegexMatch(1) )

## Callback to get the executable used for rendering.def RenderExecutable( self ):

return self.GetConfigEntry( "MyPluginRenderExecutable" )

## Callback to get the arguments that will be passed to the executable.def RenderArgument( self ):

arguments = " -continueOnError"arguments += " -verbose " + self.GetPluginInfoEntry( "Verbose" )arguments += " -start " + str(self.GetStartFrame())arguments += " -end " + str(self.GetEndFrame())arguments += " -scene \"" + self.GetDataFilename() + "\""return arguments

There are many other callbacks that can be implemented for Simple plug-ins, which are covered in the Events sectionfor the ManagedProcess class in the Deadline Scripting reference. The best place to find examples of Simple plug-insis to look at some of the plug-ins that are shipped with Deadline. These range from the very basic (Blender), to themore complex (MayaCmd).

7.2.5 Advanced Plug-ins

To reiterate, a render job goes through three stages:

• StartJob: A job enters this stage when it is first picked up by a Slave.

• RenderTasks: A job can enter this stage many times (once for each task a Slave dequeues while it has thecurrent job loaded).

• EndJob: A job enters this stage when a Slave is unloading the job.

Advanced plug-ins are more complex, as they control all three of these job stages. They are commonly used to renderwith applications that support some sort of slave/server mode that Deadline can interact with. Usually, this requires theapplication to be started during the StartJob phase, fed commands during the RenderTasks stage(s), and finally shutdown during the EndJob stage. For example, the 3ds Max plug-in starts up 3dsmax in slave mode and forces it to load



our Lightning plug-in. The Lightning plug-in listens for commands from Deadline and executes them as necessary.After rendering is complete, 3ds Max is shut down.

Initialization

To indicate that your plug-in is an Advanced plug-in, you need to set the PluginType property in the InitializeProcess()callback.



return MyPlugin()









# Set the plugin specific settings.self.SingleFramesOnly = Falseself.PluginType = PluginType.Advanced

Render Tasks

The RenderTasks() callback is the only required callback for Advanced plug-ins. If it is not implemented, an error willoccur. It contains the code to be executed for each task that a Slave renders. This could involve launching applications,communicating with already running applications, or simply running a script to automate a particular task (like backingup a group of files).

Other common callbacks for Advanced plug-ins are the StartJob() and EndJob() callbacks. The StartJob() callback canbe used to start up an application, or to set some local variables that will be used in other callbacks. If the StartJob()callback is not implemented, then nothing is done during the StartJob phase. The EndJob() callback can be used toshut down a running application, or to clean up temporary files. If the EndJob() callback is not implemented, thennothing is done during the EndJob phase.



In the example below, we will be launching our application during the StartJob phase. The benefit to this is thatthe application can be left running during the duration of the job, which eliminates the overhead of having to launchthe application for each task. To launch and monitor the application, we will be implementing a ManagedProcessclass, and calling it MyPluginProcess .This ManagedProcess class will define the render executable and command linearguments for launching the process we will be monitoring. Note that we aren’t passing it any frame information, asthis needs to be handled in the RenderTasks() callback when it interacts with the process.

After adding these three callbacks, and the MyPluginProcess class, our example code looks like this. Note that theRenderTasks() callback still needs code to allow it to interact with the running process launched in the StartJob()callback.



return MyPlugin()




## Variable to hold the Managed Process object.Process = None


self.InitializeProcessCallback += self.InitializeProcessself.StartJobCallback += self.StartJobself.RenderTasksCallback += self.RenderTasksself.EndJobCallback += self.EndJob


del self.InitializeProcessCallbackdel self.StartJobCallbackdel self.RenderTasksCallbackdel self.EndJobCallback

# Clean up the managed process object.if self.Process:

self.Process.Cleanup()del self.Process


# Set the plugin specific settings.self.SingleFramesOnly = False



self.PluginType = PluginType.Advanced

## Called by Deadline when the job starts.def StartJob( self ):

myProcess = MyPluginProcess()StartMonitoredManagedProcess( "My Process", myProcess )

## Called by Deadline for each task the Slave renders.def RenderTasks( self ):

# Do something to interact with the running process.pass

## Called by Deadline when the job ends.def EndJob( self ):

ShutdownMonitoredManagedProcess( "My Process" )

######################################################################## This is the ManagedProcess class that is launched above.######################################################################class MyPluginProcess (ManagedProcess):

deadlinePlugin = None

## Hook up the callbacks in the constructor.def __init__( self, deadlinePlugin ):

self.InitializeProcessCallback += self.InitializeProcessself.RenderExecutableCallback += self.RenderExecutableself.RenderArgumentCallback += self.RenderArgument

## Clean up the managed process.def Cleanup():



del self.InitializeProcessCallbackdel self.RenderExecutableCallbackdel self.RenderArgumentCallback


# Set the ManagedProcess specific settings.self.ProcessPriority = ProcessPriorityClass.BelowNormalself.UseProcessTree = Trueself.StdoutHandling = Trueself.PopupHandling = True





# Set the popup handlers.self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 3", "OK" )



self.AddPopupHandler( "Popup 4", "Do not ask me this again;Continue" )


self.deadlinePlugin.LogWarning( self.GetRegexMatch(0) )


self.deadlinePlugin.FailRender( "Detected an error: " + self.GetRegexMatch(1) )

## Callback to get the executable used for rendering.def RenderExecutable( self ):

return self.deadlinePlugin.GetConfigEntry( "MyPluginRenderExecutable" )

## Callback to get the arguments that will be passed to the executable.def RenderArgument( self ):

arguments = " -verbose " + self.deadlinePlugin.GetPluginInfoEntry( "Verbose" )arguments += " -scene \"" + self.deadlinePlugin.GetDataFilename() + "\""return arguments

Because the Advanced plug-ins are much more complex than the Simple plug-ins, we recommend taking a look at thefollowing plug-ins that are shipped with Deadline for examples:

• 3dsmax

• Fusion

• Lightwave

• MayaBatch

• Modo

• Nuke

• SoftimageBatch

7.2.6 Migrating Plug-ins from Deadline 5

Some changes were made to the Scripting API in Deadline 6, which means that Deadline 6 and later are NOT backwardcompatible with plugin scripts written for Deadline 5. However, migrating your scripts over is relatively straightfor-ward, and this guide will walk you through the API changes so that you can update your scripts as necessary.

Global Functions

In Deadline 6, all global API functions were removed, and replaced with DeadlinePlugin member functions, or withstatic utility functions. See the Migrating Scripts From Deadline 5 section in the Scripting Overview documentationfor more information, including replacement functions.

Almost all plugin-specific global functions are now DeadlinePlugin member functions. For example, the global‘LogInfo( message )’ function has been replaced with a member function for the DeadlinePlugin class, which youcreated in your event python file. So instead of:

LogInfo( "this is a test message" )

You would use this code:



self.LogInfo( "this is a test message" )

The only functions that aren’t DeadlinePlugin member functions are listed below, along with their replacement utilityfunctions.

Original Global Function Replacement FunctionCheckPathMapping( path ) RepositoryUtils.CheckPathMapping( path )CheckPathMappingInFile( inFileName,outFileName )

RepositoryUtils.CheckPathMappingInFile( inFileName,outFileName )

CheckPathMappingInFileAndReplaceSeparator(inFileName, outFileName , separatorToReplace,newSeparator )

RepositoryU-tils.CheckPathMappingInFileAndReplaceSeparator(inFileName, outFileName, separatorToReplace,newSeparator )

PathMappingRequired( path ) RepositoryUtils.PathMappingRequired( path )

Callbacks

You need to set up callbacks in the constructor of your DeadlinePlugin class that you created in your plugin pythonfile. Examples are shown in the documentation above, and you can look at the plug-ins that ship with Deadline forreferences as well. For example:

def __init__( self ):self.InitializeProcessCallback += self.InitializeProcessself.RenderExecutableCallback += self.RenderExecutableself.RenderArgumentCallback += self.RenderArgumentself.PreRenderTasksCallback += self.PreRenderTasksself.PostRenderTasksCallback += self.PostRenderTasks

Note that these callbacks need to be manually cleaned up when the plug-in is no longer in use. See the documentationregarding the CleanupDeadlinePlugin function above for more information.

Deprecated Mode

As mentioned above, you can set the DeprecatedMode property in your dlinit file to True. This mode allowsPython.NET plug-ins written for Deadline 5.1 or 5.2 to work with Deadline 6 and later, which can make the tran-sition to Deadline 6 easier if you have custom plug-ins.

Note that when DeprecatedMode is enabled, all global functions will still be available, so if you have customPython.NET plug-ins, you just need to drop them in the ‘custom/plugins’ folder in the Repository, and add “Dep-recatedMode=True” to your dlinit file.

If you have custom IronPython plug-ins from Deadline 5.2 or earlier, they will not work with Deadline 6 and later.

7.3 Event Plugins

7.3.1 Overview

Event plug-ins can be created to execute specific tasks in response to specific events in Deadline (like when a job issubmitted or when it finishes). For example, event plug-ins can be used to communicate with in-house pipeline toolsto update the state of shots or tasks, or they can be used to submit a post-processing job when another job finishes. Allof Deadline’s event plug-ins are written in Python, which means that it’s easy to create your own plug-ins or customize



the existing ones. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information, and links to the Deadline Scriptingreference.

Note that because the Python scripts for event plug-ins will be executed in a non-interactive way, it is important thatyour scripts do not contain any blocking operations like infinite loops, or interfaces that require user input.

When an event is executed the log will show where the script is being loaded from.

7.3.2 Triggering Events

An event plug-in can respond to one or more of the following DeadlineEventListener events:

• When a job is submitted OnJobSubmittedCallback

• When a job starts rendering OnJobStartedCallback

• When a job finishes rendering OnJobFinishedCallback

• When a job is requeued OnJobRequeuedCallback

• When a job fails OnJobFailedCallback

• When a job is suspended OnJobSuspendedCallback

• When a suspended or failed job is resumed OnJobResumedCallback

• When a job is placed in the pending state OnJobPendedCallback

• When a job is released from a pending state OnJobReleasedCallback

• When a job is deleted OnJobDeletedCallback

• When a job error occurs during rendering OnJobErrorCallback

• When a job is about to be purged from the database OnJobPurgedCallback

• When a house cleaning operation finishes OnHouseCleaningCallback

• When a repository repair operation finishes OnRepositoryRepairCallback

• When a slave starts OnSlaveStartedCallback

• When a slave stops OnSlaveStoppedCallback

• When a slave becomes idle OnSlaveIdleCallback

• When a slave starts rendering OnSlaveRenderingCallback

• When a slave starts a job OnSlaveStartingJobCallback

• When a slave is marked as stalled OnSlaveStalledCallback

• When power management’s Idle Shutdown feature shuts down slaves OnIdleShutdownCallback

• When power management’s Machine Startup feature starts up slaves OnMachineStartupCallback

• When power management’s Thermal Shutdown feature shuts down slaves OnThermalShutdownCallback

• When power management’s Machine Restart feature restarts slaves OnMachineRestartCallback

The corresponding Event Callbacks for these events can be found in the ‘Deadline.Events.DeadlineEventListener ClassReference’ section of the Deadline Scripting Reference documentation. The full Deadline Scripting Reference can befound on the Thinkbox Software Documentation Website. Offline PDF and HTML versions can be downloaded fromhere as well.

By default, all jobs will trigger event plug-ins when they are submitted or change state. However, there is a job propertythat can be enabled to suppress events. In the Monitor, you can set the Suppress Events property under the Advanced

7.3. Event Plugins 399



tab in the Job Properties dialog. If you have a custom submission tool or script, you can specify the following in thejob info file:

SuppressEvents=True

Note that events will be executed by different Deadline applications, depending on the context of the event. Forexample, the job submission event is processed by the Command application after the job has been submitted, whilethe job finished event is normally processed by the Slave that finishes the last task for the job. However, the job finishedevent could also be processed by the Monitor if manually marking a job as complete.

7.3.3 Creating an Event Plug-in

To create a custom event plug-in, you start by creating a folder in the Repository’s custom\events folder and give it thename of your event plug-in. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’ folderin the Repository and how it’s used.

For the sake of this document, we will call our new event plug-in MyEvent. All relative script and configuration filesfor this event plug-in are to be placed in this folder (some are required and some are optional).

The dlinit File - Required

The first required file is MyEvent.dlinit, which is the main configuration file for this event plug-in. It is a plain text filethat defines a few general key=value event plug-in properties, which include:

KeyName

Description

Enabled Set to True or False (default is False). Only enabled event plug-ins will respond to events.Deprecat-edMode

Set to True or False (default is False). Only set to True if you want a custom Python.NET eventplug-in from Deadline 5.1 or 5.2 to work with Deadline 6 or later. More information onDeprecatedMode can be found later on.

It can also define key=value custom settings to be used by the event plug-in. For example, if you are connecting to anin-house pipeline tool, you may want the URL and credentials to be configurable, in which case our MyEvent.dlinitfile might look like this:

Enabled=TruePipelineURL=http://[myserver]/pipelinePipelineUserName=myuserPipelinePassword=mypassword

The py File - Required

The other required file is MyEvent.py, which is the main event plug-in script file. It defines the main DeadlineEventLis-tener class that contains the necessary callbacks that will respond to specific events. The template for this script filemight look like this:

from Deadline.Events import *

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main DeadlineEventListener class.######################################################################def GetDeadlineEventListener():



return MyEvent()

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls when the event plugin is## no longer in use so that it can get cleaned up.######################################################################def CleanupDeadlineEventListener( deadlinePlugin ):


######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineEventListener class for MyEvent.######################################################################class MyEvent (DeadlineEventListener):

# TODO: Place code here to replace "pass"pass

The first thing to note is that we’re importing the Deadline.Events namespace so that we can access the Deadli-neEventListener class.

The GetDeadlineEventListener() function is important, as it allows Deadline to get an instance of our MyEvent class(which is extending the abstract DeadlineEventListener class). In Deadline 6.2 and later, the GetDeadlineEventListen-erWithJobs( jobs ) function can be defined as an alternative. It works the same as GetDeadlineEventListener(), exceptthat it accepts a list of the Job objects that the event plug-in is being loaded for. If either of these functions are notdefined, Deadline will report an error when it tries to load the event plug-in.

The MyEvent class will need to implement certain callbacks based on the events you want to respond to, and thesecallbacks must be hooked up in the MyEvent constructor. All callbacks are optional, but make sure to include atleast one so that your event plug-in actually does something. For a list of all available callbacks, refer to the Deadli-neEventListener class in the Deadline Scripting reference.

The CleanupDeadlineEventListener() function is also important, as it is necessary to clean up the event plug-in whenit is no longer in use. Typically, this is used to clean up any callbacks that were created when the event plug-in wasinitialized.

After implementing a few functions, your MyEvent.py script file might look something like this:



return MyEvent()



######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineEventListener class for MyEvent.######################################################################class MyEvent (DeadlineEventListener):



def __init__( self ):# Set up the event callbacks hereself.OnJobSubmittedCallback += self.OnJobSubmittedself.OnJobFinishedCallback += self.OnJobFinished

def Cleanup( self ):del self.OnJobSubmittedCallbackdel self.OnJobFinishedCallback

def OnJobSubmitted( self, job ):# TODO: Connect to pipeline site to notify it that a job has been submitted# for a particular shot or task.pass

def OnJobFinished( self, job ):# TODO: Connect to pipeline site to notify it that the job for a particular# shot or task is complete.pass

The param File - Optional

The MyEvent.param file is an optional file that is used by the Event Configuration dialog in the Monitor. It declaresproperties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifying custom settings in the MyEvent.dlinit file.After you’ve created this file, open the Monitor and enter Super User mode. Then select Tools -> Configure Eventsand look for your event plug-in in the list on the left.




[Enabled]Type=booleanLabel=EnabledDefault=TrueDescription=If this event plug-in should respond to events.

[PipelineURL]Type=stringLabel=Pipeline URLDefault=http://[myserver]/pipelineDescription=The URL for our pipeline website.

[PipelineUserName]Type=stringLabel=Pipeline User NameDefault=Description=The user name for our pipeline website.

[PipelinePassword]Type=stringLabel=Pipeline PasswordDefault=Description=The password for our pipeline website.


# This is a comment about this PipelineURL property.[PipelineURL]Type=stringLabel=Pipeline URLDefault=http://[myserver]/pipelineDescription=The URL for our pipeline website.

You’ll notice that the property names between the square brackets matches the custom keys we defined in ourMyEvent.dlinit file. This means that these control will change the corresponding settings. The available key=valuepairs for the properties defined here are:



KeyName

Description



Category-Order



Default-Value


Descrip-tion


DisableIf-Blank


IgnoreIf-Blank









MultiLineString A text field with multiple lines.Password A text field that masks the text.SlaveList Allows the selection of existing Slaves, when are then separated by commas in the text






7.3.4 Event Plug-in and Error Reports

Logs and reports can be stored with the job or the slave, depending on the event type.

Job Event Reports

Event types that start with “OnJob...” will save reports with the corresponding job.

When an event plug-in that uses the LogInfo or LogWarning functions finishes executing, its log will be stored withthe job’s other render logs, which you can view in the Monitor by right-clicking on the job and selecting View JobReports.

When an error occurs in an event-plugin, an error report will also be stored with the job’s other render errors, whichyou can view in the Monitor by right-clicking on the job and selecting View Job Reports.

Slave Event Reports

Event types that start with “OnSlave...” will save reports with the corresponding slave.

When an event plug-in that uses the LogInfo or LogWarning functions finishes executing, its log will be stored withthe slave’s other render logs, which you can view in the Monitor by right-clicking on the slave and selecting ViewSlave Reports.

When an error occurs in an event-plugin, an error report will also be stored with the slave’s other render errors, whichyou can view in the Monitor by right-clicking on the slave and selecting View Slave Reports.

7.3.5 Quicktime Generation Example

An event plug-in can be used to automatically submit a Quicktime job to create a movie from the rendered images ofa job that just finished. An example of an event plug-in like this can be downloaded from the Miscellaneous DeadlineDownloads Page. To install the event plugin, just unzip the downloaded file to your Repository’s custom/events folder.

Configuration Files

The QuicktimeGen.dlinit and QuicktimeGen.param files define a couple of settings that can be configured from theMonitor. Here you can specify a path to the Quicktime settings XML file you want to use. This settings file can begenerated from the Submit Quicktime Job To Deadline submitter in the Monitor.

The QuicktimeGen.dlinit file:

Enabled=TrueQTSettings=\\ws-wpg-026\share\quicktime_export_settings.xml

The QuicktimeGen.param file:





[Enabled]Type=booleanLabel=EnabledDefault=TrueDescription=If this event plug-in should respond to events.

[QTSettings]Type=filenameLabel=QT Settings XML FileDefault=Description=The QT settings xml file.

7.3.6 Cron / Scheduled Event


http://www.zabbix.com

http://www.zenoss.com

http://www.nagios.org

http://www.opennms.org


A ‘regular time interval’ based event plugin can be called via listening for the House Cleaning event in Deadline tobe completed. This is ideal for the execution of a Deadline event plugin, at a regular time interval when the Deadlinedatabase is as up to date as possible. The time interval of the House Cleaning operation is controlled in the repositoryoptions.

Deadline provides the possibility of integration with IT monitoring systems such as Zabbix, Zenoss, Nagios, Opennms,SolarWinds or indeed any other monitoring software via the house cleaning event callback. As an example, this eventcould be used to regularly inject Deadline data based on it’s job, slave, pulse, balancer statistics or info/settings intoanother database thereby providing integration and consistency between separate information systems in differentdepartments in a company.

Building your own scheduled event script file might look something like this:



return ScheduledEvent()



######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineEventListener class for ScheduledEvent.######################################################################class ScheduledEvent (DeadlineEventListener):

def __init__( self ):# Set up the event callbacks hereself.OnHouseCleaningCallback += self.OnHouseCleaning

def Cleanup( self ):del self.OnHouseCleaningCallback

def OnHouseCleaning( self ):# TODO: Execute generic pipeline duties here such as# reporting to an external studio database or injecting# Deadline Farm Stats into Zabbix, Zenoss, Nagios for IT


http://www.solarwinds.com

http://www.zabbix.com/

http://www.zenoss.com/

http://www.nagios.org/

http://www.opennms.org/

http://www.solarwinds.com/


pass

7.3.7 Software Configuration Management Integration


http://cfengine.com

https://puppetlabs.com

http://saltstack.com


Deadline provides the possibility of integration with Software Configuration Management (SCM) systems such asCFEngine, Puppet, Saltstack, Chef, SCCM or indeed any SCM software via the slave event callbacks. Deadline shipswith Puppet and Salt Maintenance Jobs which can be submitted to Deadline via their monitor submission scripts andalso via Puppet and Salt slave centric event plugins.

Building your own SCM event plugin might look something like this:



return SoftwareEvent()



######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineEventListener class for SoftwareEvent.######################################################################class SoftwareEvent (DeadlineEventListener):

def __init__( self ):# Set up the event callbacks hereself.OnSlaveIdleCallback += self.OnSlaveIdleself.OnSlaveStartedCallback += self.OnSlaveStartedself.OnSlaveStartingJobCallback += self.OnSlaveStartingJob

def Cleanup( self ):del self.OnSlaveIdleCallbackdel self.OnSlaveStartedCallbackdel self.OnSlaveStartingJob

# This is called when a slave becomes idle.def OnSlaveIdle(self, string):

# If a slave is IDLE, then it is not processing,


https://www.chef.io

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/server-cloud/products/system-center-2012-r2-configuration-manager

http://cfengine.com/

https://puppetlabs.com/

http://saltstack.com/

https://www.chef.io/

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/server-cloud/products/system-center-2012-r2-configuration-manager/


# which might be an optimal time to check for# system updates.self.SoftwareUpdate()

# This is called when a slave is started.def OnSlaveStarted(self, string):

# If a slave has just started on a rendernode,# this can typically be a reliable and safe time# to carry out config/software deployment.self.SoftwareUpdate()

# This is called when a slave starts a job.def OnSlaveStartingJob(self, string, job):

# You could query the returned job object when a# slave first starts a job. Correct version of# renderer installed?self.SoftwareUpdate()

def SoftwareUpdate(self):ClientUtils.LogText("Preparing for Software Update")# TODO: Execute command here to query your in-house# software deployment tool (SCM) to see if any new# software/sys env variables are required to be updated.pass

7.3.8 Migrating Event Plug-ins from Deadline 5

Some changes were made to the Scripting API in Deadline 6, which means that Deadline 6 and later are NOT back-ward compatible with event plugin scripts written for Deadline 5. However, migrating your scripts over is relativelystraightforward, and this guide will walk you through the API changes so that you can update your scripts as necessary.

Global Functions

In Deadline 6, all global API functions were removed, and replaced with DeadlineEventListener member functions, orwith static utility functions. See the Migrating Scripts From Deadline 5 section in the Scripting Overview documen-tation for more information, including replacement functions.

Almost all event plugin-specific global functions are now DeadlineEventListener member functions. For example, theglobal ‘LogInfo( message )’ function has been replaced with a member function for the DeadlineEventListener class,which you created in your event python file. So instead of:

LogInfo( "this is a test message" )

You would use this code:

self.LogInfo( "this is a test message" )

The only functions that aren’t DeadlineEventListener member functions are listed below, along with their replacementutility functions.



Original Global Function Replacement FunctionCheckPathMapping( path ) RepositoryUtils.CheckPathMapping( path )CheckPathMappingInFile( inFileName,outFileName )

RepositoryUtils.CheckPathMappingInFile( inFileName,outFileName )

CheckPathMappingInFileAndReplaceSeparator(inFileName, outFileName , separatorToReplace,newSeparator )

RepositoryU-tils.CheckPathMappingInFileAndReplaceSeparator(inFileName, outFileName, separatorToReplace,newSeparator )

PathMappingRequired( path ) RepositoryUtils.PathMappingRequired( path )

Callbacks

You need to set up callbacks in the constructor of your DeadlineEventListener class that you created in your eventpython file. Examples are shown in the documentation above, and you can look at the event plug-ins that ship withDeadline for references as well. For example:

def __init__( self ):self.OnJobSubmittedCallback += self.OnJobSubmittedself.OnJobStartedCallback += self.OnJobStartedself.OnJobFinishedCallback += self.OnJobFinishedself.OnJobRequeuedCallback += self.OnJobRequeuedself.OnJobFailedCallback += self.OnJobFailed

Note that these callbacks need to be manually cleaned up when the event plug-in is no longer in use. See the docu-mentation regarding the CleanupDeadlineEventListener function above for more information.

Deprecated Mode

As mentioned above, you can set the DeprecatedMode property in your dlinit file to True. This mode allowsPython.NET event plug-ins written for Deadline 5.1 or 5.2 to work with Deadline 6 and later, which can make thetransition to Deadline 6 easier if you have custom event plug-ins.

Note that when DeprecatedMode is enabled, all global functions will still be available, so if you have customPython.NET event plug-ins, you just need to drop them in the ‘custom/events’ folder in the Repository, and add“DeprecatedMode=True” to your dlinit file.

If you have custom IronPython event plug-ins from Deadline 5.2 or earlier, they will not work with Deadline 6 andlater.

7.4 Cloud Plugins

7.4.1 Overview

Cloud plug-ins can be created to allow Deadline to communicate with different cloud providers. All of Deadline’scloud plug-ins are written in Python, which means that it’s easy to create your own plug-ins or customize the existingones. You can also refer to them in the Repository’s cloud folder for examples of how they work. See the ScriptingOverview documentation for more information, and links to the Deadline Scripting reference.

Note that because the Python scripts for cloud plug-ins will be executed in a non-interactive way, it is important thatyour scripts do not contain any blocking operations like infinite loops, or interfaces that require user input.

When a cloud script is executed the log will show where the script is being loaded from.

7.4. Cloud Plugins 411


7.4.2 Creating a Cloud Plug-in

To create a custom cloud plug-in, you start by creating a folder in the Repository’s custom\cloud folder and give it thename of your cloud plug-in. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’ folderin the Repository and how it’s used.

For the sake of this document, we will call our new cloud plug-in MyCloud. All relative script and configuration filesfor this cloud plug-in are to be placed in this folder.

The py File

The first required file is MyCloud.py, which is the main cloud plug-in script file. It defines the main CloudPlugin-Wrapper class that contains the necessary callbacks that will respond to specific commands. The template for thisscript file might look like this:

from Deadline.Cloud import *

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main CloudPluginWrapper class.######################################################################def GetCloudPluginWrapper():

return MyCloudPlugin()

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls when the cloud plugin is## no longer in use so that it can get cleaned up.######################################################################def CleanupCloudPlugin( deadlinePlugin ):


######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineCloudListener class for MyCloud.######################################################################class MyCloud (CloudPluginWrapper):


The GetCloudPluginWrapper() function is important, as it allows Deadline to get an instance of our MyCloud class(which is extending the abstract CloudPluginWrapper class). If this function isn’t defined, Deadline will report anerror when it tries to load the cloud plug-in. Notice that we’re importing the Deadline.Cloud namespace so that wecan access the CloudPluginWrapper class.

The MyCloud class will need to implement certain callbacks so that Deadline can get information from the cloudprovider, and these callbacks must be hooked up in the MyCloud constructor. For a list of all available callbacks, referto the CloudPluginWrapper class in the Deadline Scripting reference.

After implementing a few functions, your MyCloud.py script file might look something like this:

from Deadline.Cloud import *

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main CloudPluginWrapper class.######################################################################def GetCloudPluginWrapper():



return MyCloudPlugin()

######################################################################## This is the function that Deadline calls when the cloud plugin is## no longer in use so that it can get cleaned up.######################################################################def CleanupCloudPlugin( deadlinePlugin ):


######################################################################## This is the main DeadlineCloudListener class for MyCloud.######################################################################class MyCloud (CloudPluginWrapper):

def __init__( self ):#Set up our callbacks for cloud controlself.VerifyAccessCallback += self.VerifyAccessself.AvailableHardwareTypesCallback += self.GetAvailableHardwareTypesself.AvailableOSImagesCallback += self.GetAvailableOSImagesself.CreateInstancesCallback += self.CreateInstancesself.TerminateInstancesCallback += self.TerminateInstancesself.CloneInstanceCallback += self.CloneInstanceself.GetActiveInstancesCallback += self.GetActiveInstancesself.StopInstancesCallback += self.StopInstancesself.StartInstancesCallback += self.StartInstancesself.RebootInstancesCallback += self.RebootInstances

def Cleanup( self ):#Clean up our callbacks for cloud controldel self.VerifyAccessCallbackdel self.AvailableHardwareTypesCallbackdel self.AvailableOSImagesCallbackdel self.CreateInstancesCallbackdel self.TerminateInstancesCallbackdel self.CloneInstanceCallbackdel self.GetActiveInstancesCallbackdel self.StopInstancesCallbackdel self.StartInstancesCallbackdel self.RebootInstancesCallback

def VerifyAccess( self ):#TODO: Return True if connection to cloud provider can be verified.pass

def GetAvailableHardwareTypes( self ):#TODO: Return list of HardwareType objects representing the hardware#types supported by this provider.#Must be implemented for the Balancer to work.pass

def GetAvailableOSImages( self ):#TODO: Return list of OSImage objects representing the OS images#supported by this provider.#Must be implemented for the Balancer to work.pass

def GetActiveInstances( self ):#TODO: Return list of CloudInstance objects that are currently active.



pass

def CreateInstances( self, hardwareID, imageID, count ):#TODO: Start instances and return list of CloudInstance objects that#have been started.#Must be implemented for the Balancer to work.pass

def TerminateInstances( self, instanceIDs ):#TODO: Return list of boolean values indicating which instances#terminated successfully.#Must be implemented for the Balancer to work.pass

def StopInstances( self, instanceIDs ):#TODO: Return list of boolean values indicating which instances#stopped successfully.pass

def StartInstances( self, instanceIDs ):#TODO: Return list of boolean values indicating which instances#started successfully.pass

def RebootInstances( self, instanceIDs ):#TODO: Return list of boolean values indicating which instances#rebooted successfully.pass

The param File

The MyCloud.param file is an optional file that is used by the Cloud Provider Configuration dialog in the Monitor. Itdeclares properties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifying settings for this provider, which arethen stored in the database. After you’ve created this file, open the Monitor and enter Super User mode. Then selectTools -> Configure Cloud Providers and click the Add button under the Cloud Region box to see your cloud plugin.




[Enabled]Type=booleanLabel=EnabledDefault=TrueDescription=If this cloud plug-in should be enabled.

[AccessID]Type=stringCategory=OptionsCategoryOrder=0Index=1Label=Access IDDefault=Description=Your Cloud Provider Access ID.[SecretKey]Type=passwordCategory=OptionsCategoryOrder=0Index=2Label=Secret KeyDefault=Description=Your Cloud Provider Secret Key.


# This is a comment about this Enabled property.[Enabled]Type=booleanLabel=EnabledDefault=TrueDescription=If this cloud plug-in should be enabled.

The available key=value pairs for the properties defined here are:



KeyName

Description



Category-Order



Default-Value


Descrip-tion


DisableIf-Blank


IgnoreIf-Blank









MultiLineString A text field with multiple lines.Password A text field that masks the text.SlaveList Allows the selection of existing Slaves, when are then separated by commas in the text






7.5 Balancer Plugins

7.5.1 Overview

Balancer plugins can be created to customize the algorithm logic for the Balancer application. Balancer plugins arewritten in Python, which means that they can easily be created and customized. You can also refer to the default pluginin the Repoistory’s balancer folder for a full example of how it works. See the Scripting Overview documentation formore information, and links to the Deadline Scripting reference.

7.5.2 Creating a Balancer Plug-in

To create a custom balancer plug-in, you start by creating a folder in the Repository’s custom\balancer folder and giveit the name of your balancer plug-in. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’folder in the Repository and how it’s used.

For the sake of this document, we will call our new balancer plug-in MyBalancerAlgorithm. All relative script andconfiguration files for this balancer plug-in are to be placed in this folder.

The py File

The first required file is MyBalancerAlgorithm.py, which is the main balancer plugin script. It defines the Balancer-PluginWrapper class that contains all the necessary callbacks that will be used during a balancer cycle. The templatefor this script file might look like this:

from Deadline.Balancer import *

############################################################################# This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main BalancerPluginWrapper class.###########################################################################def GetBalancerPluginWrapper():

return MyBalancerPlugin()

############################################################################# This is the main DeadlineBalancerListener class for MyBalancerAlgorithm.###########################################################################class MyBalancerAlgorithm (BalancerPluginWrapper):


7.5. Balancer Plugins 417


The GetBalancerPluginWrapper() function is important, as it allows Deadline to get an instance of our MyBalancerAl-gorithm class (which is extending the abstract BalancerPluginWrapper class). If this function isn’t defined, Deadlinewill report an error when it tries to load the balancer plug-in. Notice that we’re importing the Deadline.Balancernamespace so that we can access the BalancerPluginWrapper class.

The MyBalancerAlgorithm class will need to implement the BalancerAlgorithm callback so that Deadline can knowhow to balance your farm, and these callbacks must be hooked up in the MyBalancerAlgorithm constructor.

After implementing a few functions, your MyBalancerAlgorithm.py script file might look something like this:

from Deadline.Balancer import *

############################################################################# This is the function that Deadline calls to get an instance of the## main BalancerPluginWrapper class.###########################################################################def GetBalancerPluginWrapper():

return MyBalancerPlugin()

############################################################################# This is the main DeadlineBalancerListener class for MyBalancerAlgorithm.###########################################################################class MyBalancerAlgorithm (BalancerPluginWrapper):

def __init__( self ):self.BalancerAlgorithmCallback += self.BalancerAlgorithm

def BalancerAlgorithm(self, stateStruct):#TODO: Return a target struct to the Balancer.

pass

Here’s what a BalancerTargetStruct looks like:

/// <summary>/// The BalancerTargetStruct indicates the ideal number of VM instances that should/// be running in each enabled Group of each CloudRegion. The BalancerTargetStruct/// is populated by a Balancer Logic Plug-in./// </summary>public class BalancerTargetStruct{

public BalancerTargetStruct() { }

// Logic plug-in can set this to true to indicate that an error occurred.public bool ErrorEncountered;

// Logic plugin can convey an error message here// (ErrorEncountered should be set to true).public string ErrorMessage;

// Logic plugin can convey a non-error message here.public string Message;

// An array of cloud region targets.public CloudRegionTargetStruct[] CloudRegionTargets;

// The time the structure was filled.public DateTime Time;

}



public class CloudRegionTargetStruct{

public CloudRegionTargetStruct() { }

// The unique ID of the region.public string RegionID;

// An array of Group targetspublic GroupTargetStruct[] GroupTargets;

}

public class GroupTargetStruct{

public GroupTargetStruct() { }

public GroupTargetStruct(string Name, int Count){

this.Name = Name;this.Count = Count;

}

// The name of the group.public string Name;

// The target number of VM instances for the group.public int Count;

}

The param File

The MyBalancerAlgorithm.param file is an optional file that is used in the Balancer Settings panel of the RepositoryOptions dialog in the Monitor. It declares properties that the Monitor uses to generate a user interface for modifyingsettings for this algorithm, which are then stored in the database. After you’ve created this file, open the Monitorand enter Super User mode. Then select Tools -> Repository Options -> Balancer Settings and click the dropdown toMyBalancerAlgorithm to see your settings. Comment lines are supported in the param file, and must start with either‘;’ or ‘#’.

The dlinit File

The last required file is MyBalancerAlgorithm.dlinit, which is the main configuration file for this plugin. It is a plaintext file that defines a few general key=value plug-in properties, which include:

KeyName

Description

About A short description of the plug-in.Concur-rentTasks

Set to True or False (default is False). If tasks for this plug-in can render concurrently withoutinterfering with each other, this can be set to True.

Debu-gLogging

Set to True or False (default is False). If set to True, then debug plug-in logging will be printed outduring rendering.

Deprecat-edMode

Set to True or False (default is False). Only set to True if you want a custom Python.NET plug-infrom Deadline 5.1 or 5.2 to work with Deadline 6 or later. More information on DeprecatedModecan be found later on.

7.5. Balancer Plugins 419


It can also define key=value custom settings to be used by the plug-in. For this example, our MyBalancerAlgo-rithm.dlinit file might look like this:

About=My Example Plugin for DeadlineSomeSortOfScript=c:\path\to\my\script.py

Comment lines are supported in the dlinit file, and must start with either ‘;’ or ‘#’.

7.6 Monitor Scripts

7.6.1 Overview

There are several different types of Monitor scripts available. While the large majority of the ones shipping withDeadline are Submission Scripts used to submit new Jobs to the farm, the Monitor has the capability of running utilityscripts in the context of specific Jobs, Tasks, Slaves, Limits, or even Reports.

Below, we go into more detail for each of the different types of Scripts, and how to create your own.

7.6.2 Scripting Reference

As with all other Deadline scripts, Monitor scripts use Python 2.7, which is supported using Python for .NET. Thismeans that in addition to typical cPython modules, Python for .NET allows your scripts to make use of .NET Libraries,and Deadline’s own internal functions.

The full Deadline Scripting Reference can be downloaded in CHM or PDF format from the Deadline Downloads page.

Particular functions of note relevant to Monitor Scripting can be found in the aforementioned Scripting Reference,under the following sections:

• Deadline.Scripting.MonitorUtils

• Deadline.Scripting.JobUtils

• Deadline.Scripting.SlaveUtils

It can also be very helpful when developing your own Monitor Script to take a look at how our built-in Monitor Scriptsof that type are structured.

7.6.3 General Script Template

We follow a fairly specific template when making any new built-in Monitor scripts. The template is loosely as follows:

• Define your __main__ function: This is the function that Deadline will call when invoking your script. This ismandatory, and your script will generate an error if it isn’t done.

def __main__( *args ):#Replace "pass"pass

• Build the submission UI: Typically done in the __main__ function by creating a ScriptDialog object, andadding controls to it. Each control’s name must be unique, so that each control can be identified properly. Youcan also set the dialog’s size (if not using a grid layout), the row and column (if using a grid layout), title, and afew other settings. For more details, see the ScriptDialog and ScriptControl sections of the Reference Manual.For an example on how to use the grid layout see the Grid Layout Example Script documentation.


https://www.python.org/

http://pythonnet.sourceforge.net/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg145045%28VS.100%29.aspx


– Define and Load Sticky Settings: Sticky settings are settings that persist after the dialog has been closed.They are defined by creating a string array that contains the names of the controls for which you want thesettings to persist. After defining them, you can load them by calling the ‘LoadSettings’ function of yourScriptDialog.

– Show the Dialog: The last thing you should do in your __main__ function is to show your ScriptDialog,by using its ‘ShowDialog’ function.

• Define Your Functions: Specify any functions that may be used by your script. These could just be helperfunctions, or event handlers that do stuff when UI values are modified.

Note that you don’t necessarily need to follow this template, but the closer you stick to it, the more examples you’llhave to draw on.

7.6.4 Monitor Scripts

There are many different types of scripts you can write for the Monitor, which are listed below. It is recommended thatthese scripts be created in the ‘custom’ folder in the Repository to avoid issues when upgrading your Repository in thefuture. See the Scripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’ folder in the Repository andhow it’s used.

When a monitor script is executed the log will show where the script is being loaded from.

Submission Scripts

Submission Scripts are used to create custom Submission dialogs, and ultimately submit new Jobs to Deadline. Theyare located in the ‘Submit’ menu of the Monitor’s main menu bar, as well as the ‘Submit’ menu in the the Launcher.Creating your own custom Submission dialog is quite simple, and the process is described below.

To create new submission scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Submission’ folder in your Repository. Then,create a new Python file named ‘MySubmissionScript.py’, where ‘MySubmissionScript’ is the name of your newscript.

Once created, you can follow the template outlined above in the General Script Template section to build up yourscript.

General Scripts

General scripts are used to perform any sort of custom action by selecting them from the Monitor’s (or Launcher’s)‘Scripts’ menu. Under the hood, there technically isn’t anything different between General and Submission scripts.The only real difference is that they show up under different menus, which is just to help keep scripts semanticallyseparated.

To create new General scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\General’ folder in your Repository. Then, createa new Python file named ‘MyGeneralScript.py’, where ‘MyGeneralScript’ is the name of your new script.


Job Scripts

Job Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on a selected Job in the Monitor. They can be accessedby right-clicking an existing Job in the Job Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Job scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Jobs’ folder in your Repository. Then, create a newPython file named ‘MyJobScript.py’, where ‘MyJobScript’ is the name of your new script.

7.6. Monitor Scripts 421



Task Scripts

Task Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on a selected Task in the Monitor. They can be accessedby right-clicking an existing Task in the Task Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Task scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Tasks’ folder in your Repository. Then, create anew Python file named ‘MyTaskScript.py’, where ‘MyTaskScript’ is the name of your new script.


Slave Scripts

Slave Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on a selected Slave in the Monitor. They can beaccessed by right-clicking an existing Slave in the Slave Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Slave scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Slaves’ folder in your Repository. Then, create anew Python file named ‘MySlaveScript.py’, where ‘MySlaveScript’ is the name of your new script.


Pulse Scripts

Pulse Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on a selected Pulse in the Monitor. They can beaccessed by right-clicking an existing Pulse in the Pulse Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Pulse scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Pulse’ folder in your Repository. Then, create anew Python file named ‘MyPulseScript.py’, where ‘MyPulseScript’ is the name of your new script.


Balancer Scripts

Balancer Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on a selected Balancer in the Monitor. They canbe accessed by right-clicking an existing Balancer in the Balancer Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Balancer scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Balancer’ folder in your Repository. Then,create a new Python file named ‘MyBalancerScript.py’, where ‘MyBalancerScript’ is the name of your new script.


Limit Scripts

Limit Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on selected Limits in the Monitor. They can beaccessed by right-clicking an existing Limit in the Pulse Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Limit scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\Limits’ folder in your Repository. Then, create anew Python file named ‘MyLimitScript.py’, where ‘MyLimitScript’ is the name of your new script.




Job Report Scripts

Job Report Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on selected Job Reports in the Monitor. Theycan be accessed by right-clicking an existing Job Report in the Job Report Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Job Report scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\JobReports’ folder in your Repository. Then,create a new Python file named ‘MyJobReportScript.py’, where ‘MyJobReportScript’ is the name of your new script.


Slave Report Scripts

Slave Report Scripts are typically used to modify or to perform actions on selected Slave Reports in the Monitor. Theycan be accessed by right-clicking an existing Slave Report in the Slave Report Panel, under the ‘Scripts’ sub-menu.

To create new Slave Report scripts, simply navigate to the ‘custom\scripts\SlaveReports’ folder in your Repository.Then, create a new Python file named ‘MySlaveReportScript.py’, where ‘MySlaveReportScript’ is the name of yournew script.


7.6.5 Customizing Script Display

As with any built-in script, once you’ve created your new Monitor Script you can change its Display Name, KeyboardShortcut, Icon, and its position within the menu in the Repository Configuration.

You can also control who can see (and use) your Submission Script through by tweaking its access level in UserManagement. It is probably a good idea to disable access to it for most users until you have your new script inworking order.

7.6.6 Grid Layout Example Script

Grid layouts allow your script dialog to dynamically resize its contents to fit the the size of the dialog. Below are someexamples of how to use the new grid layout to build a script dialog.

First you must create a ScriptDialog object and start a grid. Once all controls have been added you must end the grid

dg = DeadlineScriptDialog()

dg.AddGrid()#...#Added controls go here#...dg.EndGrid()

Once you start a grid you can add controls to it by row and column. There is no need to specify how many rows orcolumns you want the grid to have, just specify the row and column where you want the control to be and the grid willgrow to accommodate. Here is an example of adding a label and a text field to the dialog in the same row.



dg.AddGrid()dg.AddControlToGrid("Label1", "LabelControl", "I'm a label.", 0,0, "A tooltip", False)dg.AddControlToGrid( "TextBox1", "TextControl", "", 0, 1 )

dg.EndGrid()

Here is an example of what this dialog would look like:

It is not possible to specify the size of the controls you want to add to the grid, however it is also not necessary to doso. The contents of the grid(s) will automatically adjust themselves to share the size of the dialog. If you want certainelements to not grow within a row you can set the “expand” property to be disabled. If you want a control to take morespace you can set the control span multiple rows or columns using “rowSpan” and “colSpan”, respectively. By defaultcontrols have “expand” set and have their “colSpan” and “rowSpan” properties set to 1.

This is an example of a dialog with two rows and four columns. The first row contains a label in the first column andis set to not grow any bigger than it needs to and a text control that spans the next 3 columns and is allowed to grow.The second row contains three labels that are not allowed to grow in the first three columns and a text control in thefourth column that can grow as needed.

dg.AddGrid()dg.AddControlToGrid(

"L1", "LabelControl", "I'm a label.", 0,0, "A tooltip", expand=False)dg.AddControlToGrid(

"TextBox1", "TextControl", "", 0, 1, colSpan=3)

dg.AddControlToGrid("L2", "LabelControl", "I'm another label.", 1,0, "A tooltip", expand=False)



dg.AddControlToGrid("TextBox2", "TextControl", "", 1, 3)

dg.EndGrid()

Here is an example of what this dialog would look like:

When you expand the dialog horizontally, only the text controls will grow in the above example. Nothing will grow,other than the dialog itself, when expanding vertically. Note that if you set all controls in a row to not expand that thiswill cause the cells in the grid that the controls are in to expand without allowing any of the controls to expand with it.This will result in the dialog losing its layout when it is expanded.



Here is an example of what this dialog would look like expanded horizontally:

Here is an example of what this dialog would look like expanded vertically:

Here is an example of what the dialog would look like expanded horizontally if all controls had “expand=False” set.

If you want to space controls out in the grid you can use labels filled with white space, or you can use horizontalspacers. Here is an example of adding two buttons to a dialog and keeping them to the far right of the dialog.

dg.AddGrid()dg.AddHorizontalSpacerToGrid( "DummyLabel", 0, 0 )

ok = dg.AddControlToGrid("Ok", "ButtonControl", "OK", 0, 1, expand=False )

ok.ValueModified.connect(OkButtonPressed)

cancel = dg.AddControlToGrid("Cancel", "ButtonControl", "Cancel", 0, 2, expand=False )

cancel.ValueModified.connect(CancelButtonPressed)dg.EndGrid()

Here is an example of what this dialog will look like when expanded horizontally:



All together, here is an example of a basic script dialog using grid layouts.

from DeadlineUI.Controls.Scripting.DeadlineScriptDialog import DeadlineScriptDialog

########################################################################## Globals########################################################################dg = None

########################################################################## Main Function Called By Deadline########################################################################def __main__( *args ):

global dg

dg = DeadlineScriptDialog()

dg.SetTitle( "Example Deadline Script" )

dg.AddGrid()dg.AddControlToGrid(

"L1", "LabelControl", "I'm a label.", 0,0, "A tooltip", expand=False)dg.AddControlToGrid(

"TextBox1", "TextControl", "", 0, 1, colSpan=3)




dg.AddControlToGrid("TextBox2", "TextControl", "", 1, 3)

dg.EndGrid()

#Adds an OK and Cancel button to the dialogdg.AddGrid()dg.AddHorizontalSpacerToGrid( "DummyLabel", 0, 0 )

ok = dg.AddControlToGrid("Ok", "ButtonControl", "OK", 0, 1, expand=False )

ok.ValueModified.connect(OkButtonPressed)

cancel = dg.AddControlToGrid("Cancel", "ButtonControl", "Cancel", 0, 2, expand=False )

cancel.ValueModified.connect(CancelButtonPressed)dg.EndGrid()

dg.ShowDialog( True )

def CloseDialog():



global dg

dg.CloseDialog()

def CancelButtonPressed():CloseDialog()

def OkButtonPressed( *args ):global dg

dg.ShowMessageBox( "You pressed the OK button.", "Button Pressed" )

Here is what this dialog looks like:

7.6.7 Migrating Scripts from Deadline 5

Some changes were made to the Scripting API in Deadline 6, which means that Deadline 6 and later are NOT backwardcompatible with scripts written for Deadline 5. However, migrating your scripts over is relatively straightforward, andthis guide will walk you through the API changes so that you can update your scripts as necessary.

Global Functions

The globally defined functions are no longer available. See the Migrating Scripts From Deadline 5 section in theScripting Overview documentation for more information, including replacement functions.

User Interface

If you are creating a user interface using the ScriptDialog object, you can no longer get an instance of it from Deadli-neScriptEngine using the following:

scriptDialog = DeadlineScriptEngine.GetScriptDialog()

Instead, you need to import the DeadlineScriptDialog class, and use its constructor to create an instance:

from DeadlineUI.Controls.Scripting.DeadlineScriptDialog import DeadlineScriptDialog...scriptDialog = DeadlineScriptDialog()

Another change is how the ValueModifed event handlers are hooked up for the ScriptDialog controls. For example,this is how the event was hooked up in Deadline 5:



compBox = scriptDialog.AddControl("CompBox", "TextControl", "", dialogWidth-labelWidth-24,-1)

compBox.ValueModified += CompChanged

Now, because the ScriptDialog object is a Qt object, you need to use the connect function to hook up events:

compBox = scriptDialog.AddControl("CompBox", "TesxtControl", "", dialogWidth-labelWidth-24,-1)

compBox.ValueModified.connect( CompChanged )

The File Browser based controls have also changed their file filter syntax. In Deadline 5, the file filter syntax lookedlike this:

scriptDialog.AddRow()scriptDialog.AddControl(

"FileLabel", "LabelControl", "Select File", labelWidth, -1)scriptDialog.AddSelectionControl("FileBox", "FileBrowserControl", "",

"All Files (*.*)|*.*|CAD Files: JT (*.jt)|*.jt", dialogWidth-labelWidth-24, -1)scriptDialog.EndRow()

Now, because the ScriptDialog object is a Qt object, you need to use the following syntax to filter files in any of thebrowser controls. Note the replacement of the “|” character for ”;;” and there is no longer the requirement to providea file extension filter per file format entry as the filter is taken from the text label (*.txt) or (*.*) as per the examplebelow:

scriptDialog.AddRow()scriptDialog.AddControl(

"FileLabel", "LabelControl", "Select File", labelWidth, -1)scriptDialog.AddSelectionControl( "FileBox", "FileBrowserControl", "",

"Text Files (*.txt);;All Files (*.*)", dialogWidth-labelWidth-24, -1)scriptDialog.EndRow()

7.7 Job Scripts

7.7.1 Overview

Job scripts and Dependency scripts can use Python to implement additional automation. Job scripts can be used toperform additional tasks during rendering, and Dependency scripts can control when jobs start rendering.

Note that because the Python scripts will be executed in a non-interactive way, it is important that your scripts do notcontain any blocking operations like infinite loops, or interfaces that require user input. See the Scripting Overviewdocumentation for more information, and links to the Deadline Scripting reference.

7.7.2 Job Scripts

Job scripts can be assigned to Jobs in order to automate certain tasks before a Job starts rendering (Pre-Job Script),after a Job finished rendering (Post-Job Script), or before and after each individual Job Task has been completed (Preand Post-Task Scripts).

After you create your scripts, you can assign them to a Job by right-clicking on the desired Job in the Monitor, andselecting ‘Modify Job Properties’. The script options can be found under the ‘Scripts’ section of the Job Properties



window. In addition to this, Job scripts can be specified by custom submitters by including them in the Job Info Fileon submission. Note that a full path to the script is required, so it is recommended that the script file be stored in alocation that is accessible to all Slaves.

Creating Job Scripts

The only requirement for a Job script is that you define a __main__ function. This is the function that will be calledby Deadline when it comes time to execute the script, and an instance of the DeadlinePlugin object will be passed asa parameter.

def __main__( *args ):#Replace "pass"pass

A common use for Post-Task scripts is to do some processing with the output image files. Here is a sample script thatdemonstrates how to get the output file names for the current task, and print them out to the render log:

import refrom System.IO import *from Deadline.Scripting import *

def __main__( *args ):deadlinePlugin = args[0]job = deadlinePlugin.GetJob()outputDirectories = job.OutputDirectoriesoutputFilenames = job.OutputFileNamespaddingRegex = re.compile("[^\\?#]*([\\?#]+).*")

sfor i in range( 0, len(outputDirectories) ):

outputDirectory = outputDirectories[i]outputFilename = outputFilenames[i]

startFrame = deadlinePlugin.GetStartFrame()endFrame = deadlinePlugin.GetEndFrame()for frameNum in range(startFrame, endFrame+1):

outputPath = Path.Combine(outputDirectory,outputFilename)outputPath = outputPath.replace("//","/")

m = re.match(paddingRegex,outputPath)if( m != None):

padding = m.group(1)frame = StringUtils.ToZeroPaddedString(frameNum,len(padding),False)outputPath = outputPath.replace( padding, frame )

deadlinePlugin.LogInfo( "Output file: " + outputPath )

7.7.3 Dependency Scripts

Dependency scripts can be used to control when a job starts rendering. For example, the script could connect to aninternal pipeline database to see if the job has been approved to start rendering.

After you create your dependency scripts, you can assign them to a Job by right-clicking on the desired Job in theMonitor, and selecting ‘Modify Job Properties’. The Script Dependencies options can be found under the ‘Scripts’section of the Job Properties window. In addition to this, Job scripts can be specified by custom submitters by including

7.7. Job Scripts 429


them in the Job Info File on submission. Note that a full path to the script is required, so it is recommended that thescript file be stored in a location that is accessible to all Slaves.

Creating Dependency Scripts

The only requirement for a Job script is that you define a __main__ function. This is the function that will be calledby Deadline when it comes time to execute the script to determine if a job should be released or not.

For jobs without Frame Dependencies enabled, only the job ID will be passed as a parameter. The __main__ functionshould then return True if the job should be released or False if it shouldn’t be.

For jobs with Frame Dependencies enabled, the job ID will be passed as the first parameter, and a list of pending taskIDs will be passed as the second parameter. The __main__ function should then return the list of task IDs that shouldbe released, or an empty list of none should be released.

Here is a very simple example that will work regardless of whether Frame Dependencies are enabled or not:

def __main__( jobId, taskIds=None ):if not taskIds:

# Frame Dependencies are disabledreleaseJob = False

#figure out if job should be released

return releaseJobelse:

# Frame Dependencies are enabledtasksToRelease = []

#figure out which tasks should be released, and append their IDs to the arrayreturn tasksToRelease

By giving the taskIds parameter a default of None, it allows the script to function regardless of whether Frame Depen-dencies are enabled or not. You can check if “taskIds” is None, and if it is, you know that Frame Dependencies aredisabled.



The only significant change is that the globally defined functions are no longer available. See the Migrating ScriptsFrom Deadline 5 section in the Scripting Overview documentation for more information, including replacement func-tions.

7.8 Web Service Scripts

7.8.1 Overview

Web service scripts allow you to retrieve data from Deadline and display it in any way you see fit. See the Web Servicefor more information on Deadline’s web service feature and how you can use it to call scripts and commands.



7.8.2 Creating Web Service Scripts

Custom web service scripts can be created in the ‘custom\scripts\WebService’ folder in your repository. See theScripting Overview documentation for more information on the ‘custom’ folder in the Repository and how it’s used.

Just place any new scripts directly into this folder, and they will be available to the Web Service. Script files namesshould not contain any spaces, and should end in a ‘.py’ extension (ie, they must be Python scripts).

The __main__ Function

All web service scripts must define a __main__ function that accepts *args (a tuple containing 2 items). This is thefunction that will be called when the web service executes the script. Note that if you decide not to accept args, and anargument string is passed to your script in the URL, it will result in an exception being thrown. The function shouldalso return a string value, which is used to display the results. The string can be HTML, XML, plain text, etc.

def __main__( *args ):results = ""

#...#append data to results#...

return results

It is also possible for the web service script to set the HTTP status code. This can be done by including the status codeafter the results in the return statement. For example:

def __main__( *args ):results = ""statusCode = "200"

#...#append data to results, and set statusCode as necessary#...

return results, statusCode

Finally, it is possible for the web service script to set additional headers to be included in the HTTP response. Thiscan be done by including an arbitrary number of “key=value” strings after the status code in the return statement. Forexample:

def __main__( *args ):results = ""statusCode = "200"

#...#append data to results, and set statusCode as necessary#...

return results, statusCode, "header1=value1", "header2=value2"

7.8. Web Service Scripts 431


Supporting Arguments

Arguments can be passed to web service scripts as a tuple with 2 items, and can be accepted in two different ways.The first way is to simply accept args, which will be an array of length 2. The other way is to accept the tuple as twoseparate variables, for instance (dlArgs, qsArgs) for Deadline arguments and query string arguments. In the first case,args[0] is equivalent to dlArgs (Deadline arguments), and args[1] is equivalent to qsArgs (Query String Arguments).

Deadline Arguments

The web service will automatically pass your script a dictionary as the first item in the args tuple. The Dictionarywill contain at least one key (“Authenticated”), but may contain more if the user authenticated with the web service.Currently, if the user has not authenticated, the Dictionary will only contain the “Authenticated” key, with a valueof ‘False’. However, if the user has authenticated, it will also contain the “UserName” key, with a value of the userexecuting the script.

Query String Arguments

Arguments are passed to your script by a query string defined in the URL, and can be in one of the following forms:

Key/Value Pairs: This is the preferred method of passing arguments. Arguments in this form will look something likethis at the end of the URL:

?key0=value0&key1=value1

List of Values: Arguments in this form will instead look something like this:

?value0&value1

The query string will be passed to the Python script as a NameValueCollection and it will be the second item of thetuple passed to your script’s __main__ function.

Relevant API Functions

For functions that will be relevant to most Web Service scripts, see the ‘Deadline.PulseUtils’ section of the DeadlineScripting Reference documentation. The full Deadline Scripting Reference can be found on the Thinkbox SoftwareDocumentation Website. Offline PDF and HTML versions can be downloaded from here as well.

7.8.3 Calling Web Service Scripts

Once the script has been created, you can call it using the web service. See the Web Service Documentation for moreinformation on how to set this up. For example, if you have a Web Service script called ‘GetFarmStatistics.py’, youwould call it using the following URL (where [myhost] is the hostname pointing to your web service machine):

http://[myhost]:8080/GetFarmStatistics

Some scripts can take arguments, as detailed in the previous section. To include arguments, you need to place a ‘?’between the base URL and the first argument, with ‘&’ separating addition arguments. Here is an example of how youwould pass ‘arg1’, ‘arg2’, and ‘arg3’ as a list of arguments to the GetFarmStatistics.py script:

http://[myhost]:8080/GetFarmStatistics?arg1&arg2&arg3

Here is an example of how you would pass values for arguments named ‘arg1’, ‘arg2’, and ‘arg3’ in the form ofkey-value pairs:





http://[myhost]:8080/GetFarmStatistics?arg1=value1&arg2=value2&arg3=value3

The way the results of the script will be displayed is entirely dependent on the format in which the Script returns them.



The only significant change is that the globally defined functions are no longer available. See the Migrating ScriptsFrom Deadline 5 section in the Scripting Overview documentation for more information, including replacement func-tions.

7.9 Standalone Python API

7.9.1 Overview

The Standalone Python API can be used in Python for communicating with the HTTP API (documented in RESTOverview). In order to use the HTTP API you must have the Web Service running on a machine whose address andport number you know. For a list of the API’s functions and how they are used go to the Deadline Downloads page anddownload the documentation. Essentially, our Standalone Python API is a Python wrapper API around our RESTfulHTTP API.

Note, as all communication to Deadline travels through the machine running the Web Service and not the local host,there are consequences that should be considered carefully. Any file paths provided need to be valid on the Web Servicemachine, including any differences between operating systems if for example, your local host is running Windows butthe Web Service machine is Linux. In the case of submitting a job, the job’s username will be the user account currentlyrunning the Web Service, NOT the submitting local user, unless a UserName is provided in the job info.

7.9.2 Set-up

In order to use the Standalone Python API you must have Python 2.7 or later installed. Copy the “Deadline”Folder containing the Standalone Python API from \\your\repository\api\python to the “site-packages” folder ofyour Python installation and the API is ready to use.

7.9.3 Using the API

A DeadlineCon object must be created which is used to communicate with the web service to send and receive requests.First enter “import Deadline.DeadlineConnect as Connect”, then create your connection object “connectionObject =Deadline.DeadlineConnect.DeadlineCon(‘PulseName’, PulsePortNumber)”, where ‘PulseName’ is the DNS name orIP address of the machine currently running the web service and ‘PulsePortNumber’ is the web service port numberas configured in the Web Service settings in the Repository Options. By default it is: 8080. The “connectionObject”variable can now be used to communicate requests to the web service.

Example: Getting group names and suspending a job

>>> from Deadline.DeadlineConnect import DeadlineCon as Connect>>> con = Connect('PulseName', 8080)>>> con.Groups.GetGroupNames()

7.9. Standalone Python API 433

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/deadline-downloads


[u'none', u'group1', u'group2', u'group3']>>> jobId = validjobID>>> con.Jobs.SuspendJob(jobId)'Success'

Documentation for all the possible API functions can be found on at the Deadline Downloads page.

7.9.4 Authenticating

If your Web Service has authentication enabled then you must set up authentication for the Python API. This can beachieved through the “EnableAuthentication” and “SetAuthenticationCredentials” functions. Setting your authentica-tion credentials allows the Python API to use them for as long as that instance of python is running.

>>> from Deadline.DeadlineConnect import DeadlineCon as Connect>>> con = Connect('PulseName', 8080)>>> con.Groups.GetGroupNames()"Error: HTTP Status Code 401. Authentication with the Web Service failed.Please ensure that the authentication credentials are set, are correct, andthat authentication mode is enabled.">>> con.AuthenticationModeEnabled()False>>> con.EnabledAuthentication(True)>>> con.AuthenticationModeEnabled()True>>> con.SetAuthenticationCredentials("username", "password")>>> con.Groups.GetGroupNames()[u'none', u'group1', u'group2', u'group3']

By default “SetAuthenticationCredentials” also enables authentication, so it is not actually necessary to explicitly call“EnableAuthentication” as well. If you want to store your credentials without enabling authentication you may do soas well using the optional third parameter.

>>> con.SetAuthenticationCredentials("username", "password", False)

7.9.5 API Functions

All of the Standalone Python API functions return a Python dictionary, a Python list, or a Python string. Lists oftencontain dictionaries.

Examples: Getting a list, a list containing dictionaries, a dictionary, and a string back.

>>> groupNames = con.Groups.GetGroupNames()>>> groupNames[0]group1>>> jobs = con.Jobs.GetJobs()>>> jobs[0]['FailedChunks']12>>> task = con.Tasks.GetJobTask(jobId, 0)>>> task["Errs"]8>>> root = con.Repository.GetRootDirectory()>>> root'C:/DeadlineRepository'


http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/deadline-downloads


Example: Getting a job, changing the pool and priority then saving it.

>>> job = con.Jobs.GetJob(jobId)>>> str(job['Props']['Pool'])none>>> job['Props']['Pool'] = unicode('jobPool')>>> str(job['Props']['Pool'])jobPool>>> print str(job['Props']['Pri'])50>>> job['Props']['Pri'] = 75>>> str(job['Props']['Pri'])75>>> con.Jobs.SaveJob(job)'Success'>>> job = con.Jobs.GetJob(jobId)>>> str(job['Props']['Pool']) + ' ' +str(job['Props']['Pri'])jobPool 75

Example: Submitting a ‘reserve’ VraySpawner job using Python dictionaries.

import Deadline.DeadlineConnect as Connect

if __name__ == '__main__':

Deadline = Connect.DeadlineCon('PulseName', 8080)

JobInfo = {"Name": "Submitted via Python","UserName": "UserName","Frames": "0-1","Plugin": "VraySpawner"}

PluginInfo = {"Version": "Max2014"}

try:newJob = Deadline.Jobs.SubmitJob(JobInfo, PluginInfo)print newJob

except:print "Sorry, Web Service is currently down!"

Note, when submitting a job, the JobInfo and PluginInfo dictionaries should contain ALL the minimum necessaryKEY=VALUE pairs to successfully run this plugin job type in Deadline. As the KEY=VALUE pairs are internal andchange depending on the application plugin, it is recommended you submit a job normally to Deadline and then inspectthe job’s Submission Params to see what KEY=VALUE pairs should be submitted for this job type. You can also usethe “Export” button to take a copy of the JobInfo and PluginInfo files to submit the job using these files instead of viaPython dictionaries.

7.9. Standalone Python API 435



CHAPTER

EIGHT

REST API

8.1 REST Overview

8.1.1 Overview

The RESTful HTTP API can be used to interact with an instance of the web service. HTTP requests can be madeto request information from the database, store new data, alter existing data or remove entries from the database.Requests to the API can be categorized by the type of data you are attempting to access and by the type of HTTPrequest you are using to access said data. In order to use the HTTP API you must have the Web Service running on amachine whose address and port number you know.

Note, as all communication to Deadline travels through the machine running the Web Service and not the local host,there are consequences that should be considered carefully. Any file paths provided need to be valid on the Web Servicemachine, including any differences between operating systems if for example, your local host is running Windows butthe Web Service machine is Linux. In the case of submitting a job, the job’s username will be the user account currentlyrunning the Web Service, NOT the submitting local user, unless a UserName is provided in the job info.

Requests that alter data are primarily POST or PUT messages, and they typically return text stating whether theysucceeded or if there was an error. Requests made to retrieve data are done using GET messages and return JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) formatted objects if successful, and text explaining the error if not. Some POST or PUTmessages will return JSON objects as well, but usually only if there is information about the action that the user mayneed (an example of this would be a request to create a new object, the object’s primary key may be returned oncreation). Requests made to remove data are typically done using DELETE messages and return text stating whetherthey succeeded or if there was an error, just like POST and PUT messages. In the event of an error message beingreturned the HTTP Status Code will also be set to describe the error.

8.1.2 Request Types

• Jobs

• Job Reports

• Groups

• Pools

• Limits

• Repository

• Pulse

• Slaves

• Tasks

437


• Task Reports

• Users

• Balancer

8.1.3 Request Formats and Responses

• GET

Request for some data. These messages are constructed entirely within the URL. Successful requestswill usually return a JSON object and failed requests will return a brief error message along with theHTTP Status Code. There are some GET requests that will return plain text for a successful request.

• PUT

Typically a request to modify some data. These messages use the URL to specify what type ofdata that you wish to alter, and use the message body for storing the message to the database. Themessage body must be a JSON object, although how this object must be built depends on the databeing modified. PUT messages for data that does not exist will often fail, but in some cases will actas a POST. Successful requests will usually return text stating success. Failed requests will returna brief error message along with the HTTP Status Code. There are some PUT messages that returnJSON objects, and this usually occurs when data has been created instead of altered.

• POST

Request to create some data. These messages use the URL to specify what type of data that you wishto create, and use the message body for storing the message to the database. The message body mustbe a JSON object, although how this object must be built depends on the data being modified. POSTmessages for data that already exists will fail. Successful requests will usually return text statingsuccess. Failed requests will return a brief error message along with the HTTP Status Code. Thereare some POST messages that return JSON objects.

• DELETE

Request to delete some data. These messages are constructed entirely within the URL. Successfulrequests will usually return text stating success. Failed requests will return a brief error messagealong with the HTTP Status Code.

8.1.4 HTTP Status Codes

The following are the HTTP Status Code that can be returned, and what they signify in Deadline.

• 200 - OK

Request completed without error. Note that this does not always mean the request modified every-thing as intended. Example: trying to send a “complete” message to a completed job will do nothingand return this status code. Another example: trying to release a job from pending when the job isnot pending will return this status code and do nothing.

• 400 - Bad Request

Request could not be completed due to incorrect request message structure in either the URL or thebody of the request message.

• 404 - Not Found

Requested data could not be found, or requested command could not be found.

• 405 - Method Not Allowed

438 Chapter 8. REST API


Requested operation could not be completed using the request format given.

• 500 - Internal Server Error

Request message could not be interpreted properly, or the action being attempted causing an excep-tion in Deadline.

• 501 - Not Implemented

Request type is not supported. For example, a JobReport PUT request would return this because onlyGET is supported.

8.1.5 Additional Information

If a request is made for a JSON object, and an empty JSON object is returned, then the information provided for therequest did not match any entry in the repository.

Adding additional key-value pairs to a JSON object for a request that does not specify their use can have surprisingconsequences. Keys that are not used by other commands will be ignored, but be sure to read the documentationfor each possible query for each request type before building a JSON object for your query, as some commands areidentical other than the presence of a single key and have vastly different effects.

If a documented query requires a JSON object that you do not know how to properly construct, it is often possible todo a GET query for the same object type and receive the JSON format that the query expects.

A query that returns “Success” does not imply that the actions your query requested occurred. Some actions areimpossible, but do not warrant an error message. (Example, sending a Suspend message to a Suspended job, orDeleting a Slave that does not exist or was already Deleted.)

8.2 Jobs

8.2.1 Overview

Job requests can be used to set and retrieve information for one or many jobs. Job requests support GET, PUT, POSTand DELETE request types. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responsesdocumentation.

8.2.2 Requests and Responses

List of possible requests for Jobs. All PUT and POST requests may also return a 400 Bad Request error if there wasno message body in the request. All PUT requests may also return a 400 Bad Request error message if the commandkey is not present in the message body’s JSON object. All PUT requests may also return a 500 Internal Server Errorerror message if the command key in the message body contained an invalid command.

Get All The Jobs

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job information for every job in the repository.

Possible Errors: 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline code.

8.2. Jobs 439


Get Jobs In Specified State Gets jobs in the specified state(s). Valid states are Active, Suspended, Completed, Failed,and Pending. Note that Active covers both Queued and Rendering jobs. Specify more than one state by separat-ing them with commas (ie: Active,Completed,Suspended).

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?States=states

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the jobs in the specified state(s).


Get All The Job IDs

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?IdOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job IDs in the repository.


Get Job Gets job info for the given job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?JobID=validjobidhere

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job information for the job ID provided.


Save Job Saves the job info provided. Job info must be in JSON format.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:

JSON object where the following keys are mandatory:

• Command = save

• Job = JSON object containing the job info

Response: “Success”

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: There was no Job entry in the JSON object in the message body.

• 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline code.

Suspend Job Puts the job with the matching ID into the Suspended state.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = suspend



• JobID = the ID of the Job to be suspended


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: There was no JobID entry in the JSON object in the message body.

• 500 Internal Server Error:

– An exception occurred within the Deadline code, or

– Job ID provided does not correspond to a Job in the repository.

Suspend Job: Non-rendering tasks Puts the job with the matching ID into the Suspended state.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = suspendnonrendering

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be suspended


Possible Errors:





Resume Job Resumes the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = resume

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be resumed


Possible Errors:





Resume Failed Job Resumes the failed job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

8.2. Jobs 441


Message Body:


• Command = resumefailed

• JobID = the ID of the failed Job to be resumed


Possible Errors:





Requeue Job Requeues the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = requeue

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be requeued


Possible Errors:





Archive Job Archives the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = archive

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be archived


Possible Errors:







Import Job Imports the job path provided.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = import

• File = the file location of the archived job/s (May be an array)

The following keys are optional:

• DeleteFile = true (deletes the archive file/s after importing)

Response: The job ids of the imported jobs and of the jobs that were not imported.

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: There was no File path provided.


Pend Job Puts the job with the ID that matches the provided ID in the pending state.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = pend

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be put in the pending state


Possible Errors:





Release Pending Job Releases the job with the ID that matches the provided ID from the pending state.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = releasepending

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be release from the pending state


Possible Errors:


8.2. Jobs 443





Complete Job Marks the job with the ID that matches the provided ID as complete.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = complete

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be marked as complete


Possible Errors:





Fail Job Marks the job with the ID that matches the provided ID as failed.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = fail

• JobID = the ID of the Job to be marked as failed


Possible Errors:





Update Job Submission Date Updates the Submission Date for the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = updatesubmissiondate

• JobID = the ID of the Job to have the submission date updated for




Possible Errors:





Set Job Machine Limit Sets the Job Machine Limit for the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = setjobmachinelimit

• JobID = the ID of the Job


• Limit = the new job machine limit, must be an integer

• SlaveList = the slave/s to be set as the slave list (May be an array)

• WhiteListFlag = boolean : sets the whitelistflag to true or false

• Progress = Floating point number for the release percentage


Possible Errors:





Add Slaves To Job Machine Limit List Adds the provided Slaves to the job with the ID that matches the providedID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = addslavestojobmachinelimitlist


• SlaveList = the slave/s to be added to the slave list (May be an array)


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request:

8.2. Jobs 445


– There was no JobID entry in the JSON object in the message body, or

– There needs to be at least one Slave passed.




Remove Slaves From Job Machine Limit List Removes the provided Slaves from the Job Machine Limit List forthe job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = removeslavesfromjobmachinelimitlist


• SlaveList = the slave/s to be removed from the slave list (May be an array)


Possible Errors:







Set Job Machine Limit Listed Slaves Sets provided Slaves as Job Machine Limit Listed Slaves for the Job whoseID matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = setjobmachinelimitlistedslaves


• SlaveList = the slave/s to be set as the slave list (May be an array)


Possible Errors:









Set Job Machine Limit White List Flag Sets Job Machine Limit White List Flag for the job with the ID that matchesthe provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = setjobmachinelimitwhitelistflag


• WhiteListFlag = boolean : sets the whitelistflag to true or false


Possible Errors:



– Must pass a boolean WhiteListFlag.




Set Job Machine Limit Sets Job Machine Limit Maximum for the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = setjobmachinelimitmaximum


• Limit = the new job machine limit, must be an integer


Possible Errors:



– Must pass an integer Limit




8.2. Jobs 447


Set Job Frame Range Sets the frame range for the job with the ID that matches the provided ID.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = setjobframerange


• FrameList = the new frame list

• ChunkSize = the new chunk size


Possible Errors:






Append Job Frame Range Appends frames to the job with the ID that matches the provided ID. This adds new taskswithout affecting the job’s existing tasks.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = appendjobframerange


• FrameList = the frame list to append to the job’s existing frames


Possible Errors:






Submit Job Submits a job using the job info provided.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:




• JobInfo = JSON object containing the Job Info

• PluginInfo = JSON object containing the Plugin Info

• AuxFiles = Array of Auxiliary File paths (May be empty, but must be provided)

• IdOnly = Set to “true” to only return the job ID (defaults to “false”)

Response: JSON object containing the new Job that was submitted or the Job ID

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Missing one or more of the mandatory keys listed above.



– Could not access the file path specified in NetworkRoot.

Delete Jobs Deletes the job corresponding to the job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?JobID=listOfJobIdsToDelete

Request Type: DELETE

Message Body: N/A


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Need to provide at least one job ID to delete.


Get Job Details Gets the Job Details, similar to the Job Details panel, for the Jobs corresponding to the provided JobIDs.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?JobID=listOfJobIds&Details=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: A JSON object containing the Job Details.

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Need to provide at least one job ID to get details for.


Get Deleted Jobs Gets the Deleted Jobs that correspond to the provided Job IDs.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?JobID=listOfJobIds&Deleted=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: A JSON object containing the deleted Jobs.

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Need to provide at least one deleted job ID.


8.2. Jobs 449


Get All Deleted Jobs Gets all the Deleted Jobs.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?Deleted=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: A JSON object containing the deleted Jobs.


Purge Deleted Jobs Purges the Deleted Jobs that correspond to the provided Job IDs.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobs?JobID=listOfJobIdsToDelete&Purge=true


Message Body: N/A


Possible Errors:



Undelete Jobs Undeletes the Deleted Jobs that correspond to the provided Job IDs.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = undelete

• JobID/s = job ID/list of job IDs to undelete


Possible Errors:



8.2.3 Job Property Values

Values for some Job properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values are listed below.

Stat (Status)

• 0 = Unknown

• 1 = Active

• 2 = Suspended

• 3 = Completed

• 4 = Failed

• 6 = Pending



Note that an active job can either be idle or rendering. Use the RenderingChunks property to determine if anything isrendering.

Timeout (OnTaskTimeout)

• 0 = Both

• 1 = Error

• 2 = Notify

OnComp (OnJobComplete)

• 0 = Archive

• 1 = Delete

• 2 = Nothing

Schd (ScheduledType)

• 0 = None

• 1 = Once

• 2 = Daily

8.3 Job Reports

8.3.1 Overview

Job Report requests can be used to retrieve Job Reports for a Job using the GET request type. PUT, POST andDELETE are not supported and sending a message of any of these types will result in a 501 Not Implemented errormessage. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Job Reports. It is possible to get a 400 Bad Request error message for any of the requestsif the value for Data is incorrect.

Get All Job Reports Gets all the Job Reports for the Job that corresponds to the provided Job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?Data=all&JobID=validJobIDhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job reports for the requested job, or a message stating that there areno reports for the job.

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: No Job ID was provided.



– The Job ID provided does not correspond to any Job in the repository.

8.3. Job Reports 451


Get Job Error Reports Gets all the Job Error Reports for the Job that corresponds to the provided Job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?Data=error&JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job error reports for the requested job, or a message stating that thereare no error reports for the job.

Possible Errors:





Get Job Log Reports Gets all the Job Reports for the Job that corresponds to the provided Job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?Data=log&JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job log reports for the requested job, or a message stating that thereare no log reports for the job.

Possible Errors:





Get Job Requeue Reports Gets all the Job Requeue Reports for the Job that corresponds to the provided Job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?Data=requeue&JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the job requeue reports for the requested job, or a message stating thatthere are no requeue reports for the job.

Possible Errors:





Get Job History Entries Gets all the Job History Entries for the Job that corresponds to the provided Job ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/jobreports?Data=history&JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A



Response: JSON object containing all the job history entries for the requested job, or a message stating thatthere are no history entries for the job.

Possible Errors:





8.3.3 Job Report Property Values

Values for some Job Report properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values arelisted below.

Type (ReportType)

• 0 = LogReport

• 1 = ErrorReport

• 2 = RequeueReport

8.4 Tasks

8.4.1 Overview

Task requests can be used to set and retrieve Task information using GET and PUT request types. POST and DELETEare not supported and sending a message of either of these types will result in a 501 Not Implemented error message.For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Tasks. For all PUT requests it is possible to return a 400 Bad Request error message if themessage body is empty or if no command key is provided. All requests may return a 400 Bad request error messageif no Job ID is provided or a 500 Internal Server Error if the Job ID provided does not correspond to any Job in therepository.

Get Task IDs

Gets all the Task IDs for the Job that corresponds to the Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/tasks?IdOnly=true&JobID=aValidJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Task IDs for the Job.


Get Task

8.4. Tasks 453


Gets the Task that correspond to the Task ID provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/tasks?TaskID=oneValidTaskID&JobID=aValidJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Task information for the requested Task.

Possible Errors:


– No Task ID provided, or

– Task ID must be an integer value.


Get All Tasks

Gets the Tasks for the Job that corresponds to the Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/tasks?JobID=aValidJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Task information for all the Job Tasks.


Requeue Tasks

Requeues the Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job IDprovided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job tasks will be requeued.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/tasks

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = requeue

• JobID = the id of the Job


• TaskList = integer Task ID/s (May be an Array)


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: TaskList contains entries, but none of them are valid integers.

• 404 Not Found: Requested Task ID does not correspond to a Task for the Job.


Complete Tasks

Completes the Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job IDprovided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job tasks will be completed.




Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = complete





Possible Errors:




Suspend Tasks

Suspend the Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job IDprovided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job tasks will be suspended.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = suspend





Possible Errors:




Fail Tasks

Fails the Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job ID pro-vided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job tasks will be failed.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = fail


8.4. Tasks 455





Possible Errors:




Resume Failed Tasks

Resumes the Failed Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the JobID provided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job failed tasks will be resumed.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = resumefailed





Possible Errors:




Pend Tasks

Pends the Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to the Job IDprovided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job tasks will be pended.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = pend





Possible Errors:







– Trying to pend a task for a Suspended Job.

Release Pending Tasks

Releases the pending Tasks that correspond to the Task IDs provided for the Job that corresponds to theJob ID provided. If no Task IDs are provided, all Job pending tasks will be released.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = releasepending





Possible Errors:





– Trying to release a task from pending for a Suspended Job.

8.4.3 Task Property Values

Values for some Task properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values are listedbelow.

Stat (Status)

• 1 = Unknown

• 2 = Queued

• 3 = Suspended

• 4 = Rendering

• 5 = Completed

• 6 = Failed

• 8 = Pending

8.4. Tasks 457


8.5 Task Reports

8.5.1 Overview

Task Report requests can be used to retrieve Task Reports for a Job Task using the GET request type. PUT, POST andDELETE are not supported and sending a message of any of these types will result in a 501 Not Implemented errormessage. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Task Reports. It is possible to get a 400 Bad Request error message for any of the requestsif the value for Data is incorrect. All requests may return a 400 Bad request error message if no Job ID is provided ora 500 Internal Server Error if the Job ID provided does not correspond to any Job in the repository. All requests mayalso return a 400 Bad Request error message if the Task ID was not provided, or was not valid, or was not an integer.

Get All Task Reports

Gets all the Task Reports for the Job Task that corresponds to the provided Job ID and provided Task ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/taskreports?Data=all&JobID=validJobID&TaskID=validTaskIDhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/taskreports?JobID=validJobID&TaskID=validTaskID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Task reports for the requested Job Task, or a message statingthat there are no reports for the Job Task.


Get Task Error Reports

Gets all the Task Error Reports for the Job Task that corresponds to the provided Job ID and providedTask ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/taskreports?Data=error&JobID=validJobID&TaskID=validTaskID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Task error reports for the requested Job Task, or a message statingthat there are no error reports for the Job Task.


Get Task Log Reports

Gets all the Task Log Reports for the Job Task that corresponds to the provided Job ID and provided TaskID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/taskreports?Data=log&JobID=validJobID&TaskID=validTaskID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Task log reports for the requested Job Task, or a message statingthat there are no log reports for the Job Task.




Get Task Requeue Reports

Gets all the Task Requeue Reports for the Job Task that corresponds to the provided Job ID and providedTask ID.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/taskreports?Data=requeue&JobID=validJobID&TaskID=validTaskID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Task requeue reports for the requested Job Task, or a messagestating that there are no requeue reports for the Job Task.


8.5.3 Task Report Property Values

Values for some Task Report properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values arelisted below.

Type (ReportType)

• 0 = LogReport

• 1 = ErrorReport


8.6 Slaves

8.6.1 Overview

Slave requests can be used to set or retrieve Slave information. Slave requests support GET, PUT and DELETE requesttypes. POST is not supported and sending such a message will result in a 501 Not Implemented error message. Formore about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Slaves. For all PUT requests it is possible to return a 400 Bad Request error message ifthere is no message body or if the command key is not set. PUT requests may also return a 500 Internal Server Errormessage if the command key is set to an invalid command.

Get Slave Names

Gets all the Slave names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?NamesOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Slave names.


Get Slaves’ InfoSettings

8.6. Slaves 459


Gets the InfoSettings for every Slave name provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames&Data=infosettings

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave InfoSettings for all the Slave names provided.


Get All Slaves’ InfoSettings

Gets the InfoSettings for every Slave.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Data=infosettings

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave InfoSettings for all the Slaves.


Get Slaves’ Information

Gets the Slave Information for every Slave name provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames&Data=info

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave Information for all the Slave names provided.


Get All Slaves’ Information

Gets the Slave Information for every Slave.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Data=info

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave Information for all the Slaves.


Get Slaves’ Settings

Gets the Slave Settings for every Slave name provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames&Data=settings

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave Settings for all the Slave names provided.


Get All Slaves’ Settings



Gets the Slave Settings for every Slave.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Data=settings

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the Slave Settings for all the Slaves.


Save Slave Information

Saves the Slave Information provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = saveinfo

• SlaveInfo = JSON object containing the Slave information to save.


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: JSON object containing Slave Information was not provided.


Save Slave Settings

Saves the Slave Settings provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = savesettings

• SlaveInfo = JSON object containing the Slave Settings to save.


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: JSON object containing Slave Settings was not provided.


Delete Slaves

Deletes every Slave that corresponds to a Slave name provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames


Message Body: N/A


8.6. Slaves 461


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Need to provide at least one Slave name to delete.


Get Slaves’ Reports

Gets all Slave Reports for all Slave names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames&Data=reports

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave Reports for all Slave names provided.


Get Slave Reports For All Slaves

Gets all Slave Reports for all Slaves.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Data=reports

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave Reports for all Slave names provided.


Get Slaves’ History

Gets all Slave History Entries for all Slave names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Name=oneOrMoreSlaveNames&Data=history

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave History Entries for all Slave names provided.


Get Slave History For All Slaves

Gets all Slave History Entries for all Slaves.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slaves?Data=history

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave History for all Slaves.


Get Slave Names Rendering Job

Gets all Slave names rendering Job that corresponds to Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/slavesrenderingjob?JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A



Response: JSON object all the Slave names rendering the Job.

Possible Errors:





Get Host Names of Machines Rendering Job

Gets all machine host names for slaves rendering Job that corresponds to Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/machinessrenderingjob?JobID=validJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the host names.

Possible Errors:





Get IP Address of Machines Rendering Job

Gets all machine IP addresses for slaves rendering Job that corresponds to Job ID provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/machinessrenderingjob?JobID=validJobID&GetIpAddress=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the IP addresses.

Possible Errors:





8.6.3 Slave Property Values

Values for some Slave Info, Settings, and Report properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and theirpossible values are listed below.

Stat (SlaveStatus)

• 0 = Unknown

• 1 = Rendering

• 2 = Idle

8.6. Slaves 463


• 3 = Offline

• 4 = Stalled

• 8 = StartingJob

Type (ReportType)

• 0 = LogReport

• 1 = ErrorReport


8.7 Pulse

8.7.1 Overview

Pulse requests can be used to set and retrieve Pulse information using GET and PUT. POST and DELETE are notsupported and sending a message of either of these types will result in a 501 Not Implemented error message. Formore about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Pulse.

Get Pulse Names

Gets all the Pulse names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?NamesOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Pulse names.


Get Pulse Information

Gets the Pulse information for the Pulse names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Info=true&Names=oneOrMorePulseNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Info=true&Name=onePulseName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Pulse information for the requested Pulse names.

Possible Errors:

• 404 Not Found: Pulse name provided does not exist (can only occur if you use Name= )


Save Pulse Information



Saves the Pulse information provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• PulseInfo = JSON object containing all the Pulse information.


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Did not provide a Pulse Information JSON object


Get Pulse Settings

Gets the Pulse settings for the Pulse names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Settings=true&Names=oneOrMorePulseNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Settings=true&Name=onePulseName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Pulse settings for the requested Pulse names.

Possible Errors:



Save Pulse Settings

Saves the Pulse settings provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• PulseSettings = JSON object containing all the Pulse information.


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Did not provide a Pulse Information JSON object


Get Pulse InfoSettings

Gets the Pulse information and settings for the Pulse names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Names=oneOrMorePulseNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/pulse?Name=onePulseName

8.7. Pulse 465


Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Pulse information and settings for the requested Pulse names.

Possible Errors:



8.7.3 Pulse Property Values

Values for some Pulse properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values are listedbelow.

Stat (PulseStatus)

• 0 = Unknown

• 1 = Running

• 2 = Offline

• 4 = Stalled

8.8 Balancer

8.8.1 Overview

Balancer requests can be used to set and retrieve Balancer information using GET and PUT. POST and DELETE arenot supported and sending a message of either of these types will result in a 501 Not Implemented error message. Formore about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Balancer.

Get Balancer Names

Gets all the Balancer names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?NamesOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Balancer names.


Get Balancer Information

Gets the Balancer information for the Balancer names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Info=true&Names=oneOrMoreBalancerNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Info=true&Name=oneBalancerName

Request Type: GET



Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Balancer information for the requested Balancer names.

Possible Errors:

• 404 Not Found: Balancer name provided does not exist (can only occur if you use Name= )


Save Balancer Information

Saves the Balancer information provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• BalancerInfo = JSON object containing all the Balancer information.


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Did not provide a Balancer Information JSON object


Get Balancer Settings

Gets the Balancer settings for the Balancer names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Settings=true&Names=oneOrMoreBalancerNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Settings=true&Name=oneBalancerName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Balancer settings for the requested Balancer names.

Possible Errors:



Save Balancer Settings

Saves the Balancer settings provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer

Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• BalancerSettings = JSON object containing all the Balancer information.


8.8. Balancer 467


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Did not provide a Balancer Information JSON object


Get Balancer InfoSettings

Gets the Balancer information and settings for the Balancer names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Names=oneOrMoreBalancerNamesORhttp://hostname:portnumber/api/balancer?Name=oneBalancerName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Balancer information and settings for the requested Balancernames.

Possible Errors:



8.8.3 Balancer Property Values

Values for some Balancer properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values are listedbelow.

Stat (BalancerStatus)

• 0 = Unknown

• 1 = Running

• 2 = Offline

• 4 = Stalled

8.9 Limits

8.9.1 Overview

Limit Group requests can be used to set and retrieve information about one or many Limit Groups. Limit Grouprequests support GET, PUT, POST and DELETE request types. For more about these request types and their uses seethe Request Formats and Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Limit Groups. All PUT and POST requests can return a 400 Bad Request error messageif no message body is passed, or if no command key is present in the message body. All PUT and POST requests mayalso return a 500 Internal Server Error error message if the command key in the message body contained an invalidcommand.



Get Limit Group Names Gets the names of all Limit Groups in the repository.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/limitgroups?NamesOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Limit Group names.


Get Limit Groups Gets the Limit Groups for the provided Limit Group names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/limitgroups?Names=listOfOneOrMoreLimitGroupNameshttp://hostname:portnumber/api/limitgroups?Name=aSingleLimitGroupName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the requested Limit Group/s

Possible Errors:

• 404 Not Found: There is no Limit Group with provided Name (this can only occur if a single name ispassed)


Get All Limit Groups Gets the names of all Limit Groups in the repository.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/limitgroups

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Limit Groups.


Set Limit Group Sets the Limit, Slave List, White List Flag, Release Percentage and/or Excluded Slaves for anexisting Limit Group, or creates a new Limit Group with the provided properties.


Request Type: PUT/POST

Message Body:


• Command = set

• Name = name of Limit Group


• Limit= integer limit

• Slaves = list of slave names to include

• SlavesEx = list of slave names to exclude

• RelPer = floating point number for release percentage

• White = boolean white list flag


8.9. Limits 469


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: No name provided for the Limit Group


Save Limit Group Updates a Limit Group using a JSON object containing all the Limit Group information.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = save

• LimitGroup = JSON object containing all relevant Limit Group information


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: No valid Limit Group object provided.


Reset Limit Group Resets the counts for a Limit Group.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = save

• Name = name of Limit Group


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: No name provided for the Limit Group

• 404 Not Found: Provided Limit Group name does not correspond to a Limit Group in the repository.


Delete Limit Groups Deletes the Limit Groups for the provided Limit Group names.



Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing the requested Limit Group/s

Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Must provide at least one Limit Group name to delete.




8.9.3 Limit Group Property Values

Values for some Limit Group properties are represented by numbers. Those properties and their possible values arelisted below.

Type (LimitGroupType)

• 0 = General

• 1 = JobSpecific

• 2 = MachineSpecific

StubLevel (currently not used)

• 0 = Slave

• 1 = Task

• 2 = Machine

8.10 Users

8.10.1 Overview

User requests can be used to set and retrieve information for one or many Users. User requests support GET, PUT,POST and DELETE request types. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats andResponses documentation.

8.10.2 Request and Responses

List of possible requests for Users.

Get User Names

Gets all the User names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/users?NamesOnly=true

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User names.


Get Users

Gets all the User information for the provided User names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/users?Name=oneOrMoreValidUserNames

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User information for the Users provided.


Get All Users

8.10. Users 471


Gets all the Users.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/users

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User information for the Users provided.


Save User

Saves the User Information provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/users

Request Type: PUT/POST

Message Body: JSON object containing all the User Information to save.

Response: “Success” for PUT, the User name and ID for POST.

Possible Errors:


– No user information provided, or

– No User name provided, or

– User info already exists (POST error only).


Delete User

Deletes the Users corresponding to the User names provided.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/users?Name=oneOrMoreValidUserNames


Message Body: N/A


Possible Errors:


– No user information provided, or

– No User names provided.


Get User Group Names

Gets all the User Group names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/usergroups

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User Group names.




Get Users Names For User Group

Gets all the User names for the User Group that corresponds to the provided User Group name.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/usergroups?Name=oneValidUserGroupName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User names in the User Group.


Get User Group Names For User

Gets all the User Group names for the User corresponding to the provided User name.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/usergroups?User=onValidUserName

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the User Group names for the User.


Add Users To User Groups

Adds the Users corresponding to the User names provided to the User Groups corresponding with theUser Group names provided.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = add

• User = the user name/s to add (May be an Array)

• Group = the user group name/s to add to (May be an Array)


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Missing one or more of the required keys in the JSON object in the messagebody.



– Command key does not contain a valid command string, or

– None of the provided User names correspond to real Users, or

– None of the provided User Group names correspond to real User Groups.

Remove Users From User Groups

Removes the Users corresponding to the User names provided from the User Groups corresponding withthe User Group names provided.


8.10. Users 473


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = remove




Possible Errors:







Set Users For User Groups

Sets the Users corresponding to the User names provided for the User Groups corresponding with theUser Group names provided.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Command = set




Possible Errors:







Create New User Groups



Creates and saves new user groups with the given names.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Group = the user group name/s to create (array)


Possible Errors:


• 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline code

Delete User Groups

Deletes a user groups with the given name.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/usergroups?Name=user+group+name+to+delete


Message Body: N/A


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Must provide a user group name to delete.

• 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline code

8.11 Repository

8.11.1 Overview

Repository requests can be used to retrieve Repository information, such as directories or paths, using the GET requesttype. Repository requests can also be used for adding history entries for jobs, slaves or the repository using the POSTrequest type. PUT and DELETE are not supported and sending a message of either of these types will result in a501 Not Implemented error message. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats andResponses documentation.


List of possible requests for the Repository.

Get Root Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=root

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the root directory, or a message stating that the directory is not set.

8.11. Repository 475


Possible Errors:

• 400 Bad Request: Must provide a Directory or an Auxiliary Path to find.

• 404 Not Found: Requested Directory could not be found.

Get Bin Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=bin

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the bin directory, or a message stating that the directory is not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Settings Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=settings

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the settings directory, or a message stating that the directory is notset.

Possible Errors:



Get Events Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=events

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the events directory, or a message stating that the directory is not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Custom Events Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=customevents

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the custom events directory, or a message stating that the directory isnot set.

Possible Errors:





Get Plugins Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=plugins

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the plugins directory, or a message stating that the directory is not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Custom Plugins Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=customplugins

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the custom plugins directory, or a message stating that the directoryis not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Scripts Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=scripts

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the scripts directory, or a message stating that the directory is not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Custom Scripts Directory

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?Directory=customscripts

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the custom scripts directory, or a message stating that the directory isnot set.

Possible Errors:



Get Auxiliary Path



URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?AuxiliaryPath=job&JobID=aValidJobID

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the auxiliary path for the provided job id, or a message stating thatthe path is not set.

Possible Errors:


– Must provide a Directory or an Auxiliary Path to find, or

– Must provide a Job ID.

• 404 Not Found:

– Requested Directory could not be found, or


Get Alternate Auxiliary Path

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?AuxiliaryPath=alternate

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the alternate auxiliary path, or a message stating that the path is notset.

Possible Errors:



Get Windows Alternate Auxiliary Path

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?AuxiliaryPath=windowsalternate

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the windows alternate auxiliary path, or a message stating that thepath is not set.

Possible Errors:



Get Linux Alternate Auxiliary Path

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?AuxiliaryPath=linuxalternate

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the linux alternate auxiliary path, or a message stating that the path isnot set.

Possible Errors:





Get Mac Alternate Auxiliary Path

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?AuxiliaryPath=macalternate

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the mac alternate auxiliary path, or a message stating that the path isnot set.

Possible Errors:



Get Maximum Priority

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/maximumpriority

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the Maximum Priority.

Possible Errors: 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline.

Path Mapping

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/mappedpaths

Request Type: POST

Message Body:

JSON object that must contain the following keys:

• OS = Operating system (“Windows”, “Linux”, or “Mac”).

• Paths = Array of paths to map.

• Region = The region to be used for mapping paths (optional, defaults to “none”).

Response: JSON Object containing the updated paths.


Get Plugin Names

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/plugins

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the plugin names


Get Plugin Event Names

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/plugins?EventNames=true

Request Type: GET



Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON Object containing the plugin event names


Get Database Connection String

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository?DatabaseConnection

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: The Database Connection string in the form of: (server:port,server:port...).


Add Job History Entry

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/repository

Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Command = jobhistoryentry

• JobID = The job id string.

• Entry = The entry string to be added.


Possible Errors:


– JSON object was not provided in message body or,

– The provided JSON object is missing some values.

• 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline.

Add Slave History Entry


Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Command = slavehistoryentry

• SlaveName = The slave name.



Possible Errors:







Add Repository History Entry


Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Command = repositoryhistoryentry



Possible Errors:





8.12 Pools

8.12.1 Overview

Pool requests can be used to set and retrieve information for one or many Pools. Pool requests support GET, PUT,POST and DELETE request types. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formats andResponses documentation.


List of possible requests for Pools

Get Pool Names Gets Pool Names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pools

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Pool names.


Get Slaves For Pools Gets all the Slave names for the provided Pool names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pools?Pool=oneOrMorePoolNames

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave names that are in the provided Pools.


8.12. Pools 481


Add Pools Creates new Pools using the provided Pool names.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Pool = pool name/s (May be an Array)



Set Pools Removes all pools not provided and creates any provided pools that did not exist.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:



• OverWrite = true



Add Pools to Slaves Adds the provided Pools to the assigned pools for each provided Slave. For both Pools andSlaves, only the names are required.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:


• Slave = slave name/s (May be an Array)




Set Pools for Slaves Sets provided Pools as the assigned pools for each provided Slave. For both Pools and Slaves,only the names are required.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• ReplacementPool = pool name to replace the pools being purged






Purge Pools Purges all obsolete pools using the provided replacement pool.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:





Possible Errors:

• 500 Internal Server Error: An exception occurred within the Deadline code, or

• Replacement Pool name provided does not exist.

Set and Purge Pools Sets the list of pools to the provided list of pool names, creating them if necessary. Purges allthe obsolete pools using the provided replacement pool.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:




• Pool = the pool/s provided for setting, the replacement pool must be in this pool list or must be“none” (May be an Array)


Possible Errors:



Add and Purge Pools Adds the list of provided pools, creating them if necessary. Purges all the obsolete pools usingthe provided replacement pool.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:




• Pool = the pool/s provided for adding (May be an Array)


8.12. Pools 483


Possible Errors:



Delete Pools Deletes all Pools with the provided Pool names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pools?Pool=oneOrMorePoolNames


Message Body: N/A



Delete Pools From Slaves Deletes all Pools from the Slaves’ list of pools.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/pools?Pool=oneOrMorePoolNames&Slaves=oneOrMoreSlaveNames


Message Body: N/A



8.13 Groups

8.13.1 Overview

Group requests can be used to set and retrieve information for one or many Groups. Group requests support GET,PUT, POST and DELETE request types. For more about these request types and their uses see the Request Formatsand Responses documentation.


List of possible requests for Groups

Get Group Names Gets Group Names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/groups

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all the Group names.


Get Slaves For Groups Gets all the Slave names for the provided Group names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/groups?Group=oneOrMoreGroupNames

Request Type: GET

Message Body: N/A

Response: JSON object containing all Slave names that are in the provided Groups.




Add Groups Creates new Groups using the provided Group names.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:


• Group = group name/s (May be an Array)



Set Groups Removes all groups not provided and creates any provided groups that did not exist.


Request Type: POST

Message Body:






Add Groups to Slaves Adds the provided Groups to the assigned groups for each provided Slave. For both Groupsand Slaves, only the names are required.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:






Set Groups for Slaves Sets provided Groups as the assigned groups for each provided Slave. For both Groups andSlaves, only the names are required.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:



• ReplacementGroup = group name to replace the groups being purged


8.13. Groups 485




Purge Groups Purges all obsolete groups using the provided replacement group.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:





Possible Errors:


• Replacement Group name provided does not exist.

Set and Purge Groups Sets the list of groups to the provided list of group names, creating them if necessary. Purgesall the obsolete groups using the provided replacement group.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:




• Group = the group/s provided for setting, the replacement group must be in this group list or mustbe “none” (May be an Array)


Possible Errors:



Add and Purge Groups Adds the list of provided groups, creating them if necessary. Purges all the obsolete groupsusing the provided replacement group.


Request Type: PUT

Message Body:




• Group = the group/s provided for adding (May be an Array)




Possible Errors:



Delete Groups Deletes all Groups with the provided Group names.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/groups?Group=oneOrMoreGroupNames


Message Body: N/A



Delete Groups From Slaves Deletes all Groups from the Slaves’ list of groups.

URL: http://hostname:portnumber/api/groups?Group=oneOrMoreGroupNames&Slaves=oneOrMoreSlaveNames


Message Body: N/A



8.13. Groups 487



CHAPTER

NINE

APPLICATION PLUGINS

9.1 3ds Command

9.1.1 Job Submission

You can submit jobs from within 3ds Max by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within 3ds Max, select the Deadline (3dsCmd) menu item that you created during the integratedsubmission script setup.

489


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The 3ds Command specific options are:

• Force Build: You can force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.

• Path Config: Allows you to specify an alternate path file in the MXP format that the slaves can use to findbitmaps that are not found on the primary map paths.

• Show Virtual Frame Buffer: Enable the virtual frame buffer during rendering.

• Apply VideoPost To Scene: Whether or not to use VideoPost during rendering.

• Continue On Errors: Enable to have the 3ds command line renderer ignore errors during rendering.

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, the frames will be rendered locally, and then copied to their final networklocation.

• Gamma Correction: Enable to apply gamma correction during rendering.

490 Chapter 9. Application Plugins


• Split Rendering: Enable split rendering. Specify the number of strips to split the frame into, as well as theoverlap you want to use.

• VRay/Mental Ray DBR: Enable this option to offload a VRay or Mental Ray DBR render to Deadline. See theVRay/Mental Ray DBR section for more information.

• Run Sanity Check On Submission: Check for scene problems during submission.

VRay/Mental Ray off-load DBR

You can offload a VRay or Mental Ray DBR job to Deadline by enabling the Distributed Rendering option in yourVRay or Mental Ray settings, and by enabling the VRay/Mental Ray DBR checkbox in the submission dialog. Withthis option enabled, a job will be submitted with its task count equal to the number of Slaves you specify, and it willrender the current frame in the scene file.

The slave that picks up task 0 will be the “master”, and will wait until all other tasks are picked up by other slaves.Once the other tasks have been picked up, the “master” will update its local VRay or Mental Ray config file with thenames of the machines that are rendering the other tasks. It will then start the distributed render by connecting to theother machines. Note that the render will not start until ALL tasks have been picked up by a slave.

It is recommended to setup VRay DBR or Mental Ray DBR for 3ds Max and verify it is working correctly priorto submitting a DBR off-load job to Deadline. RTT (Render To Texture) is not supported with distributed bucketrendering. If running multiple Deadline slaves on one machine, having these 2 or more slaves both pick up a differentDBR job concurrently as either master or slave is not supported.

Notes for VRay DBR:

• Ensure VRay is the currently assigned renderer in the 3ds Max scene file prior to submission.

• You must have the Distributed Rendering option enabled in your VRay settings under the Settings tab.

• Ensure “Save servers in the scene” (“Save hosts in the scene” in VRay v2) option in VRay distributed renderingsettings is DISABLED as otherwise it will ignore the vray_dr.cfg file list!

• Ensure “Max servers” value is set to 0. When set to 0 all listed servers will be used.

• It is recommended to disable “Use local host” checkbox to reduce network traffic on the “master” machine,when using a large number of slaves (5+). If disabled, the “master” machine only organises the DBR process,sending rendering tasks to the Deadline slaves. This is particularly important if you intend to use the VRay v3+“Transfer missing assets” feature. Note that Windows 7 OS has a limitation of a maximum of 20 other machinesconcurrently ‘connecting’ to the “master” machine.

• VRay v3.00.0x has a bug in DBR when the “Use local host” is unchecked, it still demands a render node license.This is resolved in a newer version of VRay. Please contact Chaos Group for more information.

• The slaves will launch the VRay Spawner executable found in the 3ds Max root directory. Do NOT install theVRay Spawner as a service on the master or slave machines. Additionally, Drive Mappings are unsupportedwhen running as a service.

• The vray_dr.cfg file in the 3ds Max’s plugcfg directory must be writeable so that the “master” machine canupdate it. This is typically located in the user profile directory, in which case it will be writeable already.

• Chaos Group recommend that each machine to be used for DBR has previously rendered at least one other 3dsMax job prior to trying DBR on the same machine.

• Ensure all slaves can correctly access any mapped drives or resolve all UNC paths to obtain any assets requiredby the 3ds Max scene file to render successfully. Use the Deadline Mapped Drives feature to ensure the necessarydrive mappings are in place.

• Default lights are not supported by Chaos Group in DBR mode and will not render.

9.1. 3ds Command 491


• Ensure you have sufficient VRay DR licenses if processing multiple VRay DBR jobs through Deadline concur-rently. Use the Deadline Limits feature to limit the number of licenses being used at any time.

• Ensure the necessary VRay executables & TCP/UDP ports have been allowed to pass-through the WindowsFirewall. Please consult the VRay user manual for specific information.

• VRay does NOT currently support in 3ds Max the ability to dynamically add or remove DBR slaves to thecurrently processing DBR render once started on the “master” slave.

Notes for Mental Ray DBR:

• Ensure Mental Ray is the currently assigned renderer in the 3ds Max scene file prior to submission.

• You must have the Distributed Render option enabled in your Mental Ray settings under the Processing tab.

• The Mental Ray Satellite service must be running on your slave machines. It is installed by default during the3ds Max installation.

• The max.rayhosts file must be writeable so that the “master” machine can update it. It’s location is different fordifferent versions of 3ds Max:

• 2010 and earlier: It will be in the “mentalray” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

• 2011 and 2012: It will be in the “mentalimages” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

• 2013 and later: It will be in the “NVIDIA” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

• Ensure the “Use Placeholder Objects” checkbox is enabled in the “Translator Options” rollout of the “Process-ing” tab. When placeholder objects are enabled, geometry is sent to the renderer only on demand.

• Ensure “Bucket Order” is set to “Hilbert” in the “Options” section of the “Sampling Quality” rollout of the“Renderer” tab. With Hilbert order, the sequence of buckets to render uses the fewest number of data transfers.

• Contour shading is not supported with distributed bucket rendering.

• Autodesk Mental Ray licensing in 3ds Max is restricted. Autodesk says “Satellite processors allow any ownerof a 3ds Max license to freely use up to four slave machines (with up to four processors each and an unlimitednumber of cores) to render an image using distributed bucket rendering, not counting the one, two, or fourprocessors on the master system that runs 3ds Max.” Mental Ray Standalone licensing can be used to go beyondthis license limit. Use the Deadline Limits feature to limit the number of licenses being used at any time ifrequired.

• Ensure the necessary Mental Ray executables & TCP/UDP ports have been allowed to pass-through the Win-dows Firewall. Please consult the Autodesk 3ds Max user manual for specific information.

Sanity Check

The 3ds Command Sanity Check script defines a set of functions to be called to ensure that the scene submission doesnot contain typical errors like wrong render view and frame range settings, incorrect output path, etc.

The Sanity Check is enabled by the Run Sanity Check Automatically Before Submission checkbox in the User Optionsgroup of controls in the Submit To Deadline (3dsmaxCmd) dialog. You can also run the Sanity Check automaticallyby clicking the Run Now! button.



The dialog contains the following elements:

• The upper area (Error Report) lists the problems found in the current scene.

• The lower area (Feedback Messages) lists the actions the Sanity Check performs and gives feedback to the user.The latest message is always on top.

• Between the two areas, there is a summary text line listing the total number of errors and a color indicator of thecurrent Sanity Check state. When red, the Sanity Check will not allow a job submission to be performed.

The Error Report

The left column of the Error Report displays a checkbox and the type of the error. The checkbox determines whetherthe error will be taken into account by the final result of the check. Currently, there are 3 types of errors:

• FATAL: The error cannot be fixed automatically and requires manual changes to the scene itself. A job submis-sion with such error would be pointless. The state of the checkbox is ignored and assumed always checked.

• Can Be Fixed: The error can be fixed automatically or manually. If the checkbox is active, the error contributesto the final result. If unchecked, the error is ignored and handled as a warning.

• Warning: The problem might not require fixing, but could be of importance to the user. It is not taken intoaccount by the final result (the state of the checkbox is ignored and assumed always unchecked).

Repairing Errors

Right-clicking an Error Message in the Error Report window will cause an associated repair function to be executedand/or a Report Message to be output in the Feedback Messages window. This difference was caused by the switchto DotNet controls which handle double-clicks as checked events, changing the checkbox state in front of the errorinstead.

Updating the Error Report

You can rerun/update the Sanity Check in one of the following ways:



• Clicking the dialog anywhere outside of the two message areas will rerun the Sanity Check and update allmessages.

• Double-clicking any Message in the Feedback Messages window will rerun the Sanity Check and update allmessages.

• Reparing an error by double-clicking will also automatically rerun the Sanity Check

• Pressing the Run Now! button in the Submit To Deadline dialog will update the Sanity Check.

The following Sanity Checks are FATAL. These are errors that must be fixed manually before the job can be submitted.

Message Description FixThe scene does notcontain ANY objects!

The scene is empty and should not be sent toDeadline.

Load a valid scene or create/ mergeobjects, then try again.

Maxwell is the rendererand the current view isNOT a Camera.

Maxwell renderer must render through anactual camera and will fail through a viewport.

Double-click the error message toopen a Select By Name dialog topick a camera for the currentviewport.

The scene containsobjects or groups withthe same name as acamera!

The scene contains objects or groups with aduplicate name to a camera which could resultin an incorrect object being used as the camera.

Ensure you remove any duplicatenamed objects from your scene.

The following Sanity Checks can be automatically fixed before the job is submitted.



Message Description FixThe current SceneName is Untitled.

The scene has never been saved to a MAXfile.While it is possible to submit an untitledscene to Deadline, it is not a good practice.

Double-click the error message to open aSave As dialog and save to disk.

The current view isNOT a camera.

The active viewport is not a cameraviewport.

Double-click the error message to open aSelect By Name dialog to pick a camera forthe current viewport.

The Render TimeOutput is set toSINGLE FRAME!

While it is ok to send a single frame toDeadline, users are sending animations99% of the cases.

Double-click the error message to set theRender Time Output to “Active TimeSegment:. The Render Dialog will open soyou can check the options and set to Rangeor Frames instead.

The Render OutputPath appears topoint at a LOCALDRIVE!

While it is technically possible to savelocally on each Slave, this is a bad idea - allSlaves should write their output to a centrallocation on the network. Currently, disksC:, D: and E: are considered local and willbe tested agains the output path.

Double-click the error message to open theRender Dialog and select a valid path, thendouble-click again to retest.

The Render OutputFile Name endswith a DIGIT -trailing numbersmight fail.

The Name to be saved to ends with one,two or three digits. Rendering to this filename will append 4 more digits and makeloading sequential files in otherapplications hard or impossible. This checkis performed only when the type is not AVIor MOV and will ignore 4 trailing digitswhich will be replaced by 3dsmax correctlywhen rendering to sequential files.

Double-click the error message to add anunderscore _ to the end of the file name, forexample z:\temp\test123.tga will bechanged to z:\temp\test123_.tga

The Render Outputwill not be saved toa file.

No renders will be saved as Render SceneDialog checkbox is currently disabled.

Double-click the error message to open theRender Dialog and to enable the Save Filecheckbox.

The DistributedRendering option isenabled for thisrenderer.

Check if Distributed Rendering is enabledfor MR or V-Ray renderer.

Double-click the error message to disableDistributed rendering.

The following Sanity Checks are simply warnings.

Message Description FixThe RenderOutput Path isNOTDEFINED!

No frames will be saved to disk. This is allowed ifyou want to output render elements only.

Double-click the error message to openthe Render Dialog and select a validpath, then double-click again to retest.

The RenderOutput is setto a MOVIEformat.

The file extension is set to an AVI or MOV format.In the current version of Deadline, this would resultin a sequence of single frame MOV files rendered byseparate slaves. In the future, the behaviour mightbe changed to render a single MOV or AVI file on asingle slave as one Task.

Double-click the error message to openthe Render Dialog and select a singleframe output format, then double-clickagain to retest.

This list will be extended to include future checks and can be edited by 3rd parties by adding new definitions andfunctions to the original script. Documentation on extending the script will be published later. Please email suggestionsfor enhancements and additional test cases to Deadline Support.




9.1.2 Plug-in Configuration

You can configure the 3ds Command plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the 3ds Command plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• 3ds Max Cmd Executable: The path to the 3dsmaxcmd.exe executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your rendernodes.

Render Options

• 3ds Cmd Verbosity Level: The verbose level (0-5).

VRay DBR and Mental Ray Satellite Rendering

• Use IP Addresses: If offloading a VRay DBR or Mental Ray Satellite render to Deadline, Deadline will updatethe appropriate config file with the host names of the machines that are running the VRay Spawner or Satelliteservice. If this is enabled, the IP addresses of the machines will be used instead.

9.1.3 Integrated Submission Script Setup

The following procedure describes how to install the integrated Autodesk 3ds Command submission script. Theintegrated submission script allows for submitting 3ds Command Line render jobs to Deadline directly from withinthe Max editing GUI. The integrated render job submission script and the following installation procedure has beentested with Max versions 2010 and later (including Design editions).

Note: Due to a maxscript bug in the initial release of 3ds Max 2012, the integrated submission scripts will not work.However, this bug has been addressed in 3ds Max 2012 Hotfix 1. If you cannot apply this patch, it means that youmust submit your 3ds Max 2012 jobs from the Monitor.



You can either run the Submitter installer or manually install the submission script

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/3dsCmd/Installers

Manual Installation of the Submission Script

• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsCmd/Client/Deadline3dsCmdClient.mcr to [3ds Install Direc-tory]/MacroScripts. If you don’t have a MacroScripts folder in your 3ds Max install directory, check tosee if you have a UI/Macroscripts folder instead, and copy the Deadline3dsCmdClient.mcr file there if you do.

• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsmax/Client/SMTDSetup.ms to [3ds Max Install Direc-tory]/scripts/Startup/SMTDSetup.ms

• Launch 3ds Max, and find the new Deadline menu.

9.1.4 FAQ

Which versions of Max are supported?

The 3dsCommand plugin has been tested with 3ds Max 2010 and later (including Design editions).

Note: Due to a maxscript bug in the initial release of 3ds Max 2012, the integrated submission scriptswill not work. However, this bug has been addressed in 3ds Max 2012 Hotfix 1. If you cannot apply thispatch, it means that you must submit your 3ds Max 2012 jobs from the Monitor.

When should I use the 3dsCommand plugin to render Max jobs instead of the original?

This plugin should only be used when a particular feature doesn’t work with our normal 3dsmax plugin.For example, there was a time when using the 3dsCommand plugin was the only way to render scenesthat made use of Vray’s Frame Buffer features.



Note that the 3dsCommand plugin has less features in the submission dialog, and the error handling isn’t asrobust. In addition, using 3dsCommand causes Max to take extra time to start up because 3dsmaxcmd.exeneeds to be launched for each task, so renders might take a little extra time to complete.

Is PSoft’s Pencil+ render effects plugin supported?

Yes. Ensure the render output and render element output directory paths all exist on the file server beforerendering commences. Please note at least Pencil+ v3.1 is required if you are using the alternative 3ds-max(Lightning) plugin in Deadline. Note, you will require the correct network render license from PSoftfor each Deadline Slave, which is not the same as the full, workstation license of Pencil+.

9.1.5 Error Messages And Meanings

This is a collection of known 3ds Command error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.

Currently, no error messages have been reported for this plug-in.

9.2 3ds Max


You can submit jobs from within 3ds Max after installing the integrated Submit Max To Deadline (SMTD) script,or you can submit them from the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated SMTD script can be foundfurther down this page. You can also submit jobs from within RPManager, the Render Pass Manager for 3ds Max.The instructions for installing the integrated submitter for RPManager can also be found further down the page.

To submit from within 3ds Max, select the Deadline menu item that you created during the integrated submissionscript setup.



http://rpmanager.com/


If you are submitting from RPManager, just select the Network tab in RPManager after setting up the integratedsubmitter.

9.2. 3ds Max 499


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The 3ds Max specific options are as follows.

Scene File Submission Options

• SAVE and Submit Current Scene File with the Job to the REPOSITORY: The current scene will be savedto a temporary file which will be sent with the job and will be stored in the Job’s folder in the Repository.

• SAVE and Submit Current Scene File to GLOBAL NETWORK PATH: The current scene will be savedto a temporary file which will be copied to a Globally-Defined Alternative Network Location (e.g. dedicatedfile server). It is specified in [Repository]\submission\3dsmax\Main\SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini under[GlobalSettings] as the SubmitSceneGlobalBasePath key. It will be referenced by the Job via its path only. Thiswill reduce the load on the Repository server.

• SAVE and Submit Current Scene File to USER-DEFINED NETWORK PATH: The current scene will besaved to a temporary file which will be copied to a User-Defined Alternative Network Location (e.g. dedicated



file server) stored as a local setting. It will be referenced by the Job via its path only. This will reduce the loadon the Repository server.

• DO NOT SAVE And Use Current Scene’s ORIGINAL NETWORK PATH: The current scene will NOT besaved, but the original file it was opened from will be referenced by the job. Assuming the file resides on adedicated file server, this will speed up submission and rendering significantly, but current changes to the sceneobjects will be ignored.

Sanity Check

• Run Sanity Check Automatically Before Submission: This options forces Submit To Deadline to perform aSanity Check before submitting the job. The Sanity Check is implemented as a separate set of scripted functionswhich can be enhanced by 3rd parties to meet specific studio needs. For more information, please refer to theSanity Check section.

• Run Sanity Check Now!: This button performs a Sanity Check without submitting a job. Any potential prob-lems will be reported and can be fixed before actually submitting the job.

Job Tab

Job Options

• Render Task Chunk Size (Frames Per Task): Defines the number of Tasks (Frames) to be processed at onceby a Slave.

• Limit Number of Machines Rendering Concurrently: When checked, only the number of Slaves specifiedby the [Machines] value will be allowed to dequeue the job. When unchecked, any number of Slaves can workon the job.

• Machines: Defines the number of Slaves that will be allowed to dequeue the job at the same time.

• Out-Of-Order Rendering Every Nth Frame: Deadline will render every Nth frame based on the order selectedin the drop down box. This option can be very useful when rendering long test animations - you can render a

9.2. 3ds Max 501


rough animation containing evey Nth frame early enough to detect any major issues before all frames have beenrendered, or in cases where the major action happens in the end of the sequence, reverse the rendering order.

• Log: Print Frame Sequence to the Log File, then double-click the feedback window to open the Log, Copy &Paste into Monitor > Job’s Frame Range.

• Render Preview Job First: When the checkbox is checked, two jobs will be submitted. The first job will have[PREVIEW FRAMES] added to its name, have a priority of 100, and will render only N frames based on thespinner’s value. The step will be calculated internally. If the spinner is set to 2, the first and the last frame willbe rendered. With a value of 3, the first, middle and last frames will be rendered and so on. The second job willhave [REST OF FRAMES] added to its name, and will be DEPENDENT on the first job and will start renderingonce the preview frames job has finished. It will have the priority specified in the dialog, and render all framesnot included in the preview job.

• Priority+: Defines the Priority Increase for the PREVIEW job. For example if the Job Priority is set to 50 andthis value is +5, the PREVIEW job will be submitted with Priority of 55 and the REST job with 50.

• Dependent: When checked, the [REST OF FRAMES] Job will be made dependent on the [PREVIEWFRAMES] Job. When unchecked, the [REST OF FRAMES] Job will use the same dependencies (none orcustom) as the [PREVIEW FRAMES] Job.

• Frames: Defines the number of frames to be submitted as a PREVIEW job. The frames will be taken at equalintervals, for example a value of 2 will send the first and last frames, a value of 3 will send first, middle and lastand so on.

• Task Timeout: When checked, a task will be requeued if it runs longer than the specified time. This is usefulwhen the typical rendering time of the job is known from previous submissions and will prevent stalling.

• Enable Auto Task Timeout: Enables the Auto Task Timeout option.

• Restart 3ds Max Between Tasks: When unchecked (default), 3ds Max will be kept in memory for the durationof the give job’s processing. This can reduce render time significantly as multiple Tasks can be rendered insequence without reloading 3ds Max. When checked, 3ds Max will be restarted between tasks, thus releasingall memory and resetting the scene settings at cost of startup time.

• Enforce Sequential Rendering: When checked, the Tasks will be processed in ascending order in order toreduce the performance hit from History-Dependent calculations, for example from particle systems. Whenunchecked, Tasks can be picked up by Slaves in any order. Recommended for Particle Rendering.

• Submit Visible Objects Only: This option should be used at your own risk, as it is heavily dependent on thecontent of your scene. In most cases, it can be used to submit only a subset of the current scene to Deadline,skipping all hidden objects that would not render anyway. This feature will be automatically disabled if thecurrent scene contains any Scene XRefs. The feature will create an incorrect file if any of the scene objectsdepend INDIRECTLY on hidden objects.

• Concurrent Tasks: Defines the number of Tasks a single Slave can pick up at once (by launching multipleinstances of 3ds Max on the same machine). Note that only one Deadline license will be used, but if renderingin Workstation Mode, multiple licenses of 3ds Max might be required. This is useful to maximize performancewhen the tasks don’t saturate all CPUs at 100% and don’t use up all memory. Typically, as a rule of thumb, thisfeature is NOT required as 3ds Max uses 100% of CPU’s during rendering.

• Limit Tasks To Slave’s Task Limit: When checked, the number of Concurrent Tasks will be limited by theSlave’s Task Limit which is typically set to the number of available CPUs. For example, if ‘Concurrent Tasks’is set to 16 but a Slave has 8 cores, only 8 concurrent tasks will be processed.

• On Job Completion: Defines the action to perform when the job has completed rendering successfully. Thejob can be either left untouched, ARCHIVED to improve Repository performance, or automatically DELETEDfrom the Repository.

• Submit Job As Suspended: When checked, the Job will be submitted to the Repository as Suspended. It willrequire manual user intervention before becoming active.



• Force 3ds Max Build: This drop-down list allows you to specify which build of 3ds Max (32 bit vs. 64 bit) touse when rendering the job. The list will be greyed out when running in 3ds Max 8 or earlier.

• Make Force 3ds Max Build Sticky: When the checkbox is unchecked, the “Force 3ds Max Build” drop-down list selection will NOT persist between sessions and will behave as documented above in the “Default”section. When the checkbox is checked, the “Force 3ds Max Build” drop-down list selection will persist betweensessions. For example, if you are submitting from a 64 bit build of 3ds Max to an older network consisting ofonly 32 bit builds, you can set the drop-down list to “32bit” once and lock that setting by checking “Make Force3ds Max Build Sticky”.

Job Dependencies

When the checkbox is checked and one or more jobs have been selected from the multi-list box, the job will be setto Pending state and will start rendering when all jobs it depends on have finished rendering. Use the Get Jobs Listbutton to populate the Job List and the Filter options with job data from the Repository.

RPM Pass Dependencies - Global Setup

This option is ONLY available when submitting jobs from RPManager. If enabled, all passes that are submitted willbe dependent on the passes selected in this rollout.

9.2. 3ds Max 503


Job Scheduling

Enable job scheduling. See the Scheduling section of the Modifying Job Properties documentation for more informa-tion on the available options.

Job Failure Detection

Override the job failure detection settings. See the Scheduling section of the Modifying Job Properties documentationfor more information on the available options.

Render Tab

3ds Max Rendering



• Use Alternate Plugin.ini file: By default, 3ds Max will launch using the default plugin.ini file in the localinstallation. You can use this option to select an alternative plugin.ini file to use instead. Alternative plugin.inifiles can be added to [Repository]\plugins\3dsmax, and then they will appear in the drop down box in thesubmitter (see the Custom Plugin.ini File Creation section for more information). If you have the [Default]option selected, it’s the equivalent to having this feature disabled.

• Fail On Black Frames: This option can be used to fail the render if a certain portion of the output image orits render elements is black. The Black Pixel % defines the minimum percentage of the image’s pixels thatmust be black in order for the image to be considered black. If each of RGB are all less than or equal to theThreshold, and the alpha is not between the Threshold and (1.0 - threshold), then the pixel is considered black.If the Threshold is greater than or equal to 0.5, then the alpha value has no effect.

• Override Bitmap Pager Setting While Rendering: You can specify if you want the 3dsmax Bitmap Pagersetting to be enabled or disabled.

• Submit External Files With Scene: Whether the external files (bitmaps, xrefs etc.) will be submitted with thescene or not.

• Merge Object XRefs: If object XRefs will be merged during submission.

• Merge Scene XRefs: If scene XRefs will be merged during submission.

• Force 3dsmax Workstation Mode (Uses up a 3dsmax License): Used mainly for testing and debuggingpurposes and should be left unchecked. When this option is unchecked, 3ds max will be started in Slave modewithout the User Interface, which does not require a 3ds Max license. When checked, 3ds max will be launchedin full Interactive mode and will require a license. Note that Workstation mode is set automatically whensubmitting MAXScripts to Deadline.

• Enabled Silent Mode: This option is only available when Force Workstation Mode is checked. It can helpsuppress some popups that 3ds Max displays (although some popups like to ignore this setting).

• Ignore Missing External File Errors: Missing external files could mean that the 3ds Max scene will renderincorrectly (with textures missing etc). In some cases though, missing external files could be ignored- forexample if the job is meant for test rendering only. If you want the job to fail if a missing external resource isdetected, uncheck this checkbox.

• Ignore Missing UVW Errors: Missing UVWs could mean that some 3ds Max object would render incorrectly(with wrong texture mapping etc). In some cases though, missing UVWs could be ignored (for example if thejob is meant for test rendering).

• Ignore Missing XREF Errors: Missing XFEFs could mean that the 3ds Max scene cannot be loaded correctly.In some cases though, missing XFEFs could be ignored. If you want the job to fail if a missing XFEF messageis detected at startup, keep this checkbox unchecked.

9.2. 3ds Max 505


• Ignore Missing DLL Errors: Missing DLLs could mean that the 3ds Max scene cannot be loaded or renderedcorrectly. In some cases though, missing DLLs could be ignored. If you want the job to fail if a missing DLLmessage is detected at startup, keep this checkbox unchecked.

• Do Not Save Render Element Files: Enable this option to have Deadline skip the saving of Render Elementimage files during rendering (the elements themselves are still rendered).

• Show Virtual Frame Buffer: If checked, the 3ds Max frame buffer will be displayed on the slave duringrendering.

• Override Renderer Frame Buffer Visibility: If checked, the current renderers frame buffer visibility will beoverridden by the next setting (Show Renderer Frame Buffer).

• Show Renderer Frame Buffer: If checked, the current renderers frame buffer will be made visible duringrendering (V-Ray and Corona Frame Buffers currently supported).

• Disable Progress Update Timeout: Enable this option to disable progress update checking. This is useful forrenders like Fume FX sims that don’t constantly supply progress to 3dsmax.

• Disable Frame Rendering: Enable this option to skip the rendering process. This is useful for renders likeFume FX sims that don’t actually require any rendering.

• Restart Renderer Between Frames: This option can be used to force Deadline to restart the renderer after eachframe to avoid some potential problems with specific renderers. Enabling this option has little to no impact onthe actual render times. This feature should be ENABLED to resolve V-Ray renders where typically the beautypass renders correctly but the Render Element’s are all black or perhaps seem to be swapped around. Whenenabled, the c++ Lightning plugin (unique to Deadline), will unload the renderer plugins and then reload theminstantly. This has the effect of forcing a memory purge and helps to improve renderer stability, as well as ensurethe lowest possible memory footprint. This can be helpful, when rendering close to the physical memory limitof a machine. Ensure this feature is DISABLED if you are sending FG/LC/IM caching map type jobs to thefarm, as the renderer will get reset for each frame and the FG/LC/IM file(s) won’t get incrementally increasedwith the additional data per frame.

• Disable Multipass Effects: Enable this option to skip over multipass effects if they are enabled for the camerato be rendered.

• V-Ray/Mental Ray DBR: Enable this option to offload a V-Ray or Mental Ray DBR render to Deadline. Seethe V-Ray/Mental Ray DBR section for more information.

• Job Is Interruptible: If enabled, this job will be cancelled if a job with higher priority is submitted to the queue.

• Apply Custom Material To Scene: If checked, all geometry objects in the scene will be assigned one of theuser-defined materials available in the drop down box.

3ds Max Gamma Options

• Gamma Correction: Enable to apply gamma correction during rendering.

3ds Max Pathing Options



• Remove Filename Padding: If checked, the output filename will be (for example) “output.tga” instead of“output0000.tga”. This feature should only be used when rendering single frames. If you render a range offrames with this option checked, each frame will overwrite the previous existing frame.

• Force Strict Output Naming: If checked, the output image filename is automatically modifiedto include the scene’s name. For example, if the scene name was myScene.max and the out-put image path was \\myServer\images\output.tga, the output image path would be changed to \\my-Server\images\myScene\myScene.tga. If the new output image path doesn’t exist, it is created by the 3dsmaxplugin before rendering begins.

• Purify Filenames: If checked, all render output including Render Elements will be purged of any illegal char-acters as defined by “PurifyCharacterCodes” in “SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini” file.

• Force Lower-Case Filenames: If checked, all render output including Render Elements will be forced to havea lowercase filename.

• Update Render Elements’ Paths: Each Render Element has its own output path which is independent fromthe render output path. When this option is unchecked, changing the output path will NOT update the RenderElements’ paths and the Elements could be written to the wrong path, possibly overwriting existing passesfrom a previous render. When checked, the paths will be updated to point at sub-folders of the current RenderOutput path with names based on the name and class of the Render Element. The actual file name will be leftunchanged.

• Also Update RE’s Filenames: If enabled, the Render Element file names will also be updated along with theirpaths.

• Include RE Name in Paths: 88If enabled, the new Render Element files will be placed in a folder that containsthe RE name.

• Include RE Name in Filenames: If enabled, the new Render Element files will contains the RE name in thefile name.

• Include RE Type in Paths: If enabled, the new Render Element files will be placed in a folder that contains theRE type.

9.2. 3ds Max 507


• Include RE Type in Filenames: If enabled, the new Render Element files will contains the RE type in the filename.

• Permanent RE Path Changes: When this checkbox is checked and the above option is also enabled, changesto the Render Elements paths will be permanent (in other words after the submission, all paths will point atthe new locations created for the job). When unchecked, the changes will be performed temporarily during thesubmission, but the old path names will be restored right after the submission.

• Rebuild Render Elements: If checked, Render Elements will be automatically removed and rebuilt duringsubmission to try and work around known 3dsMax issues.

• Include Local Paths With Job: (Thinkbox internal use only) Currently not hooked up to any functionality.

• Use Alternate Path: Allows you to specify an alternate path file in the MXP format that the slaves can use tofind bitmaps that are not found on the primary map paths.

Render Output Autodesk ME Image Sequence (IMSQ) Creation

• Save File: Specify the render output. Note that this updates the 3ds Max Render Output dialog, and is meant asa convenience to update the output file.

• Create Image Sequence (IMSQ) File: If checked, an Autodesk IMSQ file will be created from the output filesat the output location.

• Copy IMSQ File On Completion: If checked, the IMSQ file will be copied to the location specified in the textfield.

Options Tab

User Options



• Enable Local Rendering: If checked, Deadline will render the frames locally before copying them over to thefinal network location.

• One Cpu Per Task: Forces each task of the job to only use a single CPU. This can be useful when doing singlethreaded renders and the Concurrent Tasks setting is greater than 1.

• Automatically Update Job Name When Scene File Name Changes: If checked, the Job Name setting in thesubmission dialog will automatically match the file name of the scene loaded. So if you load a new scene, theJob Name will change accordingly.

• Override Renderer’s Low Priority Thread Option (Brazil r/s, V-Ray): When checked, the Low PriorityThread option of the renderers supporting this feature will be forced to false during the submission. BothBrazil r/s and V-Ray provide the feature to launch the renderer in a low priority thread mode. This is usefulwhen working with multiple applications on a workstation and the rendering should continue in the backgroundwithout eating all CPU resources. When submitting a job though, this should be generally disabled since wewant all slaves to work at 100% CPU load.

• Clear Material Editor In The Submitted File: Clears the material editor in the submitted file during submis-sion.

• Unlock Material Editor Renderer: If checked, the Material Editor’s Renderer will be unlocked to use theDefault Scanline Renderer to avoid problems with some old versions of V-Ray.

• Delete Empty State Sets In The Submitted File: Deletes any empty State Sets in the submitted file duringsubmission and the State Sets dialog/UI will be reset. This fixes an ADSK bug when running 3dsMax as aservice.

• Warn about Missing External Files on Submission: When checked, a warning will be issued if the scenebeing submitted contains any missing external files (bitmaps etc.). Depending on the state of the ‘Ignore MissingExternal File Errors checkbox under the Render tab, such files might not cause the job to fail but could causethe result to look wrong. When unchecked, scenes with missing external files will be submitted without anywarnings.

• Warn about Copying External Files with Job only if: the count is greater than 100 or the size is greater than1024MB. Both values can be configured to a studio’s need.

• Override 3ds Max Language: If enabled, you can choose a language to force during rendering.

Export Renderer-Specific Advanced Settings

9.2. 3ds Max 509


If this option is enabled for a specific renderer, you will be able to modify a variety of settings for that renderer aftersubmission from the Monitor. To modify these settings from the Monitor, right-click on the job and select ModifyProperties, then select the 3dsmax tab.

Submission Timeouts

• Job Submission Timeout in seconds: This value spinner defines how many seconds to wait for the externalSubmitter application to return from the Job submission before stopping the attempt with a timeout message.

• Quicktime Submission Timeout in seconds: This value spinner defines how many seconds to wait for theexternal Submitter application to return from the Quicktime submission before stopping the attempt with atimeout message.

• Data Collection Timeout in seconds: This value spinner defines how many seconds to wait for the externalSubmitter application to return from data collecting before stopping the attempt with a timeout message. Datacollecting includes collecting Pools, Categories, Limit Groups, Slave Lists, Slave Info, Jobs etc.

Limits Tab

Blacklist/Whitelist Slaves

Set the whitelist or blacklist for the job. See the Scheduling section of the Modifying Job Properties documentationfor more information on the available options.



Limits

9.2. 3ds Max 511


Set the Limits that the job requires. See the Scheduling section of the Modifying Job Properties documentation formore information on the available options.



StateSets Tab

Select the State Sets you want to submit to Deadline. This option is only available in 3ds Max 2012 (SubscriptionAdvantage Pack 1) and later.

Integration Tab

Project Management Data

The available Integration options are explained in the Draft and Integration documentation.

9.2. 3ds Max 513


Deadline Draft Post-Render Processing

The available Draft/Integration options are explained in the Draft and Integration documentation.

Extra Info

These are some extra arbitrary properties that can be set for the job. Note that some of these are reserved when enabling



the Shotgun, FTrack or Draft settings.

Scripts Tab

Run Python Scripts

• Run Pre-Job Script: Specify the path to a Python script to execute when the job initially starts rendering.

• Run Post-Job Script: Specify the path to a Python script to execute when the job finishes rendering.

• Run Pre-Task Script: Specify the path to a Python script to execute before each task starts rendering.

• Run Post-Task Script: Specify the path to a Python script to execute after each task finishes rendering.

9.2. 3ds Max 515


Run Maxscript Script

• Submit Script Job: This checkbox lets you turn the submission into a MAXScript job. When checked, thescene will NOT be rendered, instead the specified MAXScript code will be executed for the specified frames.Options that collide with the submission of a MAXScript Job like “Tile Rendering” and “Render Preview JobFirst” will be disabled or ignored.

• Single Task: This checkbox lets you run the MAXScript Job on one slave only. When checked, the job willbe submitted with a single task specified for frame 1. This is useful when the script itself will perform someoperations on ALL frames in the scene, or when per-frame operations are not needed at all. When unchecked,the frame range specified in the Render Scene Dialog of 3ds Max will be used to create the correspondingnumber of Tasks. In this case, all related controls in the Job tab will also be taken into account.

• Workstation Mode: This checkbox is a duplicate of the one under the Render tab (checking one will affect theother). MAXScript Jobs that require file I/O (loading and saving of 3ds Max files) or commands that require the3ds Max UI to be present, such as manipulating the modifier stack, HAVE TO be run in Workstation mode (usingup a 3ds Max license on the Slave). MAXScript Jobs that do not require file I/O or 3ds Max UI functionalitycan be run in Slave mode on any number of machines without using up 3ds Max licenses.

• New Script From Template: This button creates a new MAXScript without any execution code, but with allthe necessary template code to run a MAXScript Job on Deadline.

• Pick Script: This button lets you select an existing script from disk to use for the MAXScript Job. It is advisableto use scripts created from the Template file using the “New Script From Template” button.



• Edit MAXScript File: This button lets you open the current script file (if any) for editing.

• Run Pre-Load Script: This checkbox lets you run a MAXScript specified in the text field below it BEFOREthe 3ds Max scene is loaded for rendering by the Slave.

• Run Post-Load Script: This checkbox lets you run a MAXScript specified in the text field below it AFTER the3ds Max scene is loaded for rendering by the Slave.

• Run Pre-Frame Script: This checkbox lets you run a MAXScript specified in the text field below it BEFOREthe Slave renders a frame.

• Run Post-Frame Script: This checkbox lets you run a MAXScript specified in the text field below it AFTERthe Slave renders a frame.

• Post-Submission Function Call: This field can be used by TDs to enter an arbitrary user-defined MAXScriptExpression (NOT a path to a script!) which will be executed after the submission has finished. This can be usedto trigger the execution of user-defined functions or to press a button in a 3rd party script. In the screenshot, theexpression presses a button in a globally defined rollout which is part of an in-house scene management script.If you want to execute a multi-line script after each submission, you could enter fileIn “c:\temp\somescript.ms”in this field and the content of the specified file will be evaluated. The content of this field is sticky and saved inthe local INI file - it will persist between sessions until replaced or removed manually.

The MAXScript Job Template file is located in the Repository under \submis-sion\3dsmax\Main\MAXScriptJobTemplate.ms. When the button is pressed, a copy of the template file with a namepattern “MAXScriptJob_TheSceneName_XXXX.ms” will be created in the \3dsmax#\scripts\SubmitMaxToDeadlinefolder where XXXX is a random ID and 3dsmax# is the name of the 3ds Max root folder. The script file will open in3ds Max for editing. You can add the code to be executed in the marked area and save to disk. The file name of thenew template will be set as the current MAXScript Job file automatically. If a file name is already selected in the UI,you will be prompted about replacing it first.

Deadline exposes an interface to MAXScript, which allows you to gather information about the job being rendered.See the Maxscript Interface documentation for the available functions and properties.

Tiles Tab

Tile & Region Rendering Options

• Region Rendering Mode: This drop-down list controls the various rendering modes:

9.2. 3ds Max 517


– FULL FRAME Rendering, All Region Options DISABLED - this is the default mode of the Submitter.No region rendering will be performed and the whole image will be rendered.

– SINGLE FRAME, MULTI-REGION ‘Jigsaw’ Rendering - Single Job, Regions As Tasks - this modeallows one or more regions to be defined and rendered on one or more network machines. Each regioncan be optionally sub-divided to a grid of sub-regions to split between machines. The resulting fragmentswill then be combined to a new single image, or optionally composited over a previous version of the fullimage using DRAFT. This mode is recommended for large format single frame rendering. Note that thecurrent frame specified by the 3ds Max TIME SLIDER will be rendered, regardless of the Render DialogTime settings.

– ANIMATION, MULTI-REGION ‘Jigsaw’ Rendering - One Job Per Region, Frames As Tasks - thismode allows one or more regions to be defined and rendered on one or more network machines. Eachregion can be optionally sub-divided to a grid of sub-regions to split between machines. Each regioncan be optionally animated over time by hand or by using the automatic tracking features. The resultingfragments from each frame will then be combined to a new single image, or optionally composited overa previous version of the full image using DRAFT. This mode is recommended for animated sequenceswhere multiple small portions of the scene are changing relative to the previous render iteration.

– SINGLE FRAME TILE Rendering - Single Job, Tiles As Tasks - this mode splits the final single imageinto multiple equally-sized regions (Tiles). Each Tile will be rendered by a different machine and the finalimage can be assembled either using DRAFT, or by the legacy command line Tile Assembler. This modeis recommended when the whole image needs to be re-rendered, but you want to split it between multiplemachines.

– ANIMATION, TILE Rendering - One Job Per Tile, Frames As Tasks - this mode submits a job for eachtile and a post task maxscript will assemble the tiles once they are all rendered per frame for each job.

– 3DS MAX REGION Rendering - Single Job, Frames As Tasks - this mode allows for traditional 3dsMax REGION, BLOWUP and CROP render modes to be used via Deadline.

• Cleanup Tiles After Assembly: When checked, the Tile image files will be removed after the final image hasbeen assembled. Keep this unchecked if you intend to resubmit some of the tiles and expect them to re-assemblewith the previous ones.

• Pixel Padding: Default is 4 pixels. This is the number of pixels to be added on each side of the region or tile toensure better stitching through some overlapping. Especially when rendering Global Illumination, it might benecessary to render tiles with significant overlapping to avoid artefacts.

• Copy Draft Config Files To Output Folder: When checked, the configuration files for Draft Assembly jobswill be duplicated in the output folder(s) for archiving purposes. The actual assembling will be performed usingthe copies stored in the Job Auxiliary Files folder. Use this option if you want to preserve a copy next to theassembled frames even after the Jobs have been deleted from the Deadline Repository.

• Draft Assembly Job Error On Missing Tiles: When unchecked, missing region or tile fragments will notcause errors and will simply be ignored, leaving either black background or the previous image’s pixels in theassembled image. When checked, the Assembly will only succeed if all requested input images have been foundand actually put together.

• Override Pool, Group, Priority for Assembly Job: When enabled, the Assembly Pool, Secondary Pool, Groupand Priority settings will be used for the Assembly Job instead of the main job’s settings.

The output formats that are supported by the Tile Assembler jobs are BMP, DDS, EXR, JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG, RGB,RGBA, SGI, TGA, TIF, and TIFF.

Jigsaw [Single-Frame | Animation] Multi-Region Rendering



This rollout contains all controls related to defining, managing and animating multiple regions for the’Jigsaw’ modes.The rollout title will change to include an ACTIVE: prefix and the “Single-Frame” or “Animation” token when therespective mode is selected in the Region Rendering Mode drop-down list (see above).

• UPDATE List: Press this button to refresh the ListView.

• LOAD/SAVE File...: Click to open a menu with the following options:

– LOAD Regions From Disk Preset File...: Selecting this option will open a file open dialog and let youselect a previously saved Regions Preset. Any existing regions will be replaced by the ones from the file.

– MERGE Regions From Disk Preset File...: Selecting this option will open a file open dialog and let youselect a previously saved Regions Preset. Any existing regions will be preserved, and the file regions willbe appended to the end of the list.

– SAVE Regions To Disk Preset File...: Only enabled if there are valid regions on the list. When selected,a file save dialog will open and let you save the current regions list to a disk preset for later loading ormerging in the same or different projects.

• GET From Camera...: If the current view is a Camera, a list of region definitions stored in the current view’sCamera will be displayed, allowing you to replace the current region list with the stored one. If the current viewis not a Camera view, a warning message will be shown asking you to select a Camera view. If the current view’sCamera does not have any regions stored in it, nothing will happen.

• STORE In Camera...: If the current view is a Camera, a list of region definitions stored in the current view’s

9.2. 3ds Max 519


Camera will be displayed, with the added option to Save New Preset... in a new “slot”. Alternatively, you canselect any of the previously stored “slots” to override or update. The Notes text specified in the Notes: fieldbelow will be used to describe the preset. Also, additional information including the number of regions, theuser, machine name, date and time and the MAX scene name will be stored with the preset.

• Notes: Enter a description of the current Region set to be used when saving a Preset to disk or camera. When apreset is loaded, the field will display the notes stored with the preset.

• ADD New Region: Creates a new region and appends it to the list. If objects are selected in the scene, theregion will be automatically resized to frame the selection. If nothing is selected, the Region will be set to thefull image size.

• CREATE From...: Click to open a context menu with several multi-region creation options:

• Create from SCENE SELECTION...: Select one or more objects in the scene and pick this option to create oneregion for each object in the selection. Note that regions might overlap or be completely redundant dependingon the size and location of the selected objects - use the OPTIMIZE options below to reduce.

• Create from TILES GRID...: Pick this option to create one region for each tile specified in the Tiles rollout.For example, if the Tiles in X is set to 4 and Tiles in Y is 3, 12 regions resembling the Tile Grid will be created.Note that once the regions are created, some of them can be merged together, others can be subdivided or splitas needed to distribute regions with different content and size to different machines, providing more flexibilitythan the original Tiles mode.

• Create from 3DS MAX REGION...: Create a region with the size specified by the 3ds Max Region gizmo.

• OPTIMAL FILL Of Empty Areas: After the grid is created, two passes are performed: first a HorizontalFill where regions are merged horizontally to produce wider regions, then a Vertical Fill merging regions withshared horizontal edges. The result is the least amount of tiles and equivalent to manually merging any neighbortiles with shared edges in Maya Jigsaw. Thus, it is the top (recommended) option.

• HORIZONTAL FILL Of Empty Areas: After creating the grid, a pass is performed over all regions to findneighbors sharing vertical edges. When two regions share an edge and the same top and bottom corner, theyget merged. This is the equivalent to the Maya Jigsaw behavior, producing wider regions where possible, butleaving a lot of horizontal edges between tiles with the same width.

• VERTICAL FILL Of Empty Areas: After creating the grid, a pass is performed to merge neighboring regionssharing a horizontal edge with the same left/right corners. The result is the opposite of the Horizontal Fill - a lotof tall regions.

• GRID FILL Of Empty Areas: Takes the horizontal and vertical coordinates of all tiles and creates a grid thatcontains them all. No merging of regions will be performed.

• OPTIMIZE Regions, Overlap Threshold > 25%: Compare the overlapping of all highlighted regions and ifthe overlapping area is more than 25% of the size of the smaller one of the two, combine the two regions to asingle region. Repeat for all regions until no overlapping can be detected.

• OPTIMIZE Regions, Overlap Threshold > 50%: Same as the previous option, but with a larger overlapthreshold.

• OPTIMIZE Regions, Overlap Threshold > 75%: Same as the previous options, but with an even largeroverlap threshold.

• Clone LEFT|RIGHT: Select a single region in the list and click with the Left Mouse Button to clone the regionto the left, or Right Mouse Button to clone to the right. The height will be retained. The width will be clampedautomatically if the new copy is partially outside the screen.

• Clone UP|DOWN: Select a single region in the list and click with the Left Mouse Button to clone the region up,or Right Mouse Button to clone down. The width will be retained. The height will be clamped automatically ifthe new copy is partially outside the screen.



• FIT to N Objects / Fit Padding Value: Highlight exactly one region in the list and select one or more objectsin the scene, then click with the Left Mouse Button to perform a precise vertex-based Fit to the selection, orclick with the Right Mouse Button to perform a quick bounding-box based Fit to the selection. Click the smallbutton with the number to the right to select the Padding Percentage to use when fitting in either modes.

• TRACK Region...: Left-click to open the Track dialog in Vertex-based mode for the currently selected regionand scene objects. Right-click for Bounding Box-based mode. While you can switch the mode in the dialogitself, both the radio buttons and the Padding % values will be adjusted for faster access according to the mousebutton pressed.

• SELECT | INVERT: Left-click to highlight all regions on the list. Right-click to invert the current selection.

• DELETE Regions: Click to delete the highlighted regions on the list.

• SET Keyframe: Highlight one or more regions and click this button to set a keyframe with the current regionsettings at the current time.

• << PREVIOUS Key: Click to change the time slider to the previous key of the highlighted region(s), if casethere are such keys.

• NEXT Key >>: Click to change the time slider to the next key of the highlighted region(s), if case there aresuch keys.

• DELETE Keyframe: Click to delete the keys (if any) of the highlighted regions. If there is no key on thecurrent frame, nothing will happen. Use in conjunction with Previous/Next Key navigation to delete actuallyexisting keys.

• Regions ListView: The list view is the main display of the current region settings. It provides several columnsand a set of controls under each column for editing the values on the list:

– On # column: Shows a checkbox to toggle a region on and off for rendering, and the index of the region.

– X and Y columns: These two columns display the coordinates of the upper left corner of the Region. Notethat internally the values are stored in relative screen coordinates, but in the list they are shown in currentoutput resolution pixel coordinates for convenience. Changing the output resolution in the Render Setupdialog and pressing the UPDATE List button will recalculate the pixel coordinates accordingly.

– Width and Height columns: These two columns display the width and height of the region in pixels. Likethe upper left corner’s X and Y coordinates, they are stored internally as relative screen coordinates andare shown as pixels for convenience.

– Tiles column: Each region can be subdivided additionally horizontally and vertically into a grid of sub-tiles, each to be rendered by a different network machine. This column shows the number of tiles of theregion, default is 1x1.

– Keys column: This column shows the number of animation keys recorded for the region. By default re-gions have no animation keys and will show – in the column unless animated manually or via the Trackingoption.

– Locked column: After Tracking, the region will be locked automatically to avoid accidental changes toits position and size. You can also lock the region manually if you want to prevent it from being movedaccidentally.

– Notes column: This column displays auto-generated or user-defined notes for each region. When a regionis created, it might be given a name based on the object it was fitted to, the original region it was cloned orsplit from etc. You can enter descriptive notes to explain what every region was meant for.

• UNDO... / REDO...: Most operations performed in the Multi-Region rollout will create undo records automat-ically. The Undo buffer is saved to disk in a similar form as the presets, and you can undo or redo individualsteps by left-clicking the button, or multiple steps at once by right-clicking and selecting from a list.

9.2. 3ds Max 521


• HOLD: Not all operations produce a valid undo record. If you feel that the next operation might be dangerous,you can press the HOLD button to force the creation of an Undo record at the current point to ensure you canreturn back to it in case the following operations don’t produce desirable results.

• SPLIT To Tiles: Pressing this button will split the highlighted region to new regions according to the Tilessettings, assuming they are higher than 1x1 subdivisions. You can use this feature together with the Tilescontrols to quickly produce a grid of independent regions from a single large region. For example, if you createa single region with no scene selection, it will have the size of the full screen. Enter Tile values like 4 and 3 andhit the SPLIT To Tiles to produce a grid of 12 regions.

• MERGE Selected: Highlight two or more regions to merge them into a single region. The regions don’t haveto necessarily touch or overlap - the minimum and maximum extents of all regions will be found and they willbe replaced by a single region with that position and size.

• Summary Field: This field displays information about the number of regions and sub-regions (tiles), the numberof pixels to be rendered by these regions, and the percentage of pixels that would be rendered compared to thefull image.

• Assemble Over... drop-down list: This list provides the assembly compositing options:

– Assemble Over EMPTY Background: The regions will be assembled into a new image using a blackempty background with zero alpha.

– Compose Over PREVIOUS OUTPUT Image: The regions will be assembled over the previously ren-dered (or assembled) image matching the current output filename (if it exists). If such an image does notexist, the regions will be assembled over an empty background.

– Compose Over CUSTOM SINGLE Image: The regions will be assembled over a user-defined bitmapspecified with the controls below. The same image will be used on all frames if an animation is rendered.

– Compose Over CUSTOM Image SEQUENCE: The regions will be assembled over a user-defined imagesequence specified with the controls below. Each frame will use the corresponding frame from the imagesequence.

• Pick Custom Background Image: Press this button to select the custom image or image sequence to be used inthe last compositing modes above. Make sure you specify a network location that can be accessed by the Draftjobs on Deadline performing the Assembly!

[Single-Frame | Animation] Tile Rendering



• Tiles In X / Tiles In Y: These values specify the number of tiles horizontally and vertically. The total numberof tiles (and jobs) to be rendered is calculated as X*Y and is displayed in the UI.

• Show Tiles In Viewport: Enables the tile display gizmo.

• Tile Pixel Padding: This value defines the number of pixels to overlap between tiles. By default it is set to0, but when rendering Global Illumination, it might be necessary to render tiles with significant overlapping toavoid artifacts.

• Re-Render User-Defined Tiles: When checked, only user-defined tiles will be submitted for re-rendering. Usethe [Specify Tiles To Re-render...] check-button to open a dialog and select the tiles to be rendered.

• Specify Tiles To Re-render: When checked, a dialog to select the tiles to be re-rendered will open. To closethe dialog, either uncheck the button or press the [X] button on the dialog’s title bar.

• Enable Blowup Mode: If enabled, tile rendering will work by zooming in on the region and rendering it at asmaller resolution. Then that region is blown up to bring it to the correct resolution. This has been known tohelp save memory when rendering large high resolution images.

• Submit All Tiles As A Single Job: By default, a separate job is submitted for each tile (this allows for tilerendering of a sequence of frames). For easier management of single frame tile rendering, you can choose tosubmit all the tiles as a single job.

• Submit Dependent Assembly Job: When rendering a single tile job, you can also submit a dependent assemblyjob to assemble the image when the main tile job completes.

• Use Draft For Assembly: If enabled, Draft will be used to assemble the images. Note that you’ll need a Draftlicense from Thinkbox.

Region Rendering

9.2. 3ds Max 523


When enabled, only the specified region will be rendered and depending on the region type selected, it can be croppedor blown up as well. If the Enable Distributed Tiles Rendering checkbox is checked, it will be unchecked. Thisoption REPLACES the “Crop” option in the Render mode drop-down list in the 3ds Max UI. In other words, the3ds Max option does not have to be selected for Region Rendering to be performed on Deadline. The region can bespecified either using the CornerX, CornerY, Width and Height spinners, or by getting the current region from theactive viewport. To do so, set the Render mode drop-down list to either Region or Crop, press the Render icon anddrag the region marker to specify the desired size. Then press ESC to cancel and press the Get Region From ActiveView to capture the new values.

Misc Tab

Quicktime Generation From Rendered Frame Sequence

Create a Quicktime movie from the frames rendered by a 3ds Max job. See the Quicktime documentation for moreinformation on the available options.

Render To Texture



This option enables texture baking through Deadline. Use the Add, Remove, and Clear All buttons to add and removeobjects from the list of objects to bake. * One Object Per Task: If enabled, each RTT object will be allocated to anindividual task thereby allowing multiple machines to carry out RTT processing simultaneously.

Batch Submission

• Use Data from 3ds Max Batch Render: This checkbox enables Batch Submission using the 3ds Max BatchRender dialog settings. If checked, a single MASTER job will be sent to Deadline which in turn will “spawn”all necessary BATCH jobs.

• Open Dialog: This button opens the 3ds Max Batch Render dialog in Version 8 and higher.

• Update Info: This button reads the 3ds Max Batch Render dialog settings and displays the number of enabledvs. defined Views.

Sanity Check

The 3ds Max Sanity Check script defines a set of functions to be called to ensure that the scene submission does notcontain typical errors like wrong render view and frame range settings, incorrect output path, etc.

The Sanity Check is enabled by the Run Sanity Check Automatically Before Submission checkbox in the User Optionsgroup of controls in the Submit To Deadline (3dsmax) dialog. You can also run the Sanity Check automatically byclicking the Run Now! button.

9.2. 3ds Max 525


The dialog contains the following elements:

• The upper area (Error Report) lists the problems found in the current scene.

• The lower area (Feedback Messages) lists the actions the Sanity Check performs and gives feedback to the user.The latest message is always on top.

• Between the two areas, there is a summary text line listing the total number of errors and a color indicator of thecurrent Sanity Check state. When red, the Sanity Check will not allow a job submission to be performed.

The Error Report

The left column of the Error Report displays a checkbox and the type of the error. The checkbox determines whetherthe error will be taken into account by the final result of the check. Currently, there are 3 types of errors:

• FATAL: The error cannot be fixed automatically and requires manual changes to the scene itself. A job sub-mission with such an error would be pointless. The state of the checkbox is ignored and considered alwayschecked.

• Can Be Fixed: The error can be fixed automatically or manually. If the checkbox is active, the error contributesto the final result. If unchecked, the error is ignored and handled as a warning.

• Warning: The problem might not require fixing, but could be of importance to the user. It is not taken intoaccount by the final result (the state of the checkbox is ignored and considered always unchecked).

Repairing Errors

Right-clicking an Error Message in the Error Report window will cause an associated repair function to be executedand/or a Report Message to be output in the Feedback Messages window. This difference was caused by the switchto DotNet controls which handle double-clicks as checked events, changing the checkbox state in front of the errorinstead.

Updating the Error Report

You can rerun/update the Sanity Check in one of the following ways:



• Clicking the dialog anywhere outside of the two message areas will rerun the Sanity Check and update allmessages.

• Double-clicking any Message in the Feedback Messages window will rerun the Sanity Check and update allmessages.

• Reparing an error by double-clicking will also automatically rerun the Sanity Check

• Pressing the Run Now! button in the Submit To Deadline dialog will update the Sanity Check.

FATAL Sanity Checks

These are errors that must be fixed manually before the job can be submitted.

Message Description FixThe scene does not containANY objects!

The scene is empty and should notbe sent to Deadline.

Load a valid scene or create/ mergeobjects, then try again.

Maxwell is the renderer and thecurrent view is NOT a Camera.

Maxwell renderer must renderthrough an actual camera and willfail through a viewport.

Double-click the error message toopen a Select By Name dialog to picka camera for the current viewport.

The scene contains objects orgroups with the same name as acamera!

The scene contains objects or groupswith a duplicate name to a camerawhich could result in an incorrectobject being used as the camera.

Ensure you remove any duplicatenamed objects from your scene.

Maxwell is the renderer and theRender Time Output is set to aSINGLE FRAME! (Check iscurrently disabled in SMTD)

Maxwell has an issue with singleframe rendering.

Double-click the error message willchange the Rendering Output Time toanimation with just the current frame.

Render Output Path lengthexceeds 255 characters!

Ensure the render output file savepath is less than 255 characters inlength.

Double-click the error message willopen the Render Scene Dialog for youto manually shorten the path length.

Render Elements Output Pathlength exceeds 255 characters!

Ensure any Render Element file savepath lengths are less than 255characters in length.

Double-click the error message willopen the Render Scene Dialog for youto manually shorten the RE pathlength.

Duplicate Render Elementssaving to same File Found!

1 or more Render Elements aresaving to an identical file path andfile name.

Double-click the error message willopen the Render Scene Dialog for youto manually resolve the duplication.

Scene Object(s) contain names> 255 characters!

1 or more objects in the scene has anobject name which is greater than255 characters in length, which willcrash Max.

Shorten the character length of all theobjects in your scene to ensurestability.

Corrupt Group(s) detected inyour Scene!

One or more objects in your sceneare a group head but have no childmembers!

Double-click the error message toautomatically have these corrupt nodesdeleted from the scene. Results areprinted to the Sanity Check Window.

Multi-Region RenderingRequested, But No ActiveRegions Found!

Jigsaw Multi-Region Rendering hasbeen enabled, but there are NOactive regions enabled in the SMTDTiles Tab UI.

Ensure at least 1 region is active in theJigsaw Multi- Region Rendering UI inthe Tiles tab of SMTD.

9.2. 3ds Max 527


V-Ray Save Raw Image File isEnabled, but Raw Image FilePath is Empty!

V-Ray VFB Save Raw Image File is enabledbut NO save file path has been declared!

Double-click the errormessage will open the RenderScene Dialog for you tomanually enter a valid file savepath.

V-Ray Save Separate RenderChannels is Enabled, butSeparate Render Channels FilePath is Empty!

V-Ray VFB Save Separate Render Channelsis Enabled, but NO save file path has beendeclared!

Double-click the errormessage will open the RenderScene Dialog for you tomanually enter a valid file savepath.

V-Ray VFB Save Raw ImageFile - [Generate preview]should be Disabled!

V-Ray VFB [Generate Preview] must bedisabled for network rendering.

Double-click the errormessage will disable the[Generate Preview] button inthe VFB.

V-Ray VFB - [Region render]button should be Disabled!

V-Ray VFB [Region render] must be disabledfor network rendering.

Double-click the errormessage will disable the[Region render] button in theVFB.

V-Ray VFB - [Track mousewhile rendering] button shouldbe Disabled! (Check iscurrently disabled in SMTD).

V-Ray VFB [Track mouse while rendering]button must be disabled for networkrendering.

Double-click the errormessage will disable the[Track mouse while rendering]button in the VFB.

V-Ray RE:[Alpha,Reflection,Refraction] or [Save alpha]requires Draft Tile Assembler.NOT supported with TA.

When using Jigsaw SingleFrame TileRendering with V-Ray RE’s such as Alpha,Reflection, Refraction OR [Save alpha] viathe VFB, ensure you use Draft TileAssembler which is able to support the higherbit depths created by these RE’s.

Double-click the errormessage will enable Draft asthe Tile Assembler.

Fixable Sanity Checks

The following Sanity Checks can be automatically fixed before the job is submitted.



Message Description FixThe current SceneName is Untitled.

The scene has never been saved to aMAX file.While it is possible to submit an untitledscene to Deadline, it is not a goodpractice.

Double-click the error message to open aSave As dialog and save to disk.

The current view isNOT a camera.

The active viewport is not a cameraviewport.

Double-click the error message to open aSelect By Name dialog to pick a camerafor the current viewport.

The Render TimeOutput is set toSINGLE FRAME!

While it is ok to send a single frame toDeadline, users are sending animations99% of the cases.

Double-click the error message to set theRender Time Output to “Active TimeSegment:. The Render Dialog will openso you can check the options and set toRange or Frames instead.

The Render OutputPath appears to point ata LOCAL DRIVE!

While it is technically possible to savelocally on each Slave, this is a bad idea -all Slaves should write their output to acentral location on the network.Currently, disks C:, D: and E: areconsidered local and will be tested againsthe output path.

Double-click the error message to openthe Render Dialog and select a valid path,then double-click again to retest.

The Render Output FileName ends with aDIGIT - trailingnumbers might fail.

The Name to be saved to ends with one,two or three digits. Rendering to this filename will append 4 more digits and makeloading sequential files in otherapplications hard or impossible. Thischeck is performed only when the type isnot AVI or MOV and will ignore 4trailing digits which will be replaced by3dsmax correctly when rendering tosequential files.

Double-click the error message to add anunderscore _ to the end of the file name,for example z:\temp\test123.tga will bechanged to z:\temp\test123_.tga

The Render Output willnot be saved to a file.

No renders will be saved as Render SceneDialog checkbox is currently disabled.

Double-click the error message to openthe Render Dialog and to enable the SaveFile checkbox.

The DistributedRendering option isenabled for thisrenderer.

Check if Distributed Rendering is enabledfor MR or V-Ray renderer.

Double-click the error message to disableDistributed rendering.

Workstation Modemust be enabled to useV-Ray DistributedRendering.

3dsMax must use a workstation license toallow Distributed Rendering to work,when it is being offloaded onto the farm.

Double-click the error message andWorkstation Mode will be enabled inSMTD.

The Render TimeOutput is NOT set tosingle frame, andRemove FilenamePadding is enabled!

When rendering animations, you shouldallow filename padding to ensure animage sequence is created duringrendering.

Double-click the error message willchange the Rendering Output Time toSINGLE FRAME.

9.2. 3ds Max 529


The current Renderer isKrakatoa and ParticleCache is ON!

Particle and Lighting Cache should bedisabled during SMTD submission toDeadline queue.

Double-click the error message to setthe PCache & LCache to be disabled.

One or more RenderElement Save File Pathsare EMPTY! (V-Ray? -Disable the IndividualRE)

Ensure that a Render Element Output Filehas been selected for each Render Element!If using V-Ray Frame Buffer and ALL RE’shave been Disabled, then IGNORE thisSanity Check!

Double-click the error message willopen the Render Scene Dialog foryou to manually resolve the issue or itcan be safely ignored.

Camera MatchBackground Image(s) inyour Scene. Right-clickto REMOVE these ref.bitmaps!

Surplus camera match bkgrd images in yourscene cause unnecessary bitmap refs. inyour scene file.

Double-click the error message willdelete any background image in ALLcameras in your scene file.

Alpha Channel will NOTbe stored if saving *.tgafile @ 16/24bit depth!Select 32bit for Alpha!

Ensure you select 32bit in the TGA imageplugin file format options to ensure an alphachannel is stored in the TGA file.

Double-click the error message willopen the Render Scene Dialog for youto manually configure the bit depth ofthe TGA image file to be saved.

Warnings

The following Sanity Checks are simply warnings.

Message Description FixThe Render Output Path isNOT DEFINED!

No frames will be saved to disk. This isallowed if you want to output renderelements only.

Double-click the error message toopen the Render Dialog and selecta valid path, then double-clickagain to retest.

The Render Output is setto a MOVIE format.

The file extension is set to an AVI or MOVformat.In the current version of Deadline, this wouldresult in a sequence of single frame MOVfiles rendered by separate slaves. In thefuture, the behaviour might be changed torender a single MOV or AVI file on a singleslave as one Task.

Double-click the error message toopen the Render Dialog and selecta single frame output format, thendouble-click again to retest.

Not rendering final image(GI) so Restart Renderershould be disabled, andMachine Limit set to 1.

“Don’t render final image” is enabled, soRestart Renderer and Machine Limit shouldbe set to 1 in SMTD.

Double-click the error message andRestart Renderer will be disabledand Machine Limit enabled and setto 1 in SMTD.

Restart Renderer BetweenFrames is disabled andV-Ray or Brazil is theselected renderer.

V-Ray & Brazil renderers need RestartRenderer to be enabled to ensure memorylevels are purged during rendering.

Double-click the error message toenable Restart Renderer in theSMTD settings.

Viewport is currentlylocked, which can result inincorrect renders withDeadline.

The locked viewport setting in 3dsMax2009-2014 is ignored in the SDK but is fixedin 3dsMax 2015 onwards.

Double-click the error message todisable the Locked Viewport(padlock) in the Render SceneDialog.

Tile Rendering is enabledand the V-Ray VFB iscurrently on.

Unexpected results can occur when theV-Ray VFB is enabled and you are TileRendering. Consider where any RenderElements may be saving to, including the useof the VFB Split Channels and RAW output.

Double-click the error message todisable the V-Ray VFB outputcheckbox.

This list will be extended to include future checks and can be edited by 3rd parties by adding new definitions andfunctions to the original script. Documentation on extending the script will be published later. Please email suggestionsfor enhancements and additional test cases to Deadline Support.




9.2.2 V-Ray/Mental Ray off-load DBR

You can offload a V-Ray or Mental Ray DBR job to Deadline by enabling the Distributed Rendering option in yourV-Ray or Mental Ray settings, and by enabling the V-Ray/Mental Ray DBR checkbox in the submission dialog (underthe Render tab). With this option enabled, a job will be submitted with its task count equal to the number of Slavesyou specify, and it will render the current frame in the scene file.

The slave that picks up task 0 will be the “master”, and will wait until all other tasks are picked up by other slaves.Once the other tasks have been picked up, the “master” will update its local V-Ray or Mental Ray config file with thenames of the machines that are rendering the other tasks. It will then start the distributed render by connecting to theother machines. Note that the render will not start until ALL tasks have been picked up by a slave.

It is recommended to setup V-Ray DBR or Mental Ray DBR for 3ds Max and verify it is working correctly priorto submitting a DBR off-load job to Deadline. RTT (Render To Texture) is not supported with distributed bucketrendering. If running multiple Deadline slaves on one machine, having these 2 or more slaves both pick up a differentDBR job concurrently as either master or slave is not supported.

Notes for V-Ray DBR:

• You MUST have the Force Workstation Mode option enabled in the submission dialog (under the Render tab).This means that the “master” will use up a 3ds Max license. If you don’t want to use a 3ds Max license, you cansubmit to the 3ds Command plugin instead.

• Ensure V-Ray is the currently assigned renderer in the 3ds Max scene file prior to submission.

• You must have the Distributed Rendering option enabled in your V-Ray settings under the Settings tab.

• Ensure “Save servers in the scene” (“Save hosts in the scene” in V-Ray v2) option in V-Ray distributed renderingsettings is DISABLED as otherwise it will ignore the vray_dr.cfg file list!

• Ensure “Max servers” value is set to 0. When set to 0 all listed servers will be used.

• It is recommended to disable “Use local host” checkbox to reduce network traffic on the “master” machine,when using a large number of slaves (5+). If disabled, the “master” machine only organises the DBR process,sending rendering tasks to the Deadline slaves. This is particularly important if you intend to use the V-Ray v3+“Transfer missing assets” feature. Note that Windows 7 OS has a limitation of a maximum of 20 other machinesconcurrently ‘connecting’ to the “master” machine.

• V-Ray v3.00.0x has a bug in DBR when the “Use local host” is unchecked, it still demands a render node license.This is resolved in a newer version of V-Ray. Please contact Chaos Group for more information.

• The slaves will launch the V-Ray Spawner executable found in the 3ds Max root directory. Do NOT install theV-Ray Spawner as a service on the master or slave machines. Additionally, Drive Mappings are unsupportedwhen running as a service.

• The vray_dr.cfg file in the 3ds Max’s plugcfg directory must be writeable so that the “master” machine canupdate it. This is typically located in the user profile directory, in which case it will be writeable already.

• Chaos Group recommend that each machine to be used for DBR has previously rendered at least one other 3dsMax job prior to trying DBR on the same machine.

• Ensure all slaves can correctly access any mapped drives or resolve all UNC paths to obtain any assets requiredby the 3ds Max scene file to render successfully. Use the Deadline Mapped Drives feature to ensure the necessarydrive mappings are in place.

• Default lights are not supported by Chaos Group in DBR mode and will not render.

• Ensure you have sufficient V-Ray DR licenses if processing multiple V-Ray DBR jobs through Deadline con-currently. Use the Deadline Limits feature to limit the number of licenses being used at any time.

• Ensure the necessary V-Ray executables & TCP/UDP ports have been allowed to pass-through the WindowsFirewall. Please consult the V-Ray user manual for specific information.

9.2. 3ds Max 531


• V-Ray does NOT currently support in 3ds Max the ability to dynamically add or remove DBR slaves to thecurrently processing DBR render once started on the “master” slave.

Notes for Mental Ray DBR:

• Ensure Mental Ray is the currently assigned renderer in the 3ds Max scene file prior to submission.

• You must have the Distributed Render option enabled in your Mental Ray settings under the Processing tab.

• The Mental Ray Satellite service must be running on your slave machines. It is installed by default during the3ds Max 2014 or earlier installation. Note that ADSK changed this default from 3dsMax 2015 onwards and theMental Ray Satellite Service is installed as part of the install process but is NOT automatically started, so youwill need to start it manually the very first time. See this AREA blog post about Distributed Bucket Renderingin 3ds Max 2015.

• The max.rayhosts file must be writeable so that the “master” machine can update it. It’s location is different fordifferent versions of 3ds Max:

– 2010 and earlier: It will be in the “mentalray” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

– 2011 and 2012: It will be in the “mentalimages” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

– 2013 and later: It will be in the “NVIDIA” folder in the 3ds Max root directory.

• Ensure the “Use Placeholder Objects” checkbox is enabled in the “Translator Options” rollout of the “Process-ing” tab. When placeholder objects are enabled, geometry is sent to the renderer only on demand.

• Ensure “Bucket Order” is set to “Hilbert” in the “Options” section of the “Sampling Quality” rollout of the“Renderer” tab. With Hilbert order, the sequence of buckets to render uses the fewest number of data transfers.

• Contour shading is not supported with distributed bucket rendering.

• Autodesk Mental Ray licensing in 3ds Max is restricted. Autodesk says “Satellite processors allow any ownerof a 3ds Max license to freely use up to four slave machines (with up to four processors each and an unlimitednumber of cores) to render an image using distributed bucket rendering, not counting the one, two, or fourprocessors on the master system that runs 3ds Max.” Mental Ray Standalone licensing can be used to go beyondthis license limit. Use the Deadline Limits feature to limit the number of licenses being used at any time ifrequired.

• Ensure the necessary Mental Ray executables & TCP/UDP ports have been allowed to pass-through the Win-dows Firewall. Please consult the Autodesk 3ds Max user manual for specific information.


You can configure the 3dsmax plugin settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the 3dsmax plugin from the list on the left.


http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n239-distributed-bucket-rendering-in-3ds-max-2015

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n239-distributed-bucket-rendering-in-3ds-max-2015


3ds Max Render Executables

• 3ds Max Executable: The path to the 3ds Max executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

3ds Max Design Render Executables

• 3ds Max Design Executable: The path to the 3ds Max Design executable file used for rendering. Enter alter-native paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on yourrender nodes.

Render Options

• Alternate Plugin ini File: Location of alternate plugin ini file.

• Fail On Existing 3dsmax Process: Prevent deadline from rendering when 3dsmax is already open.

• Run Render Sanity Check: If enabled, Deadline will do a quick sanity check with 3dsmaxcmd.exe prior torendering to ensure 3dsmax is properly set up for network rendering.

• Kill ADSK Comms Center Process: If enabled, Deadline will kill Autodesk Communications Center processif it’s running during network rendering.

• Disable Saving Output To Alternate File Name: If enabled, Deadline won’t try to rename the output file(s) ifit is unable to save the output to its default file name.

Timeouts

• Timeout For Loading 3dsmax: Maximum time for 3dsmax to load, in seconds.

• Timeout For Starting A Job: Maximum time for 3dsmax to start a job, in seconds.

• Timeout For Progress Updates: Maximum time before progress update times out, in seconds.

V-Ray DBR and Mental Ray Satellite Rendering

9.2. 3ds Max 533


• Use IP Addresses: If offloading a V-Ray DBR or Mental Ray Satellite render to Deadline, Deadline will updatethe appropriate config file with the host names of the machines that are running the V-Ray Spawner or Satelliteservice. If this is enabled, the IP addresses of the machines will be used instead.

9.2.4 Firewall Considerations

Here is an non-exhaustive list of specific 3dsMax related application executables which should be granted access topass through the Windows Firewall for all applicable policy scopes (Windows - domain, private, public) and bothinbound & outbound rules (where <maxroot> is the 3dsMax install directory):

• <maxroot>/3dsmax.exe

• <maxroot>/3dsmaxcmd.exe

• <maxroot>/maxadapter.adp.exe

• <maxroot>/vrayspawnerYYYY.exe where YYYY is the yearDate such as “2015” (Only applicable if V-Rayinstalled)

• <maxroot>/python/python.exe

• <maxroot>/python/pythonw.exe

Autodesk Communication Center (InfoCenter) Path (dependent on 3dsMax version being used):

• 3dsMax 2009-2010: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\WSCommCntr1.exe

• 3dsMax 2011: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\WSCommCntr\lib\WSCommCntr2.exe

• 3dsMax 2012: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\WSCommCntr3\lib\WSCommCntr3.exe

• 3dsMax 2013-2015: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\WSCommCntr4\lib\WSCommCntr4.exe

It is recommended to always start 3dsMax for the very first time with Administrative rights to ensure the application isfully initialized correctly. This can also be achieved by right-clicking the 3dsmax.exe application and selecting “Runas administrator”.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Autodesk 3ds Max submission script. The integratedsubmission script allows for submitting 3ds Max render jobs to Deadline directly from within the 3ds Max editingGUI. The integrated render job submission script and the following installation procedure has been tested with 3dsMax versions 2010 and later (including Design editions).


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/3dsmax/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsmax/Client/Deadline3dsMaxClient.mcr to [3ds Max Install Direc-tory]/MacroScripts. If you don’t have a MacroScripts folder in your 3ds Max install directory, check tosee if you have a UI/Macroscripts folder instead, and copy the Deadline3dsMaxClient.mcr file there if you do.

• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsmax/Client/SMTDSetup.ms to [3ds Max Install Direc-tory]/scripts/Startup/SMTDSetup.ms.




RPManager Script Setup

To install the 3ds Max integrated submission script in RPManager, just follow these steps:

• Create a Deadline7 folder in [maxdir]\scripts\RPManager

• Copy [repo]\submission\3dsmaxRPM\Client\Deadline3dsMaxRPMClient.ms to[maxdir]\scripts\RPManager\Deadline7\Deadline3dsMaxRPMClient.ms

• In RPManager, select Customize -> Preferences to open the preferences window

• In the Network Manager section, choose Custom Submit in the drop down, and then choose the Dead-line3dsMaxRPMClient.ms script you copied over

9.2. 3ds Max 535


• Click OK to close the preferences, and then click on the Network tab to see the submitter

9.2.6 Advanced Features For Technical Directors

MAXScript Interface

When running a MAXScript job through Deadline, there is an interface called DeadlineUtil which you can use to getinformation about the job being rendered. The API for the interface between MAXScript and Deadline is as follows:

Functions



Function Descriptionstring GetAuxFilename( int index) Gets the file with the given index that was submitted with the job.string GetJobInfoEntry( string key ) Gets a value from the plugin info file that was submitted with the job, and

returns an empty string if the key doesn’t exist.string GetOutputFilename( intindex )

Gets the output file name for the job at the given index.

string GetSubmitInfoEntry( stringkey )

Gets a value from the job info file that was submitted with the job, andreturns an empty string if the key doesn’t exist.

intGetSubmitInfoEntryElementCount(string key )

If the job info entry is an array, this gets the number of elements in thatarray.

string GetSubmitInfoEntryElement(int index, string key )

If the job info entry is an array, this gets the element at the given index.

void FailRender( string message ) Fails the render with the given error message.void LogMessage( string message ) Logs the message to the slave log.void SetProgress( float percent ) Sets the progress of the render in the slave UI.void SetTitle( string title ) Sets the render status message in the slave UI.void WarnMessage( string message)

Logs a warning message to the slave log.

Properties

Property Descriptionint CurrentFrame Gets the current frame.int CurrentTask Gets the current task ID.string JobsDataFolder Gets the local folder on the slave where the Deadline job files are copied to.string PluginsFolder Gets the local folder on the slave where the Deadline plugin files are copied to.string SceneFileName Gets the file name of the loaded 3ds Max scene.string SceneFilePath Gets the file path of the loaded 3ds Max scene.

Submitter’s Sticky Settings and Factory Defaults

The latest version of the Submit Max To Deadline script allows the user to control the stickiness of most User Interfacecontrols and, in the case of non-sticky settings, the defaults to be used. In previous versions of SMTD, both thestickiness and the defaults were hard-coded.

Overview

Two INI files located in the Repository in the folder \submission\3dsmax control the stickiness and the defaults:

• SubmitMaxToDeadline_StickySettings.ini - this file can be used to define which controls in the SMTD UI willbe stored locally in an INI file (“sticky”) and which will be reset to defaults after a restart of the Submitter.

• SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini - this file can be used to define the default settings of those controls set tonon-sticky in the other file.

In addition, a local copy of the SubmitMaxToDeadline_StickySettings.ini file can be saved in a user’s applicationdata folder. This file will OVERRIDE the stickiness settings in the Repository and can contain a sub-set of thedefinitions in the global file.

Details

When SMTD is initializing, it will perform the following operations:

1. The SMTDSettings Struct will be initialized to the factory defaults of all settings.

2. Each UI setting will be initially assumed to be sticky.

3. The global Stickiness definition file is searched for a key matching the current UI setting’s name.

9.2. 3ds Max 537


• If the key is set to “false”, the setting is not sticky.

• If the key is set to anything but “false”, the setting is sticky.

• If the key does not exist, the stickiness still defaults to the initial value of true.

4. A local Stickiness definition file is searched for a key matching the current UI setting’s name.

• If the key is set to “false”, the setting is not sticky and overrides whatever was found in the global file.

• If the key is set to anything but “false”, the setting is sticky, overriding whatever was found in theglobal file.

• If the key does not exist in the local file, the last known value (initial or from the global file) remainsin power.

5. At this point, SMTD knows whether the setting is sticky or not. Now it gets the global default value:

• If a matching key exists in the file SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini, the setting is initialized to itsvalue.

• If no matching key exists in the global defaults file, the original factory default defined in the SMTD-Struct definition will remain in power.

• If the setting is sticky, SMTD loads the last known value from the local INI file. If the value turns outto be invalid or not set, it uses the default instead.

• If the setting is not sticky, the default loaded from the global defaults file or, if no such default wasloaded, the factory default, will be assigned to the setting.

When the User Interface is created, the stickiness info from the local and global files will determine whether a *starcharacter will be added to the control’s name, reflecting the current stickiness settings.

Using this new feature, a facility can customize the submitter globally to default to the preferred settings and keepcertain settings sticky so their values can be determined by the artists. In addition, single users can override thecompany-wide stickiness settings using a local file if they feel their workflow require a different setup.

Custom Job Name Controls

There are two ways to customize the job name. You can use keys in the job name that are replaced with actual values(like $scene), or you can have the job name be generated from a list of shows, shots, etc. You will then be able to usethe [>>] button to the right of the Job Name field to select these custom job names.

Generate Job Name From Keys

There is a file in the ..\submission\3dsmax\Main\ folder in your Repository called SubmitMaxToDead-line_NameFormats.ini. In addition, a local copy of the SubmitMaxToDeadline_NameFormats.ini file can be savedin a user’s application data folder. This file will OVERRIDE the name formats in the Repository and can contain asub-set of the definitions in the global file. This file will contain some key-value pairs such as:

$scene=(getfilenamefile(maxfilename))$date=((filterstring (localtime) " ")[1])$deadlineusername=(SMTDFunctions.GetDeadlineUser())$username=(sysInfo.username)$maxversion=(((maxVersion())[1]/1000) as string)

The key to the left of = is the string that will be replaced in the job name. The value to the right of the = is the maxscriptcode that is executed to return the replacement string (note that the value returned must be returned as a string). So ifyou use $scene in your job name, it will be swapped out for the scene file name. You can append additional key-valuepairs or modify the existing ones as you see fit.



By default, the [>>] button will already have $scene or $outputfilename as selectable options. You can then create anoptional JobNames.ini file in the 3dsmax submission folder, with each line representing an option. For example:

$scene$outputfilename$scene_$camera_$username$maxversion_$date

These options will then be available for selection in the submission dialog. This allows for all sorts of customizationwith regards to the job name.

Generate Job Name For Shows

This advanced feature allows the addition of custom project, sequence, shot and pass names to the [>>] list to theright of the Job Name field. Producers in larger facilities could provide full shot lists via a central set of files in theRepository to allow users to pick existing shot names and ensuring consistent naming conventions independent fromthe 3ds Max scene naming.

To create a new set of files, go to the ..\submission\3dsmax\Main\ folder in your Repository and create the followingfiles:

Projects.ini - This file describes the projects currently available for Custom Job Naming. Each Project is defined as aCategory inside this file, with two keys: Name and ShortName.

For example:

[SomeProject]Name=Some Project in 3DShortName=SP[AnotherProject]Name=Another ProjectShortName=AP

SomeProject.ini - This is a file whose name should match exactly the Category name inside the file Projects.ini andcontains the actual sequence, shot and pass description of the particular project. One file is expected for each projectdefinition inside the Projects.ini file.

For example:

[SP_SS_010]Beauty=trueDiffuse=trueNormals=trueZDepth=trueUtility=true[SP_SS_150]Beauty=trueDiffuse=trueUtility=true[SP_SO_020]Beauty=true[SP_SO_030]Beauty=true

The Submitter will parse this file and try to collect the Sequences by matching the prefix of the shot names, for examplein the above file, it will collect two sequences - SP_SS and SP_SO - and build a list of shots within each sequence,then also build a list of passes within each shot.

9.2. 3ds Max 539


Then, when the [>>] button is pressed, the context menu will contain the name of each project and will provide acascade of sub-menus for its sequences, shots and passes.

If you selected the entry SomeProject>SP_SS>SP_SS_150>Diffuse, the resulting Job Name will be“SP_SS_150_Diffuse”:

You can enter as many projects into your Projects.ini file as you want and provide one INI file for each projectdescribing all its shots and passes. If an INI file is missing, no data will be displayed for that project.

Custom Comment Controls

Just like job names, you can use keys in the comment field that are replaced with actual values (like $scene). There is afile in the ..\submission\3dsmax\Main\ folder in your Repository called SubmitMaxToDeadline_CommentFormats.ini.In addition, a local copy of the SubmitMaxToDeadline_CommentFormats.ini file can be saved in a user’s applicationdata folder. This file will OVERRIDE the comment formats in the Repository and can contain a sub-set of the defini-tions in the global file. This file will contain some key-value pairs such as:

$default=("3ds Max " + SMTDFunctions.getMaxVersion() + " Scene Submission")$scene=(getfilenamefile(maxfilename))$date=((filterstring (localtime) " ")[1])$deadlineusername=(SMTDFunctions.GetDeadlineUser())$username=(sysInfo.username)$maxversion=(((maxVersion())[1]/1000) as string)

The key to the left of = is the string that will be replaced in the comment. The value to the right of the = is the maxscriptcode that is executed to return the replacement string (note that the value returned must be returned as a string). So ifyou use $scene in your comment, it will be swapped out for the scene file name. You can append additional key-valuepairs or modify the existing ones as you see fit.

By default, the [>>] button will already have $default. You can then create an optional Comments.ini file in the 3dsmaxsubmission folder, with each line representing an option. For example:



$default$scene$outputfilename$scene_$camera_$username$maxversion_$date

These options will then be available for selection in the submission dialog. This allows for all sorts of customizationwith regards to the comment field.

Auto-Suggest Category and Priority Mechanism

This feature has been implemented to help Producers suggest categories and priorities based on Shots and Sequencesignatures which are part of the 3ds Max Scene Name.

This feature DOES NOT ENFORCE the Category and Priority for the job, it only suggests a value based on projectguidelines - the Category and Priority can be changed manually after the suggestion.

To use this feature, you have to edit the file called “SubmitMaxToDeadline_CategoryPatterns.ms” located in the Repos-itory in the \submission\3dsmax folder. As a shortcut, you can press the button Edit Patterns... in the Options tab ofthe Submitter - the file will open in the built-in MAXScript Editor.

The file defines a global array variable called SMTD_CategoryPatterns which will be used by the Submitter to performpattern matching on the Job Name and try to find a corresponding Category and optionally a priority value in the array.

The array can contain one or more sub-arrays, each one representing a separate pattern definition.

Every pattern sub-array consists of four array elements:

• The first element is an array containing zero, one or more string patterns using * wildcards. These strings willbe used to pattern match the Job Name. If it matches, it will be considered for adding to the Category and forchanging the Priority. If the subarray is empty, all jobs will be considered matching the pattern.

• The second element is also an array containing similar pattern strings. These strings will be used to EXCLUDEjobs matching these patterns from being considered for this Category and Priority. If the subarray is empty, noexclusion matching will be performed.

• The third element contains the EXACT name (Case Sensitive!) of the category to be set if the Job Name matchesthe patterns. If the category specified here does not match any of the categories defined via the Monitor, no actionwill be performed.

• The fourth element specifies the Priority to give the job if it matches the patterns. If the value is -1, the existingpriority will NOT be changed.

The pattern array can contain any number of pattern definitions. The higher a definition is on the list, the higher itspriority - if a Job Name matches multiple pattern definitions, only the first one will be used.

The pattern matching will be performed only if the checkbox Auto-Suggest Job Category and Priority in the OptionsTab is checked. It will be performed when the dialog first opens or when the the Job Name is changed.

An example:

• Let’s assume that a VFX facility is working on a project called “SomeProject” with multiple sequences labelled“AB”, “CD” and “EF”.

• The network manager has created categories called “SomeProject”, “AB_Sequence”, “CD_Sequence”,“EF_Sequence” and “High_Priority” via the Monitor.

• The Producers have instructed the Artists to name their 3ds Max files “SP_AB_XXX_YYY_”where SP standsfor “SomeProject”, “AB” is the label of the sequence followed by the scene and shot numbers.

9.2. 3ds Max 541


• Now we want to set up the Submitter to suggest the right Categories for all Max files sent to Deadline based onthese naming conventions.

• We want jobs from the CD sequence to be set to Priority of 60 unless they are from the scene with number“007”.

• We want jobs from the AB sequence to be set to Priority of 50

• We don’t want to enforce any priority to jobs for sequence EF.

• Also we want shots from the “AB” sequence with scene number “123” and “EF” sequence with scene shotnumber “038” to be sent at highest priority and added to the special “High Priority” category for easier filteringin the Monitor.

• Finally we want to make sure that any SP project files that do not contain a sequence label are added to thegeneral “SomeProject” category with lower priority.

To implement these rules, we could create the following definitions in the “SubmitMaxToDead-line_CategoryPatterns.ms” - press the Edit Patterns... button in the Options tab to open the file:

SMTD_CategoryPatterns = #(#(#("*AB_123*","*EF_*_038*"),#(),"High_Priority",100),#(#("*AB_*"),#(),"AB_Sequence",50),#(#("*CD_*"),#("*CD_007_*"),"CD_Sequence",60),#(#("*EF_*"),#(),"EF_Sequence",-1),#(#("SP_*"),#(),"SomeProject",30),)

• The first pattern specifies that files from the “AB” sequence, scene “123” and “EF” sequence, shot “038” (re-gardless of scene number) will be suggested as Category “High_Priority” and set Priority to 100.

• The second pattern specifies all AB jobs to have priority of 50 and be added to Category “AB_Sequence”. Sincethe special case of AB_123 has been handled in the previous pattern, this will not apply to it.

• The third pattern sets jobs that contain “CD_” in their name but NOT the signature “CD_007_” to the“CD_Sequence” Category and sets the Priority to 60.

• The fourth pattern sets jobs that contain “EF_” in their name to the “EF_Sequence” Category but does notchange the priority (-1).

• The fifth pattern specifies that any jobs that have not matched the above rules but still start with the “SP_”signature should be added to the “SomeProject” Category and set to low priority of 30.

Note that since we used “*” instead of “SP_”in the beginning of the first 4 patterns, even if the job is not namedcorrectly with the project prefix “SP_”, the pattern will correctly match the job name.

Custom Plugin.ini File Creation

This section covers the Alternate Plugin.ini feature in the 3ds Max Rendering rollout (under the Render tab).

Alternate Plugin.ini File

The plugin.ini list will show a list of alternative plug-in configuration files located in the Repository. By default, therewill be no alternative plugin.ini files defined in the repository. The list will show only one entry called [Default],which will cause all slaves to render using their own local plugin.ini configuration and is equivalent to having the UseCustom Plugin.ini file unchecked.

To define an alternative plugin.ini, copy a local configuration file from one of the slaves to [Reposi-tory]\plugins\3dsmax in the repository. Edit the name of the file by adding a description of it. For example, plu-gin_brazil.ini, plugin_vray.ini, plugin_fr.ini, plugin_mentalray.ini, etc. Open the file and edit its content to include the



plug-ins you want and exclude the ones you don’t want to use in the specific case. The next time you launch SubmitTo Deadline, the list will show all alternative files whose names start with “plugin” and end with ”.ini”. The list willbe alphabetically sorted, with [Default] always on top. You can then select an alternative plugin.ini file manually fromthe list.

Pressing the Edit Plugin.ini File button will open the currently selected alternative configuration file in a MAXScriptEditor window for quick browsing and editing, except when [Default] is selected. Pressing the Browse Directorybutton will open Windows Explorer, taking you directly to the plug-ins directory containing the alternative plugin.inifiles. Note that if you create a new plugin.ini file, you will have to restart the Submit To Deadline script to update thelist.

Since the alternative plug-in configuration file is located in the Repository and will be used by all slave machines, theplug-in paths specified inside the alternative plugin.ini will be used as LOCAL paths by each slave. There are twopossible installation configurations that would work with alternative plug-ins (you could mix the two methods, but it’snot recommended):

• Centralized Plug-ins Repository: In this case, all 3dsmax plug-ins used in the network are located at a central-ized location, with all Slaves mapping a drive letter to the central plug-in location and loading the SAME copyof the plug-in. In this case, the alternative plugin.ini should also specify the common drive letter of the plug-inrepository.

• Local Plug-in: To avoid slow 3dsmax booting in networks with heavy traffic, some studios (including ones weused to work for) deploy local versions of the plug-ins. Every slave’s 3dsmax installation contains a full setof all necessary plug-ins (which could potentially be automatically synchronized to a central repository to keepall machines up-to-date). In this case, the alternative plugin.ini files should use the LOCAL drive letter of the3dsmax installation, and all Slaves’ 3dsmax copies MUST be installed on the same partition, or at least have theplug-ins directory on the same drive, for example, “C:”.

Auto-Detect Plugin.ini For Current Renderer

When enabled, the following operations will be performed:

1. When you check the checkbox, the current renderer assigned to the scene will be queried.

2. The first 3 characters of the renderer’s name will be compared to a list of known renderers.

3. If the renderer is not on the list, the alternative list will be reset to [Default].

4. If the renderer is the Default Scanline Renderer of 3dsmax, the alternative list will be reset to [Default].

5. If the renderer is a known renderer, the plugin*.ini file that matches its name will be selected.

Supported renderers for auto-suggesting an alternative configuration are:

• Brazil plugin*.ini should contain “brazil” in its name (i.e.: plugin_brazil.ini, plugin-brazil.ini, plugin-brazil_1_2.ini etc).

• Entropy plugin*.ini should contain “entropy” in its name (i.e.: plugin_entropy.ini, plugin-entropy.ini, pluginen-tropy.ini, etc).

• finalRender plugin*.ini should contain “fr” or “final” in its name (i.e.: plugin_fr.ini, plugin-finalrender.ini, plu-gin_finalRender_Stage1.ini etc).

• MaxMan plugin*.ini should contain “maxman” in its name (i.e.: plugin_maxman.ini, plugin-maxman.ini, plug-inmaxman001.ini etc).

• mentalRay plugin*.ini should contain “mr” or “mental” in its name (i.e.: plugin_mr.ini, plugin-mentalray.ini,plugin_mental33.ini etc).

• V-Ray plugin*.ini should contain “vray” in its name (i.e.: plugin_vray.ini, plugin-vray.ini, pluginvray109.inietc).

Notes:

9.2. 3ds Max 543


• In 3dsmax 5 and higher, opening a MAX file while the Auto-Detect option is checked will trigger a callbackwhich will perform the above check automatically and switch the plugin.ini to match the renderer used by thescene.

• In 3dsmax 6 and higher, changing the renderer via the “Current Renderers” rollout of the Render dialog willalso trigger the auto-suggesting mechanism.

• You can override the automatic settings anytime by disabling the Auto-Detect option and selecting from the listmanually.

Custom Extra Info Controls

Just like job names and comments, you can use keys in the Extra Info 0-9 fields (under the ‘Integration’ tab in SMTD)that are replaced with actual values (like $scene). There is a file in the ..\submission\3dsmax\Main\ folder in yourRepository called SubmitMaxToDeadline_ExtraInfoFormats.ini. In addition, a local copy of the SubmitMaxToDead-line_ExtraInfoFormats.ini file can be saved in a user’s application data folder. This file will OVERRIDE the commentformats in the Repository and can contain a sub-set of the definitions in the global file. This file will contain somekey-value pairs such as:

$scene=(getfilenamefile(maxfilename))$date=((filterstring (localtime) " ")[1])$deadlineusername=(SMTDFunctions.GetDeadlineUser())$username=(sysInfo.username)$maxversion=(((maxVersion())[1]/1000) as string)

The key to the left of = is the string that will be replaced in the comment. The value to the right of the = is the maxscriptcode that is executed to return the replacement string (note that the value returned must be returned as a string). So ifyou use $scene in your comment, it will be swapped out for the scene file name. You can append additional key-valuepairs or modify the existing ones as you see fit.

NOTE, if you are using Shotgun or FTrack Integration, ExtraInfo0 to ExtraInfo5 will be used automatically and takeprecendence over any $keys in these particular fields.

As an example, you may wish to use the automatic SMTD ‘BatchName’ functionality to group logical job submissionstogether in your Deadline queue, but also use custom Extra Info fields to help track pipeline information such asProject, Sequence, Shot or Job Number of a particular 3dsMax/Jigsaw/Draft/Quicktime job submission such as:

$project=[execute maxscript code here, returning a string value]$sequence=123456$shot=[use maxscript to get shot # from the current render output naming convention]$jobnumber=[maxscript to query database and get project's job number as a string]

Once this additional ‘pipeline’ information is injected into your Deadline jobs, the Extra Info columns can be givenuser friendly names so that they can easily be identified and used to filter and sort jobs in the Monitor. See the JobExtra Properties section for more information. NOTE, the Extra Info X columns are also injected into the CompletedJob Stats, thereby allowing you to store and later analyse/create reports against previous jobs by the data stored in yourExtra Info X columns.

9.2.7 FAQ

Which versions of 3ds Max are supported?

3ds Max versions 2010 and later are all supported (including Design editions).



Note: Due to a maxscript bug in the initial release of 3ds Max 2012, the integrated submission scriptswill not work. However, this bug has been addressed in 3ds Max 2012 Hotfix 1. If you cannot apply thispatch, it means that you must submit your 3ds Max 2012 jobs from the Deadline Monitor.

Which 3ds Max renderers are supported?

Deadline should already be compatible with all 3ds Max renderers, but it has been explicitly tested withScanline, MentalRay, Brazil, V-Ray, Corona, finalRender, and Maxwell. If you have successfully used a3ds Max renderer that is not on this list, please email Deadline Support.

Does Backburner need to be installed to render with Deadline?

Yes. Backburner installs the necessary files that are needed for command line and network rendering, soit must be installed to render with Deadline.

Does the 3ds Max plugin support Tile Rendering?

Yes. See the Tile Rendering section of the submission dialog documentation for more details.

Does the 3ds Max plugin support multiple arbitrary sized, multi-resolution Tile Rendering for both stills oranimations and automatic re-assembly, including the use of multi-channel image formats and Render Elements(incl. V-Ray VFB specific image files)?

Yes. We call it ‘Jigsaw’ and it’s unique to the Deadline system! See the Tile Rendering section of thesubmission dialog documentation for more details.

Does the 3ds Max plugin support Batch Rendering?

Yes. See the Batch Rendering section of the submission dialog documentation for more details.

Is PSoft’s Pencil+ render effects plugin supported?

Yes. Please note at least Pencil+ v3.1 is required to resolve an issue with the line element render elementfailing to be rendered. Note, you will require the correct network render license from PSoft for eachDeadline Slave or render with a Deadline Slave that already has a full, workstation license of Pencil+already installed.

When I submit a render with a locked viewport, Deadline sometimes renders a different viewport.

Prior to the release of 3ds Max 2009, the locked viewport feature wasn’t exposed to the 3ds Max SDK,so it was impossible for Deadline to know whether a viewport is locked or not. Now that the feature hasbeen exposed, we are working to improve Deadline’s locked viewport support. However, in the 3ds Max2010 SDK, there is a bug that prevents us from supporting it completely (Autodesk is aware of this bug).

As of 3ds Max 2015, this bug is now resolved. For earlier versions, we can only continue to recommendthat users avoid relying on the locked viewport feature, and instead ensure that the viewport they want torender is selected before submitting the job. The SMTD sanity check continues to provide a warning forthose versions of 3ds Max, where the locked viewport SDK bug still exists.

When Deadline is running as a service, 3ds Max 2015 render jobs crash during startup.

This can happen if the new Scene (Content) Explorer is docked.

This is a known issue with 3ds Max network rendering when it is launched by a program running as aservice. See this AREA blog post about running 3ds Max 2015 as a service for a workaround and moreinformation.

Can I mix 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design jobs in Deadline?

Yes. ADSK have introduced (April 2014) a new system environment variable you can set which willmake all jobs from 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design appear as 3ds Max jobs: “MIX_MAX_DESIGN_BB”set to “1” to enable this feature. Note, Windows typically requires a machine restart or log-off/log-on forthe new environment setting value to become available once set. ADSK have confirmed this works for3ds Max 2015, 3ds Max Design 2015 with Backburner 2015.0.1. It may also work with 2014 SP5 version

9.2. 3ds Max 545


http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n244-workaround-for-running-3ds-max-2015-jobs-as-a-service


of 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design, with Backburner 2015.0.1. See this AREA blog post about mixing 3dsMax and 3ds Max design on a render farm for more information. Note, Backburner Manager or Serverare NOT required to be running to make this system work in Deadline, although Backburner software stillneeds to be installed on your rendernodes.

When I submit a render job that uses more than one default light, only one default light gets rendered.

The workaround for this problem is to add the default lights to the scene before submitting the job. Thiscan be done from within 3ds Max by selecting Create Menu -> Lights -> Standard Lights -> Add DefaultLights to Scene.

Is it possible to submit MAXscripts to Deadline instead of just a *.max scene?

Yes. Deadline supports MAXscript jobs from the Scripts tab in the submission dialog.

Does Deadline’s custom interface for rendering with 3ds Max use workstation licenses?

No. Deadline’s custom interface for rendering with 3ds max does not use any workstation licenses whenrunning on slaves unless you have the Force Workstation Mode option checked in the submission dialog,a workstation license will be used.

Slaves are rendering their first frame/tile correctly, but subsequent frames and render elements have problemsor are rendered black.

Try enabling the option to “Restart Renderer Between Frames” in the submission dialog before submis-sion, or in the job properties dialog after submission. We have found that this works 99% of the time inthese cases. When enabled, the c++ Lightning plugin (unique to Deadline), will unload the renderer plu-gins and then reload them instantly. This has the effect of forcing a memory purge and helps to improverenderer stability, as well as ensure the lowest possible memory footprint. This can be helpful, whenrendering close to the physical memory limit of a machine. See note below for when this feature shouldbe disabled.

V-Ray Light-Cache / Irradiance Maps are not the correct file size or seem to be getting reset between incremen-tal frames on Deadline but calculate correctly when executed locally.

Ensure the option “Restart Renderer Between Frames” is DISABLED if you are sending FG/LC/IMcaching map type jobs to the farm, as the renderer will get reset for each frame and the FG/LC/IM file(s)won’t get incrementally increased with the additional data per frame and will only contain the data fromthe last frame it calculated. (The resulting file size will be too small as well).

3dsMax Point Cache Files dropping geometry in renders randomly

Sometimes 3dsMax can drop point cache geometry in renders, in an almost random only certain rigsfashion. Typically but not exclusively, this happens on the 2nd assigned frame processed by a particularslave. Ensure the option “Restart Renderer Between Frames” is DISABLED in the submission dialogbefore submission, or in the job properties dialog after submission. We have found that this works 99%of the time in these cases.

When rendering with V-Ray/Brazil, it appears as if some maps are not being displayed properly.

Try enabling the option to “Restart Renderer Between Frames” in the submission dialog before submis-sion, or in the job properties dialog after submission. We have found that this works 99% of the time inthese cases.

Tile rendering with a Mental Ray camera shader known as “wraparound” results in an incorrect final image.How can I fix this?

This is another situation where enabling the option to “Restart Renderer Between Frames” in the submis-sion dialog seems to fix the problem.

When tile rendering with a renderer that supports global/secondary illumination, I get bucket stamps (differentlighting conditions in each tile) on the final image.


http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n235-mixing-3ds-max-and-3ds-max-design-jobs-on-a-backburner-render-farm

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n235-mixing-3ds-max-and-3ds-max-design-jobs-on-a-backburner-render-farm


Try calculating the irradiance/final gather light caching map first in one pass at full resolution. Thenperform your tile render on a scene that reads the irradiance/final gather map created at full resolution. Ifcreating the map at full resolution is impossible then you can make it in the tile, but you need to makesure the tiles are overlapping each other (use Deadline’s tile/jigsaw padding to help here) and make sure touse the irradiance/final gather map method that appends to the map file. Alternatively, you could considerusing the VRay/Mental Ray DBR off-load system to accelerate the caculation of the light caching map.

In summary: you create (pre-calculate) the secondary/global illumination map first then run the finalrender in tiles as a second job. Deadline job dependencies can be used here to release the second job asthe first job successfully completes the lighting pre-calculation job.

Can I perform Distributed Bucket Rendering (DBR) with V-Ray or V-Ray RT?

Yes. A special ‘reserve’ job is submitted that will run the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone process onthe render nodes. Once the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone process is running, these nodes will be ableto participate in distributed rendering. Please see the VRay Distributed Rendering (DBR) Plug-in Guidefor more information.

Can I fully off-load 3dsMax V-Ray or Mental Ray DBR rendering from my machine?

Yes, see the VRay/Mental Ray DBR section for more information. The advantages to off-loading a V-Ray DBR job fully from your workstation include; releasing your local workstation to carry out otherprocessing tasks and helping to accelerate the irradiance map/photon cache calculation process as theV-Ray DBR system supports distributing this across multiple machines. A risk/disadvantage to this wayof working is if a single machine currently being used to calculate a DBR bucket crashes/fails for anunknown reason, then the whole process will fail at it’s current stage and start from the beginning again.

Can I Perform Fume FX Simulations With Deadline?

Yes. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Your render nodes need to have Fume FX licensed properly, either with a “full” or “simulation”licenses. This requirement is the same if you were rendering with Backburner.

2. Before you launch the 3dsmax submission script, make sure that the Fume FX NetRender togglebutton is “ON” in the Fume FX options in 3dsmax.

3. Before you submit the job, make sure the “Disable Progress Update Timeout” option is enabledunder the Render in the 3dsmax submission window.

4. Note that Fume FX uses its own frame range (in the Fume FX settings/prefs), so submit theMax scene file to Deadline as a single frame/task.

Can I force a render to use a specific language?

Yes. Using the option located in “User Options” tab of SMTD or in the monitor submission, “AdvancedOptions” tab (2013+ only). This will change the default on the machine it is rendered on to the chosenlanguage. Note that the change is permanent on the machine until such time 3dsMax is restarted and thelanguage is forced to a different language. You can manually force the language to be changed back viathe language specific shortcuts in the start menu, which effectively start 3dsMax with the language flag.In this example, EN-US (default) is forced: “C:/Program Files/Autodesk/3ds Max 2015/3dsmax.exe”/Language=ENU

When submitting to Deadline, non-ASCII characters in output paths, camera names, etc, are not being sent toDeadline properly.

You need to enable the “Save strings in legacy non-scene files using UTF8” property in the Preference Set-tings in 3ds Max. After enabling this, the Deadline submission files will be saved as UTF8 and thereforenon-ASCII characters will be saved properly. See the Character Encoding Defaults in 3ds Max section inthe 3ds Max Character Encoding documentation for more information.

Why do 3ds Max jobs add a period delimiter to the output filename?

9.2. 3ds Max 547

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/MAXScript-Help/files/GUID-30A3165F-752E-423B-A662-46B4A78E89F5-htm.html


Deadline 7 introduced a new Delimiter option in the integrated 3ds Max submitter (SMTD) to avoid someproblems with the way render elements and other auto-generated names were formatted in previous ver-sion. The Delimiter option is set to a factory default of ”.” as this is the typical convention in VFXpipelines, but it can be overridden via the Defaults INI file in the Repository. Since this setting is consid-ered a company-wide pipeline value and should not be overridden by individual users, it is currently notexposed in the SMTD UI.

To change the Delimiter to an empty string, you can do the following:

1. Navigate to your Repository folder

2. Go to ...\submission\3dsmax\Main\

3. Locate the SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini file and open it in a text editor

4. Add the following to the [RenderingOptions] category:

[RenderingOptions]Delimiter=

5. Make sure there is nothing after the = sign!

6. Save the file

7. Restart SMTD on your workstation

8. RESULT: At this point, SMTD should behave like it did in Deadline 6.x and earlier.

Note that in some cases some render element passes might be misformatted due to the lack of delimiter -this was a known issue in Deadline 6.x and earlier. For example, if a V-Ray pass was named automaticallybased on a TextureMap name ending with digits, the resulting file name could end up having too manytrailing digits, e.g. SomeMap_420000.exr instead of SomeMap_42.0000.exr. So in the Deadline Mon-itor, the filename could become SomeMap_######.exr instead of SomeMap_42.####.exr. If you wantto replace the ”.” period character with a different character to fit your pipeline requirements, (e.g. _underscore), you can add the character to the INI file:

[RenderingOptions]Delimiter=_

In summary, you can use the new Delimiter option to provide a consistent file naming convention acrossyour studio pipeline. Few caveats; the file naming convention for Thinkbox’s tile, region and Jigsawremains unchanged and V-Ray v3 has introduced a maxscript property #fileName_addDot which canbe accessed via

renderers.current.fileName_addDot

which by default is True, so it will also try to add a DOT character to its filenames if one is not present.

9.2.8 Error Messages and Meanings

This is a collection of known 3ds Max error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

Note that when an error occurs in a Max render, we parse the Max render log (Max.log) for any messages that mightexplain the problem and include them in the error message. Some examples are:

• ERR: An unexpected exception has occurred in the network renderer and it is terminating.





• ERR: Missing dll: BrMaxPluginMgr.dlu

• ERR: [V-Ray] UNHANDLED EXCEPTION: Preparing ray server Last marker is at .srcvrayrenderer.cpp

3dsmax startup: Error getting connection from 3dsmax: 3dsmax startup: Deadline/3dsmax startup error:lightningMax*.dlx does not appear to have loaded on 3dsmax startup, check that it is the right version andinstalled to the right place.

You likely need to install the appropriate Visual C++ Redistributable package, which is carried out auto-matically by the Deadline Client installer. Try re-installing the Client software if you see this error.

3dsmax startup: Error getting connection from 3dsmax: Monitored managed process “3dsmaxProcess” hasexited or been terminated.

Full error message:

3dsmax startup: Error getting connection from 3dsmax: Monitored managed...2012/08/24 14:48:40 DBG: Starting network2012/08/24 14:48:40 DBG: Calling NetRenderPreLoad2012/08/24 14:48:40 DBG: in NetWorkerPreLoad. jobFile: ; jobname: C:\Users\...2012/08/24 14:48:40 DBG: in NetWorkerPreLoad. LoadLib() failed2012/08/24 14:48:40 DBG: NetRenderPreLoad failed2012/08/24 14:48:40 ERR: Error loading *.max file2012/08/24 14:49:10 INF: SYSTEM: Production renderer is changed to Default...2012/08/24 14:49:10 DBG: Stop network

This is a known issue with 3ds Max, and can occur when IPv6 is enabled on the render node. The issuecan be fixed by disabing IPv6 on the machines, or by disabing the IPv6 to IPv4 tunnel. See this Area blogpost about IPv6 errors for more information.

Could not delete old lightning.dlx... This file may be locked by a copy of 3ds max

Usually this is because a 3dsmax.exe process didn’t quit or get killed properly. Looking in task manageron the slaves reporting the message for a 3dsmax.exe process and killing it is the solution.

3dsmax crashed in GetCoreInterFace()->LoadFromFile()

There are a number of things that can be tried to diagnose the issue:

• Try opening the file on a machine where it crashed. You may already have done this.

• Try rendering a frame of it on a machine where it crashed, using the 3dsmaxcmd.exe renderer.This will make it open the file in slave mode and possibly give an idea of what’s failing.

• Submit the job to run in workstation mode. In workstation mode there’s often more diagnosticoutput. There’s a checkbox in the submission script for this.

• If you’re comfortable sending us the .max file which is crashing, we’d be happy to diagnose theissue here.

• Try stripping down the max file by deleting objects and seeing if it still crashes then.

Trapped SEH Exception in CurRendererRenderFrame(): Access Violation

An Access Violation means that when rendering the frame, Max either ran out of memory, or memorybecame corrupted. The stack trace in the error message usually shows which plugin the error occurred in.If that doesn’t help track down the issue, try stripping down the max file by deleting objects and seeing ifthe error still occurs.

3dsmax: Trapped SEH Exception in LoadFromFile(): Access Violation

An Access Violation means that when loading the scene, Max either ran out of memory, or memorybecame corrupted. The stack trace in the error message usually shows which plugin the error occurred in.

9.2. 3ds Max 549

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n138-resolving-quotunable-to-bindquot-errors-in-backburner

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n138-resolving-quotunable-to-bindquot-errors-in-backburner


If that doesn’t help track down the issue, try stripping down the max file by deleting objects and seeing ifthe error still occurs.

3dsmax: PNG Plugin: PNG Library Internal Error

3dsMax Render Elements can become corrupt or be placed in a bad state with regard the image file formatplugin trying to being used to save each Render Element to your file server. This issue is not limited tothe PNG file format (TGA, TIF) but is common. A known option, which has been known to fix the issuein most circumstances, is to rebuild the render elements by deleting and re-creating them in the 3dsmaxscene file. This feature is automated in SMTD if you enable the checkbox “Rebuild Render Elements”under the “Render” tab -> “3ds Max Pathing Options”.

RenderTask: 3dsmax exited unexpectedly (it may have crashed, or someone may have terminated)

This generic error message means that max crashed and exited before the actual error could be propagatedup to Deadline. Often when you see this error, it helps to look through the rest of the error reports for thatjob to see if they contain any information that’s more specific.

RenderTask: 3dsmax may have crashed (recv: socket error trying to receive data: WSAError code 10054)

This generic error message means that max crashed and exited before the actual error could be propagatedup to Deadline. Often when you see this error, it helps to look through the rest of the error reports for thatjob to see if they contain any information that’s more specific.

3dsmax startup: Error getting connection from 3dsmax: 3dsmax startup: Deadline/3dsmax startup error:lightningMax*.dlx does not appear to have loaded on 3dsmax startup, check that it is the right version andinstalled to the right place.

This error is likely the side effect of another error, but the original error wasn’t propagated to Deadlineproperly. Often when you see this error, it helps to look through the rest of the error reports for that job tosee if they contain any information that’s more specific.

3dsmax startup: Max exited unexpectedly. Check that 1) max starts up with no dialog messages and in thecase of 3dsmax 6, 2) 3dsmaxcmd.exe produces the message ‘Error opening scene file: “”’ when run with nocommand line arguments

This message is often the result of an issue with the way Max starts up. Try starting 3ds Max on the slavemachine that produced the error to see if it starts up properly. Also try running 3dsmaxcmd.exe from thecommand line prompt to see if it produces the message ‘Error opening scene file: “”’ when run with nocommand line arguments. If it doesn’t produce this message, there may be a problem with the Max installor how its configured. Sometimes reinstalling Max is the best solution.

The 3dsmax command line renderer, ...\3dsmaxcmd.exe, hung during the verification of the 3ds max install

Try running 3dsmaxcmd.exe from the command line prompt to see if it pops up an error dialog or crashes,which is often the cause of this error message. If this is the case, there may be a problem with the Maxinstall or with how it is configured. Sometimes reinstalling Max is the best solution.

3dsmax: Failed to load max file: ”...”

There could be many reasons my Max would fail to load the scene file. Check for ERR or WRN messagesincluded in the error message for information that might explain the problem. Often, this error is the resultof a missing plugin or dll.

Error: “3ds Max The Assembly Autodesk.Max.Wrappers.dll encountered an error while loading”

This is a specific 3ds Max 2015 crash when you try to launch the program. Ensure you perform a Windowsupdate and get latest updates for Windows 7 or 8. Additionally, install the update for Autodesk 3ds Max2015 Service Pack 1 and Security Fix. See this ADSK Knowledge post for more information.

Error message: 3dsmax adapter error : Autodesk 3dsMax 17.2 reported error: Could not find the specified filein DefaultSettingsParser::parse() ; Could not find the specified file in DefaultSettingsParser::parse() ;


http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-3ds-max-2015-service-pack-1-and-security-fix.html

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-3ds-max-2015-service-pack-1-and-security-fix.html

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/3ds-Max-The-Assembly-Autodesk-Max-Wrappers-dll-encountered-an-error-while-loading.html


The error “Could not find the specified file in DefaultSettingsParser::parse() ;” occurs if you don’thave the Populate Data installed on each of your Deadline Slave machines. To resolve the issue youneed to ensure that the Populate Data is installed on all the render machines. You can run the 3ds-Max_2015_PopulateData.msi installer from the “\x64\PDATA\” folder of the 3ds Max 2015 installer. Incase there was a previous install of the Populate Data on the machine please delete the following folderbefore installing “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\PeoplePower\2.0\”. See this Areablog post for more information.

Error message: ERR: “To use this feature, you need the Evolver data. Please check the Autodesk web site formore information.”

You may get the above error message when you try to run a Populate simulation in your 3dsMax scene file.This is a known Autodesk bug and the fix is to install the Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 64-bit Populate Datacomponent. The actual file is 3dsMax_2014_PopulateData.msi which you can find in the “\x64\PDATA\”folder of the install media. Note that if you’re running 3ds Max Design the filename will be 3dsMaxDe-sign_2014_PopulateData.msi. Simarily, the same bug in 3ds Max 2015 doesn’t mention Evolver anymore.Instead, it tells you to install the Populate data. See this Fixing missing Evolver data errors Area blog postfor more information.

Error message: “ERROR: Please, make sure the Populate data is installed.”

This is the same error message as the previous Populate FAQ entry and is fixed by installing the Au-todesk Populate Data component. See this Fixing missing Evolver data errors Area blog post for moreinformation.

Unexpected exception (Error in bm->OpenOutput(): error code 12)

Ensure all instances of 3dsMax are running a consistent LANGUAGE. By default 3dsMax ships with theLANGUAGE code set to “ENU” - “US English” and this is recommended for the majority of customers.If you are using a 3rd party plugin in 3dsMax, please contact the plugin developer to verify that theirplugin is capable of running as a different language inside of 3dsMax. Note, that the majority of 3rd partyplugins are still only developed to work in “ENU”. Please see this FAQ for more information regardingoptions to control the LANGUAGE: 3dsMax Language Code FAQ.

Exception: Failed to render the frame.

There could be many reasons my Max would fail to render the frame. Check for ERR or WRN messagesincluded in the error message for information that might explain the problem.

DBG: in Init. nrGetIface() failed

This error message is often an indication that 3dsmax or backburner is out of date on the machine. Up-dating both to the latest service packs should fix the problem.

ERROR: ImageMagick: Invalid bit depth for RGB image ‘[path to tile/region render output image]’

This error is due to the old TileAssembler executable not supporting certain bit depth images such asV-Ray’s RE’s “Reflection”, “Refraction” and “Alpha” when saved from the V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB).Please note that the Tile Assembler plugin is EOL (End-Of-Life/deprecated). Please use the newer “DraftTile Assembler” plugin (Use Draft for Assembly) checkbox option in SMTD when rendering using theolder tile system to ensure all image types/bit depths are correctly assembled. Draft Tile Asssembler jobscan also be submitted independently if you already have the *.config file(s) and is explained further in theDraft Tile Assembler documentation.

Error when using Mental Ray DBR in 3ds Max 2016: Could not locate MDL shared core library.

When you try to use DBR (Distributed Bucket Rendering) you will get the following error message:

Could not locate MDL shared core library.

9.2. 3ds Max 551

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n258-backburner-error-could-not-find-the-specified-file-in-defaultsettingsparserparse-

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n258-backburner-error-could-not-find-the-specified-file-in-defaultsettingsparserparse-

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n257-fixing-missing-evolver-data-errors

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n257-fixing-missing-evolver-data-errors


To help Mental Ray satellite find this .dll copy libmdl.dll from the main 3ds Max 2016 folder to theNVIDIA/Satellite folder. Note that you have to do this on all the machines that will be used for DBR. Seethis Error when using Mental Ray DBR in 3ds Max 2016 Area blog post for more information.

9.3 After Effects


You can submit jobs from within After Effects by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within After Effects, select File -> Run Script -> DeadlineAfterEffectsClient.jsx.


http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/maxstation/n276-error-when-using-mental-ray-dbr-in-3ds-max-2016-could-not-locate-mdl-shared-core-library


9.3. After Effects 553


Project Configuration

In After Effects, place the comps you want to render in the Render Queue (CTRL+ALT+0). Due to an issue with theRender Queue, if you have more than one comp with the same name, only the settings from the first one will be used



(whether they are checked or not). It is important that all comps in the Render Queue have unique names, and oursubmission script will notify you if they do not. Each comp that is in the Render Queue and that has a check marknext to it will be submitted as separate job to Deadline.

Note that under the comp’s Output Module settings, the Use Comp Frame Number check box must be checked. If thisis not done, every frame in the submitted comp will try to write to the same file.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. Note that the Draft/Integration options are only available inAfter Effects CS4 and later.

The After Effects specific options are:

• Use Comp Name As Job Name: If enabled, the job’s name will be the Comp name.



• Use Frame List From The Comp: Check this option to use the frame range defined for the comp.

• Comps Are Dependent On Previous Comps: If enabled, the job for each comp in the render queue will bedependent on the job for the comp ahead of it. This is useful if a comp in the render queue uses footage renderedby a comp ahead of it.

• Render The First And Last Frames Of The First: Enable this option to render the first and last frames first,followed by the the remaining frames in the comp’s frame list. Note that this ignores the Frame List setting inthe submission dialog.

• Submit The Entire Render Queue As One Job With A Single Task: Use this option when the entire renderqueue needs to be rendered all at once because some queue items are dependent on others or use proxies. Notethough that only one machine will be able to work on this job.

• Multi-Process Rendering: Enable multi-process rendering.

• Submit Project File With Job: If enabled, the After Effects Project File will be submitted with the job.

• Ignore Missing Layer Dependencies: If enabled, Deadline will ignore errors due to missing layer dependen-cies.

• Fail On Warning Messages: If enabled, Deadline will fail the job whenever After Effects prints out a warningmessage.

• Export XML Project File: Enable to export the project file as an XML file for Deadline to render (After EffectsCS4 and later). The original project file will be restored after submission. If the current project file is already anXML file, this will do nothing.

• Ignore Missing Effects References: If enabled, Deadline will ignore errors due to missing effect references.

• Continue On Missing Footage: If enabled, rendering will not stop when missing footage is detected.

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will render the frames locally before copying them over to thefinal network location.

• Override Fail On Existing AE Process: If enabled, the global repository setting “Fail on Existing AE Process”will be overridden.

• Fail on Existing AE Process: If enabled, the job will be failed if any After Effects instances are currentlyrunning on the slave. Existing After Effects instances can sometimes cause 3rd party AE plugins to malfunctionduring network rendering.

The following After Effects specific options are only available in After Effects CS4 and later:

• Multi-Machine Rendering: This mode submits a special job where each task represents the full frame range.The slaves will all work on the same frame range, but if “Skip existing frames” is enabled for the comps, theywill skip frames that other slaves are already rendering.

– This mode requires “Skip existing frames” to be enabled for each comp in the Render Queue.

– Set the number of tasks to be the number of slaves you want working simultaneously on the render.

– This mode ignores the Frame List, Machine Limit, and Frames Per Task settings.

– This mode does not support Local Rendering or Output File Checking.

• Minimum Output File Size: If an output image’s file size is less than what’s specified, the task is requeued(specify 0 for no limit).

• Enable Memory Management: Whether or not to use the memory management options.

• Image Cache %: The maximum amount of memory after effects will use to cache frames.

• Max Memory %: The maximum amount of memory After Effects can use overall.



Layer Submission

In addition to normal job submission, you also have the option to submit layers in your After Effects project as separatejobs. To do so, first select the layers you want to submit. Then run the submission script, set the submission optionsmentioned above as usual, and press the Submit Selected Layers button. This will bring up the layers window.

The layer submission options are:

• Render With Unselected Layers: Specify the unselected layers that will render with each of the selected layers.

• Layer Name Parsing: Allows you to specify how the layer names should be formatted. You canthen grab parts of the formatting and stick them in either the output name or the subfolder format boxwith square brackets. So, for example, if you’re naming your layers something like “ops024_a_diff”,you could put “<graphic>_<layer>_<pass>” in this box. Then in the subfoler box, you could put“[graphic]\[layer]\v001\[pass]”, which would give you “ops024\a\v001\diff” as the subfolder structure.

• Render Settings: Which render settings to use.

• Output Module: Which output module to use.

• Output Format: How the output file name should be formatted.

• Output Folder: Where the output files should be rendered to.



• Use Subfolders: Enable this to render each layer to its own subfolder. If this is enabled, you must also specifythe subfolder format.

9.3.2 Cross-Platform Rendering Considerations

In order to perform cross-platform rendering with After Effects, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline canswap out the Project and Output file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitorwhile in super user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the liston the left.

You then have two options on how to set up your After Effects project file. The traditional way is to ensure that yourAfter Effects project file is on a network shared location, and that any footage or assets that the project uses is in thesame folder or in sub-folders. Then when you submit the job, you must make sure that the option to submit the projectfile with the job is disabled. If you leave it enabled, the project file will be copied to and loaded from the Slave’s localmachine, and thus won’t be able to find the footage.

You also have the option to save your After Effects project as an AEPX file, which is just an XML file. Deadline willautomatically detect that an AEPX file has been submitted, and will swap out paths within the file itself (because it isjust plain text). This way, you don’t have to worry about setting up the project structure described in the first option.Note though that all the asset paths still need to be network accessible.


You can configure the After Effects plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the After Effects plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables



• After Effects Executable: The path to the After Effects aerender executable file used for rendering. Enteralternative paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed onyour render nodes.

Render Options

• Fail On Existing After Effects Process: Prevent Deadline from rendering when After Effects is already open.

• Force Rendering In English: You can configure the After Effects plug-in to force After Effects to render inEnglish. This is useful if you are rendering with a non-English version of After Effects, because it ensures thatDeadline’s progress gathering and error checking function properly (since they are currently based on Englishoutput from the After Effects renderer).

Font Folder Synchronization

The new FontSync event plugin that ships with Deadline v7.1 can be used to synchronize fonts on Mac OS X andWindows before the Slave application starts rendering any job, or when the Slave first starts up. This general FontSyncPython based event plugin replaces the font synchronization options here in the After Effects plugin and now worksfor ALL plugin types in Deadline. This FontSync event plugin is located at <Repository>/events/FontSync

Path Mapping For aepx Project Files (For Mixed Farms)

• Enable Path Mapping For aepx Files: If enabled, a temporary aepx file will be created locally on the slave forrendering and Deadline will do path mapping directly in the aepx file.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated After Effects submission script. This script allows forsubmitting After Effects render jobs to Deadline directly from within the After Effects editing GUI. The script and thefollowing installation procedure has been tested with with After Effects CS3 and later.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/AfterEffects/Installers


• Copy [Repository]\submission\AfterEffects\Client\DeadlineAfterEffectsClient.jsx to [After Effects Install Di-rectory]\Support Files\Scripts

• After starting up After Effects, make sure that under Edit -> Preferences -> General, the Allow Scripts to WriteFiles and Access Network option is enabled. This is necessary so that the submission script can create thenecessary files to submit to Deadline.



Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.jsx file can be created alongside the main SubmitAEToDeadline.jsx submission script (in[Repository]\submission\AfterEffects\Main), and will be evaluated if it exists. This script will let you set any of theinitial properties in the submission script prior to displaying the submission window. You can also use it to run yourown checks and display errors or warnings to the user. Here is a very simple example of what this script could looklike:

{initDepartment = "The Best Department";initPriority = 33;initConcurrentTasks = 2;

alert( "You are in a custom sanity check!" );}

9.3.5 FAQ

Which versions of After Effects are supported?

After Effects CS3 and later are supported.

Why is there no Advanced tab in the integrated submission script for After Effects CS3?



Tabs are only supported in CS4 and later, so the Advanced tab and its options are not available in CS3 andearlier.

Does network rendering with After Effects require a full After Effects license?

In After Effects CS5.0 and earlier, a license is not required. In After Effects CS5.5, a full license isrequired. In After Effects CS6.0 and later, a license isn’t required if you enable “non-royalty-bearing”mode.

Rendering through Deadline seems to take longer than rendering through After Effects locally.

After Effects needs to be restarted at the beginning of each frame, and this loading time results in therender taking longer than expected. If you know ahead of time that your frames will render quickly, it isrecommended to submit your frames in groups of 5 or 10. This way, After Effects will only load at thebeginning of each group of frames, instead of at the beginning of every frame.

When rendering a job, only the images from the first task are saved, and subsequent tasks just seem to overwritethose initial image files.

In the comp’s Output Module Settings, make sure that the “Use Comp Frame Number” checkbox ischecked. Check out step 1 here for complete details.

I get the error that the specified comp cannot be found when rendering, but it is in the render queue.

This can occur for a number of reasons, most of which are related to the name of the comp. Exam-ples are names with two spaces next to each other, or names with apostrophes in them. Try using onlyalphanumeric characters and underscores in comp names and output paths to see if that resolves the issue.

Why do the comps in the After Effects Render Queue require unique names?

Due to an issue with the Render Queue, if you have more than one comp with the same name, only thesettings from the first one will be used (whether they are checked or not). It is important that all comps inthe Render Queue have unique names, and our submission script will notify you if they do not.

Understanding the different After Effects command line flags.

Adobe have a web page, Automated Rendering which explains the different network render commandline options and how they work. Deadline currently supports as many of these options as possible.

How can I optimize After Effects for high performance?

Adobe provide an excellent web page, Memory and Storage documenting different areas of After Effectsand what can be done by users to improve performance, particularly in the areas of disk storage/caching& RAM.


This is a collection of known After Effects error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

What does this After Effects error code mean?

A great resource describing a very large number of After Effects error codes, their meanings and possiblesolutions can be found on the Mylenium Errors website. If this site helps you, please do consider donatingto keep the site going!

Exception during render: Renderer returned non-zero error code, -1073741819

The error code -1073741819 is equivalent to 0xC0000005, which represents a Memory Access Violationerror. So After Effects is either running out of memory, or memory has become corrupt. If you findthat your frames are still being rendered, you can modify the After Effects plugin to ignore this error.


http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2012/06/codecs-and-the-render-engine-in-after-effects-cs6.html

http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2012/06/codecs-and-the-render-engine-in-after-effects-cs6.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/automated-rendering-network-rendering.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/memory-storage1.html



http://myleniumerrors.com/


Just add the following function to the AfterEffectsPlugin class in AfterEffects.py, which can be found in[Repository]/plugins/AfterEffects.

def CheckExitCode( self, exitCode ):if exitCode != 0:

if exitCode == -1073741819:LogInfo( "Ignoring exit code -1073741819" )

else:FailRender( "Renderer returned non-zero error code %d." % exitCode )

You can find another example of the CheckExitCode function in MayaCmd.py, which can be found in[Repository]/plugins/MayaCmd.

aerender ERROR: No comp was found with the given name.

This can occur for a number of reasons, most of which are related to the name of the comp. Examples arenames with to spaces next to each other, or names with apostrophes in them. Try using only alphanumericcharacters and underscores in comp names and output paths to see if that resolves the issue.

Exception during render: Renderer returned non-zero error code, 1aerender ERROR: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. Unable to receive at line 287aerender ERROR: After Effects can not render for aerender. Another instance of aerender, or another script,may be running; or, AE may be waiting for response from a modal dialog, or for a render to complete. Tryrunning aerender without the -reuse flag to invoke a separate instance of After Effects.

It is unknown what the exact cause of this error is, but it is likely that After Effects is simply crashingor running out of memory. If you are rendering with Concurrent Tasks set to a value greater than 1, tryreducing the number and see if that helps.

The Knoll Light Factory plugin has also been known to cause this error message when it can’t get alicense.

9.4 Anime Studio


You can submit Anime Studio Standalone jobs from the Monitor.

9.4. Anime Studio 563


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Anime Studio specific options are:



• Anime Studio File: The scene file (*.anme) to be rendered.

• Output File: The path to where the rendered images will be saved.

• Add Format Suffix: If this option is enabled, the format name will be appended to the file name of the outputpath. Version 9.5 and later.

• Version: The version of Anime Studio to render with.

• Layer Comp: Render a specific layer comp, or select All to render all layer comps to separate files.

Additional Rendering Options:

• Antialiased Edges: Normally, Anime Studio renders your shapes with smoothed edges. Uncheck this box toturn this feature off.

• Apply Shape Effects: If this box is unchecked, Anime Studio will skip shape effects like shading, texture fills,and gradients.

• Apply Layer Effects: If this box is unchecked, Anime Studio will skip layer effects like layer shadows andlayer transparency.

• Render At Half Dimensions: Check this box to render a smaller version of your movie. This makes renderingfaster if you just want a quick preview, and is useful for making smaller movies for the web.

• Render At Half Frame Rate: Check this box to skip every other frame in the animation. This makes renderingfaster, and results in smaller movie files.

• Reduced Particles: Some particle effects require hundreds of particles to achieve their effect. Check this box torender fewer particles. The effect may not look as good, but will render much faster if all you need is a preview.

• Extra-smooth Images: Renders image layers with a higher quality level. Exporting takes longer with thisoption on.

• Use NTSC-safe Colors: Automatically limits colors to be NTSC safe. This is only an approximation - youshould still do some testing to make sure your animation looks good on a TV monitor.

• Do Not Premultiply Alpha Channel: Useful if you plan to composite your Anime Studio animation with otherelements in a video editing program.

QT Options:

• Video Codec: The video codec (leave blank to not specify one). Version 10 and later.

• Quality: The quality of the export. Version 10 and later. 0 = Minimum, 1 = Low, 2 = Normal, 3 = High, 4 =Max, 5 = Lossless

• Depth: The pixel depth of the export. Version 10 and later.

iPhone/iPad Movie Options:

• Format: The available formats for m4v movies.

AVI Options:

• Format: The available formats for avi movies.

SWF Options:

• Variable Line Widths: Exports variable line widths to SWF.


You can configure the Anime Studio plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Anime Studio plug-in from the list on the left.

9.4. Anime Studio 565


Render Executables

• Anime Studio Executable: The path to the Anime Studio executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your rendernodes.

9.4.3 FAQ

Which versions of Anime Studio are supported by Deadline?

Anime Studio 8 and later are supported.


This is a collection of known Anime Studio error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.


9.5 Arion Standalone


You can submit Arion jobs from the Monitor. Note that Arion’s RenderWarrior application does not support animationsand therefore only single Arion files may be submitted. Arion animations can be rendered through the Arion liveplugins.




9.5. Arion Standalone 567


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Integration options areexplained in the Integration documentation. The Arion specific options are:

• Arion File: The Arion scene that will be rendered. Can be a .rcs or .obj file.

• LDR Output File: The name of the rendered LDR output file. If no output file is specified a default image filewill be saved beside the Arion file.

• HDR Output File: The name of the rendered HDR output file. If no output file is specified a default image filewill be saved beside the Arion file.

• Passes: If enabled, Arion will render until the specified number of passes have completed.

• Minutes: If enabled, Arion will render until the specified number of minutes have passed.

• Threads: The number of threads that Arion will use to render the input file. If no threads are specified, a defaultof one will be used.

• Command Line Args: Here you can specify additional command line arguments. Arion accepts command linearguments in the format “-arg:value”.

• Channels: Each channel enabled will generate a different image appended with the channel name.

If both Passes and Minutes are specified, Arion will finish rendering when the first limit is reached. If neither areenabled, Arion will render indefinitely and the job will have to be stopped manually.


You can configure the Arion plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Arion plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• Arion Engine Executable: The path to the Arion engine executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.5.3 FAQ

Which versions of Arion are supported?

Only the Arion 2 Standalone is supported.

Are there any issues with referencing a file in the global input folder when one or more other files exist with thesame name?

Yes. When there is a file in the scene that has the same name as a file in another subdirectory, the networkrenderer will reference the first file with that name that it finds. It ignores the direct path to the correctsubdirectory.

Can I render multiple channels?

Yes! The Arion submitter supports the selection of individual channels.

How can I pass additional information to Arion?

The Command Line Args field allows you to specify additional arguments to Arion. For example, typing“-h:100 -w:100” in the Command Line Args field will tell Arion to change the image size to 100px by100px. To find out more information about additional command line arguments, please visit Arion’swebsite.

Can I submit a Arion animations?

The Arion 2 Standalone does not support animations and can only render single images. Arion does stillsupport animations through there Live plugins.


This is a collection of known Combustion error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.6 Arnold Standalone


You can submit Arnold Standalone jobs from the Monitor.

9.6. Arnold Standalone 569

http://www.randomcontrol.com/arion

http://www.randomcontrol.com/arion






Setup your Arnold Files

Before you can submit an Arnold Standalone job, you must export your scene into .ass files.

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Arnold specific options are:

• Arnold File: The Arnold file(s) to be rendered.

– If you are submitting a sequence of .ass files, select one of the numbered frames in the sequence, andthe frame range will automatically be detected if Calculate Frames From Arnold File is enabled. Theframes you choose to render should correspond to the numbers in the .ass files.

• Output File: The output file. If left blank, Arnold will save the output to the location defined in the .ass file.

• Version: Choose the Beta or Release version of Arnold to render with (these can be configured in the Arnoldplugin configuration).

• Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering.

• Verbosity: The verbosity level for the render output.

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will render the frames locally before copying them over to thefinal network location.

• Command Line Args: Specify additional command line arguments you would like to pass to the Arnold ren-derer.

• Additional Plugin Folders: Specify up to three additional plugin folders that Arnold should use when render-ing.


You can configure the Arnold plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Arnold plug-in from the list on the left.

9.6. Arnold Standalone 571


Render Executables

• Arnold Kick Executable: The path to the Arnold kick executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your rendernodes.

9.6.3 FAQ

Is Arnold Standalone supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Can I submit a sequence of Arnold .ass files that each contain one frame?

Yes, this is supported.


This is a collection of known Arnold error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.7 AutoCAD


You can submit jobs from within AutoCAD by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within AutoCAD, press the Submit To Deadline button on the Deadline tab or run the commandSubmitToDeadline

9.7. AutoCAD 573


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation.

AutoCAD has 3 types of submission jobs each of which have their own specific options.

The render job options are:

• Render Views: Which views to render, each one will be a separate frame in a single job.



• Render Procedure: View or Selected - whether or not to render everything in the view or only the selectedobjects.

The plotter job options are:

• Plotter to use: Which plotter should be used.

• Plot Area: Extents or Display - what area should be plotted, everything in the scene or what is currentlydisplayed.

• Paper Size: The size of paper to plot to.

• Paper Units: Which units to use for the paper.

• Fit Plot Scale: Whether or not the plot should be scaled as much as possible to fit on the paper.

• Plot Scale: The scale to use if not fitting

• Plot Style Table: Which plot style table should be used.

• Use Line Weight: Whether or not the lines should have extra weight on them.

• Scale Line Weights: Whether or not the lines should be scaled.

The export job options are:

• Selection: Which objects should be exported. Only available in the integrated submitter.

• Types to Export: Which types of objects should be exported.

• Textures: How textures should be handled.

• DGN Settings: DGN specific settings such as version and seed file.


You can configure the AutoCAD plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> Config-ure Plugins and select the AutoCAD plug-in from the list on the left.

9.7. AutoCAD 575


Render Executables

• AutoCAD 2015 Executable: The path to the AutoCAD 2015 executable file used for rendering. Enter alter-native paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on yourrender nodes.

• AutoCAD 2016 Executable: The path to the AutoCAD 2016 executable file used for rendering. Enter alter-native paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on yourrender nodes.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated AutoCAD submission script. This script allows forsubmitting AutoCAD render jobs to Deadline directly from within the AutoCAD editing GUI.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/AutoCAD/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/AutoCAD/Client/AutoCADSubmitter.bundle to %APP-DATA%/Autodesk/ApplicationPlugins

• Restart AutoCAD and the Deadline tool bar should be available.



9.7.4 FAQ

Is AutoCAD supported by Deadline?

Yes.

AutoCAD 2016 requires signed dlls. Are Deadline’s plugins signed?

Yes, all of Deadline’s plugins are signed, due to the new system though you will have to add Thinkboxas a trusted company to each of your machines. This can be done by opening AutoCAD 2016 on themachines that have the plugins (including the render plugin) and then allow the plugins to always load.


This is a collection of known AutoCAD error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.8 Blender


You can submit jobs from within Blender by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Blender 2.5 and later, select Render -> Submit To Deadline. For previous versions of Blender,you must submit from the Monitor.

9.8. Blender 577




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Blender specific options are:




• Build To Force: You can force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.


You can configure the Blender plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Blender plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Blender Executable: The path to the Blender executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

Output

• Suppress Verbose Progress Output To Log: When enabled, this will prevent excessive progress logging to theSlave and task logs.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Blender submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Blender render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Blender editing GUI. Note that this script onlyworks with Blender 2.5 and later. You can submit to older versions of Blender from the Monitor.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Blender/Installers

• In Blender, select File -> User Preferences, and then select the Add-Ons tab.

9.8. Blender 579


• Click on the Render filter on the left, and check the box next to the Render: Submit To Deadline add-on.


• In Blender, select File -> User Preferences, and then select the Add-Ons tab.



• Click the Install Add-On button at the bottom, browse to [Repository]\submission\Blender\Client, and selectthe DeadlineBlenderClient.py script. Then press the Install Add-On button to install it. Note that on Win-dows, you may not be able to browse the UNC repository path, in which case you can just copy [Reposi-tory]\submission\Blender\Client\DeadlineBlenderClient.py locally to your machine before pointing the Add-Oninstaller to it.

• Then click on the Render filter on the left, and check the box next to the Render: Submit To Deadline add-on.

9.8. Blender 581


• After closing the User Preferences window, the Submit To Deadline option should now be in your Render menu.

9.8.4 FAQ

Which versions of Blender are supported?

Blender 2.x is currently supported.


This is a collection of known Blender error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.9 Cinema 4D


You can submit jobs from within Cinema 4D by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Cinema 4D, select Python -> Plugins -> Submit To Deadline.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Cinema 4D specific options are:

• Threads To Use: The number of threads to use for rendering.

• Build To Force: Force rendering in 32 bit or 64 bit.

• Export Project Before Submission: If your project is local, or you are rendering in a cross-platform environ-ment, you may find it useful to export your project to a network directory before the job is submitted.



In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Cinema 4D, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline canswap out the Scene and Output file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitorwhile in super user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the liston the left.

When submitting the Cinema 4D job for rendering, you should enable the Export Project Before Submission option,and choose a network location when prompted for the export path. This will strip any absolute asset paths and makethem relative to the scene file, and will also ensure the option to submit the Cinema 4D scene file with the job isdisabled.

If you don’t enable the Export Project Before Submission option, you need to manually export the project to a networklocation. Then, you must submit the exported scene file from the Submit menu in the Monitor and you need to specifythe output and/or multipass output paths in the submitter. Make sure the option to submit the Cinema 4D scene filewith the job is disabled. If you leave it enabled, the scene file will be copied to and loaded from the Slave’s localmachine, which will break the relative asset paths.

9.9. Cinema 4D 583



You can configure the Cinema 4D plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Cinema 4D plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• C4D Executable: The path to the C4D executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Cinema 4D submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Cinema 4D render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Cinema 4D editing GUI.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Cinema4D/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/Cinema4D/Client/DeadlineC4DClient.pyp to [Cinema 4D Install Direc-tory]/plugins.

• Restart Cinema 4D, and the Submit To Deadline menu should be available from the Python -> Plugins menu.

Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.py file can be created alongside the main SubmitC4DToDeadline.py submission script (in[Repository]\submission\Cinema4D\Main), and will be evaluated if it exists. This script will let you set any of the



initial properties in the submission script prior to displaying the submission window. You can also use it to run yourown checks and display errors or warnings to the user. Here is a very simple example of what this script could looklike:

import c4dfrom c4d import gui

def RunSanityCheck( dialog ):

dialog.SetString( dialog.DepartmentBoxID, "The Best Department!" )dialog.SetLong( dialog.PriorityBoxID, 33 )dialog.SetLong( dialog.ConcurrentTasksBoxID, 2 )

gui.MessageDialog( "This is a custom sanity check!" )

return True

The available dialog IDs can be found in the SubmitC4DToDeadline.py script mentioned above. They are defined nearthe top of the SubmitC4DToDeadlineDialog class. These can be used to set the initial values in the submission dialog.

Finally, if the RunSanityCheck method returns False, the submission will be cancelled.

9.9.5 FAQ

Which versions of Cinema 4D are supported?

Cinema 4D 12 and later are supported.

When I use Adobe Illustrator files as textures, the render fails with “Asset missing”

While Cinema 4D is able to use AI files in workstation mode, there is often problems when renderingin command line mode. Convert the AI files to another known type such as TIFF or JPEG before usingthem.

Sometimes when I open the submission dialog in Cinema 4D, the pool list or group list are empty.

Simply close the submission dialog and reopen it to repopulate the lists.

Does rendering with Cinema 4D with Deadline use up a full Cinema 4D license?

There are separate Cinema 4D command line licenses that are required to render with Deadline. Pleasecontact Maxon for more information regarding licensing requirements.

Can Deadline render with Cinema 4D’s Net Render Client software?

No. It isn’t possible for 3rd party software such as Deadline to control Cinema 4D’s Net Render Client,which is why it uses the command line renderer.

I have copied over SubmitToDeadline.pyp file but the integrated submission script does not show up under thepython menu.

This is likely caused by some failure in the script. Check your repository path to ensure the client is ableto read and write to that folder. Using the python console within C4D may provide more specific hints.

My frames never seem to finish rendering. When I check the slave machine, it doesn’t appear to be doinganything.

This can occur if Cinema 4D hasn’t been licensed yet. Try starting Cinema 4D normally on the machineand see if you are prompted for a license. If you are, configure everything and then try rendering on thatmachine again.

9.9. Cinema 4D 585



This is a collection of known Cinema 4D error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.10 Cinema 4D Team Render


You can submit jobs from within Cinema 4D by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Cinema 4D, select Python -> Plugins -> Submit Team Render To Deadline.





9.10. Cinema 4D Team Render 587


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Cinema 4D Team Renderspecific options are:

• Render Client Count: The number of render clients to use.

• Security Token: The security token that the Team Render application will use on the slaves (it will be generatedautomatically if left blank).



Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Reserve Clients button to submit the Team Render job.After the job has been submitted, you can press the Update Clients button to update the job’s ID and Status in thesubmitter. As nodes pick up the job, pressing the Update Clients button will also show them in the Active Servers list.

Cinema 4D’s Team Render Machines window will will also appear after pressing the Reserve Clients button, and willshow you the Team Render machines that are currently available. Before you can render with them though, you mustverify them by following these steps:

1. Copying the Security Token from the submitter to the clipboard (use the Copy to Clipboard button).

2. Right-click on each machine in the Team Render Machines window and select the Verify option, then paste theSecurity Token and press OK.

When you are ready to render, select the Team Render To Picture Viewer option in C4D’s Render menu to startrendering.


You can configure the Cinema 4D Team Render plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, selectTools -> Configure Plugins and select the Cinema 4D plug-in from the list on the left.

9.10. Cinema 4D Team Render 589


Cinema 4D Options

• C4D Team Render Executable: The path to the Cinema 4D Team Render Client executable file used forrendering. Enter alternative paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for eachversion installed on your render nodes.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Cinema 4D Team Render submission script. Thisscript allows for submitting Cinema 4D Team Render render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Cinema 4Dediting GUI.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Cinema4DTeamRender/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/Cinema4DTeamRender/Client/DeadlineC4DTeamRenderClient.pyp to [Cinema4D Install Directory]/plugins.

• Restart Cinema 4D, and the Submit To Deadline menu should be available from the Python -> Plugins menu.

9.10.4 FAQ

Which versions of Cinema 4D are supported?



Cinema 4D 15 and later are supported.


This is a collection of known Cinema 4D error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.11 Clarisse iFX


You can submit jobs from within Clarisse iFX by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Clarisse iFX, click on the custom toolbar item you created during the integrated submissionscript setup. You will first be prompted to specify a file to export the render archive to.

After you specify the render archive file, the submitter will come up with the Render Archive and Frame List fieldsalready populated.

9.11. Clarisse iFX 591




Note that if you are submitting from the Monitor, you will have to manually export your render archive from insideClarisse iFX, and then browse to the Render Archive file in the Monitor submitter.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Clarisse iFX specific optionsare:

• Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering. If set to 0, the value in the Clarisse configuration file willbe used.

• Verbose Logging: Enables verbose logging during rendering.




You can configure the Clarisse iFX plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Clarisse plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• CRender Executable: The path to the Clarisse’s crender executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

Configuration Options

• Global Config File: A global configuration file to be used for rendering. If left blank, the Clarisse.cfg file in theuser home directory will be used instead.

• Module Paths: Additional paths to search for modules (one path per line).

• Search Paths: Additional paths to search for includes (one path per line).


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Clarisse iFX submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Clarisse iFX render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Clarisse iFX editing GUI.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Clarisse/Installers


• In Clarisse iFX, right-click on the toolbar at the top and select Add Item.



• In the Add New Item dialog, set the following properties:

– Title: Submit To Deadline

– Category: Custom

– Category Custom: Deadline

– Script Path: Choose the DeadlineClarisseClient.py script from [Reposi-tory]\submission\Clarisse\Client



• Click Add, and you should now see a Deadline tab in the toolbar with a button that you can click on to submitthe job.

9.11.4 FAQ

Which versions of Clarisse iFX are supported?



The “crender” application is used for rendering, so any version of Clarisse iFX that includes this applica-tion is supported.


This is a collection of known Clarisse iFX error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.12 Combustion


You can submit Combustion jobs from the Monitor.





Workspace Configuration

• In Combustion, when you are ready to submit your workspace, open the Render Queue by selecting File ->Render... (CTRL+R).

• Select which items you want to render in the box on the left.

9.12. Combustion 597


• Configure your output settings under the tab Output Settings.

• Under the tab Global Settings, specify an Input Folder (a shared folder where all the footage for you workspacecan be found) and an Output Folder (a shared folder where the output will be dumped). Note that Combustionwill search any subfolders in you Input Folder for footage as well.



• Close the Render Queue and save your workspace.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Combustion specific options are:

• Workspace File: The Combustion workspace file to be rendered.

• Output Operator: Select the output operator in the workspace file to render. The render will fail if the operatorcannot be found.

• Version: The version of Combustion to render with.

• Skip Existing Frames: Skip over existing frames during rendering (version 4 and later only).

• Use Only One CPU To Render: Limit rendering to one CPU (version 4 and later only).


You can configure the Combustion plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Combustion plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Combustion Executable: The path to the ShellRender executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your rendernodes.

9.12. Combustion 599


9.12.3 FAQ

Which versions of Combustion are supported?

Combustion 4 and later are supported.

All my input footage is spread out over the network, so how do I specify a single Input Folder during submis-sion?

When Combustion is given an Input Folder, it will search all subfolders for the required footage untilthe footage is found. So if you have a root folder that all of your footage branches off from, you shouldspecify that root as the Input Folder.

Are there any issues with referencing a file in the global input folder when one or more other files exist with thesame name?

Yes. When there is a file in the scene that has the same name as a file in another subdirectory, the networkrenderer will reference the first file with that name that it finds. It ignores the direct path to the correctsubdirectory.

Can Deadline render multiple outputs?

No. Only one output can be enabled in your Combustion workspace. If no outputs are enabled, or multipleoutputs are enabled, the workspace cannot be submitted to Deadline.

When rendering, I receive a pop up error message. Since rendering is supposed to be silent, should I not begetting error messages like this in the first place?

Make sure that you’re using ShellRenderer.exe as the render executable, (combustion.exe starts up Com-bustion normally, while ShellRenderer.exe is the command line rendering appliation). You can make theswitch in the Plugin Configuration (Tools -> Configure Plugins in the Monitor while in super user mode).

Why isn’t path mapping working properly between Windows and Mac?

On the Mac, the Combustion workspace file saves network paths in the form share:\\folder\..., so you haveto set up your Path Mapping settings in the Repository options accordingly.




9.13 Command Line


Arbitrary command line jobs can be submitted to Deadline that will execute the same command line for each frame ofthe job.

To submit arbitrary command line jobs, refer to the Manual Job Submission documentation. To submit from theMonitor, refer to the documentation below.





9.13. Command Line 601


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Command Line specific optionsare:

• Job Type: Choose a normal job or maintenance job. A normal job will let you specify an arbitrary frame list,but a maintenance job requires a start frame and an end frame.

• Executable: The executable to use for rendering.

• Arguments: The arguments to pass to the executable. Use the Start Frame and End Frame buttons to add theircorresponding tags to the end of the current arguments. See the Manual Job Submission documentation for moreinformation on these tags.

• Frame Tag Padding: Determines the amount of frame padding to be added to the Start and End Frame tags.

• Start Up Folder: The folder that the executable will be started in. If left blank, the executable’s folder will beused instead.


The Command Line plug-in does not require any configuration.

9.13.3 FAQ

How do I handle paths in the arguments with spaces in them?

Use double-quotes around the path. For example, “T:\projects\path with spaces\project.ext”.

Do I need to use the <QUOTE> tags?

These are only needed when submitting manually from the command line. When using the Monitorsubmitter, you can just type in the double-quote character in the Arguments field.

9.14 Command Script


You can submit Command Script jobs from the Monitor. Command Script can execute a series of command lines,which can be configured to do anything from rendering to folder synchronization.



9.14. Command Script 603


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Command Script specificoptions are:

• Commands To Execute: Specify a list of commands to execute by either typing them in, or by loading themfrom a file. You also have the option to save the current list of commands to a file. To insert file or folder pathsinto the Commands field, use the Insert File Path or Insert Folder Path buttons.

• Startup Directory: The directory where each command will startup. This is optional, and if left blank, theexecutable’s directory will be used as the startup directory.

• Commands Per Task: Number of commands that will be executed for each task.

9.14.2 Manual Submission

Command Script jobs can also be manually submitted from the command line.

Submission File Setup

Three files are required for submission:

• the Job Info File

• the Plugin Info File

• the Command file

The Job Info file contains the general job options, which are explained in the Job Submission documentation.

The Plugin info file contains one line (this is the directory where each command will startup):

StartupDirectory=...

The Command file contains the list of commands to run. There should be one command per line, and no lines shouldbe left blank. If you’re executable path has a space in it, make sure to put quotes around the path. The idea is thatone frame in the job represents one command in the Command file. For example, let’s say that your Command filecontains the following:

"C:\Program Files\Executable1.exe""C:\Program Files\Executable1.exe" -param1"C:\Program Files\Executable1.exe""C:\Program Files\Executable1.exe" -param1 -param2"C:\Program Files\Executable1.exe"

Because there are five commands, the Frames specified in the Job Info File should be set to 0-4. If the Chunksize is setto 1, then a separate task will be created for each command. When a slave dequeues a task, it will run the commandthat is on the corresponding line number in the Command file. Note that the frame range specified must start at 0.

If you wish to run the commands in the order that they appear in the Command file, you can do so by setting theMachineLimit in the Job Info File to 1. Only one machine will render the job at a given time, thus dequeuing eachtask in order. However, if a task throws an error, the slave will move on to dequeue next task.

To submit the job, run the following command (where DEADLINE_BIN is the path to the Deadline bin directory):

DEADLINE_BIN\deadlinecommand JobInfoFile PluginInfoFile CommandFile



Manual Submission Example

This example demonstrates how you can render a single frame from a Maya scene with different options, and directthe output to a specific location. To get the submission script, download Example Script For Command Script Pluginfrom the Miscellaneous Deadline Downloads Page. To run the script, run the following command (you must have Perlinstalled):

Perl SubmitMayaCommandScript.pl "SceneFile.mb" FrameNumber "OutputPath"


The Command Script plug-in does not require any configuration.

9.14.4 FAQ

Can I use executables with spaces in the path?

Yes, just add quotes around the executable path.

9.15 Composite


You can submit jobs from within Composite by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

9.15. Composite 605



To submit from within Composite, select the version you would like to submit, hit render, and choose the Backgroundoption when prompted.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Integration options areexplained in the Integration documentation. The Composite specific options are:

• Project File: The Composite .txproject file.

• Composition: Path to the composition that you want to submit.

• Composition Version: The version of the current composition selected.

• Users ini file: The path to the user.ini file for this composition.

• Version: The version of Composite to use.

• Build to Force: Force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.


You can configure the Composite plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Composite plug-in from the list on the left.

9.15. Composite 607


Render Executables

• Composite Executable: The path to the txrender executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


The following procedures describe how to setup the integrated Composite submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Composite render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Composite editing GUI.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Composite/Installers


• Copy [Repository]\submission\Composite\Client\DeadlineCompositeClient.py to [CompositeInstall Direc-tory]\resources\scripts\

• Setup the Custom Render Action.

– In Composite under the Edit menu select Edit -> Project Preferences

– In the opened dialog select the Render Actions tab

– Under Render Actions, right click and select New

– Name the new action ‘Deadline’

– Enter the following for the Render Command (all on one line):



“<PythonExec>” “<ScriptsFolder>/DeadlineCompositeClient.py” -d “<RenderProject-Path>” -u “<RenderUserPath>” -c “<Composition>” -v “<Version>” -o “<Outputs>”-s “<StartFrame>” -e “<EndFrame>”

– There are two additional options you can add to this line:

* -r “COMPOSITE_VERSION” (where COMPOSITE_VERSION is the version of Composite,like 2012)

* -b “COMPOSITE_BUILD” (where COMPOSITE_BUILD is the bitness of Composite, whichcan be set to None, 32bit, or 64bit)

– In the Render window, select ‘Deadline’ as the Action and press Start.

9.15.4 FAQ

Which versions of Composite are supported?

Composite 2010 and later are supported.


This is a collection of known Composite error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

9.15. Composite 609





9.16 Corona Standalone


You can submit Corona jobs from the Monitor.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Corona specific options are:

• Corona Scene: The Corona scene that will be rendered. Must be a .scn file.

• Output File Directory: The directory for the output to be saved to.

• Output File Name: The prefix for the output file names. If not specified it defaults to “output”.

• Frame List: The list of frames to be rendered. Each frame will be rendered to a separate output file.



• Single Frame Job: If selected, the job is a single frame job.

• Configuration File(s): Add any configuration files for Corona here. Configuration files are processed in theorder they are listed.

The Corona specific advanced options are:

• Override maximum # of Passes: You can override the configuration file setting for the maximum number ofpasses here if this is enabled.

• Override maximum Render Time: You can override the configuration file setting for the maximum rendertime here if this is enabled.

• Override Threads: You can override the configuration file setting for the number of threads here if this isenabled.


You can configure the Corona plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Corona plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Corona Executable: The path to the corona standalone executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.



9.16. Corona Standalone 611





9.17 Corona Distributed Rendering

9.17.1 Interactive Distributed Rendering

You can submit interactive Corona DR jobs from 3ds Max. The instructions for installing the integrated submissionscript can be found further down this page.

The interactive submitter will submit a Corona DR job to reserve render nodes, and the submitter will automaticallyupdate the Corona DR server list in the 3ds Max UI.

Do NOT execute Render Legion’s Corona DR Server executable manually on each intended machine. Deadline ismore flexible here and will spawn the Corona DR Server standalone executable as a child process of the DeadlineSlave. This makes our system flexible and resilient to crashes as when we terminate/complete the Corona DR jobin the Deadline queue, the Deadline Slave application will ‘cleanly’ tidy up the DR Server and more importantly,any instances of 3dsMax which it in turn has spawned as a child process. This can be helpful if Corona DR or thatinstance of 3dsMax becomes unstable and a user wishes to reset the system remotely. You can simply re-queue ordelete/complete the current Corona DR job or re-submit.



Port Configuration

Here is a consolidated list of port requirements for Corona DR. Ensure any applicable firewalls are opened to allowpass-through communication. Typically if in doubt, opening TCP/UDP ports in the range: 19660-19670 will cover allCorona implementations for DR. During initial testing, it is recommended to open all ports in this range, verify and

9.17. Corona Distributed Rendering 613


then consider tightening up security.

Protocol Port Number Application NotesUDP 19666 3dsMaxTCP 19667 3dsMax loopbackTCP 19668 3dsMax

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Corona DR specific optionsare:

• Maximum Servers: The maximum number of Corona DR Servers to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Enable Verbose Logging (Optional): When checked, Corona DR server will create verbose logs.

• Use Server IP Address Instead of Host Name: If checked, the Active Servers list will show the server IPaddresses instead of host names.

• Automatically Update Server List: This option when un-checked stops the automatic refresh of the activeservers list based on the current Deadline queue.

• Complete Job after Render: When checked, as soon as the DR session has completed (max quick renderfinished), then the Deadline job will be marked as complete in the queue.

Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Reserve Servers button to submit the Corona DR job. Thejob’s ID and Status will be tracked in the submitter, and as nodes pick up the job, they will show up in the ActiveServers list. Once you are happy with the server list, press Start Render to start distributed rendering.

Note that the Corona DR Server process can sometimes take a little while to initialize. This means that a server inthe Active Server list could have started the Corona DR server, but it’s not fully initialized yet. If this is the case, it’sprobably best to wait a minute or so after the last server has shown up before pressing Start Render.

Update Servers (3dsMax only) button will manually update the Active Servers List. Note, if you modify the MaximumServers value, the job’s frame range will be updated when this button is pressed or if “Automatically Update ServerList” is enabled.

Whilst using the “interactive” Corona DR Server submission system in 3dsMax, it is recommended to NOT use the“Search LAN” button or enable the “Search LAN during render” checkbox, as you risk accidently selecting the wrongCorona DR servers running on your network, if another user in your studio is also running 1 or more Corona DRservers for their rendering needs.

After the render is finished, you can press Release Servers or close the submitter UI (Setup Corona DR With Deadline)to mark the Corona DR job as complete so that the render nodes can move on to another job in your queue.

9.17.2 Corona DR Submission

You can also submit Corona DR jobs from the Monitor, which can be used to reserve render nodes for distributed ren-dering. Note, if you submit the job via the Monitor submission script, that you will need to manually configure/updateyour local workstation settings to point to the correct, corresponding Deadline slaves either via IP address or host-name, depending on your local network setup. See your local systems administrator if your not sure if you should usea hostname or IP address on your network.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Corona DR specific optionsare:

• Maximum Servers: The maximum number of Corona DR Servers to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Verbose Logging: Enable for verbose logging from the DrServer application.

Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Submit button to submit the Corona DR job. Note thatthis doesn’t start any rendering, it just allows the Corona DR Server application to start up on nodes in the farm. Onceyou’re happy with the nodes that have picked up the job, you can initiate the distributed render manually from withinthe application. This will likely require manually configuring your Corona Server list or conveniently, you could usethe “Search LAN” button to automatically find ANY Corona DR servers running on your network. Additionally,Corona provides a “Search LAN during render” checkbox, which can be used to locate additional Corona DR Servers



whilst the render is progressing on your workstation and it also allows any errored or user interrupted servers to re-jointhis rendering session again.

After the distributed render has finished, remember to mark the job as complete or delete it so that the nodes can moveon to other jobs. Alternatively, use the DR Session timeout functionality described below or the auto task timeout tocontrol whether these type of jobs are automatically completed after a certain period of time.


You can configure the Corona DR Server plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the CoronaDR plug-in from the list on the left.

Corona DrServer Executables

Here you can specify the Corona DR server executable used for rendering.

DR Process Handling

• Handle Existing DR Process: Only one instance of the same DR process running over the same port is possible.This option allows for Deadline to fail the task if this is the case or attempt to kill the currently running process,to allow the Deadline managed DR process to run successfully.

DR Session Timeout

• DR Session Auto Timeout Enable: If enabled, when a DR session has successfully completed on a slave, thetask on the slave will be marked as complete after the DR session auto timeout period in seconds has beenreached (Default: False).

• DR Session Auto Timeout (Seconds): This is the timeout period (Default: 30 seconds) when a DR session willtimeout and be marked as complete by a slave.




There is an integrated Corona DR submission script for 3ds Max. The installation process for this script can be foundbelow.

3ds Max

The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Corona DR submission script for 3ds Max. Theintegrated submission script and the following installation procedure has been tested with Max versions 2012 and later(including Design editions).

Note: Due to a maxscript bug in the initial release of 3ds Max 2012, the integrated submission scripts will not work.However, this bug has been addressed in 3ds Max 2012 Hotfix 1.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/3dsmaxCoronaDR/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsmaxCoronaDR/Client/Deadline3dsmaxCoronaDRClient.mcr to [3ds InstallDirectory]/MacroScripts. If you don’t have a MacroScripts folder in your 3ds Max install directory, check tosee if you have a UI/Macroscripts folder instead, and copy the Deadline3dsmaxCoronaDRClient.mcr file thereif you do.





9.17.5 FAQ

Is Corona Distributed Rendering (DR) supported?

Yes. A special ‘reserve’ job is submitted that will run the Corona DR Server application on the rendernodes. Once the Corona DR Server process is running, these nodes will be able to participate in distributedrendering.

Which versions of Corona DR are supported?

Corona interactive rendering is supported for 3ds Max 2012-2015.

Corona DR Server application fails to start manually?

During initial configuration of Corona DR Server & any future debugging, it is recommended to disableany firewall & anti-virus software at both the DR master host machine as well as all render slave machineswhich are intended to participate in the DR process. We suggest you manually get Corona DR up andrunning in your studio pipeline to verify all is well before then introducing Deadline as a framework tohandle the DR Server application.

Is Backburner required for 3dsMax based Corona DR via Deadline?

Yes. Normal 3dsMax rendering via Deadline requires the Backburner dll’s to be present on a systemand this is the same prerequisite for Corona DR rendering to work correcty. Ensure you have the lat-est/corresponding version of Backburner to ensure it supports the version of 3dsMax you are using. Youcan submit a normal 3dsmax render job to verify that Backburner & 3dsMax rendering via Deadline areall operating correctly before attempting to configure Corona DR rendering. Use the Deadline job reportto verify the correctly matched version of Backburner and 3dsMax are in order.

Do I need to run the Corona DR Server application executable on each machine?

Do NOT execute Render Legion’s Corona DR Server executable manually on each intended machine.Deadline is more flexible here and will spawn the Corona DR Server standalone executable as a childprocess of the Deadline Slave. This makes our system flexible and resilient to crashes as when we ter-minate/complete the Corona DR job in the Deadline queue, the Deadline Slave application will ‘cleanly’tidy up the DR Server and more importantly, any instances of 3dsMax which it in turn has spawned as achild process. This can be helpful if Corona DR or that instance of 3dsMax becomes unstable and a userwishes to reset the system remotely. You can simply re-queue or delete/complete the current Corona DRjob or re-submit.

Can I force Corona DR to run over a certain port?

No. Currently this is not possible and the ports used are fixed. Please see the Port Configuration table atthe top of this page for more information.

Corona DR rendering seems a little unstable sometimes or my machine slows down dramatically!

Depending on the number of slave machines being used (Win7 OS < 20), scene file sizes being movedaround together with asset files, and your network/file storage configuration, it may help to increase the“Synchronization interval [s]: 60” and decrease the “Max pixels transfer at once: 500000” settings, whichcan help to reduce the load on your local machine and network.


This is a collection of known Corona error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.18 CSiBridge


You can submit CSiBridge jobs from the Monitor.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The CSiBridge specific options are:

• CSi Bridge Data File(s): The CSi Bridge Data File to be processed. CSi Bridge Files (*.BDB), MicrosoftAccess Files (*.MDB), Microsoft Excel Files (*.XLS), CSi Bridge Text Files (*.$BR *.B2K) are supported.

• Override Output Directory: If this option is enabled, an output directory can be used to re-direct all processedfiles to.

• Build To Force: You can force 32 or 64 bit processing with this option.

• Submit Data File With Job: If this option is enabled, the Bridge file will be submitted with the job, and thencopied locally to the slave machine during processing.

• Version: The version of CSiBridge to render with.

CSiBridge Process/Solver Options are:

• Process Selection: Choose to execute inside of the existing Bridge application process or as a separate process.

• Solver Selection: Select the Solver to perform the analysis on the data file.

CSiBridge Design Options are:

9.18. CSiBridge 619


4 options are available to automatically perform design after the data file has been opened & analysis results areavailable.

• Steel Frame Design: Perform steel frame design after the analysis has completed.

• Concrete Frame Design: Perform concrete frame design after the analysis has completed.

• Aluminium Frame Design: Perform aluminium frame design after the analysis has completed.

• Cold Formed Frame Design: Peform cold formed frame design after analysis has completed.

CSiBridge Deletion Options are:

• Temp File Deletion: Choose a deletion option to cleanup the analysis/log/out files if required.

CSiBridge Additional Options are:

• Include Data File: If enabled, the output zip file will contain the data file OR if outputting to a directory path,the data file will be included.

• Compress (ZIP) Output: Automatically compress the output to a single zip file.

• Command Line Args: Additional command line flags/options can be added here if required.


You can configure the CSiBridge plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> Con-figure Plugins and select the CSiBridge plug-in from the list on the left.

Executables

• Bridge 15 Executable: The path to the Bridge 15 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.



• Bridge 2014 Executable: The path to the Bridge 2014 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

• Bridge 2015 Executable: The path to the Bridge 2015 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.18.3 FAQ

Is CSiBridge supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known CSiBridge error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.19 CSiETABS


You can submit CSiETABS jobs from the Monitor.

9.19. CSiETABS 621




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The CSiETABS specific optionsare:

• CSi ETABS Data File(s): The CSi ETABS Data File to be processed. CSi ETABS Files (*.EDB), MicrosoftAccess Files (*.MDB), Microsoft Excel Files (*.XLS), CSi ETABS Text Files (*.$ET *.E2K) are supported.



• Submit Data File With Job: If this option is enabled, the ETABS file will be submitted with the job, and thencopied locally to the slave machine during processing.

• Version: The version of CSi ETABS to render with.

CSiETABS Design Options are:




• Composite Beam Design: Perform composite beam design after the analysis has completed.

• Shear Wall Design: Peform shear wall design after analysis has completed.

CSiETABS Deletion Options are:

• Delete Analysis Results: Choose to delete the analysis results if required.

CSiETABS Additional Options are:





You can configure the CSiETABS plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the CSiETABS plug-in from the list on the left.



Executables

• ETABS 2013 Executable: The path to the ETABS 2013 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

• ETABS 2014 Executable: The path to the ETABS 2014 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.19.3 FAQ

Is CSiETABS supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known CSiETABS error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.19. CSiETABS 623




9.20 CSiSAFE


You can submit CSiSAFE jobs from the Monitor.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The CSiSAFE specific options are:

• CSi SAFE Data File(s): The CSi SAFE Data File to be processed. CSi SAFE Files (*.FDB), Microsoft AccessFiles (*.MDB), Microsoft Excel Files (*.XLS), CSi SAFE Text Files (*.$2K *.F2K) are supported.



• Submit Data File With Job: If this option is enabled, the SAFE file will be submitted with the job, and thencopied locally to the slave machine during processing.

• Version: The version of CSi SAFE to process with.

CSiSAFE Analysis/Design/Detailing Option:



• Run Method: Choose a run combination option such as “Disabled”, “Run Analysis”, “Run Analysis & Design”or “Run Analysis, Design & Detailing”.

CSiSAFE Process/Solver Options:

• Process Selection: Choose to execute inside of the existing SAFE application process or as a separate process.


• Force 32bit Process: Force analysis to be calculated in 32 bit even when the computer is 64 bit.

CSiSAFE Report Option:

• Create Report: Create a report based on the current report settings in the model file.

CSiSAFE Export Options:

• File Export: File export a Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, or text file.

• DB Named Set (required): The name of the database tables named set that defines the tables to be exported.This parameter is required.

• DB Group Set (optional): The specified group sets the selection for the exported tables. This parameter isoptional. If it is not specified, the group ALL is assumed.

CSiSAFE Deletion Options:

• Temp File Deletion: Choose a deletion option to cleanup the analysis/output files if required such as “keepeverything”, “delete analysis & output files”, “delete analysis files only” or “delete output files only”.

CSiSAFE Additional Options:




You can configure the CSiSAFE plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the CSiSAFE plug-in from the list on the left.

9.20. CSiSAFE 625


Executables

• SAFE 12 Executable: The path to the SAFE 12 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

• SAFE 2014 Executable: The path to the SAFE 2014 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternative pathson separate lines.

9.20.3 FAQ

Is CSiSAFE supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known CSiSAFE error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.21 CSiSAP2000


You can submit CSiSAP2000 jobs from the Monitor.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The CSiSAP2000 specific optionsare:

• CSi SAP2000 Data File(s): The CSi SAP2000 Data File to be processed. CSi SAP2000 Files (*.SDB), Mi-crosoft Access Files (*.MDB), Microsoft Excel Files (*.XLS), CSi SAP2000 Text Files (*.$2K *.S2K) aresupported.



• Submit Data File With Job: If this option is enabled, the SAP2000 file will be submitted with the job, and thencopied locally to the slave machine during processing.

• Version: The version of CSi SAP2000 to render with.

CSiSAP2000 Process/Solver Options are:

• Process Selection: Choose to execute inside of the existing SAP2000 application process or as a separateprocess.

9.21. CSiSAP2000 627



CSiSAP2000 Design Options are:




• Aluminium Frame Design: Perform aluminium frame design after the analysis has completed.

• Cold Formed Frame Design: Peform cold formed frame design after analysis has completed.

CSiSAP2000 Deletion Options are:

• Temp File Deletion: Choose a deletion option to cleanup the analysis/log/out files if required.

CSiSAP2000 Additional Options are:





You can configure the CSiSAP2000 plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the CSiSAP2000 plug-in from the list on the left.

Executables



• SAP2000 14 Executable: The path to the SAP2000 14 executable file used for simulating. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.




9.21.3 FAQ

Is CSiSAP2000 supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known CSiSAP2000 error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.22 DJV


You can submit DJV jobs from the Monitor. You can use the Submit menu, or you can right-click on a job and selectScripts -> Submit DJV Quicktime Job To Deadline to automatically populate some fields in the DJV submitter basedon the job’s output.

9.22. DJV 629




Submission Options

The general submission options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. You can get more information about the DJV specificoptions by hovering your mouse over the label for each setting. The Settings buttons can be used to quickly save andload presets, or reset the settings back to their defaults.


You can configure the DJV plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the DJV plug-in from the list on the left.



DJV Executables

• DJV Executable: The path to the djv_convert executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.22.3 FAQ

Is DJV supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Can I create Apple Quicktime mov files with DJV?

Yes. On Windows, you must use the x32 bit version of DJV only. The LibQuicktime based codecs areonly available in DJV v1.0.1 or later AND only on Linux. As an alternative, you can also use Thinkbox’sDraft product (image/movie creation automation toolkit) which is included in Deadline and is licensedagainst your active Deadline support subscription. See Draft for more information.

Can I create EXR files compressed with DreamWorks Animations DWAA or DWAB compression?

Yes, but this is only supported in DJV v1.0.01 or later.


This is a collection of known DJV error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want to keepthis list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

[ -auto_tag] and [ -tag Name Value] options not working in DJV plugin

9.22. DJV 631

http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com/draft/




DJV has a bug causing DJV to crash which is currently stopping these 2 command line flag options fromworking. The code has been commented out in the DJV plugin and can be re-enabled as such time thebug is fixed by the DJV developer.

Various Command Line options failing in DJV

Many of the [djv_convert] commmand line flags are broken due to “spaces” being present between theflag options in DJV versions earlier than v1.0.1. This is all resolved in DJV v1.0.1 and later, so it isrecommended to use at least this version (wrapping the flag options with additional quotation marks doesnot resolve the issue as it’s a bug in the actual [djv_convert] command line args parser function).

9.23 Draft


There are many ways to submit Draft jobs to Deadline. As always, you can simply submit a Draft job from within theMonitor from the Submit menu. In addition, we’ve also added a right-click job script to the Monitor, which will allowyou to submit a Draft job based on an existing job. This will pull over output information from the original job, andfill in Draft parameters automatically where possible.



On top of the Monitor scripts, you can also get set up to submit Draft jobs directly from Shotgun. This will againpull over as much information as possible, this time from the Shotgun database, in order to pre-fill several of the Draftparameter fields. See the Integrated Submission Script Setup section below for more details on this.

We’ve also added a Draft section to all of our other submitters. Submitting a Draft job from any of these uses our

9.23. Draft 633


Draft Event Plug-in to submit a Draft job based on the job currently being submitted (this is similar in concept to theright-click job script described above). The Draft job will get automatically created upon completion of the originaljob.

9.23.2 Submission Options

The general Deadline options are available in the Draft submitters, and are explained in the Job Submission documen-tation. Draft-specific options are explained below. It should be noted, however, that given the nature of Draft scripts,not all of these parameters will be used by all scripts. They can even feasibly be used for different purposes than listedhere.

• Draft Script: This is the Draft script (or Template) that you want to run.

• Input File: Indicates where the input file(s) for the Draft Script can be found. What kind of file this is willdepend entirely on the Draft Script itself. Passed to the Draft script as ‘inFile’.

• Output Folder: Indicates where the output file(s) of the Draft Script will be placed. Can be a relative path, inwhich case it will be relative to the input. This is passed to the Draft script as ‘outFolder’.

• Output File Name: As above, the type of file this is will depend entirely on the selected Draft Script. Passed tothe Draft script as ‘outFile’.

• Frame List: The list of Frames that the Draft Script should work with. Passed to the Draft Script as ‘frameList’,‘firstFrame’, and ‘lastFrame’.

• User: The name of the user that is submitting the job. Typically used by the Draft script for frame annotations.Passed to the Draft script as ‘username’.

• Entity: The name of the entity being submitted. Typically used by the Draft script for frame annotations. Passedto the Draft script as ‘entity’.

• Version: The version of the entity being submitted. Typically used by the Draft script for frame annotations.Passed to the Draft script as ‘version’.

• Additional Args: Any additional command line arguments that you wish to pass to the Draft script should belisted here. Appended to arguments listed above.


The Draft plug-in does not require any configuration.


All of our integrated submission scripts have been updated to have a Draft section, in order to submit dependent Draftjobs. In addition to this, we also have created scripts to allow you to submit a Draft job directly from Shotgun.

Shotgun Action Menu Item

The best way to install the Draft Submission menu item in Shotgun is to use the automated setup script included in theMonitor. To access this, select Scripts -> Install Integration Submission Scripts from the Monitor’s menu. From there,click the ‘Install’ button next to the Draft entry.

It should be noted that this functionality is currently only available on the Windows version, and requires administratorprivileges to run successfully. It should also be noted that while this script will create the ‘Submit Draft Job’ entry inShotgun for everyone to see, this must still be done on each machine that will be submitting Draft jobs.



9.24 Draft Tile Assembler


You can submit Draft tile assembler jobs from the Monitor. Normally, these jobs are submitted as dependent jobs foryour original tile jobs, but you can submit them manually if you wish.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Draft Tile Assembler specificoptions are:

• Input Config File: The file that will control a majority of the assembly.

9.24. Draft Tile Assembler 635


• Error on Missing File: If enabled, the job will error if any of the tiles in the config file are missing.

• Cleanup Tiles: If enabled, the job Delete all of the tile files after the assembly is complete.

• Build To Force: You can force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.

Config File Setup

The config file is a plain text file that uses Key/Value pairs (key=value) to control the draft tile assembly.

• TileCount=<#>: The number of tiles that are going to be assembled

• DistanceAsPixels=<true/false>: Distances provided in pixels or in a 0.0-1.0 percentage range (Defaults toTrue)

• BackgroundSource=<BackgroundFile>: If provided, the assembler will attempt to assemble the new tilesover the specified image.

• TilesCropped=<true/false>: If disabled, the assembler will crop the tiles before assembling them.

• ImageHeight=<#>: The height of the final image. This will be ignored if a background is provided. If this isnot provided and the tiles are not cropped then the first tile will be used to determine the final image size.

• ImageWidth=<#>: The height of the final image. This will be ignored if a background is provided. If this isnot provided and the tiles are not cropped then the first tile will be used to determine the final image size.

• Tile<#>Filename=<FileName>: The file name of the tile to be assembled. (Only used if ImageFolder is notincluded, 0 indexed)

• Tile<#>X=<#>: The X coordinates for the tile that is to be assembled. 0 at the left side.

• Tile<#>Y=<#>: The Y coordinates for the tile that is to be assembled. 0 at the bottom.

• Tile<#>Width=<#>: The width of the tile that is to be cropped. (Only used if TilesCropped is false)

• Tile<#>Height=<#>: The height of the tile that is to be cropped. (Only used if TilesCropped is false)

• ImageFolder=<Folder>: The folder that you would like to assemble images from. (If included the assemblerwill render all tiles within the specified Folder )

• ImagePadding=<#>: The amount of padding on the file names within the folder.(Only used if ImageFolder isincluded)

• ImageExtension=<ext>: The extension that the files to be assembled. (Only used if ImageFolder is included)

• Tile<#>Prefix=<Prefix>: The Prefix that the file must contain (Only used if ImageFolder is included)

Example Config Files

The first example config file will control a simple tile assembly.

#We are assembling 4 tiles into an imageTileCount=4#The final image will have the following filenameImageFileName=C:/ExampleConfig/outputFileName.png#The final Image will have a resolution of 960x540ImageWidth=960ImageHeight=540#The Images are already CroppedTilesCropped=True#What is the file that will be the first tile assembledTile0FileName=C:/ExampleConfig/_tile_1x1_2x2_sceneName.png



#Where should the first tile goTile0X=0Tile0Y=0#What is the file that will be the second tile assembledTile1FileName=C:/ExampleConfig/_tile_2x1_2x2_sceneName.png#Where should the second tile goTile1X=480Tile1Y=0#What is the file that will be the third tile assembledTile2FileName=C:/ExampleConfig/_tile_1x2_2x2_sceneName.png#Where should the third tile goTile2X=0Tile2Y=270#What is the file that will be the fourth tile assembledTile3FileName=C:/ExampleConfig/_tile_2x2_2x2_sceneName.png#Where should the fourth tile goTile3X=480Tile3Y=270

The second example config file controls a folder render. It will assemble all files within the folder C:/ExampleConfig/that have the extension exr and have the given prefixes. So if the files region_0_test.exr, region_1_test.exr, re-gion_2_test.exr, region_3_test.exr then this file will create the images test.exr:

#We are assembling 4 tiles into an imageTileCount=4#In the config files we are using relative coordinates instead of pixel coordinatesDistanceAsPixels=0#The tiles have not yet been cropped so the tile assembler has to crop each tile.TilesCropped=false#We are going to assemble all files within the specified folder.ImageFolder=C:/ExampleConfig#We are going to only assemble files with the following extensionImageExtension=exr#The first tile in each of the images will start with the following prefixTile0Prefix=region_0_#Where should the tile goTile0X=0Tile0Y=0#Because we are cropping the tiles we need to give it a width and height to crop toTile0Width=0.5Tile0Height=0.5#The second tile in each of the images will start with the following prefixTile1Prefix=region_1_#Where should the tile goTile1X=0.5Tile1Y=0#Because we are cropping the tiles we need to give it a width and height to crop toTile1Width=0.5Tile1Height=0.5Tile2Prefix=region_2_Tile2X=0Tile2Y=0.5Tile2Width=0.5Tile2Height=0.5Tile3Prefix=region_3_Tile3X=0.5Tile3Y=0.5

9.24. Draft Tile Assembler 637


Tile3Width=0.5Tile3Height=0.5


The Draft Tile Assembler plug-in does not require any configuration.

9.24.3 FAQ

There are no FAQ entries at this time.


This is a collection of known Draft Tile Assembler error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions.We want to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, pleaseemail Deadline Support and let us know.


9.25 EnergyPlus


You can submit EnergyPlus jobs from the Monitor.




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The EnergyPlus specific optionsare:

• EnergyPlus IDF File(s): The EnergyPlus IDF file(s) to be processed.

• Weather EPW File(s): The Weather EPW File(s) to be referenced (Optional).



• Submit File(s) With The Job: If this option is enabled, the data file(s) will be submitted with the job, and thencopied locally to the slave machine during processing.

EnergyPlus Post-Process Options are:

• ../ReadVarsESO.exe Max.Columns: Limit the maximium number of columns used when calling readVars-ESO.exe.

• Execute ../convertESOMTR.exe: Execute the convertESOMTR.exe application as a post-process.

• Execute ../CSVproc.exe: Execute the csvProc.exe application as a post-process.

EnergyPlus Processing Options are:

9.25. EnergyPlus 639


• Multithreading: If enabled, EnergyPlus simulations will use multithreading. Ignored if Concurrent Tasks > 1.

• Pause Mode (DEBUG only): Only for Debug purposes. Will PAUSE the program execution at key steps.

EnergyPlus Other Options are:


• Compress (ZIP) Output: Automatically compress the EP output to a single zip file.


You can configure the EnergyPlus plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the EnergyPlus plug-in from the list on the left.

Executables

• EnergyPlus Executable: The path to the EnergyPlus executable file used for simulating. Enter alternative pathson separate lines.

9.25.3 FAQ

Is EnergyPlus supported by Deadline?

Yes.




This is a collection of known EnergyPlus error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.26 FFmpeg


You can submit FFmpeg jobs from the Monitor.

9.26. FFmpeg 641




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The FFmpeg specific options are:



• Input File: The input file.

• Input Arguments: Additional command line arguments for the input file.

• Replace Frame in Input File(s) With Padding: If enabled, the frame number in the file name will be replacedby frame padding before being passed to FFMpeg. This should be enabled if you are passing a sequence ofimages as input.

• Output File: The output file.

• Output Arguments: Additional command line arguments for the output file.

• Additional Arguments: Additional general command line arguments.

• Additional Input Files: Specify up to 9 additional input files. You can give each file their own arguments, oruse the same arguments as the main input file.

• FFmpeg Preset Files: Specify preset files for video, audio, or subtitle.


You can configure the FFmpeg plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the FFmpeg plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• FFmpeg Executable: The path to the FFmpeg executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.26.3 FAQ

Currently, there are no FAQs for this plug-in.

9.26. FFmpeg 643



This is a collection of known FFmpeg error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.27 Fusion


You can submit jobs from within Fusion by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Fusion, select Script -> DeadlineFusionClient.

Submission Options


• Fusion Comp: The flow/comp file to be rendered.

• Frame List: The list of frames to render.

• Frames Per Task: This is the number of frames that will be rendered at a time for each job task.

• Proxy: The proxy level to use (not supported in command line mode).

• Version: The version of Fusion to render with.

• Build: Force 32 or 64 bit rendering. Default is None.

• Use Frame List In Comp: Enable this option to pull the frame range from the comp file.





• Check Output: If checked, Deadline will check all savers to ensure they have saved their image file (notsupported in command line mode).

• High Quality: Whether or not to render with high quality (not supported in command line mode).

• Command Line Mode: Render using separate command line calls instead of keeping the scene loaded inmemory between tasks. Using this feature disables the High Quality, Proxy, and Check Saver Output options.This uses the FusionCmd plug-in, instead of the Fusion one.

• Submit Comp File: If this option is enabled, the flow/comp file will be submitted with the job, and then copiedlocally to the slave machine during rendering.

In-app submitter submission options.

• Render First And Last Frames First: The first and last frame of the flow/comp will be rendered first, followedby the remaining frames in the sequence. Note that the Frame List above is ignored if this box is checked (theframe list is pulled from the flow/comp itself).

• Submit Comp File With Job: If this option is enabled, the flow/comp file will be submitted with the job, andthen copied locally to the slave machine during rendering.

• Check Saver Output: If checked, Deadline will check all savers to ensure they have saved their image file (notsupported in command line mode).


You can configure the Fusion and FusionCmd plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, selectTools -> Configure Plugins and select the Fusion plug-in from the list on the left.

Fusion

9.27. Fusion 645


Fusion Options

• Fusion Render Executable: The path to the Fusion Render Slave executable used for rendering. Enter alter-native paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on yourrender nodes.

• Fusion Wait For Executable: If you use a proxy RenderSlave.exe, set this to the name of the renamed original.For example, it might be set to RenderSlave_original.exe. Leave blank to disable this feature.

• Fusion Version To Enforce: Deadline will only render Fusion jobs on slaves running this version of Fusion.Use a ; to separate alternative versions. Leave blank to disable this feature.

• Fusion Slave Preference File: The path to a global RenderSlave.prefs preference file that is copied over beforestarting the Render Slave. Leave blank to disable this feature.

General Fusion Options

• Load Comp Timeout: Maximum time for Fusion to load a comp, in seconds.

• Script Connect Timeout: Amount of time allowed for Fusion to start up and accept a script connection, inseconds.

FusionCmd

• Fusion Render Executable: The path to the Fusion Console Slave executable used for rendering. Enter alter-native paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on yourrender nodes.

• Fusion Slave Preference File: The path to a global RenderSlave.prefs preference file that is copied over beforestarting the Render Slave. Leave blank to disable this feature.




The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Fusion submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Fusion render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Fusion editing GUI.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Fusion/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/Fusion/Client/DeadlineFusionClient.eyeonscript to [Fusion Install Direc-tory]/Scripts/Comp

• Restart Fusion to find the DeadlineFusionClient option in the Script menu.

Custom Sanity Check Setup

In the [Repository]/submission/Fusion/Main folder, you can create a file called CustomSanityChecks.eyeonscript.This script will be called by the main Fusion submission script before submission, and can be used to perform sanitychecks. Within this script file, you must define this function, which is called by the main script:

function CustomDeadlineSanityChecks(comp)local message = ""

...

return messageend

All your checks should be placed within this function. This function should return a message that contains the sanitycheck warnings. If an empty message is returned, then it is assumed the sanity check was a success and no warning isdisplayed to the user. Here is a simple example that checks if any CineFusion tools are being used in the comp file:

function CustomDeadlineSanityChecks(comp)local message = ""

------------------------------------------------------- RULE: Check to make sure Cinefusion is disabled-----------------------------------------------------cinefusionAttrs = fusion:GetRegAttrs("CineFusion")if not (cinefusionAttrs == nil) then

cinefusion_regID = cinefusionAttrs.REGS_IDlocal i = nilfor i, v in comp:GetToolList() do

if (v:GetID() == cinefusion_regID) thenif (v:GetAttrs().TOOLB_PassThrough == false) then

message = message .."CineFusion '" ..v:GetAttrs().TOOLS_Name .."' should be disabled\n"

endend

endend

9.27. Fusion 647


return messageend

9.27.4 FAQ

Which versions of Fusion are supported?

Fusion 5 and later are supported.

What’s the difference between the Fusion and FusionCmd plugins?

The Fusion plugin starts the Fusion Render Node in server mode and uses eyeonscript to communicatewith the Fusion renderer. Fusion and the comp remain loaded in memory between tasks to reduce over-head. This is usually the preferred way of rendering with Fusion.

The FusionCmd plugin renders with Fusion by executing command lines, and can be used by selectingthe Command Line mode option in the Fusion submitter. Because Fusion needs to be launched for eachtask, there is some additional overhead when using this plugin. In addition, the Proxy, High Quality, andSaver Output Checking features are not supported in this mode. However, this mode tends to print outbetter debugging information when there are problems (especially when the Fusion complains that it can’tload the comp), so we recommend using it to help figure out problems that may be occurring when usingthe Fusion plugin.

Can I use both workstation and render node licenses to render jobs in Deadline?

You can use workstation licenses to render, you just need to do a little tweaking to get this to work nicely.In the Plugin Configuration settings, you need to specify two paths for the render executable option. Thefirst path will be the render node path, and the second will be the actual Fusion executable path. You thenhave to make sure that the render node is not installed on your workstations. Because you have specifiedtwo paths, Deadline will only use the second path if the first one doesn’t exist, which is why the rendernodes can’t be installed on your workstations.

Why is it not possible to have to 2 instances of Fusion running?

With Fusion there is only one tcp/ip port to which eyeonscript (the scripting language used to run Fusionrenders on a slave computer) can connect. If Fusion is open on a slave computer then the port will be inuse and the Fusion Render Node will have to wait for the port to become available before rendering ofFusion jobs on that slave can begin.

Fusion alone renders fine, but with Deadline, the slaves are failing on the last frame.

This is usally accompanied by this error message:

INFO: Checking file \\path\to\filename####.extINFO: Saver "SaverName" did not produce output file.INFO: Expected file "\\path\to\filename####.ext" to exist.

The issue likely has to do with the processing of fields as opposed to full frames. When processing youroutput as fields, the frames are rendered in two halves (for example, frame 1 would be rendered as 1.0 and1.5). This error often occurs when the Global Timeline is not set to include the second half of the finalframe. Simply adding a .5 to the Global End Time should resolve this issue.

For example, let us assume that you are processing fields and your output range is 0 - 100. If the GlobalTimeline is set to be 0.0 - 100.0, Fusion will render everything, but Deadline will fail on the last frame. Ifthe Global Timeline is set to be 0.0 - 100.5, Deadline will render everything just fine.

Is there a way to increase Deadline’s efficiency when rendering Fusion frames that only take a few seconds tocomplete?



Rendering these frames in groups (groups of 5 for example) tends to reduce the job’s overall renderingtime. The group size can be set in the Fusion submission dialog using the Task Group Size option.

Does Fusion cache data between frames on the network, in the same way it does when rendering sequenceslocally?

Deadline renders each block of frames using the eyeonscript comp.render function. The Fusion RenderNode is kept running between each block rendered, so when Fusion caches static results, it can be usedby the next block of frames to be rendered on the same machine.

Fusion seems to be taking a long time to start up when rendering. What can I do to fix this?

If you are running Fusion off a remote share, this can occur when there is a large number of files in theAutosave folder. If this is the case, deleting the files in the Autosave folder should fix the problem.

Can I use relative paths in my Fusion comp when rendering with Deadline?

If your comp is on a network location, and everything is relative to that network path, you can use relativepaths if you choose the option to not submit the comp file with the job. In this case, the slaves will load thecomp directly over the network, and there shouldn’t be any problems with the relative paths. Just makesure that your render nodes resolve the paths the same way your workstation does.

9.27.5 Error Message and Meanings

This is a collection of known Fusion error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

Exception during render: Failed to load the comp “[flowname].comp” in startjob.eyeonscript”?

This error usually occurs because the render node is missing a plug-in that is referenced by the flowin question. Often this is because there is a plug-in installed on the machine from which the job wassubmitted that is not in the Fusion Render Node plug-in directory on the slave machine. It is importantto remember that the Fusion Render Node has a different plug-in store than Fusion – even on the samemachine – thus one should ensure that the needed plug-ins are copied/installed in both locations.

Exception during render: The fusion renderer reported that the render failed. Scroll down to the bottom of thelog below for more details.

This can occur for a number of reasons, but often Fusion will print out the cause for the error. In theerror log window, scroll to the end of the Slave Log capture which is near the bottom of the error messagewindow, and there will be a part which looks something like the following message. This particularmessage indicates that a font was missing on the machine.

INFO: Render started at Wed 8:17PM (Range: 198 to 198) INFO: INFO: Comments: Could not find font“SwitzerlandCondensed” INFO: INFO: Saver 1 failed at time 198 INFO: INFO: Render failed at Wed8:18PM! Last frame rendered: (none)! INFO: INFO: Render failed

We’ve usually found that the problem behind this error was a plug-in that was installed for Fusion, butnot for the Fusion Render Node. Try updating your Fusion Render Node plug-ins to match your Fusionplug-ins exactly, and check whether the error still occurs.

Exception during render: Eyeonscript failed to make a connection in startjob.eyeonscript - check that Eyeon-script is set to no login required?

In order to connect to the Fusion Render Node and communicate with it, Deadline uses the eyeonscript,the scripting language provided for Fusion. The script connects to the Fusion Render Node via a socketconnection, which by default requires a login username and password to connect.

In order for Deadline to be able to render using a given Fusion Render Node, you must change its settingsso that it no longer requires the username and password. This is done by running the Fusion Render Node,

9.27. Fusion 649




right clicking on the icon it creates, and choosing preferences. From there, pick the Script option, and youwill see radio buttons, one of which says ‘No login required’. Make sure that that is the option selected,then click Save to save the preferences, and exit Fusion Render Node.

9.28 Fusion Quicktime


You can submit Fusion Quicktime jobs from the Monitor.



Submission Options


Fusion Options

9.28. Fusion Quicktime 651


• Fusion Version: Select the version of Fusion to generate the Quicktime with.

• Build: Force 32 or 64 bit rendering.

• Load/Save Preset: Allows you to save your Fusion Quicktime options to a preset file, so that you can load themagain later.

Input/Output Options

• Input Images: The frames you would like to generate the Quicktime from. If a sequence of frames exist inthe same folder, Deadline will automatically collect the range of the frames and will set the Frame Range fieldaccordingly.

• Frames: The frame range used to generate the Quicktime.

• Frame Rate: The frame rate of the Quicktime.

• Overide Start: Allows the starting frame in the quicktime to be overridden. For example, if you are makinga quicktime from images with a range 101-150, you can override the start frame to be 1, and the range in thequicktime will appear as 1-50.

• Output Movie File: The name of the Quicktime to be generated.

• Codec: The codec format to use for the Quicktime.

• On Missing Frames: What the generator will do when a frame is missing or is unable to load. There are 4options:

– Fail: Nothing will be generated until the missing frame becomes available.

– Hold Previous: The last valid frame will be included instead of the missing frame.

– Output Black: A black frame will be included instead of the missing frame.

– Wait: The generator will wait until the missing frame becomes available.

Quicktime Options

• BG Plate: Specify an optinal background plate. The Quicktime will render using the selected file as the back-ground.

• Template: Specify an optional comp template. See the Template documentation below for more information.

• Artist Name: if you have a text tool with “artist” in its name in the selected template comp, its text will be setto the name that is specified.

• Curve Correction: Select to turn on the color curves tool (available when using templates only).

• Quality %: The quality of the Quicktime.

• Proxy: The ratio of pixels to render (for example, if set to 4, one out of every four pixels will be rendered).

• Gamma: The gamma level of the Quicktime.

• Exposure Compensation: The “stops” value used to calculate the gain parameter of the Brightness/Contrasttool. The gain parameter is calculated by using the value pow(2,stops).

9.28.2 Quicktime Templates

A comp template can be specified to put all the messages and watermarks that you want into the Quicktime. It hassome standardized comp naming conventions so that the renderer can set some standard text tool values, as well as theinput and output images. Here is an example of a very simple template file.



As you can see, this simple template consists of a loader, a saver, a text tool, and a merge tool. This template simplymerges the text tool with the loader so that “This is a test” appears in your Quicktime. You can create your owntemplate files, but they must meet the following requirements. As long as these requirements are met, you can addwhatever you like between the loader and the saver.

• There must be exactly one loader and one saver.

• The loader must have a dummy file name specified (the file doesn’t have to exist).


The Fusion Qucktime submitter submits jobs to the Fusion plug-in. See the Fusion Plug-in Guide for information onconfiguring the Fusion plug-in.

9.28. Fusion Quicktime 653


9.28.4 FAQ

Which versions of Fusion are supported?

Fusion 5 and later are supported.

How is this different than submitting regular Quicktime jobs?

Regular Quicktime jobs are more generic, and provide more general Quicktime options. Fusion Quicktimejobs are more customizable (ie: using templates), but requires Fusion to render.

9.28.5 Error Message and Meanings

The Fusion Quicktime submitter submits jobs to the Fusion plug-in. See the Fusion Plug-in Guide for Fusion errormessages and meanings.

9.29 Generation


You can submit comp jobs to Fusion from within Generation by installing the integrated submission script. Theinstructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

In Generation, select the comp(s) you want to submit, and then right-click and select Submit.



This will bring up the submission window. Note that the submission window is only shown once, and all jobs that aresubmitted will use the same job settings.

9.29. Generation 655


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Fusion options are:

• Use Frame List In Comp: Uses the frame list defined in the comp files instead of the Frame List setting. If youare submitting more than one comp from Generation, you should leave this option enabled unless you want theFrame List setting to be used for each comp.

• Proxy: The proxy level to use.

• High Quality Mode: Whether or not to render with high quality.

• Check Output: If checked, Deadline will check all savers to ensure they have saved their image file.

• Version: The version of Fusion to render with.

• Build: Force 32 or 64 bit rendering.

• Command Line Mode: Render using separate command line calls instead of keeping the scene loaded inmemory between tasks. Using this feature disables the High Quality, Proxy, and Check Saver Output options.This uses the FusionCmd plug-in, instead of the Fusion one.


The Generation submitter submits jobs to the Fusion plug-in. See the Fusion Plug-in Guide for information on con-figuring the Fusion plug-in.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Generation submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Generation comp jobs to Deadline directly from within the Generation editing GUI.

Submitter Installer



• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Generation/Installers


• Copy [Repository]\submission\Generation\Client\DeadlineGenerationClient.lua to the Generation scripts folder([Generation Install Folder]\scripts\generation).

• In the Generation program data folder (%PROGRAMDATA%\eyeon\Generation), you’ll need to edit your Gen-eration.cfg file. If you currently do not have a Generation.cfg file, create an empty one. Open your Genera-tion.cfg file and add this:

SCRIPT_FARMSUBMIT="scripts\generation\DeadlineGenerationClient.lua"

• Save the file. The next time you start up Generation, this script will be used when you select the Submit optionfor the selected comps.

9.29.4 FAQ

Which versions of Generation are supported?

Generation 2 and later are supported.


The Generation submitter submits jobs to the Fusion plug-in. See the Fusion Plug-in Guide for Fusion error messagesand meanings.

9.30 Hiero


You can submit transcoding jobs to Nuke from within Hiero by installing the integrated submission script. Theinstructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Hiero, open the Export window from the File menu, or by right-clicking on a sequence. Thenchoose the Submit To Deadline option in the Render Background Tasks drop down and press Export.

9.30. Hiero 657


This will bring up the submission window. Note that the submission window is only shown once, and all jobs that aresubmitted will use the same job settings.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Nuke specific options are:

• Render With NukeX: Enable this option if you want to render with NukeX instead of Nuke.

• Render Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering.

• Continue On Error: If enabled, Nuke will attempt to keep rendering if an error occurs.

• Maximum RAM Usage: The maximum RAM usage (in MB) to be used for rendering.

• Use Batch Mode: If enabled, Deadline will keep the Nuke file loaded in memory between tasks.

• Build To Force: Force 32 or 64 bit rendering.

9.30. Hiero 659



The Hiero submitter submits jobs to the Nuke plug-in. See the Nuke Plug-in Guide for cross-platform renderingconsiderations.


The Hiero submitter submits jobs to the Nuke plug-in. See the Nuke Plug-in Guide for information on configuring theNuke plug-in.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Hiero submission script. This script allows for sub-mitting Hiero transcoding jobs to Deadline directly from within the Hiero editing GUI. These jobs are then renderedusing the Nuke plugin.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Hiero/Installers


• Go to your .hiero user folder (~/.hiero or %USERPROFILE%\.hiero) and create a folder called “Python” if itdoesn’t exist.

• Open the “Python” folder and create another folder called “Startup” if it doesn’t exist.

• Copy [Repository]\submission\Hiero\Client\DeadlineHieroClient.py to the “Startup” folder (~/.hi-ero/Python/Startup or %USERPROFILE%\.hiero\Python\Startup).

The next time you launch Hiero, there should be a Submit To Deadline option in the Hiero Export window, in theRender Background Tasks drop down.

9.30.5 FAQ

The Hiero submitter submits jobs to the Nuke plug-in. See the Nuke Plug-in Guide for additional FAQs related toNuke.

Which versions of Hiero are supported?

Hiero 1.0 and later are supported.

How does the Deadline submission script for Hiero work?

The submission script submits transcoding jobs from Hiero to Deadline, which are rendered with the Nukeplugin.


The Hiero submitter submits jobs to the Nuke plug-in. See the Nuke Plug-in Guide for Nuke error messages andmeanings.



9.31 Houdini


You can submit jobs from within Houdini by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Houdini, select ‘Render’ -> ‘Submit To Deadline’.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Houdini specific options are:

• ROP To Render:

– Choose: Allows you to choose your ROP from the dropbox to the right.

– Selected: Allows you to render each ROP that you currently have selected in Houdini (in the order thatyou selected)

– All: Allows you to render every ROP in the Houdini file.

• Ignore Inputs: If enabled, only the selected ROP will be rendered. No dependencies will rendered.

• Build to Force: Force 32 or 64 bit rendering.

• Submit Wedges as Separate Jobs: If enabled, each Wedge in a Wedge ROP will be submitted as a separate jobwith the current Wedge settings. This option is only enabled if the selected ROP is a Wedge ROP, or if all ROPsare being rendered and at least one of them is a Wedge ROP.

9.31. Houdini 661


Tile Rendering Options

Enable Tile Rendering to split up a single frame into multiple tiles.

• Enable Tile Rendering: If enabled, the frame will be split into multiple tiles that are rendered individually andcan be assembled after.

• Tiles In X: Number of horizontal tiles.

• Tiles In Y: Number of vertical tiles.

• Single Frame Tile Job Enabled: Enable to submit all tiles in a single job.

• Single Job Frame: The frame that will be split up.

• Submit Dependent Assembly Job: Submit a job dependent on the tile job that will assemble the tiles.

• Cleanup Tiles after Assembly: If selected the tiles will be deleted after assembly.

• Error on Missing Tiles: If enabled, then if any of the tiles are missing the assembly job will fail.

• Assemble Over: Determine what the Draft Tile Assembler should assemble over be it a blank image, previousoutput or a specified file.

• Error on Missing Background: If enabled, then if the background file is missing the job will fail.

IFD Exporting and Mantra Standalone

The Houdini submitter allows you to submit a job that will export the scene to IFD files, and then submit a dependentMantra Standalone job to render the exported IFD files.

When submitting from the Monitor, you just need to enable the Override Export IFD option. When submitting fromwithin Houdini using the integrated submission script, you must first make sure that the ROPs you wish to export havethe Disk File option enabled in their properties, and then enable the Submit Dependent Mantra Standalone Job option



in the submitter. Note that if a ROP does not have the Disk File setting enabled, it will simply render the image, andno dependent Mantra Standalone job will be submitted.

The general Deadline options for the Mantra Standalone job are explained in the Job Submission documentation. TheMantra Standalone specific options are:

• Mantra Threads: The number of threads to use for the Mantra stanadlone job.


You can configure the Houdini plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Houdini plug-in from the list on the left.

9.31. Houdini 663


Render Executables

• Hython Executable: The path to the hython executable. It can be found in the Houdini bin folder. Enteralternative paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed onyour render nodes.

Licensing Options

• Slaves To Use Escape License: A list of slaves that should use a Houdini Escape license instead of a Batchlicense. Use a , to separate multiple slave names, for example: slave001,slave002,slave003

Path Mapping (For Mixed Farms)

• Enable Path Mapping: If enabled, Deadline will use Houdini’s HOUDINI_PATHMAP environment variableto perform path mappings on the contents of the Houdini scene file. This feature can be turned off if there areno Path Mapping entries defined in the Repository Options.


The following procedures describe how to setup the integrated Houdini submission script for Deadline. This script hasbeen tested with Houdini 9 and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/houdini/Installers

ManualInstallation of the Submission Script

On Windows or Linux, copy the client script to the Houdini install directory

• If the folder [Houdini Install Directory]\houdini\scripts\deadline\ doesn’t exist, create it.



• Copy [Repository]\submission\Houdini\Client\DeadlineHoudiniClient.py to [Houdini Install Direc-tory]\houdini\scripts\deadline\DeadlineHoudiniClient.py

On Mac OSX, copy the client script to the Houdini Framework folder

• If the folder [Houdini Framework]/Versions/[Houdini Version]/Resources/houdini/scripts/deadline/ doesn’t ex-ist, create it.

• Copy [Repository]\submission\Houdini\Client\DeadlineHoudiniClient.py to [Houdini Frame-work]/Versions/[Houdini Version]/Resources/houdini/scripts/deadline/DeadlineHoudiniClient.py

• The Houdini Framework folder can typically be found in /Library/Frameworks/Houdini.Framework

Add a menu item to execute the script

• Open the file [Houdini Install Directory]/houdini/MainMenuCommon in a text editor.

• Add the following in between the <mainMenu> and </mainMenu> tags, and make sure it is added after the</menuBar> closing tag.

<addScriptItem id="h.deadline"><parent>render_menu</parent><label>Submit To Deadline</label><scriptPath>$HFS/houdini/scripts/deadline/DeadlineHoudiniClient.py</scriptPath><scriptArgs></scriptArgs><insertAfter/></addScriptItem>

For example, this is what the last few lines of your MainMenuCommon file might look like:

</menuBar>

<addScriptItem id="h.deadline"><parent>render_menu</parent><label>Submit To Deadline</label><scriptPath>$HFS/houdini/scripts/deadline/DeadlineHoudiniClient.py</scriptPath><scriptArgs></scriptArgs><insertAfter/></addScriptItem>

</mainMenu>

9.31.4 FAQ

Which versions of Houdini are supported by Deadline?

Houdini 9 and later are supported. To render with Houdini 7 or 8, use the Mantra Plug-in.

Which Houdini license(s) are required to render with Deadline?

Deadline uses Hython to render, which uses hbatch licenses. If those are not available, it will try to use aMaster License instead.


This is a collection of known Houdini error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

9.31. Houdini 665





9.32 Lightwave


You can submit jobs from within Lightwave by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Lightwave, select the Render Tab and click the SubmitToDeadline button on the left.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Lightwave specific options are:

• Content Directory: The Lightwave Content directory. Refer to your Lightwave documentation for more infor-mation.

• Config Directory: The Lightwave Config directory. Refer to your Lightwave documentation for more informa-tion.

• Force Build: For Lightwave 9 and later, force rendering in 32 bit or 64 bit.

• Use FPrime Renderer: If you want to use the FPrime renderer instead of the normal Lightwave renderer.

• Use ScreamerNet Rendering: ScreamerNet rendering keeps the Lightwave scene loaded in memory betweenframes, which reduces overhead time when rendering.

Notes:

• At the moment, there is no support for rendering animation (movie) files. Any animation options will be ignored,and an RGB output and/or Alpha output must be specified in order to submit to Deadline.

9.32. Lightwave 667


• In the Scene file, some versions of Lightwave use a number to specify the output file type and some use theactual file type extension (.tif, .tga, etc). In the versions that use the actual file type extension, individualrendered images can be viewed from the Monitor task list by right-clicking on them.

• For information on how to properly set up your network for Lightwave rendering, see the ScreamerNet sectionof your Lightwave documentation. When Lightwave is properly configured for ScreamerNet rendering, it willthen render properly through Deadline.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Lightwave, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swapout file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitor while in super user mode byselecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the list on the left.

From here, you can set the list of executables that will be used for rendering. To get a more detailed description ofeach setting, simply hover the mouse cursor over a setting and a tool tip will be displayed.


This section describes how to install the integrated render job submission script for Lightwave. This script allowsfor submitting Lightwave render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Lightwave editing GUI. Note that on MacOSX, this script is only supported by the Universal Binary versions of Lightwave.

• Click the Utilities tab. Find the Plugins section on the right and click the Add Plug-ins button. Select theDeadlineLightwaveClient.ls file found in [Repository]\submission\Lightwave\Client.



• Click the Edit menu in the top-left corner and select the Edit Menu Layout... option.

9.32. Lightwave 669


• In the Command list on the left, expand the Plug-ins section in Lightwave 8 or the Additional section in Light-wave 9 and later, and find the DeadlineLightwaveClient plugin. Drag and drop it into the Menus list in theRender section. Click Done.

• Click the Render tab. There should be a DeadlineLightwaveClient button on the right. If there is not, check tomake sure you placed the DeadlineLightwaveClient plugin in the correct section.



9.32.4 FAQ

Which version of Lightwave are supported?

Lightwave versions 8 and later are supported. On Mac OSX, both the PPC and Universal Binary versionswork. However, the integrated Lightwave submission script only works with the Universal Binary version.

Lightwave 10 integrated submitter crashes with Deadline 5.0 and older on Mac OSX.

Due to an API change in LightWave, previous integrated submission scripts will not work under Light-Wave 10 on OSX. This is fixed in Deadline 5.1.

Does Deadline support the FPrime renderer?

Yes. FPrime has its own net rendering application called wsn.exe, which can be configured in the Light-wave plugin configuration. When you submit your Lightwave job, just make sure to have the Use FPrimeRenderer option checked.

When rendering with FPrime, I get an error that it can’t create a temporary config directory.

This can occur when the job is using a shared Config folder on the network. FPrime tries to create atemporary config directory in this shared folder, and this can fail if many slaves are trying to access thatConfig folder at the same time.

To avoid this problem, we suggest enabling the FPrime Use Local Config option in the Lightwave PluginConfiguration, which can be accessed from the Monitor while in Super User mode by selecting Tools ->

9.32. Lightwave 671


Configure Plugins. When this option is enabled, Deadline will copy the contents of the shared Configfolder to a local folder, and this is the Config folder that FPrime will use.

What does the Use ScreamerNet Rendering option in the submission dialog do?

When using ScreamerNet rendering, the Lightwave scene is kept loaded in memory between each framefor a job, which greatly reduces the overhead of having to load the scene at the beginning of each frame.

Does Deadline work if one renames the Lightwave configuration files in the configuration directory?

Currently, Deadline assumes that you have not renamed the Lightwave configuration files in the Lightwaveconfiguration directory.


This is a collection of known Lightwave error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.33 LuxRender


You can submit LuxRender jobs from the Monitor.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The LuxRender specific optionsare:

• LXS File: The file to render.

• Threads: The number of threads to use. Specify 0 to use the same number of threads as there are CPUs.


You can configure the LuxRender plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the LuxRender plug-in from the list on the left.

9.33. LuxRender 673


Render Executables

• Luxrender Executable: The path to the luxconsole executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines.

9.33.3 FAQ

Is LuxRender supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known LuxRender error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.34 LuxSlave


You can submit LuxRender Slave jobs from the Monitor, which can be used to reserve render nodes for distributedrendering. Note, you will need to manually configure/update your locally running LuxRender UI “network” queue topoint to the correct, corresponding Deadline slaves or IP addresses, over an identical port number.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The LuxSlave specific options are:

• Maximum LC Slaves: The maximum number of Luxconsole Slaves to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Port Number: Override the default Luxconsole Slave TCP port number of 18018 to use.

• Threads: The number of threads to use. Specify 0 to use the same number of threads as there are CPUs.

• Verbosity Level: The level of verbosity to use.

9.34. LuxSlave 675



You can configure the LuxSlave plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the LuxSlave plug-in from the list on the left.

Console Executables

• Luxconsole Executable: The path to the luxconsole executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines.

Luxconsole Slave Options

• Write film to disk before transmitting: Write film to disk before transmitting.

• Specify the cache directory to use: Specify the local cache directory to use instead of the default: local user’stemp directory.

Slave Process Handling

• Handle Existing Slave Process: Either Do Nothing, FAIL on existing Slave process or KILL the existing Slaveprocess if already running.

Slave Session Timeout

• Slave Session Auto Timeout Enable: Enable to force Slave Session to be marked as complete after a SlaveSession closes on a Deadline slave.

• Slave Session Auto Timeout (Seconds): Slave Session minimum timeout before last closed Slave Session ismarked as complete on Deadline slave (seconds).



9.34.3 FAQ

Is Luxconsole DR Slave supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known LuxSlave error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.35 Mantra Standalone


You can submit Mantra Standalone jobs from the Monitor.

9.35. Mantra Standalone 677




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Mantra specific options are:

• IFD File: Specify the Mantra IFD file(s) to render.



– If you are submitting a sequence of .IFD files, select one of the numbered frames in the sequence, andthe frame range will automatically be detected if Calculate Frames From IFD File is enabled. Theframes you choose to render should correspond to the numbers in the .IFD files.

• Output File: The output file path.

• Version: The Mantra version to render with.


• Additional Arguments: Additional command line arguments to pass to the renderer.






• Single Frame Tile Job Enabled: Enable to submit all tiles in a single job.

• Single Job Frame: The frame that will be split up.







You can configure the Mantra plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Mantra plug-in from the list on the left.

9.35. Mantra Standalone 679


Render Executables

• Mantra Executable: The path to the Mantra executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


• Enable Path Mapping: If enabled, Deadline will use Houdini’s HOUDINI_PATHMAP environment variableto perform path mappings on the contents of the IFD file. This feature can be turned off if there are no PathMapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

9.35.3 FAQ

Which versions of Mantra are supported by Deadline?

Mantra for Houdini 7 and later supported by Deadline.


This is a collection of known Mantra error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.36 Maxwell


You can submit Maxwell jobs from the Monitor.

9.36. Maxwell 681


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Maxwell specific options are:

Maxwell Options

• Maxwell File(s): The Maxwell files to be rendered. Can be a single file, or a sequence of files.

• Version: The version of Maxwell to render with.

• Verbosity: Set the amount of information that Maxwell should output while rendering.

• Single Frame Job: This should be checked if you’re submitting a single Maxwell file only.

• Build To Force: Force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.

• Threads: The number of threads to use during rendering. Specify 0 to use the default setting.

Co-op Rendering

• Cooperative Rendering: Enable this to use Maxwell’s co-op rendering feature to render the same image acrossmultiple computers. You can then use Maxwell to combine the resulting output after the rendering has com-pleted.

• Split Co-op Renders Into Separate Jobs: By default, a co-op render is submitted as a single job, where eachtask represents a different seed. If this option is enabled, a separate job will represent each seed.

• Adjust Sampling Overrides For Cooperative Rendering: If this option is enabled, the sampling level givento each slave will be reduced accordingly to ensure that final merged sampling level will match the requestedone.

• Number of Co-op Renders: The number of co-op render jobs to submit to Deadline.

• Auto-Merge Files: Enable this option to auto-merge the co-op renders into the final image.

• Fail On Missing Intermediate Files: If enabled, the auto-merge will fail if any co-op renders are missing.

• Delete Intermediate Files: If enabled, the co-op renders will be deleted after the final image is merged together.

Output Options

• Output MXI File: Optionally configure the output path for the MXI file which can be used to resume the renderlater. Note that this is required for co-op rendering though.

• Output Image File: Optionally configure the output path for the image file.

• Render Camera: Optionally specify which camera to render with.

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will save the output locally and then copy it to the final networklocation.

• Resume Rendering From MXI File: If enabled, Maxwell will use the specified MXI file to resume the renderif it exists. If you suspend the job in Deadline, it will pick up from where it left off when it resumes.

Overrides

• Override Time: Enable to override the Time setting in the Maxwell file.

• Override Sampling: Enable to override the Sampling setting in the Maxwell file.

Extra Sampling (requires Maxwell 3.1 or later)

• Override Extra Sampling: If the extra sampling settings should be overridden.

• Enabled: If extra sampling is enabled.

• Sampling Level: The extra sampling level.



• Invert Mask: If the extra sampling alpha mask must be inverted.

• Mask: The extra sampling mask.

• Custom Alpha: The custom alpha name that will be used for the extra sampling mask (if Mask is set to CustomAlpha).

• Bitmap File: The bitmap file that will be used for the extra sampling mask (if Mask is set to Bitmap).

Command Line Options

• Additional Arguments: Additional command line arguments to pass to the renderer.

Resuming a Render

When specifying an MXI file, you now have the option to have Maxwell use it to resume a render job if that MXI filealready exists. This means that if you suspend a Maxwell job from the Monitor mid-render, it will resume from whereit left off when you resume the job.


You can configure the Maxwell plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Maxwell plug-in from the list on the left.

General Maxwell Options

• Slaves To Use Interactive License: A list of slaves that should use an interactive Maxwell license instead of arender license. Use a , to separate multiple slave names, for example: slave001,slave002,slave003

Maxwell Version Options

9.36. Maxwell 683


• Render Executable: The path to the Maxwell executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

• Merge Executable: The path to the Maxwell executable file used for merging. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.36.3 FAQ

Which version of Maxwell is supported by Deadline?

Versions 2 and later are supported.

Is Co-op Rendering supported?

Yes.

Can I resume from a previous Maxwell render?

If you have the Resume Rendering From MXI File option enabled when submitting the job, Maxwell willuse the specified MXI file to resume the render if it exists. If you suspend the job in Deadline, it will pickup from where it left off when it resumes.


This is a collection of known Maxwell error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.37 Maya


You can submit jobs from within Maya by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.





To submit from within Maya, select the Thinkbox shelf and press the green button there. If the green icon is missing,you can delete the shelf and restart Maya to get it back.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Maya specific options are:

9.37. Maya 685


Additional Frame Options

• Render Preview Job First: When enabled, two jobs will be submitted - a PREVIEW job with a fraction ofthe frames, and a REST job with all other frames. The PREVIEW job can be submitted with slightly higherpriority and will provide a glimpse into the final result. If its output looks incorrect, you can suspend the RESTjob before wasting render time rendering a wrong submission.

• Priority Offset: Specify a higher priority for the PREVIEW job.

• Number of Preview Frames: Specify the number of frames to preview.

• Submit Dependent Job With Remaining Frames: If enabled, the REST job will be dependent on the PRE-VIEW job.

• Task Order: The order in which to render the frames for the job.

• Out Of Order Step: Defines the Nth frame step to use for some of the Task Order options.

Render Options

• Camera: Select the camera to render with. Leaving this blank will force Deadline to render using the defaultcamera settings (including multiple camera outputs).

• Project Path: The Maya project folder (this should be a shared folder on the network).

• Output Path: The folder where your output will be dumped (this should be a shared folder on the network).

• Maya Build: Force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.



• Use MayaBatch Plugin: This uses our new MayaBatch plugin that keeps the scene loaded in memory betweenframes, thus reducing the overhead of rendering the job. This plugin is no longer considered experimental.

• Ignore Error Code 211: This allows a Maya task to finish successfully even if the Maya command line rendererreturns the non-zero error code 211 (not available when using the MayaBatch plugin). Sometimes Maya willreturn this error code even after successfully saving the rendered images.

• Startup Script: Maya will source the specified script file on startup (only available when using the MayaBatchplugin).

• Command Line Args: Specify additional command line arguments to pass to the Maya command line renderer(not available when using the MayaBatch plugin).

• Deadline Job Type: Select the type of Maya job you want to submit. The available options are covered in thenext few sections.

Maya Render Job

If rendering a normal Maya job, select the Maya Render Job type.

General Options


• Threads: The maximum number of CPUs per machine to render with.

• Frame Number Offset: Uses Maya’s frame renumbering option to offset the frames that are rendered.

• Submit Render Layers As Separate Jobs: Enable to submit each layer in your scene as a seperate job.

• Override Layer Job Settings: If submitting each layer as a separate job, enable this option override the jobname, frame list, and task size for each layer. When enabled, the override dialog will appear after you pressSubmit.

9.37. Maya 687


• Submit Cameras As Separate Jobs: Enable to submit each camera as a separate job.

• Ignore Default Cameras: Enable to have Deadline skip over cameras like persp, top, etc, when submitting eachcamera as a separate job (even if those cameras are set to renderable).

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will render the frames locally before copying them over to thefinal network location. This has been known to improve the speed of Maya rendering in some cases.

• Strict Error Checking: Enable this option to have Deadline fail Maya jobs when Maya prints out any “error”or “warning” messages. If disabled, Deadline will only fail on messages that it knows are fatal.

• Render Half Frames: If checked, frames will be split into two using a step of 0.5. Note that frame 0 will saveout images 0 and 1, frame 1 will save out images 2 and 3, frame 2 will save out images 4 and 5, etc.



Region Rendering Options

If submitting a Maya Render Job or an Arnold Export Job, you can choose to submit a region rendering job. You canalso submit a dependent assembly job to assemble the image when the main region job completes. If using Draft forthe assembly, you will need a license from Thinkbox. Otherwise, the output formats that are supported are BMP, DDS,EXR, JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG, RGB, RGBA, SGI, TGA, TIF, and TIFF.


• Enable Region Rendering: If enabled, the frame will be split into multiple tiles that are rendered individuallyand can be assembled after.

• Region Render Type: If set to Jigsaw Rendering then the submission will use Jigsaw, otherwise it will use agrid of tiles.

• Submit All Tiles as a single Job: If enabled, a single frame will be submitted with all tiles in a single job,otherwise each tile will be submitted as a seperate job with each frame being a seperate frame.

• Submit Dependent Assembly Job: Submit a job dependent on the region job that will assemble the tiles, ifdoing jigsaw animation a seperate job will be created for each different named output file

• Assemble Using Draft: Draft is required when using Jigsaw Rendering. However, when Tile Rendering is thechosen type, you can choose to assemble with Draft, or with the old Tile Assembler application.

• Cleanup Tiles after Assembly: If enabled, the tiles will be deleted after assembly.

• Error on missing Tiles: If enabled, then if any of the tiles are missing the assembly job will fail.


• Error on Missing Background: If enabled, then if the background file is missing the Draft Tile Assembler jobwill fail.

Renderer Specific Options

If rendering with Mental Ray, there is an additional Mental Ray Options section under the Maya Options:

9.37. Maya 689


• Mental Ray Verbosity: Set the verbosity level for Mental Ray renders.

• Auto Memory Limit: If enabled, Mental Ray will automatically detect the optimal memory limit when render-ing.

• Memory Limit: Soft limit (in MB) for the memory used by Mental Ray (specify 0 for unlimited memory).

If rendering with VRay, there is an additional VRay Options section under the Maya Options:

• Auto Memory Limit Detection: If enabled, Deadline will automatically detect the dynamic memory limit forVRay prior to rendering.

• Memory Buffer: Deadline subtracts this value from the system’s unused memory to determine the dynamicmemory limit for VRay.

If rendering with Redshift, there will be an additional Redshift Options under the Maya Options:

• GPUs Per Task: If set to 0 (the default), then Redshift will be responsible to choosing the GPUs to use forrendering. If this is set to 1 or greater, then each task for the job will be assigned specific GPUs. This can beused in combination with concurrent tasks to get a distribution over the GPUs.

• For example:

– if this is set to 1, then tasks rendered by the Slaves’s thread 0 would use GPU 0, thread 1 would use GPU1, etc.

– if this is set to 2, then tasks rendered by the Slaves’s thread 0 would use GPUs {0,1}, thread 2 would useGPUs {2,3}, etc.

Mental Ray Export Job

If rendering a Mental Ray Export job, select the Mental Ray Export Job type.




• Output File: The full filename of the Mental Ray files that will be exported. Padding is handled automaticallyby the exporter.

• Export Settings: This opens up the Mental Ray export settings dialog where you can configure the remainingof the settings. Note that this dialog must be open when you submit the job.

9.37. Maya 691


You have the option to submit a dependent Mental Ray Standalone job that will render the exported mi files after theexport job finishes. The Mentral Ray specific job options are:


• Frame Offset: The first frame in the input MI file being rendered, which is used to offset the frame range beingpassed to the mental ray renderer.

• Mental Ray Build: You can force 32 or 64 bit rendering.


• Command Line Args: Specify additional command line arguments you would like to pass to the mental rayrenderer.



VRay Export Job

If rendering a VRay Export job, select the VRay Export Job type.


• Output File: The full file name of the VRay files that will be exported (padding is handled automatically by theexporter).

You have the option to submit a dependent VRay Standalone job that will render the exported vrscene files after theexport job finishes. The VRay specific job options are:


• Vrimg2Exr Conversion Job: If you are submitting a dependent VRay Standalone job, and the output format isvrimg, you have the option to submit a dependent job that will convert the vrimg files to exr files, using VRay’svrimg2exr application.

Renderman Export Job

If rendering a Renderman Export job, select the Renderman Export Job type.

9.37. Maya 693



• Threads: The number of threads to use for exporting. Specify 0 to automatically use the optimal number ofthreads.

• Render with RIS: If checked, the exported RIB files will have RIS set as the renderer instead of REYES.

You have the option to submit a dependent PRMan Render job that will render the exported rib files after the exportjob finishes. The PRMan specific job options are:


• Command Line Args: Specify additional command line arguments you would like to pass to the PRManrenderer.

Arnold Export Job

If rendering an Arnold Export job, select the Arnold Export Job type.



You have the option to submit a dependent Arnold Standalone job that will render the exported .ass files after theexport job finishes. The Arnold Standalone specific job options are:

• Local Export to Arnold: If this option is set to true, the Arnold .ass files will be export locally.



Maxwell Export Job

If rendering a Maxwell Export job, select the Maxwell Export Job type.

9.37. Maya 695



• Maxwell Script Name: The path that the exported Maxwell MXS files will be saved to.

You have the option to submit a dependent Maxwell Standalone job that will render the exported .MXS files after theexport job finishes. The Maxwell Standalone specific job options are:

• Local Export to Maxwell: If this option is set to true, the Maxwell MXS files will be export locally.




In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Maya, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swap outthe Project and Output paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitor while in superuser mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the list on the left.

As long as all paths used in your Maya scene are relative to the Project and Output paths, and those paths are networkaccessible, you should have no problems performing cross-platform renders.



However, if you are using absolute paths in your Maya scene file, it is possible for Deadline to swap them as well, butyou must save your scene file as a Maya Ascii (.ma) file. Because .ma files are ascii files, Deadline can read them andswap out paths as necessary. If they’re saved as Maya Binary (.mb) files, they can’t be read, and can’t have their pathsswapped.


You can configure the MayaBatch and MayaCmd plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, selectTools -> Configure Plugins and select the Maya plug-in from the list on the left.

MayaBatch

9.37. Maya 697


Render Executables

• Maya Executable: The path to the Maya executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Maxwell For Maya (version 2 and later)


Path Mapping For ma Scene Files (For Mixed Farms)

• Enable Path Mapping For ma Files: If enabled, a temporary ma file will be created locally on the slave forrendering and Deadline will do path mapping directly in the ma file.

Debugging

• Log Script Contents To Render Log: If enabled, the full script that Deadline is passing to Maya will be writtento the render log. This is useful for debugging purposes.



MayaCmd

Render Executables

9.37. Maya 699


• Maya Executable: The path to the Maya executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Maxwell For Maya (version 2 and later


Path Mapping For ma Scene Files (For Mixed Farms)

• Enable Path Mapping For ma Files: If enabled, a temporary ma file will be created locally on the slave forrendering and Deadline will do path mapping directly in the ma file.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Maya submission script. This script allows for submit-ting Maya render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Maya editing GUI. The script and the following installationprocedure has been tested with Maya 2010 and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Maya/Installers


On Windows, copy the file [Repository]\submission\Maya\Client\DeadlineMayaClient.mel to [Maya Install Direc-tory]\scripts\startup. If you do not have a userSetup.mel in [My Documents]\maya\scripts, copy the file [Reposi-tory]\submission\Maya\Client\userSetup.mel to [My Documents]\maya\scripts. If you have a userSetup.mel file, addthe following line to the end of this file:

source "DeadlineMayaClient.mel";

On Mac OS X, copy the file [Repository]/submission/Maya/Client/DeadlineMayaClient.melto[Maya Install Directory]/Maya.app/Contents/scripts/startup. If you do not have a user-Setup.mel in /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/scripts, copy the file [Reposi-tory]/submission/Maya/Client/userSetup.mel to /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/scripts.If you have a userSetup.mel file, add the following line to the end of this file:


On Linux, copy the file [Repository]/submission/Maya/Client/DeadlineMayaClient.mel to [Maya Install Direc-tory]/Maya.app/Contents/scripts/startup. If you do not have a userSetup.mel in /home/[USERNAME]/maya/scripts,copy the file [Repository]/submission/Maya/Client/userSetup.melto /home/[USERNAME]/maya/scripts. If you havea userSetup.mel file, add the following line to the end of this file:




The next time Maya is started, a Deadline shelf should appear with a green button that can be clicked on to launch thesubmitter.

If you don’t see the Deadline shelf, it’s likely that Maya is loading another userSetup.mel file from somewhere. Mayacan only load one userSetup.mel file, so you either have to configure Maya to point to the file mentioned above, or youhave to modify the file that Maya is currently using as explained above. To figure out which userSetup.mel file Mayais using, open up Maya and then open up the Script Editor. Run this command:

whatIs userSetup.mel

Custom Sanity Check

You can create a CustomSanityChecks.mel file alongside the main SubmitMayaToDeadline.mel in the [Reposi-tory]\submission\Maya\Main folder, and it can be used to set defaults in the submission script before it is displayed.For example, here is a script that can set the default Limit Groups based on the renderer:

AddStringAttribute( "deadlineLimitGroups" );if( GetCurrentRenderer() == "mentalRay" )

setAttr defaultRenderGlobals.deadlineLimitGroups -type "string" "mray_for_maya";else if( GetCurrentRenderer() == "vray" )

setAttr defaultRenderGlobals.deadlineLimitGroups -type "string" "vray_for_maya";else

setAttr defaultRenderGlobals.deadlineLimitGroups -type "string" "";

The available Deadline globals are defined in the SavePersistentDeadlineOptions function in the SubmitMayaToDead-line.mel script. These can be used to set the initial values in the submission dialog.

You can also create a CustomPostSanityChecks.mel file alongside the main SubmitMayaToDeadline.mel in the[Repository]submission\Maya\Main folder. It can be used to run some additional checks after the user clicks theSubmit button in the submitter. It must define a global proc called CustomPostSanityCheck() that takes no arguments,and must return 0 or 1. If 1 is returned, the submission process will continue, otherwise it will be aborted. Here is anexample script:

global proc CustomPostSanityCheck(){

// Don't allow mayaSoftware jobs to be submittedif( GetCurrentRenderer() == "mayaSoftware" )

return 0;return 1;

}

9.37.5 FAQ

Do I need to install Maya on each machine that will render and all 3rd party plugins that are required?

Yes. Traditionally, Maya and all required scripts & 3rd party plugins should always be installed andlicensed (where applicable) on each machine where it is intended to network render on. However, VFXstudios tend to operate a Linux OS platform and take advantage of installing software onto a centralizedfile server that importantly has the performance to support this configuration and then all local machinescan be configured to point at this central location. Additionally, 3rd party plugins/scripts can then be addedto this central server path location in combination with floating licenses. This level of custom deploymentand configuration is beyond the scope of Thinkbox support and you would be best advised to engagean approved Autodesk reseller or Autodesk directly on best practices here. Here are some URL links,

9.37. Maya 701


which may be of assistance. If you are able to install and successfully run Maya & all your plugins/scriptsfrom a network location in your studio, then Deadline will be able to support network rendering fromthis location as well. Simply update the MayaBatch & MayaCmd plugins with the new executable pathlocation using Deadline Monitor, click on “Tools” –> “Super User Mode” –> “Configure Plugins...” –>“MayaBatch” or “MayaCmd”.

How to install Maya on a network share

Maya Environment Variables

Which versions of Maya are supported?

Maya versions 2010 and later are all supported.

Which Maya renderers are supported?

All Maya renderers should work fine with Deadline. The renderers that are known to work with Dead-line are 3Delight, Arnold, Caustic Visualizer, Final Render, Gelato, Krakatoa, Maxwell, MayaSoftware,MayaHardware, MayaVector, Mental Ray, Octane, RedShift, Renderman, Renderman RIS, Turtle, andVRay. If you see a Maya renderer that’s not on this list, email Deadline Support and let us know!

Does the Maya plugin support Tile Rendering?

Yes. See the “Region Rendering Options” section above for more details.

Does the Maya plugin support multiple arbitrary sized, multi-resolution Tile Rendering for both stills or an-imations and automatic re-assembly, including the use of multi-channel image formats and arbitary RenderPasses? (incl. VRay/Arnold/MR support?)

Yes. We call it ‘Jigsaw’ and it’s unique to the Deadline system! See the “Region Rendering Options”section above for more details.

Which Maya application should I select as the render executable in the MayaCmd plugin configuration?

Select the Render.exe application. This is Maya’s command line renderer.

Which Maya application should I select as the render executable in the MayaBatch plugin configuration?

Select the MayaBatch.exe application. This is Maya’s batch renderer.

What is the MayaBatch plugin, and how is it different than the MayaCmd plugin?

This plugin keeps the Maya scene loaded in memory between frames, thus reducing the overhead ofrendering the job. This is the recommended plugin to use, but if you run into any problems, you canalways try using the MayaCmd plugin.

Why is each task of my job is rendering the same frame(s)?

This happens if you have the Renumber Frames option enabled in your Maya render settings. Each taskis a separate batch, and if Renumber Frames is enabled, each batch will start at that frame number.

I have a multi-core machine, but when rendering the machine isn’t using 100% of the cpu. What can I do?

When submitting the job to Maya, set the Threads option to 0. This will instruct Maya to use the optimalnumber of threads when rendering based on the machine’s core-count.

Does Deadline support Maya render layers?

Yes. You can either submit one job that renders all the layers, or you can submit a single job per layer.

Can I render scenes that use Maya Fur?

A recommended setup for Maya is to have your project folder on a shared location that all of your ma-chines can see (whether it be a Windows folder share or a mapped path), then create your Maya scenein this project folder. This way, when you submit the job, you can specify the shared project path in the


http://www.vonnau.com/articles/maya-network-install/

http://www.paulnendick.github.io/articles/maya-rosetta-stone.html



submission dialog, and all of your slave machines will be able to see it (and therefore see the Maya Furfolders within the project folder).

Can I make use of the particle cache during network renders?

Yes you can. All that is necessary to do this is to make your scene’s project directory network-accessibleby your slaves. For a guide to setting up particle caches, check out this guide on the ResPower Websitethat describes the proper set-up procedure for the Maya particle cache.

When clicking on one of the folder browser buttons in the Maya submission dialog, I sometimes get an error.

There is an article on this problem. It’s a .NET problem that seems to randomly occur when the userspecifies a path of more than 130 characters, but it looks like Microsoft provides a hotfix for it.

When submitting the job from Maya, if I check the Submit Each Render Layer As A Separate Job box, no jobsare submitted when you click submit.

The render layers you want to submit need to be set to renderable (the letter ‘R’ need to be there next tothe render layer) for the submitter to submit the layer. Note that render layer should not be confused withdisplay layer. Deadline only deals with render layers. It is not using the Maya option to render only thecontent of a specific display layer.

I’m trying to render certain frame range from maya, but Deadline is rendering the entire frame range set inthe Maya render globals.

If you have the Submit Each Render Layer As A Separate Job box checked, Deadline grabs the frameinformation from each individual layer’s render globals when submitting the job. If unchecked, Deadlinewill use the info from the Frame List in the submission dialog.

Rendering Maya scenes with Deadline is taking forever in comparison to a local render of the same file.

One thing you can try is ensuring that the Local Rendering option is enabled when submitting the job toDeadline. This forces Maya to render the frame locally, then copy it to the final destination after. This hasbeen known to improve rendering speeds.

How do I configure Mental Ray Satellite to render Mental Ray for Maya jobs with Deadline?

1. Choose a satellite master machine, then modify the maya.rayhosts of the that machine so that it uses the slavesyou want.

2. Only put the master machine in Deadline.

3. Submit a job, and make sure that the job will be picked-up by the master machine you have setup. Use pools todo so.

4. In the job property page of the Maya job, in the Maya tab, you could add the following line in the additionalarguments field: -rnm 1

This -rnm 1 means “render no master true”, whicht will force the master not to participate in the rendering but onlysubmit and receive the render tasks. You will get better results this way.

You could also use -rnm 0 which means “render no master false” and force 1 cpu on the master (if your master is adual cpu) so you have 1 cpu free on the master to dispatch the task. In short you should always have 1 cpu free on themaster machine for dispatching or else your render time will suffer.

Can I submit MEL or Python Maya script files to Deadline?

Yes, you can submit your own custom scripts from the Advanced tab in the Maya submission script in theMonitor Submit menu.

Can I Perform Fume FX Simulations With Deadline?

Yes and it’s supported by both our MayaBatch & MayaCmd plugins. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Requires min. FumeFX for Maya v3.5.4

9.37. Maya 703


2. Ensure you have “MayaSoftware” selected as renderer in Maya.

3. Before you launch the Maya submission script, make sure that the Fume FX NetRender (Backburner)toggle button is “ON” in the FumeFX options in Maya.

4. Fume FX output paths must be UNC or via mapped drive letter (Windows)

5. Deadline Slave must have either Fume FX “full” or Fume FX “simulation” license available andauthorized. If you wish to use “Sim Only Mode” license, then you can switch via the “Fume FXPrefs Dialog” in Maya prior to Deadline Submission. Note, that you must restart Maya for thislicense mode change to be committed. Do this before submitting to Deadline if you need to use aSim. only license on a Deadline Slave.

6. Submit any arbitrary Maya single frame to begin the Fume FX Simulation (Fume FX uses its ownframe range). However, note that Maya will render whatever single frame the Fume FX job wassubmitted on at the end of the simulation.

7. Please see the Fume FX for Maya help manual for more details on the above requirements.

How can I region render large VRay Scenes?

By changing the memory frame buffer on the VRay Common tab of the render settings to None you willbe able to render larger tiles since VRay does not crop the tiles.


This is a collection of known Maya error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

Error in StartJob: Error in RenderExecutable: 64 bit Maya ####_0 ren-der executable was not found in the semicolon separated list “C:/ProgramFiles/Autodesk/Maya####/bin/MayaBatch.exe;/usr/autodesk/maya####/bin/maya”. The path to the ren-der executable can be configured from the Plugin Configuration in the Deadline Monitor.

(Where #### is the year of Maya release such as “2015”). Using Deadline Monitor, click on “Tools”–> “Super User Mode” –> “Configure Plugins...” –> “MayaBatch” or “MayaCmd”. The above errormessage is indicating that Deadline has been unable to locate the correct local install path of Maya on themachine which generated the error message. Deadline already ships with all the known, default installpath locations for Maya across the 3 supported operating systems. So you shouldn’t have to edit thesepaths unless you have installed Maya to a custom location. Please note the subtle diffences between thedifferent executables being used between MayaBatch & MayaCmd and also the slightly different file pathlocations depending on OS. If in doubt, please contact Deadline Support for further assistance.

Error in RenderTasks: Monitored managed process “MayaBatch” has exited or been terminated.

This is the most common Maya error in Deadline. The “MayaBatch” plugin, which keeps the Mayascene file open between tasks (frames) will sometimes not display the full stack trace (error message)regarding the root cause of your issue. To obtain a full error message, you should re-submit the Mayafile via either Monitor –> “Submit Maya Job To Deadline” –> “Advanced Options” –> uncheck the “UseMayaBatch Plugin” checkbox OR alternatively in the in-app, Maya submission UI –> “Render Options”–> uncheck the “Use MayaBatch Plugin” checkbox. Allow this job to run and fail in Deadline and a morecomprehensive error message should now be available. It is this comprehensive error message that shouldbe sent to Deadline Support if further assistance is required.

Exception during render: Error: (Mayatomr) : could not get a license

Mental Ray is reporting that it can’t find a license. Mental Ray requires an additional license for networkrendering, whereas renders such as mayaSoftware and mayaHardware simply uses your Maya license.







Certain versions of Maya come with satellite licenses for Mental Ray, but this requires some additionalsetting up to enable network rendering. It’s probably best to contact the Maya support team about this.

Exception during render: Renderer returned non-zero error code, 211

When Maya prints this error message it usually means that Maya can’t access a particular path because iteither doesn’t exist or it doesn’t have the necessary read/write permissions to access it. This error tendsto occur when Maya is either loading the scene or other referenced data or when saving the final outputimages.

When you get this error, you should check the slave log that is included with the error report. If it is a pathproblem, Maya shows which path it wasn’t able to access. Check to make sure that the slave machinerendering the job can see the path, and that it has the necessary permissions to read/write to it. If it’snot a path problem, the slave log should still provide some useful information that can help explain theproblem.

There is also the case where Maya exits with this error code after successfully rendering the images. Ifthis is the case, there are two things to try:

1. When you submit the job, enable the option to ignore error code 211.

2. When you submit the job, enable the MayaBatch option. Deadline doesn’t check error codes in thiscase.

Cannot open renderer description file “vrayRenderer.xml”

We are not sure if this is specific to a studio’s installation of V-Ray for Maya on OSX (f.e. a studio’scustom environment variables might be confusing the V-Ray installer) or if this is just a bug in the V-Rayinstaller specficially on OSX. The issue has been reported to [email protected]. Currently, Maya20xx on OSX (where xx indicates any year of Maya that V-Ray ships support for) has 3 x “rendererDesc”directories in the following locations:

1. /Applications/Autodesk/maya20xx/Maya.app/Contents/bin/rendererDesc/

2. /Applications/Autodesk/maya20xx/Maya.app/Contents/MacOS/rendererDesc/

3. /Applications/Autodesk/maya20xx/bin/rendererDesc

The V-Ray installer adds the “vrayRenderer.xml” file to locations (2) & (3). However, Maya requires thisfile to reside primarily in location(s) (1) and/or (2).

There are a couple of ways to resolve this issue whilst hopefully a fix is provided by Chaos Group in thefuture.

• Ensure your slaves have the environment variable “MAYA_RENDER_DESC_PATH” defined andpointing to: “/Applications/Autodesk/maya20xx/Maya.app/Contents/MacOS/rendererDesc”.

• Alternatively, ensure the user shell of the Deadline Slave has this setting exported such as:

export MAYA_RENDER_DESC_PATH=/Applications/Autodesk/maya20xx/Maya.app/Contents/MacOS/rendererDesc

• Finally, another solution is to ensure on each of your rendernodes you copy the “vrayRenderer.xml”from location (2) to location (1).

Exception during render: Error: Cannot find procedure “getStrokeUVFromPoly”

This error can occur when rendering with paint effects. When you write prerender/postrender scripts besure to use maya commands and not function wrappers that the gui posts since a huge number of functionsdon’t get loaded when rendering in batch mode.

For a quick fix, add the following before the call to the prerenderscripts main functions:

9.37. Maya 705



source "getStrokes";

Turtle: The system cannot find the path specified.

When Turtle is installed, it sets some environment variables. However, Deadline will not recognize thesevariables until the Launcher (the application in the Windows tray) is restarted. Restarting the Launcherwill fix this problem.


The error code -1073741819 is equivalent to 0xC0000005, which represents a Memory Access Violationerror. So Maya is either running out of memory, or memory is becoming corrupt. Take a look at the fullrender log to see if Maya prints out any information prior to the crash that might explain the problem.

mental ray: out of memory

Try tweaking your Memory and Performance settings in the mental ray tab in the Maya Render Settingswindow. Try increasing the Physical memory setting (if you have the extra RAM). A common suggestionis to set it to 80% of your available RAM. You could also try tweaking the Acceleration method settings.

Another thing you can try is trimming down your scene so that is uses less memory.

V-Ray error: [VFBCore::SetRegion] Error writing render region to raw image file.

Ensure V-Ray’s VFB “region render” & “track mouse” buttons are disabled prior to submission to Dead-line. It is also recommended to disable “Hide V-Ray VFB in batch mode” & “Disable region rendering inbatch mode” in the V-Ray Common settings under Render View in Maya prior to submission if you arealready using Jigsaw for region/tile rendering.

9.38 Media Encoder


You can submit Adobe Media Encoder jobs from the Monitor.


http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY3MAYA/V-Ray+Common#V-RayCommon-RenderView


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Adobe Media Encoder specific options are:

• Input Path: The path to the media to be encoded. It may be a media file in any of the formats supported byAME, a Premiere Pro project (.prproj), or an FCP XML project (.xml).

• Output Path: A path to a file that will contain the encoded result.

• Preset File: A path to an AME preset .epr file.

9.38. Media Encoder 707


• Overwrite Output If Present: If enabled, Adobe Media Encoder will overwrite any output file with the samename as the output file found in the output location with the new output.

• Submit Preset With Job: If enabled, the Preset File will be uploaded to the Deadline Repository with the Job.Enable this if the Preset File file is local.


You can configure the Media Encoder plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Media Encoder plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Web Service Executable: The path to the Adobe Media Encoder Web Service executable file used for encoding.Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

Web Service

Deadline Slaves that render Media Encoder jobs use the media encoder web service. To modify the web service portnumber or address you need to modify the ame_webservice_config.ini file.

Example of the config file:

# leaving IP blank/commented out will default to whatever IP address the# web service is able to sniff outip = 127.0.0.1port = 8080

# restart_threshold: if this value is set, the AME engine will restart itself



# after x jobs are completed#restart_threshold = 10

# job_history: if this value is set, the server will retain information on the# last x completed jobsjob_history = 100

The ame_webservice_config.ini file is found in the same directory as the Adobe Media Encoder Web Service exe-cutable file. Note that the default port being used is 8080.

9.38.3 FAQ

Is Media Encoder supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Media Encoder error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.


9.39 Mental Ray Standalone


You can submit Mental Ray Standalone jobs from the Monitor.

9.39. Mental Ray Standalone 709





Setup your Mental Ray Files

Before you can submit a Mental Ray Standalone job, you must export your scene into .mi files. You can export intoeither one .mi file with all your frames in it, or one .mi file per frame.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Mental Ray specific options are:

• Mental Ray File: The Mental Ray file(s) to be rendered.

– If you are submitting with one frame per .mi file, select one of the numbered frames in the sequence,and Monitor will automatically detect the frame range. In this case, you should leave the check-box marked Separate Input MI Files Per Frame checked. The frames you choose to render shouldcorrespond to the numbers on the .mi files.

– If your .mi file contains all the frames you wish to render, you should leave the Separate Input MIFiles Per Frame box unchecked. In this case, you must specify the Input MI File Start Frame, which isthe first frame in the input MI file being rendered, as it is used to offset the frame range being passedto the mental ray renderer. You may then specify the frame range as normal.

• Output Folder: The location to which your output files will be written.

• Separate Input MI Files Per Frame: Should be checked if you are submitting a sequence of MI files thatrepresent a single frame each.

• Frame Offset: The first frame in the input MI file being rendered, which is used to offset the frame range beingpassed to the mental ray renderer.


• Verbosity: Control how much information Mental Ray prints out during rendering.

• Build To Force: You can force 32 or 64 bit rendering.




You can configure the Mental Ray plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Mental Ray plug-in from the list on the left.

9.39. Mental Ray Standalone 711


Render Executables

• Render Executable: The path to the Mental Ray Standalone executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

Render Options

• Error Codes To Ignore: Mental Ray error codes that Deadline should ignore and instead assume the render hasfinished successfully. Use a ; to separate the error codes.

• Treat Exit Code 1 As Error: If set then Exit Code 1 will not be treated as success.

9.39.3 FAQ

Is Mental Ray Standalone supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Can I submit a sequence of MI files that each contain one frame, or must I submit a single MI file that containsall the frames?

Deadline supports both methods.

When rendering a single MI file that contains all the frames, the frame range I tell Deadline to render doesn’tmatch up with the files that are actually rendered.

When submitting a single MI file that contains all the frames, make sure the Input MI File Start Frameoption is set to the first frame that is in the MI file. This value is used to offset the frame range beingpassed to the mental ray renderer.

Mental Ray is printing out an error that is causing Deadline to fail the render, but when I render from thecommand line outside of Deadline, the error is still printed out, but the render finishes successfully.



By default, Deadline fails a Mental Ray job whenever it prints out an error. However, you can configurethe Mental Ray plugin to ignore certain error codes, which are printed out alongside the error in the errorlob.

After a frame is rendered, Deadline takes a long time releasing the task before it moves on to another. What’sgoing on?

This can occur when a single MI file that contains all the frames is submitted to Deadline. Try exportingyour frames to a sequence of MI files (one per frame) and submit the sequence of MI files to Deadlineinstead.


This is a collection of known Mental Ray error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.40 Messiah


You can submit jobs from within Messiah by installing the integrated submission plugin, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

9.40. Messiah 713




To submit from within Messiah, select the Customize tab, and then from the drop down, select Submit To Deadline.Click the Submit Messiah Job button to launch the submitter.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Messiah specific options are:

• Messiah File: The scene file to render.

• Content Folder: This is the folder that contains the Messiah scene assets. It is recommended that you have anetwork accessible content folder when network rendering with Messiah.

• Output Folder: The folder where the output files will be saved (including images from all enabled buffers). Ifleft blank, the output folders in the scene file will be used.


• Build To Force: The build of Messiah to force.

• Frame Resolution: Override the width and height of the output images. If a value is set to 0, the value from thescene file will be respected.

• Antialiasing: Override the antialiasing settings in the scene file.


You can configure the Messiah plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Messiah plug-in from the list on the left.

9.40. Messiah 715


Messiah Settings

• Messiah Host Library: The path to the messiahHOST.dll library. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Messiah submission plugin. This plugin allows forsubmitting Messiah render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Messiah editing GUI. Note that this has only beentested with Messiah version 5.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Messiah/Installers


Messiah 32 Bit

• Copy [Repository]\submission\Messiah\Client\DeadlineMessiahClient32.mp to [Messiah 32 Bit Install Direc-tory]\Plugins.

• Restart Messiah

• You’ll find the ‘Submit To Deadline’ option in the drop down under the Customize tab.

Messiah 64 Bit

• Copy [Repository]\submission\Messiah\Client\DeadlineMessiahClient64.mp to [Messiah 64 Bit Install Direc-tory]\Plugins.

• Restart Messiah

• You’ll find the ‘Submit To Deadline’ option in the drop down under the Customize tab.



9.40.4 FAQ

Which versions of Messiah are supported by Deadline?

Messiah 5 is currently supported.


This is a collection of known Messiah error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.41 MetaFuze


You can submit MetaFuze jobs from the Monitor.

9.41. MetaFuze 717




Setup your MetaFuze Batch File

Export you MetaFuze transcode as a batch XML file. Multiple files may be submitted to Deadline at once. Be sure toset the output path in MetaFuze to a network drive accessible by both yourself and your slave machines.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The MetaFuze specific options are:

• Input File(s): The MetaFuze XML files to transcode. Multiple files may be selected in the file browser andadded to the list.

• Submit Each File In Folder As A Separate Job: Submits each file (including non-XML files) in the folder ofthe selected file as a job.




You can configure the MetaFuze plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> Config-ure Plugins and select the MetaFuze plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• MetaFuze Executable: The path to the MetaFuze executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.41.3 FAQ

Is MetaFuze supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known MetaFuze error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.41. MetaFuze 719




9.42 MetaRender


You can submit MetaRender jobs from the Monitor.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The MetaRender specific optionsare:

• Input File: The input file. It could be a movie file or part of an image sequence.

• Output File: The file or image sequence name that MetaRender will write to.

• Encoding Profile: The path to the encoding profile saved with the Profile Editor.

• Burn File (optional): Superimpose the specified burn-in template over the output frames.

• Rendering Mode: Select CPU or GPU.

• Strip Alpha Channel: Strips the alpha channel from the input sequence during conversion.

• Threads: The number of render threads to use (CPU mode only).

• Draft Mode: Speed up rendering for non-critical color work (GPU mode only).

• Render CPU Masks: Uses high quality mask rendering instead of low quality GPU-based masks (GPU/Draftmode only).

• Write Flex File: Writes a flex file for the entire timeline.

• Render Takes Into Subfolders: If the Flex File option is enabled, render takes into subfolders.

• Core Command Args: Specify additional Core Command Line arguments (the basic command line options forall IRIDAS applications).

• MetaRender Args: Specify additional MetaRender-specific command line arguments.


You can configure the MetaRender plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the MetaRender plug-in from the list on the left.

9.42. MetaRender 721


Render Executables

• Meta Render Executable: The path to the Meta Render executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.42.3 FAQ

Is MetaRender supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known MetaRender error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.43 MicroStation


You can submit jobs from within MicroStation by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Deadline Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further downthis page.





To submit from within MicroStation (once the submitter has been installed), navigate to the Utilities->Render menuand select ‘Submit To Deadline’. Alternatively, you can use the Key-In ‘mdl load DLSubmit’ to bring up the submis-sion UI (or ‘dlsubmit open’, once it’s already been loaded).

9.43. MicroStation 723


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The MicroStation-specific optionsare:

• Operation: This is the type of MicroStation operation that will be performed by the Deadline Job. The differentoptions are described below:

– Animation Render: This will render the currently active Animation Script through Deadline.

– Single View Render: This will render a single view as an image through Deadline.

– Save Multiple Images: This will submit the currently active “Save Multiple Images” script as a DeadlineJob, or use the specified SM file.

– File Export: This will perform a File->Export operation as a Deadline Job (only a specific subset of theseoperations are currently available).

– Print: This will perform a Print operation as a Deadline Job using the current settings, or the specifiedPSET file.

• Mode: This option is dependent on the type of Operation selected. Will either specify the Render Mode, or typeof File Export to perform.

• Color Model: This drop-down allows you to select the Color output of the Render (e.g. full RGB, GrayScale,MonoChrome, etc.)

• Design File: This option is only relevant to the Monitor Submitter, and specifies which Design File to use forthe selected operation. For the integrated Submitter, this will always be the DGN file that is currently open.

• Submit Files with Job: This option, if checked, will submit files with the job, as opposed to leaving them intheir current location.

• View Number: The number of the Viewport that will be used for rendering (1-8).

• View Name: (Optional) The name of the Saved View that will be applied before rendering.

• Output Size X: The X (horizontal) component of the output size. Set to 0 to use current value, or maintainAspect Ratio (depending on whether or not the Aspect is currently locked).

• Output Size Y: The Y (vertical) component of the output size. Set to 0 to use current value, or maintain AspectRatio (depending on whether or not the Aspect is currently locked).

• Environment: The name of the Environment to use for Luxology Renders. If the specified Environment is notfound, the Untitled setup will be used.

• Render Setup: The name of the Render Setup to use for Luxology Renders. If the specified Render Setup isnot found, the Untitled setup will be used.

• Frame List: The list of Frames to render during Animation Renders.

• Task Size: The number of Frames (Animation) or Script Entries (Save Multiple Images) to process per DeadlineTask.

• Settings File: The path to an operation-specific file that will specify additional settings for the operation (e.g.Print Settings file, DWG Export settings, etc.).

• Use Current Settings: This checkbox is only available from the integrated submitter. If checked, a new settingsfile will be created and submitted with the Job, based on the settings in the current MicroStation session.

• Output Path: The Path to the output that will be created. Frame padding should be represented by either ‘#’sor ‘0’s. Unrecognized file formats for the current operation will be changed to a default known format at rendertime.



• Convert Network Paths to UNC: If this option is selected, Deadline will attempt to convert paths from usingMapped Network Drives to using the full UNC network path.

Note that some of these parameters might not apply to all Operations/Modes. The Submitters will automaticallydisable or hide controls that are not relevant to the currently chosen Operation/Mode.


You can configure the MicroStation plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the MicroStation plug-in from the list on the left.

MicroStation Executables

This section defines the possible locations for ustation.exe for different versions of MicroStation. The Deadline Slaveswill look for the executable in each of these locations (in order) when it tries to render a MicroStation job.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated MicroStation submission script. This script enablesMicroStation jobs to be submitted to Deadline directly from the MicroStation GUI. The following procedure has beentested in MicroStation v8i SS3 (08.11.09).

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/MicroStation/Installers




First, copy the following files to your [MicroStation install]\mdlapps directory:

• [Repository]\submission\MicroStation\Client\DLSubmit.dll

• [Repository]\submission\MicroStation\Client\TBUtils.dll

• [Repository]\submission\MicroStation\Client\TBUtils.ma

• [Repository]\submission\MicroStation\Client\Thinkbox.Common.dll

where [MicroStation install] directory would be typically something like: “C:\Program Files(x86)\Bentley\MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries)\MicroStation”.

This should allow you to use the MDL KeyIn “mdl load DLSUBMIT” to load the Deadline Submitter within theMicroStation GUI.

If you want to have a menu item to Submit to Deadline, you can append the file path [Reposi-tory]\submission\MicroStation\Client\DeadlineMenu.dgnlib to your MS_GUIDGNLIBLIST configuration variable(under ‘Workspace’ -> ‘Configuration...’ in MicroStation), or you can manually create your own menu item in acustom DGNLIB by following these instructions from Bentley.

NOTE, the MicroStation Submitter Installer, will by default, install the “DeadlineMenu.dgnlib” file to this lo-cation: “C:\ProgramData\Bentley\MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries)\WorkSpace\Interfaces\MicroStation\default”which may be preferred instead of pointing all MicroStation machines to use the copy that is stored on the Dead-line Repository. If you use the “MicroStation Submitter Installer” approach, note that it is NOT necessary to edit theMS_GUIDGNLIBLIST configuration variable.


http://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/w/microstation__wiki/8838.creating-a-dgnlib-library-file-for-cutomizing-microstation-s-user-interface


Sticky and Default Settings

The integrated MicroStation submitter has a feature that saves previously selected values for specific controls asCustom Properties in the design file that was used for submission, so that they can be restored automatically for futuresubmissions.

The list of controls that are flagged to have “sticky” values is determined by the MicroStation_StickySettings.inifile in the submission/MicroStation/Main folder of your repository. In addition to this, there is also a MicroSta-tion_DefaultSettings.ini file alongside it, which will control the Default values for all controls, when there are nosticky settings present/enabled. These files can be freely modified to fit your needs, but keep in mind that any changesmade will affect all users.

The priority of setting values is as follows:

1. Sticky Settings: For a given control, if there is a sticky value present in the scene file, it will be used firstif the control is flagged as sticky in MicroStation_StickySettings.ini.

2. Default Settings: For a given control, if a (valid) default value is provided in MicroSta-tion_DefaultSettings.ini, it will then be used.

3. Factory Defaults: If neither of the above are present, hardcoded defaults are provided. These cannot bechanged.

Note that if any Sticky or Default value is invalid for any reason (e.g. a sticky Saved View was deleted), the controlwill fall back to the next level of default.

9.43.4 FAQ

Is MicroStation supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Which versions of MicroStation are supported?

Currently, only MicroStation v8i SS3 (08.11.09) is officially supported. We will look to support differentversions of MicroStation as they come out in the future, or as demand dictates.

Does the MicroStation plugin support Tile Rendering?



Not currently. The plan is to investigate the possibility of including this feature in MicroStation goingforward.

How do I remove the multiple entries of the “Submit to Deadline” menu entry in MicroStation GUI?

Please ensure you do NOT store the “DeadlineMenu.dgnlib” file in this loca-tion on your local machine: “C:\ProgramData\Bentley\MicroStation V8i (SELECT-series)\WorkSpace\Interfaces\MicroStation\default”. The only place the “DeadlineMenu.dgnlib”file should be declared is in the MS_GUIDGNLIBLIST configuration variable and it should makereference to the file from the Deadline repository network path.

Do I need a “DeadlineSubmission.dll” file in my [MicroStation install]\mdlapps directory?

No. This is an old version which is now deprecated. Ensure you only have the files which are identifiedabove in the “Integrated Submission Script Setup” section as copied over to your \mdlapps directory.Ensure you either use the “DeadlineMenu.dgnlib” UI configuration method described above or the manualMDL KeyIn method to start the Deadline Submission UI: “mdl load DLSUBMIT”.


This is a collection of known MicroStation error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.44 modo


You can submit jobs from within modo by using the integrated submitter (7xx and up), running SubmitModoToDead-line.pl script, or you can submit them from the Monitor.





To run the integrated submitter within modo 7xx or later, after it’s been installed:

• Render -> Submit To Deadline

To run the integrated submitter within modo 6xx or earlier, after it’s been installed:

• Under the system menu, choose Run Script

• Choose the DeadlineModoClient.pl script from [Repository]\submission\Modo\Client

– Alternatively, you can also copy this script to your local machine and run it from there. Youshould do this if the path to your Deadline repository is a UNC path and you are running modoon Windows OS.

9.44. modo 729


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The modo specific options are:

** Job Options**

These are the general modo options:

• Render With V-Ray: Enable this option to use V-Ray’s renderer instead of modo’s renderer. This requires theV-Ray for modo plugin to be installed on your render nodes.

• Pass Group: The pass group to render, or blank to not render a pass group.

• Submit Each Pass Group As A Separate Job: If enabled, a separate job will be submitted for each Pass Groupin the scene.

Override Output

You have the option to override where the rendered images will be saved. If this is disabled, Deadline will respectthe output paths in the modo Output items in your scene file. If this is enabled, be sure to set the Output Patternappropriately if your scene has multiple passes, output items, or left and right eye views.

• Override Render Output: Enable to override where the rendered images are saved.

• Output Folder: The folder where the rendered images will be saved.

• Output File Prefix: The prefix for the image file names (extension is not required).

• Output Pattern: The pattern for the image file names.

• Output Format: The format of the rendered images. Note that you can choose the layered PSD or EXR formatshere, and that Tile Rendering supports the layered EXR format.






• Frame To Tile Render: The frame that will be split up.




• Assemble With Draft: Draft is required when using Jigsaw Rendering. However, when Tile Rendering is thechosen type, you can choose to assemble with Draft, or with the old Tile Assembler application.





• Use Jigsaw: Enable to use Jigsaw for tile rendering.

• Open Jigsaw Panel: Opens the Jigsaw UI

• Reset Jigsaw Background: Resets the background of the jigsaw regions

• Save Jigsaw Regions: Saves the Jigsaw Regions to the scene File

• Load Jigsaw Regions: Loads the save Jigsaw Regions and sends them to the open panel.


You can submit interactive modo Distributed Rendering jobs to Deadline. The instructions for installing the integratedsubmission script can be found further down this page. The interactive submitter will submit a special modo serverjob to reserve render nodes.

Note that this feature is only supported in modo 7xx and later.

9.44. modo 731


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The modo Distributed Renderingspecific options are:

• Maximum Servers: The maximum number of modo Servers to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Use Server IP Address instead of Host Name: If checked, the Active Servers list will show the server IPaddresses instead of host names.

Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Reserve Servers button to submit the modo Server job.After the job has been submitted, you can press the Update Servers button to update the job’s ID and Status in thesubmitter. As nodes pick up the job, pressing the Update Servers button will also show them in the Active Servers list.Once you are happy with the server list, press Start Render to start distributed rendering.

Note that the modo Server process can sometimes take a little while to initialize. This means that a server in the ActiveServer list could have started the modo Server, but it’s not fully initialized yet. If this is the case, it’s probably best to



wait a minute or so after the last server has shown up before pressing Start Render.

After the render is finished, you can press Release Servers or close the submitter to mark the modo Server job ascomplete so that the render nodes can move on to another job.

9.44.3 Network Rendering Considerations

This Article provides some useful information for setting up modo for network rendering.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with modo, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swap outthe Scene and Output file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitor while insuper user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the list on the left.

Note that Deadline supports path mapping for any texture paths within the modo scene file (see the Path Mappingsetting in the modo Plug-in Configuration section below). However, the modo scene file stores its paths a bit differently,so you will likely have to add special Mapped Paths in the Repository Options for this to work.

For example, you might already have a Mapped Path like this to handle paths from Mac OS X to Windows:

Replace Path: /Volumes/share/Windows Path: \\server\share\Linux Path:Mac Path:

However, the modo scene file will probably be storing texture paths as “Volumes:share/” instead of “/Volumes/share/”.This means you’ll need another Mapped Path entry that looks like this:

Replace Path: Volumes:share/Windows Path: \\server\share\Linux Path:Mac Path:

If you wish to disable the Path Mapping setting in the modo Plug-in Configuration, but still wish to perform cross-platform rendering with modo, you must ensure that your modo scene file is on a network shared location, and thatany footage or assets that the project uses is in the same folder. Then when you submit the job to Deadline, you mustmake sure that the option to submit the scene file with the job is disabled. If you leave it enabled, the scene file will becopied to and loaded from the Slave’s local machine, and thus won’t be able to find the footage.


You can configure the modo plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> PluginsConfiguration and select the modo plug-in from the list on the left.

9.44. modo 733

http://www.modo.stenson.tv/articles/layredConfigSetup/


Render Executables

• modo Executable: The path to the modo executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Geometry Cache

• Auto Set Geometry Cache: Enable this option to have Deadline automatically set the modo geometry cachebefore rendering (based on the geometry cache buffer below).

• Geometry Cache Buffer (MB): When auto-setting the geometry cache, Deadline subtracts this buffer amountfrom the system’s total memory to calculate what the geometry cache should be set to.


• Enable Path Mapping: If enabled, a temporary modo file will be created locally on the slave for renderingbecause Deadline does the path mapping directly in the modo file. This feature can be turned off if there are noPath Mapping entries defined in the Repository Options.


This section describes how to install the integrated submission scripts for modo. The integrated submission scripts andthe following installation procedures have been tested with modo 7xx and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Modo/Installers


7xx or later:

• Open modo, and select System -> Open User Scripts Folder.



• Copy the DeadlineModo folder from \\your\repository\submission\Modo\Client to this User Scripts folder.

• Restart modo, and you should find the Submit To Deadline menu item in your Render menu.

6xx or earlier:

• Under the system menu, choose Run Script

• Choose the DeadlineModoClient.pl script from [Repository]\submission\Modo\Client

– Alternatively, you can also copy this script to your local machine and run it from there. You should do thisif the path to your Deadline repository is a UNC path and you are running modo on Windows OS.

Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.py file can be created in [Repository]\submission\Modo\Main, and will be executed if it existswhen the user clicks the Submit button in the integrated submitter. This script will let you override any of the propertiesin the submission script prior to submitting the job. You can also use it to run your own checks and display errors orwarnings to the user. Finally, if the RunSanityCheck method returns False, the submission will be cancelled.

Here is a very simple example of what this script could look like:

import lximport lxuimport lxu.commandimport lxifc

def errordialog(title, message):lx.eval('dialog.setup error')lx.eval('dialog.title {%s}' % title)lx.eval('dialog.msg {%s}' % message)try:

lx.eval('+dialog.open')except:

pass

def RunSanityCheck():lx.eval( 'user.value deadlineDepartment {The Best Department!}' )lx.eval( 'user.value deadlinePriority 33' )lx.eval( 'user.value deadlineConcurrentTasks 2' )

errordialog( 'Error', 'This is a custom sanity check!' )

return True

You can open the LoadDeadlineModoUI.py file from [Repository]\submission\Modo\Client\DeadlineModo\pyscriptsto see the available Deadline modo values.

Distributed Rendering Script Setup

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/ModoDBR/Installers


7xx or later only:

• Open modo, and select System -> Open User Scripts Folder.

9.44. modo 735


• Copy the DeadlineModoDBR folder from \\your\repository\submission\ModoDBR\Client to this User Scriptsfolder.

• Restart modo, and you should find the Submit To Deadline: Modo DBR menu item in your Render menu.

9.44.7 FAQ

Which versions of modo are supported?

Modo 3xx and later are supported.

Which versions of modo can I use for interactive distributed rendering?

Modo 7xx and later are supported.

When rendering with modo on Windows, it hangs after printing out “@start modo_cl [48460] Luxology LLC”.

We’re not sure of the cause, but a known fix is to copy the ‘perl58.dll’ from the ‘extra’ folder into themain modo install directory (“C:Program FilesLuxologymodo601”).

When rendering with modo on Mac OSX, the Slave icon in the Dock changes to the modo icon, and the rendergets stuck.

This is a known problem that can occur when the Slave application is launched by double-clicking it inFinder. There are a few known workarounds:

1. Start the Launcher application, and launch the Slave from the Launcher’s Launch menu.

2. Launch the slave from the terminal by simply running ‘DEADLINE_BIN/deadlineslave’ or ‘DEAD-LINE_BIN/deadlinelauncher -slave’, where DEADLINE_BIN is the Deadline bin folder.

3. Use ‘modo’ as the render executable instead of ‘modo_cl’.

When tile rendering, each tile is rendered, but there is image data in the “unrendered” region of each tile.

This happens when there is a cached image in the modo frame buffer. Open up modo on the offendingrender node(s) and delete all cached images to fix the problem.

9.44.8 Plugin Error Messages

This is a collection of known modo error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.45 Naiad


You can submit jobs from the Monitor.





9.45. Naiad 737


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Naiad specific options are:

• Naiad File: The Naiad file to simulate.

Naiad Simulation Job

• Submit Simulation Job: Enable to submit a Simulation job to Deadline.

• Run Simulation On A Single Machine: If enabled, the simulation job will be submitted as a single taskconsisting of all frames so that a single machine runs the entire simulation.

• Threads: The number of render threads to use. Specify 0 to let Naiad determine the number of threads to use.

• Enable Verbose Logging: Enables verbose logging during the simulation.

EMP to PRT Conversion Job

• Submit an EMP to PRT Conversion Job: Enable to submit a PRT Conversion job to Deadline.

– If you are also submitting a simulation job, this job will use the EMP files created by the simulation job.

– If you are not submitting a simulation job, the EMP files must already exist.

• EMP Body Name: The EMP body name.

• EMP Body File Name: The path to the EMP files to be converted.


You can configure the Naiad plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Naiad plug-in from the list on the left.



Naiad Executables

• Simulation Executable: The path to the command line client executable file used for simulation. Enter alterna-tive paths on separate lines.

• Emp to Prt Executable: The path to the emp2prt executable file used for emp conversion. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.45.3 FAQ

Is Naiad supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Naiad error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.46 Natron


You can submit Natron jobs from the Monitor.

9.46. Natron 739




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Natron specific options are:

• Writer Node To Render: A custom writer node to render can be specified here. This is optional and can be leftblank.

• Frame List: Override the frame list of writer node frames to render. This is optional and can be left blank.

• Frames Per Task: This is the number of frames that will be rendered at a time for each job task. Default is 1.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Natron, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swapout Read Node and Write Node file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitorwhile in super user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the liston the left.


You can configure the Natron plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Natron plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• Natron Executable: The path to the Natron executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


• Enable Path Mapping: If enabled, a temporary Natron file will be created locally on the slave for renderingbecause Deadline does the path mapping directly in the Natron file. This feature can be turned off if there areno Path Mapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

9.46.4 FAQ

Which versions of Natron are supported?

Natron 0.9 and later are supported.

Why doesn’t Deadline Slave/Monitor report Natron’s task progress?

Currently (v1.0), Natron has limited task reporting although when specifying a particular writer node andframe list then frame progress is supported.

How do I specify a frame range to be rendered?

Unfortunately, Natron does not currently support specifying a frame range to be rendered, but rendersby default the settings within the Natron project file per writer node. If you optionally, specify a writernode to be rendered under advanced options in the monitor submission UI, then it is possible to specify aparticular frame range and number of frames per task for this writer node.

9.46. Natron 741



This is a collection of known Natron error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.47 Nuke


You can submit jobs from within Nuke by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them from theMonitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within Nuke, select Submit To Deadline from the Thinkbox menu.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Nuke specific options are:

• Render With NukeX: Enable this option if you want to render with NukeX instead of Nuke.

• Use Batch Mode: If enabled, Deadline will keep the Nuke file loaded in memory between tasks.

• Render Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering.

• Use The GPU For Rendering: If Nuke should also use the GPU for rendering (Nuke 7 and later only).

• Maximum RAM Usage: The maximum RAM usage (in MB) to be used for rendering.





• Enforce Write Node Render Order: Forces Nuke to obey the render order of Write nodes.

• Minimum Stack Size: The minimum stack size (in MB) to be used for rendering. Set to 0 to not enforce aminimum stack size.

• Continue On Error: If enabled, Nuke will attempt to keep rendering if an error occurs.

• Use Performance Profiler: If enabled, Nuke will profile the performance of the Nuke script while renderingand create a xml file per task for later analysis (Nuke 9 and later only).

• XML Directory: If Use Performance Profiler is enabled, this is the directory on the network where the perfor-mance profile xml files will be saved.

• Render in Proxy Mode: If enabled, Nuke will render using the proxy file paths.

• Choose Views To Render: Enable this option to choose which view(s) to render. By default, all views arerendered.

• Submit Write Nodes As Separate Jobs: Each write node is submitted as a separate job.

• Use Node’s Frame List: If submitting each write node as a separate job or task, enable this to pull the framerange from the write node, instead of using the global frame range.

• Set Dependencies Based on Write Node Render Order: When submitting write nodes as separate jobs, thisoption will make the separate jobs dependent on each other based on write node render order.

• Submit Write Nodes As Separate Tasks For The Same Job: Enable to submit a job where each task for thejob represents a different write node, and all frames for that write node are rendered by its corresponding task.

• Selected Nodes Only: If enabled, only the selected Write nodes will be rendered.

• Nodes With ‘Read File’ Enabled Only: If enabled, only the Write nodes that have the ‘Read File’ optionenabled will be rendered.

• Render Precomp Nodes First: If enabled, all write nodes in precomp nodes will be rendered before the mainjob.

• Only Render Precomp Nodes: If enabled, only the Write nodes that are in precomp nodes will be rendered.

The Submit Each Write Node As A Separate Task option can be useful if you have a bunch of write nodes in a Nukescript to output different Quicktime movies. You can enable this option, and bump up the Concurrent Tasks value toallow machines to process multiple write nodes concurrently. Since Quicktime generation only uses a single thread,you can get much better throughput with this option on multi-core machines.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Nuke, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swap outRead Node and Write Node file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitor whilein super user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the list on theleft.


You can configure the Nuke plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Nuke plug-in from the list on the left.

9.47. Nuke 743


Render Executables

• Nuke Executable: The path to the Nuke executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Licensing Options

• Slaves To Use Interactive License: A list of slaves that should use an interactive Nuke license instead of arender license. Use a , to separate multiple slave names, for example: slave001,slave002,slave003

OFX Cache

• Prepare OFX Cache Before Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will try to create the temporary ofxplugincachefolder before rendering, which helps ensure that comps that use OFX plugins render properly.


• Enable Path Mapping: If enabled, a temporary Nuke file will be created locally on the slave for renderingbecause Deadline does the path mapping directly in the Nuke file. This feature can be turned off if there are noPath Mapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

9.47.4 Nuke Studio Sequence Submission

If you are using Nuke Studio you can submit individual comps to Deadline from the Integrated Submitter as you wouldin Nuke or NukeX; however, there is also the option of submitting sequences of comps to Deadline as individual jobs.You can submit all the sequences’ comps for a project by selecting the project and submitting.



You can also choose which sequences you want to submit comps for

9.47. Nuke 745


Note this is only an option in the Integrated Submitter in Nuke Studio. It is also required to have a saved project withsequences that have comps in order to have this option.




The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Nuke submission script. This script allows for submit-ting Nuke render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Nuke editing GUI. Note that this has only been tested withNuke version 6 and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Nuke/Installers


• Copy [Repository]\submission\Nuke\Client\DeadlineNukeClient.py to your .nuke user folder (~/.nuke or%USERPROFILE%\.nuke)

• If menu.py does not exist in your .nuke user folder, copy [Repository]\submission\Nuke\Client\menu.py to your.nuke user folder

• If menu.py does exist, then open it in a text editor and add the following lines of code:

import DeadlineNukeClientmenubar = nuke.menu("Nuke")tbmenu = menubar.addMenu("&Thinkbox")tbmenu.addCommand("Submit Nuke To Deadline", DeadlineNukeClient.main, "")

The next time you launch Nuke, there should be a Thinkbox menu with the option to Submit Nuke to Deadline.

Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.py file can be created alongside the main SubmitNukeToDeadline.py submission script (in[Repository]\submission\Nuke\Main), and will be evaluated if it exists. This script will let you set any of the initialproperties in the submission script prior to displaying the submission window. You can also use it to run your ownchecks and display errors or warnings to the user. Here is a very simple example of what this script could look like:

import nukeimport DeadlineGlobals

def RunSanityCheck():DeadlineGlobals.initDepartment = "The Best Department!"DeadlineGlobals.initPriority = 33DeadlineGlobals.initConcurrentTasks = 2

nuke.message( "This is a custom sanity check!" )

return True

The DeadlineGlobals module can be found in the same folder as the SubmitNukeToDeadline.py script mentionedabove. It just contains the list of global variables that you can set, which are then used by the submission script toset the initial values in the submission dialog. Simply open DeadlineGlobals.py in a text editor to view the globalvariables.


9.47.6 FAQ

Which versions of Nuke are supported?

9.47. Nuke 747


Nuke 6 and later are supported.

Can I render with NukeX instead of Nuke?

Yes. Simply enable the Render With NukeX option when submitting your Nuke job.

What’s the benefit to using Batch Mode?

If enabled, Deadline will keep the Nuke file loaded in memory between tasks. This can help reduceoverhead, because the Nuke file is only loaded once when the job is started on the Slave.

Is Nuke Studio Supported?

Yes. It functions the same way as Nuke with the additions of Sequence Submission and Frame Serverrendering.

Can I use 3rd party plugins such as Peregrine Lab’s Bokeh plugin with Nuke via Deadline?

Yes. Ensure all machines have the same plugin software installed locally or via a network where appli-cable (depending on your studio pipeline/software deployment management and if the plugin in questionsupports deployment in this manner). Ensure any neccessary environment variables required are alsopresent on each Slave. In the case of Peregrine Lab’s Bokeh plugin, ensure the Slaves have the environ-ment variable available: “PEREGRINE_LICENSE=port@hostname”, where port & hostname are yourlicense server details. Environment variables can be set for a job in Deadline, and these variables willbe applied to the rendering process’ environment. These variables can be set in the Job Properties in theMonitor, and they can be set during Manual Job Submission.


This is a collection of known Nuke error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.48 Nuke Frame Server

9.48.1 Reserving Slaves For Frame Server Render

You can reserve Deadline Slaves for a rendering over the Nuke Studio frame server from Nuke Studio by installing theintegrated submission script, or you can reserve them from the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integratedsubmission script can be found further down this page.

To submit a Reserve Frame Server Slaves job from within Nuke Studio, select Submit to Deadline from the Thinkboxmenu.


mailto:PEREGRINE_LICENSE=port@hostname




9.48. Nuke Frame Server 749


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Nuke specific options are:

• Host: The IP address or Host Name of the Master Machine that the frame server slaves will connect to. Thismachine is the machine that will start the actual Nuke render.

• Port Number: The port number to use to connect to the Master Machine. Default is 5560. Slave must NOT runon the same machine as the Master Machine.



• Worker Count: The number of workers that should be spawned on each Deadline Slave that is reserved. Eachworker runs an instance of Nuke and renders independently of other workers.

• Worker Threads: The number of threads each worker should use.

• Worker Memory: The amount of memory to reserve for each worker.

Reserving From Inside Nuke Studio

It is required that you have Nuke Studio 9.0v3 or newer installed in order to properly use the Frame Server withDeadline. After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Reserve Machines button to submit the NukeFrame Server job. The job’s ID and Status will be tracked in the submitter, and as nodes pick up the job, they willshow up in the Reserved Machines list. Once you are happy with the server list you can start rendering or exportingover the frame server.

Note that the Nuke Frame Server process can sometimes take a little while to initialize. This means that a machine inthe Reserved Machines list could have started the Nuke Frame Server process, but it’s not fully initialized yet. If thisis the case, it’s probably best to wait a minute or so after the last server has shown up before starting the render.

After the render is finished, you can press Release Machines or close the submitter UI (Setup Frame Server SlavesWith Deadline) to mark the Frame Server job as complete so that the render nodes can move on to another job.

Note: Only one Slave per machine may pick up a Nuke Frame Server job, as allowing multiple Slaves on the samemachine to try to bind to the same port would not work. Deadline will also fail a render if a slave running on theMaster Machine tries to pick up the job, as it is already running an instance of the Frame Server and the same portbinding conflict can occur.

Reserving From The Monitor

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Submit button to submit the Nuke Frame Server job. Notethat this doesn’t start any rendering, it just allows the Nuke Frame Server to start up on nodes in the farm. Once you’rehappy with the nodes that have picked up the job, you can initiate the distributed render manually from within NukeStudio.

After the distributed render has finished, remember to mark the job as complete or delete it so that the nodes can moveon to other jobs.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Nuke Studio, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline canswap out Read Node and Write Node file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in theMonitor while in super user mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup inthe list on the left.


You can configure the Nuke Frame Server plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools-> Configure Plugins and select the NukeFrameServer plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• Nuke Executable: The path to the Nuke executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Licensing Options

• Slaves To Use Interactive License: A list of slaves that should use an interactive Nuke license instead of arender license. Use a , to separate multiple slave names, for example: slave001,slave002,slave003

OFX Cache

• Prepare OFX Cache Before Rendering: If enabled, Deadline will try to create the temporary ofxplugincachefolder before rendering, which helps ensure that comps that use OFX plugins render properly.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Nuke Frame Server submission script. This scriptallows for submitting Nuke Reserve Frame Server Slaves jobs to Deadline directly from within the Nuke Studioediting GUI.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Nuke/Installers


• Copy [Repository]\submission\Nuke\Client\DeadlineNukeFrameServerClient.py to your .nuke user folder(~/.nuke or %USERPROFILE%\.nuke)

• If menu.py does not exist in your .nuke user folder, copy [Repository]\submission\Nuke\Client\menu.py to your.nuke user folder

• If menu.py does exist, then open it in a text editor and add the following lines of code:



#For Nuke Frame Server and Nuke Submissionimport DeadlineNukeClientmenubar = nuke.menu("Nuke")tbmenu = menubar.addMenu("&Thinkbox")tbmenu.addCommand("Submit Nuke To Deadline", DeadlineNukeClient.main, "")

#This is done to only add the Frame Server in Nuke Studio.#Try-except is for older versions of Nuke.try:

if nuke.env[ 'studio' ]:import DeadlineNukeFrameServerClienttbmenu.addCommand("Reserve Frame Server Slaves",

DeadlineNukeFrameServerClient.main, "")except:

pass

The next time you launch Nuke Studio, there should be a Thinkbox menu with the option to Reserve Frame ServerSlaves.

Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.py file can be created alongside the main ReserveFrameServerSlaves.py submission script (in[Repository]\submission\Nuke\Main), and will be evaluated if it exists. This script will let you set any of the initialproperties in the submission script prior to displaying the submission window. You can also use it to run your ownchecks and display errors or warnings to the user. Here is a very simple example of what this script could look like:

import nukeimport DeadlineFRGlobals

def RunSanityCheck():DeadlineFRGlobals.initDepartment = "The Best Department!"DeadlineFRGlobals.initPriority = 33DeadlineFRGlobals.initPort = 5570

nuke.message( "This is a custom sanity check!" )

return True

The DeadlineFRGlobals module can be found in the same folder as the ReserveFrameServerSlaves.py script mentionedabove. It just contains the list of global variables that you can set, which are then used by the submission script toset the initial values in the submission dialog. Simply open DeadlineFRGlobals.py in a text editor to view the globalvariables.


9.48.5 FAQ

Which versions of Nuke are supported?

Nuke Studio 9.0v3 and onwards is supported.

What Nuke license does Frame Server use?

Nuke Studio’s Frame Server uses by default a standard Nuke rendernode “-r” license. Note for everylicense of Nuke Studio you own, a number of Nuke render licenses are included from The Foundry.



These licenses are intended to be used for ‘local’ Nuke Studio background rendering using Frame Serverrunning locally. Deadline’s Frame Server jobs are for when additional processing power is required byyour local running instance of Nuke Studio and it’s Master Frame Server functionality. Note, in Deadline’sNuke Frame Server plugin configuration section, you can also provide a list of slaves that should use aninteractive Nuke license instead of a render license, albeit this is a somewhat expensive thing to do withyour Nuke gui licenses!

Can I run Frame Server via Deadline Slave on the Master Machine?

No. You won’t be able to run Frame Server via Deadline Slave on the same machine that is also actingas the Master Machine (the machine currently running your session of Nuke Studio). Deadline will fail arender if a slave running on the Master Machine tries to pick up the job, as it is already running an instanceof the Frame Server and a port binding conflict will occur. You will need to use a different machine evenfor simple testing purposes.

If running multiple Deadline Slaves, can I run a normal Nuke network rendering job simultaneously with NukeFrame Server jobs?

Yes. You will want to consider using Deadline limits here to ensure you don’t blow your Nuke licensebudget. See our Limits documentation for how to implement limits for each of your software licenseneeds. Ensure you use “Machine” as the “Usage Level” in your Limits configuration, to ensure only 1 xNuke license is used by the one physical/virtual machine. Don’t forget to consider licensing implicationsfor any 3rd party Nuke plugins such as Optical Flares you may be using.


This is a collection of known Nuke Frame Server error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.


9.49 Octane Standalone


You can submit Octane Standalone jobs from the Monitor.




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Octane specific options are:

9.49. Octane Standalone 755


• Octane Scene File: Specify the Octane scene file(s) to render. If you have an animation with one OCS file perframe, you just need to select one of the OCS files from the sequence.

• Output File: The output file path. This is optional and can be left blank.

• Render Target: Select the target to render. This list is automatically populated based on the selected OCS file.

• Single Frame Job: Check this option if you are submitting a single frame to render, as opposed to an animationconsisting of a sequence of OCS files.

• Override Sampling: Overrides the maximum samples in the OCS file.

• Command Line Args: Additional command line arguments to pass to the renderer.


You can configure the Octane plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Octane plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Octane Executable: The path to the Octane executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.49.3 FAQ

Is Octane Standalone supported by Deadline?

Yes!




This is a collection of known Octane error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.50 PRMan (Renderman Pro Server)


You can submit PRMan jobs from the Monitor.

9.50. PRMan (Renderman Pro Server) 757




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The PRMan specific options are:



• RIB Files: The RIB files to be rendered (can be ASCII or binary formatted). These files should be networkaccessible.

• Working Directory: The working directory used during rendering. This is required if your RIB files containrelative paths.

• Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering. Set to 0 to let PRMan automatically determine the optimalthread count.

• Additional Arguments: Specify additional command line arguments you would like to pass to the PRManrenderer.


You can configure the PRMan plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the PRMan plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• PRMan Executable: The path to the PRMan executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.50.3 FAQ

Is PRMan supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Is PRMan’s folder structure where each frame has its own folder supported by Deadline?

9.50. PRMan (Renderman Pro Server) 759


Yes. Deadline can render rib files that are in separate folders per frame, and can also render rib files thatare all stored in the same folder.


This is a collection of known PRMan error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.51 Puppet


You can submit Puppet update jobs from the Monitor.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Puppet specific options are:

• Verbose Output: Prints very detailed output when the job is run.


You can configure the Puppet plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Puppet plug-in from the list on the left.

9.51. Puppet 761


Options

• Puppet Batch: The path to the Puppet executable file. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

9.52 Python


You can submit Python jobs from the Monitor.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Python specific options are:

• Script File: The script you want to submit.

• Arguments: The arguments to pass to the script. Leave blank if the script takes no arguments.

• Version: The version of Python to use.


You can configure the Python plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Python plug-in from the list on the left. To get a description of each setting, simply hover themouse cursor over a setting and a tool tip will be displayed.

9.52. Python 763


Python Executables

• Python Executable: The path to the Python executable file used. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.52.3 FAQ

Which versions of Python are supported?

Python 2.3 to 3.2 are all supported. Additional versions can be added when necessary.

9.53 Quicktime Generation

9.53.1 Job Submission - Apple Quicktime

Jobs can be submitted from the Monitor. You can use the Submit menu, or you can right-click on a job and selectScripts -> Quicktime Submission to automatically populate some fields in the Quicktime submitter based on the job’soutput.

Note that in order to use this Quicktime plugin, you MUST have Quicktime version 7.04 or later installed on yourslaves, as well as any workstations that Quicktime jobs will be submitted from.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Quicktime specific options are:

• Input Images: The frames you would like to generate the Quicktime from. If a sequence of frames exist inthe same folder, Deadline will automatically collect the range of the frames and will set the Frame Range fieldaccordingly.

9.53. Quicktime Generation 765


• Output Movie File: The name of the Quicktime to be generated.

• Frames: The frame range used to generate the Quicktime.

• Codec: The codec format to use for the Quicktime.

• Frame Rate: The frame rate of the Quicktime.

• Audio File: Specify an audio file to be added to the Quicktime movie. Leave blank to disable this feature.

• Settings File: The Quicktime settings file to use. Press the Create Settings button to create a new Quicktimesettings file.


The Apple Quicktime plug-in does not require any configuration.



9.53.3 FAQ

Which version of Apple Quicktime is required to create Quicktime movies with Deadline using the Apple Quick-time renderer?

Apple Quicktime version 7.04 or later is required. It must be installed on all slaves that will be renderingQuicktime movies, as well as any machines from which Quicktime jobs will be submitted from. You candownload the latest version of Quicktime from here.

Can I submit an Apple Quicktime job from Windows to run on Mac OSX, or vice versa?

No, because the export settings are saved out differently on each operating system. The Windows Quick-time generator doesn’t recognize settings that are exported on a Mac, and vice versa. We hope to find asolution for this in the future, but for now you should ensure that your Quicktime job renders on the sameoperating system from which it was submitted from (using groups, pools, machine lists, etc).

Can multiple machines work together to render a single movie file?

No, this is not possible. This is why Quicktime Generation jobs should always consist of a single task thatcontains all the frames to be included in the movie file.

When submitting an Apple Quicktime, an error message pops up when I click the Submit button.

This error pops up when you have an older version of Apple Quicktime installed. Installing the latestversion should fix the problem.


This is a collection of known Quicktime Generation error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions.We want to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, pleaseemail Deadline Support and let us know.

Exception during render: Error: Class not registered - Make sure that QuickTime version 7.04 or later isinstalled on this machine

This error occurs when you have an older version of Apple Quicktime installed. Installing the latestversion should fix the problem.

Exception during render: Renderer returned non-zero error code, 128

The Apple Quicktime renderer is crashing for some reason. Check to make sure you have the latestversion of Apple Quicktime installed.

9.54 Realflow


You can submit jobs from within RealFlow by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

9.54. Realflow 767



To submit from within RealFlow 5 or later, select Commands -> System Commands -> SubmitToDeadline.py.

To submit from within RealFlow 4, select ‘Scripts’ -> ‘User Scripts’ -> ‘Deadline’ -> ‘Submit To Deadline’.



9.54. Realflow 769


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Realflow specific options are:

• Submit IDOC Jobs: Enable to submit separate IDOC jobs for each IDOC name specified. Separate multipleIDOC names with commas. For example: IDOC01,IDOC02,IDOC03

• Start Rendering At [Start Frame - 1]: Enable this option if RealFlow rendering should start at the framepreceding the Start Frame. For example, if you are rendering frames 1-100, but you need to pass 0-100 toRealFlow, then you should enable this option.

• Use One Machine Only: Forces the entire job to be rendered on one machine. If this is enabled, the MachineLimit, Task Chunk Size and Concurrent Tasks settings will be ignored.

• Version: The version of RealFlow to render with.

• Build: Force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.

• Rendering Threads: The number of threads to use during simulation.

• Reset Scene: If this option is enabled, the scene will be reset before the simulation starts.

• Generate Mesh: This option will generate the mesh for a scene where particle cache files were created previ-ously.

• Use Particle Cache: If you have created particle cache files for a specific frame and you want to resume yoursimulation from that frame you have to use this option. The starting cached frame is the Start Frame enteredabove.

• Render Preview: Enable this option to create a Maxwell Render preview.

9.54.2 Plugin Configuration

You can configure the RealFlow plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> PluginsConfiguration and select the RealFlow plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• Realflow Executable: The path to the Realflow executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated RealFlow submission script. This script allows forsubmitting RealFlow render jobs to Deadline directly from within the RealFlow editing GUI.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/RealFlow/Installers


RealFlow 5 and Later:

• Copy [Repository]\submission\RealFlow\Client\DeadlineRealFlowClient.py to [RealFlow Install Direc-tory]\scripts.

• Launch RealFlow.

• Now you can select Commands -> System Commands -> DeadlineRealFlowClient.py.

9.54. Realflow 771


RealFlow 4:

• Copy [Repository]\submission\RealFlow\Client\DeadlineRealFlowClient.py to [RealFlow Install Direc-tory]\scripts.

• Launch RealFlow and select Scripts -> Add.



• In the Add Script dialog, for the Name enter ‘Submit To Deadline’, and for the Script enter the path to theDeadlineRealFlowClient.py file that you just copied over. Then click the New Folder button and name thefolder ‘Deadline’. Then select the ‘Deadline’ folder and click OK.

• Now you can select ‘Scripts’ -> ‘User Scripts’ -> ‘Deadline’ -> ‘Submit To Deadline’ to launch the submissiondialog.

9.54.4 FAQ

What versions of RealFlow are supported by Deadline?

RealFlow versions 3 and later are supported. The integrated submission script is only supported in Re-alFlow 4 and later. RealFlow 3 jobs can still be submitted from the Monitor.

Does rendering with RealFlow require a separate license?

Yes. You need separate command line licenses to render.

Can I render separate IDOCs from the same scene across different machines?

Yes. You can specify which IDOCs you want to render in the submitter, and a separate job will besubmitted for each one.

Why is RealFlow looking for the particle cache on the local C: instead of on the network?

9.54. Realflow 773


This is likely happening because you are choosing to submit the RealFlow file with the job. This meansthe file is copied locally to the slave machines, which is why they are looking for the cache locally. Ifyou disable the option to submit the file with the job, the slave machines should be able to find the cacheproperly.


This is a collection of known RealFlow error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

Exception during render: [RealFlow Error]: License file not found.

RealFlow requires a separate license for network rendering, and that licensing system needs to be setupbefore you can render through Deadline.

9.55 REDLine


You can submit REDLine jobs from the Monitor. REDLine is the command line tool that ships with Redcine-X, andpreviously with REDAlert.





9.55. REDLine 775


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The REDLine specific options are:

• Input R3D File: Specify the R3D file you want to render.

• Output Folder: The folder where the output files will be saved.

• Output Filename: The prefix portion of the output filename. It is not necessary to specify the extension.

• Output Format: The output format. This will determine the filename extension.

• Render Resolution: The resolution to render at.

• Make Output Subfolder: Makes subdirectory for each output.

• Frame List: The list of frames to render if rendering an animation.

• Renumber Start Frame: The new start frame number (optional).

• Frames Per Task: The number of frames per task.

• Submit Input R3D File With Job: If checked, the input file is submitted with the job to the repository.

Deadline basically supports all the options that are available in the Redcine-X application. It also supports the abilityto specify RSX files to use when rendering, so you can set your options in Redcine-X and then use them to renderthe job through Deadline. Please refer to your Redcine-X documentation for more information about these additionalrender options.


You can configure the REDLine plug-in settings from the Deadline Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools-> Configure Plugins and select the REDAlert plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• REDLine Executable: The path to the REDline executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.55.3 FAQ

Is Redcine-X/REDAlert supported by Deadline?

Yes. Both applications ship with a command line application called REDLine, which Deadline uses torender.

Which Operating System(s) can I render REDLine jobs with?

Currently, REDLine is available on Windows and OSX, so you can render REDLine jobs on these oper-ating systems.


This is a collection of known REDLine error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.56 Renderman (RIB)


You can submit Renderman jobs from the Monitor.

9.56. Renderman (RIB) 777




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. Note that a Draft job can only be submitted if Deadline isable to parse absolute Display paths from the selected rib file. If it cannot extract the output paths, it will let you knowduring submission so that you can disable the Draft job option.



The RIB specific options are:

• RIB Files: The RIB files to be rendered (can be ASCII or binary formatted). These files should be networkaccessible.

• Renderer: The renderer that will be used to render the RIB files.

• Additional Arguments: Specify additional command line arguments you would like to pass to the RIB renderer.See the documentation for your particular RIB renderer for additional arguments.


You can configure the RIB plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> PluginsConfiguration and select the RIB plugin from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Executable: The path to the RIB executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.Different executable paths can be configured for each RIB renderer installed on your render nodes.

9.56.3 FAQ

Which RIB renderes are supported by Deadline?

The following renders are supported:

• 3Delight

• Air

• Aqsis

• BMRT

9.56. Renderman (RIB) 779


• Entropy

• Pixie

• PRMan

• RenderDotC

• RenderPipe

If you use a RIB renderer that is not on this list, please contact Deadline Support and let us know.

9.56.4 Errors Messages and Meanings

This is a collection of known RIB error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want to keepthis list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.57 Rendition


You can submit Rendition jobs from the Monitor.






Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Rendition specific options are:

• Input MI File: The MI file to render. This needs to be on a network location, since Rendition often saves the

9.57. Rendition 781


output file(s) relative to the input MI file location.

• Output File: Optionally override the output file.


• Skip Existing Frames: If existing images should be skipped.

• Additional Cmd Line Args: Additional command line arguments to pass to Rendition during rendering.

• Tile Rendering Options: Setup a Rendition tile rendering job. Note that this requires you to override the outputfile. Also make sure that the final image resolution settings are correct, because these are used to determine thesize of the tiles to render. The output formats that are supported are BMP, DDS, EXR, JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG,RGB, RGBA, SGI, TGA, TIF, and TIFF.


You can configure the Rendition plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Rendition plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Rendition Executable: The path to the Rendition executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.57.3 FAQ

Is Rendition supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Why do the image format options (like color depth) get reverted to defaults when rendering with Deadline?



This only happens when overriding the output file in the submission script. When we pass the output pathto Rendition, it uses the default image format options for the output type. If you don’t want this to occur,simply don’t override the output file.


This is a collection of known Rendition error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.58 Rhino


You can submit jobs from within Rhino by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

9.58. Rhino 783




To submit from within Rhino, left-click on the ‘Deadline’ button you created during the integrated submission scriptinstallation.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Rhino specific options are:

• Rhino File: The Rhino file to be rendered.

• Output File: The filename of the image(s) to be rendered.

• Renderer: Specify the renderer to use.

• Render Bongo Animation: If your Rhino file uses the Bongo animation plugin, you can enable a Bongoanimation job.

Tile Rendering

The following options are available for tile rendering. Note that tile rendering is only available when submitting fromwithin Rhino.

• Enable Tile Rendering: If enabled, the image will be rendered in regions and automatically assembled byDraft.

• Use Jigsaw: Use Jigsaw to determine the regions.

• Tiles in X and Tiles in Y: The number of tiles to divide the job into if not using Jigsaw.

• Submit Dependent Assembly Job: If enabled, then a dependent job will be submitted to assemble thetiles/regions into a single image.

• Cleanup Tiles as Assembly: If enabled, then after assembly the tiles/regions will be deleted.

• Error on Missing Tiles: If enabled, then if any of the tiles/regions are missing the assembly job will fail.

• Assemble Over: Determines what the tiles/regions will be assembled over; nothing, a single image or the sameimage as the final image.

• Error on Missing Background: Determines if the assembler should fail if the background image is missing.

9.58. Rhino 785


Supported Renderers

Deadline supports many of the Rhino renderers out of the box, including Rhino Render, Flamingo, VRay, Brazil,Penguin, and TreeFrog. If you are using a renderer that Deadline does not currently support, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know!





It is also possible to manually add new renderers to the list that Deadline supports. Go to\\your\repository\script\Submission\RhinoSubmission and open Renderers.ini in a text editor. You’ll see that this filecontains the list of renderers that Deadline currently supports, one per line. Just add the missing renderer as a new lineand save the file. Note that the name needs to match that of the renderer exactly!


You can configure the Rhino plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Rhino plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Rhino Executable: The path to the Rhino executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Rhino submission script for different versions ofRhino. This script allows for submitting Rhino render Jobs to Deadline directly from within the Rhino editing GUI.

Rhino 5

The following installation procedure is intended and has been tested for Rhino 5.0.

• In Rhino, select ‘Tools’ -> ‘Toolbar Layout’.

9.58. Rhino 787


• Select the Toolbar Collection file that you want to add the Deadline submission button to, and then select ‘File’-> ‘Import Toolbars...’. Browse to [Repository]\submission\Rhino\Client\ and select the ‘deadline.rui’ file.

• Check the box next to ‘Deadline’ and press ‘OK’.



• There should not be a toolbar with a ‘Deadline’ button on your screen, which you can dock anywhere you want.

– Left-click on the button to submit a Rhino Job to Deadline.

– Right-click on the button to launch the Monitor.

Rhino 4

The following installation procedure is intended and has been tested for Rhino 4.0. It is largely similar to the proceduredescribed for Rhino 5 above, with some slight differences.

• In Rhino, select Tools -> Toolbar Layout.

9.58. Rhino 789


• Select the Toolbar collection file that you want to add the Deadline submission button to, then select Toolbar ->Import. Browse to [Repository]\submission\Rhino\Client\ and select the deadline.tb file.

• Check the box next to Deadline and press Import.



• Select File -> Save to save the changes to the selected Toolbar collection file.

• There should now be a toolbar with a ‘Deadline’ button on your screen, which you can dock.

– Left-click on the button to submit a Rhino job to Deadline.

– Right-click on the button to launch the Monitor.

9.58.4 FAQ

Which versions of Rhino are supported?

Rhino 4 and later are supported.

Does Rhino need to be licensed on each render node?

Yes.

Is the Bongo plugin for animation supported?

Yes. The Rhino submission dialog has the option to render a Bongo animation.

Is V-Ray for Rhino fully supported?

Yes. Please see the V-Ray Distributed Rendering plugin for details on how V-Ray interactive DBR inRhino operates.

9.58. Rhino 791



This is a collection of known Rhino error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.59 RVIO


You can submit RVIO jobs from the Monitor, or you can right-click on a job and select ‘Scripts’ -> ‘Submit RVIO JobTo Deadline’ to automatically populate some fields in the RVIO submitter based on the job’s output.





Submission Options


The RVIO submitter allows you to create and save Layers, each of which can contain one or two source images, anarbitrary number of audio files, and a list of overrides.

• Click the New button to add a new Layer.

• Click the Rename button to rename the selected Layer.

• Click the Remove button to remove the selected Layer.

• Click the Clear All button to remove all Layers.

• Click the Load Layers button to load saved Layers from disk.

• Click the Save Layers button to save the list of current Layers to disk.

For Layers, the only required setting is the Source 1 file(s). If specifying a sequence, you can set the range to the rightof the file name (the same for the Source 2 file if specified). Note that the .rv file format is also supported as a Sourcefile. For Audio Files, a comma separated list is used to allow the submission of multiple files. Other than submitting atleast one Layer, the only other required option is the Output File under the Output tab. See the RVIO Documentationfor more information about the available options and overrides.

Codec Lists

The RVIO submitter pulls its codec settings from the GetRawCodecText() function in\\your\repository\scripts\submission\RVIOSubmission.py. The raw text was retrieved from running “rvio.exe-formats” in a command prompt. This means that if your installation of RVIO supports additional codecs that aren’tavailable in the submitter, you can run the following and then copy the text in the resulting Codecs.txt file and paste itbetween the triple quotes in GetRawCodecText():

rvio.exe -formats > Codecs.txt


You can configure the RVIO plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the RVIO plug-in from the list on the left.

9.59. RVIO 793

http://www.tweaksoftware.com/static/documentation/rv/current/html/rv_manual.html


Render Executables

• RVIO Executable: The path to the rvio executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines.

9.59.3 FAQ

Is RVIO supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known RVIO error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.60 Salt


You can submit Salt update jobs from the Monitor.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Salt’s specific options are:

• Verbose Logging Level: The level of logging a Salt job will output.


You can configure the Salt plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Salt plug-in from the list on the left.

9.60. Salt 795


Options

• Salt Executable: The path to the Salt Executable. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

9.61 Shake


You can submit Shake jobs from the Monitor.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Shake specific options are:

• Shake Script File: The Shake script file to be rendered.

9.61. Shake 797


• CPUs: The number of CPUs to use during rendering.

• Additional Arguments: Additional arguments to pass to the Shake command line renderer.


You can configure the Shake plug-in settings from the Deadline Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Plugins Configuration and select the Shake plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Shake Executable: The path to the Shake executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines.

9.61.3 FAQ

Is Shake supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Shake error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.62 SketchUp


You can submit jobs from within SketchUp by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit them fromthe Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.

To submit from within SketchUp, select ‘Plugins’ -> ‘Submit To Deadline’.

9.62. SketchUp 799


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The SketchUp specific options are:

• SketchUp File: The file to be exported.



• Export Directory: The export destination folder.

• Export File Prefix: The file prefix of the export.

• Export Type: The type of export (3D model, 2D image sequence or 2D image).

• Export Format: The file format of the export file (ie. .3ds, .png, etc.).

• Frame Rate: Enabled if exporting an image sequence, determines frequency of images (in frames per second).

• Compression Rate: Float compression factor for JPEG images (between 0.0 and 1.0, lower is smaller size,larger is better quality).

• Width: Width of image in pixels (if 0, uses information from SketchUp file).

• Height: Height of image in pixels (if 0, uses information from SketchUp file).

• Anti-alias: Enables image anti-aliasing.

• Transparent: Enables image Transparency.

• Version: The version of SketchUp to use.


You can configure the SketchUp plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the SketchUp plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• SketchUp Executable: The path to the SketchUp executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.62. SketchUp 801



The following procedures describe how to setup the integrated SketchUp submission script for Deadline. This scripthas been tested with SketchUp 7 and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/SketchUp/Installers


Windows:

• Copy [Repository]/submission/SketchUp/Client/DeadlineSketchUpClient.rb to [SketchUp Plugin Directory]which will look different depending on your version of SketchUp.

– SketchUp 8 and earlier, the plug-in directory may look something like this, C:\ProgramFiles\Google\Google SketchUp #\plugins

– SketchUp 2013, the plug-in directory may look something like this, C:\Program Files\SketchUp\SketchUp2013\plugins

– SketchUp 2014, the plug-in directory may look something like this,C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

Mac OS X:

• Copy [Repository]/submission/SketchUp/Client/DeadlineSketchUpClient.rb to [SketchUp Plugin Directory]which will look different depending on your version of SketchUp.

– SketchUp 8 and ealier, the plug-in directory may look something like this, /Library/Application Sup-port/Google SketchUp #/SketchUp/plugins

– SketchUp 2013 and later, the plug-in directory may look something like this (Note: it may have to be inthe specific user’s /Library/ directory as of 2014), /Library/Application Support/SketchUp #/plugins

9.62.4 FAQ

Which versions of SketchUp are supported by Deadline?

The commercial versions of SketchUp 7 and later are supported.


This is a collection of known SketchUp error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.63 Softimage


You can submit jobs from within Softimage by installing the integrated submission script, or you can submit themfrom the Monitor. The instructions for installing the integrated submission script can be found further down this page.





To submit from within Softimage, select the Render toolbar on the left and click Render -> Submit To Deadline.

9.63. Softimage 803


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Softimage specific options are:

• Workgroup: Specify the workgroup that Softimage should use during rendering. Leave blank to ignore.

• Force Build: Force 32 bit or 64 bit rendering.

• Submit Softimage Scene File: The Softimage scene file will be submitted with the job. If your Softimage sceneis stored in a project folder on the network, it is recommended that you leave this box unchecked.

• Threads: The number of render threads to use during rendering.

• Use Softimage Batch Plugin: This plugin keeps Softimage and the scene loaded in memory between tasks.



• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, the frames will be rendered locally, and then will be copied to the finalnetwork location. Note that this feature doesn’t support the “Skip Existing Frame” option.

• Skip Batch Licensing Check: If enabled, Softimage won’t try to check out a Batch license during rendering.This allows you to use 3rd party renderers like VRay or Arnold without using a Softimage batch license.

Selecting passes to render:

• Select which passes you would like to render. A separate job is submitted for each pass. If no passes are selected,then the current pass is submitted. Note that if you are using FxTree Rendering, the passes are ignored.

Setting up a tile rendering job:

9.63. Softimage 805


• Enable tile rendering to split up a frame into multiple tiles that are rendered individually. By default, a separatejob is submitted for each tile (this allows for tile rendering of a sequence of frames). For easier management ofsingle frame tile rendering, you can choose to submit all the tiles as a single job.

• You can submit a dependent assembly job to assemble the image when the main tile job completes. If usingDraft for the assembly, you’ll need a license from Thinkbox. Otherwise, the output formats that are supportedare BMP, DDS, EXR, JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG, RGB, RGBA, SGI, TGA, TIF, and TIFF.

• Note that the Error On Missing Tiles option only applies to Draft assemblies.

• Note that if you are using FxTree Rendering, the tile rendering settings are ignored.

Setting up an FxTree rendering job:

• Enable FxTree rendering to render a specific FxTree output node, which can be selected from the FxTree Outputdropdown box. You can also set the frame offset for the output files. Some things to note are:

– The frame range to be rendered is pulled from the Frame List setting under the SubmissionOptions tab.

– If you are rendering to a movie file, be sure to set the Group Size to the number of frames inyour animation.



Notes:

• Softimage gives the option to specify file paths as being relative to the current directory or absolute. Deadlinerequires that all file paths be absolute.

• When specifying the image output, make sure to include the extension (.pic, .tga, etc) at the end so that you canview the individual rendered images from the task list in the Monitor.

Redshift Renderer Options

If submitting a Softimage scene that uses the Redshift renderer, there will be an additional option in the integratedsubmitter called GPUs Per Task. If set to 0 (the default), then Redshift will be reponsible to choosing the GPUs to usefor rendering.

If this is set to 1 or greater, then each task for the job will be assigned specific GPUs. This can be used in combinationwith concurrent tasks to get a distribution over the GPUs. For example:

• if this is set to 1, then tasks rendered by the Slaves’s thread 0 would use GPU 0, thread 1 would use GPU 1, etc.

• if this is set to 2, then tasks rendered by the Slaves’s thread 0 would use GPUs {0,1}, thread 2 would use GPUs{2,3}, etc.


In order to perform cross-platform rendering with Softimage, you must setup Mapped Paths so that Deadline can swapout file paths where appropriate. You can access the Mapped Paths Setup in the Monitor while in super user mode byselecting Tools -> Configure Repository. You’ll find the Mapped Paths Setup in the list on the left.


You can configure the Softimage and SoftimageBatch plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode,select Tools -> Plugins Configuration and select the Softimage or SoftimageBatch plug-in from the list on the left.

9.63. Softimage 807


Softimage

Render Executables

• Softimage Render Excecutable: The path to the XSIBatch.bat file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Options

• Enable Strict Error Checking: If enabled, Deadline will fail in almost all cases when the job whenever Soft-image prints out ‘ERROR’ for whatever reason.

• Return Codes To Ignore: Error codes (other than 0) that Deadline should ignore and instead assume the renderhas finished successfully. Use a ; to separate the error codes.



SoftimageBatch

Render Executables

• Softimage Render Excecutable: The path to the XSIBatch.bat file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

Options

• Enable Strict Error Checking: If enabled, Deadline will fail in almost all cases when the job whenever Soft-image prints out ‘ERROR’ for whatever reason.

• Connection Timeout: The amount of seconds to give the Deadline plugin and Softimage to establish a connec-tion before the job fails.

• Timeout For Progress Updates: The amount of seconds to between Softimage progress updates before the jobis failed. Set to 0 to disable this feature.


The following procedures describe how to install the integrated Softimage submission script. This script allows forsubmitting Softimage render jobs to Deadline directly from within the Softimage editing GUI.

Earlier versions of Softimage might not ship with Python out of the box. In this case, follow these steps:

• Install the Python engine for Softimage. For more information, see the Softimage Python installation documen-tation.

• Check that the Python engine has been installed correctly. This can be done by opening up Softimage andselecting File -> Preferences. Under the Scripting preferences, you should have the option to select Python asthe Script Language. If you don’t see this option, then Python has not been installed correctly, and you shouldcontact the Softimage support team.

9.63. Softimage 809

http://xsisupport.com/2010/02/22/getting-python-to-show-up-in-softimage/

http://xsisupport.com/2010/02/22/getting-python-to-show-up-in-softimage/


Once Python is an available scripting option in Softimage, you can follow these steps to install the submission script:


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/Softimage/Installers


• Copy the file [Repository]/submission/Softimage/Client/DeadlineSoftimageClient.py to the folder [SoftimageInstall Directory]/Application/Plugins

• Launch Softimage. The submission script is automatically installed when Softimage starts up. To make surethe script was installed correctly, select the Render toolbar on the left and click the Render button. A Submit ToDeadline menu item should be available.



Custom Sanity Check

A CustomSanityChecks.py file can be created alongside the main Softimage submsion scripts (in [Reposi-tory]\submission\Softimage\Main), and will be evaluated if it exists. This script will let you set any of the initialproperties in the submission script prior to displaying the submission window. You can also use it to run your ownchecks and display errors or warnings to the user. Here is a very simple example of what this script could look like:

import win32com.clientApplication = win32com.client.Dispatch( 'XSI.Application' )

def RunSanityCheck( opSet ):

opSet.Parameters( "DepartmentTextBox" ).Value = "The Best Department!"opSet.Parameters( "PriorityNumeric" ).Value = 33opSet.Parameters( "BatchBox" ).Value = True

Application.LogMessage( "This is a custom sanity check!" )

9.63. Softimage 811


return True

The opSet parameters can be found in the SoftimageToDeadline.py script in the Main folder mentioned above. Lookfor the following line in the script:

opSet = Application.ActiveSceneRoot.AddProperty("CustomProperty",False,"SubmitSoftimageToDeadline")

After this line, all the available parameters are added to the opSet. These can be used to set the initial values in thesubmission dialog.

Finally, if the RunSanityCheck method returns False, the submission will be canceled.

9.63.5 FAQ

Which versions of Softimage are supported?

Softimage versions 2010 and later are supported.

What is the difference between the Softimage and SoftimageBatch plug-ins?

The SoftimageBatch plug-in keeps the scene loaded in memory between subsequent tasks for the samejob. This saves on the overhead of having to load Softimage and the scene file for each task. The Softimageplug-in uses standard command line rendering, and should only be used if you experience problems withthe SoftimageBatch plug-in.

Is FxTree rendering supported?

Yes. Simply enable FxTree rendering in the submission dialog and specify the FxTree and Output Nodeyou want to render.

Is the Arnold renderer for Softimage supported?

Yes. Deadline supports the Arnold plug-in for Softimage, as well as Arnold’s standalone renderer(kick.exe). For more information on rendering Arnold Standalone jobs, see the Arnold Standalone Plug-inGuide.

Can Softimage script jobs be submitted to Deadline?

Yes. Deadline provides very basic support for script jobs, though there is currently no interface to submitthem. The option for submitting a script job can be specified in the plug-in info file.

After installing the Softimage integrated submission script, Softimage failes to load (it goes to a white screenand hangs).

We have heard of this problem before, but we have not been able to reproduce it. The workaround for thisproblem is to remove the script from the plugins folder, and manually path to the submission script pluginafter starting Softimage.

When Deadline renders the job, Softimage isn’t able to find anything in the scene’s project folder.

If you’re Softimage scene file is saved in a project folder on the network, leave the Submit SoftimageScene File check box unchecked in the submission dialog. This allows Deadline to load the Softimagescene in the context of its project folder.

I have Softimage configured to save output to a network share, but when Deadline renders the scene, the renderslaves save their output to their local C drive rather than to the network share.

There are two possible solutions:



1. If you’re Softimage scene file is saved in a project folder on the network, leave the SubmitSoftimage Scene File check box unchecked in the submission dialog. This is the recommendsolution.

2. Specify the full resolved path for the scene output directory, instead of something like [ProjectPath]\Render_Pictures.

Rendering with Deadline seems a lot slower than rendering through Softimage itself.

If you’re submitting your jobs with the Use Softimage Batch option disabled, then Softimage needs to berestarted and the scene needs to be reloaded for every task in the job, which can add a lot of overhead tothe render time, especially if cached data needs to be loaded.

To speed up your renders, you can increase the task group size (aka: chunk size) from 1 to 5 or 10. Thisway, the scene is loaded once for every 5 or 10 frames. Increasing the chunksize like this is recommendedif you know ahead of time your frames will only take seconds to render, or if a large amount of cacheddata needs to be loaded.


This is a collection of known Softimage error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


The error code -1073741819 is equivalent to 0xC0000005, which represents a Memory Access Violationerror. So Softimage is either running out of memory, or memory is becoming corrupt. If you find thatyour frames are still being rendered, you can configure the Softimage plugin configuration to ignore thiserror.

Exception during render: ‘ ERROR : 2000 - Library not found: ...

This can occur if the Slave application’s environment variables haven’t been updated. Try rebooting themachine and see if that fixes the problem.

ERROR : 2004 - Invalid pointer - [line 2]

You can workaround this by renaming the ICEFlow plugin (Application\Plugins\ICEFlow.dll). This plu-gin manages the transfer of data between Softimage and Maya (the one-click ICE workflow).

9.64 Terragen


You can submit Terragen jobs from the Monitor.

9.64. Terragen 813






Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Terragen specific options are:

• Project File: The Terragen project file to render.

• Render Node: Select the render node to render. Leave blank to use the default in the project.

• Output: Override the output path in the project file. If rendering a sequence of frames, remember to include the%04d format in the output file name so that padding is added to each frame.

• Extra Output: Override the extra output path in the project file. If rendering a sequence of frames, rememberto include the IMAGETYPE.%04d format in the output file name so that padding is added to each frame.

• Enable Local Rendering: If enabled, the frames will be rendered locally, and will then be copied to the finalnetwork location. Note that this requires that an Output file be specified above.

• Version: The version of Terragen.


You can configure the Terragen plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Terragen plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Terragen CLI Executable: The path to the Terragen executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.64. Terragen 815


9.64.3 FAQ

Which versions of Terragen are supported?

The commercial version of Terragen 2 and later are supported.


This is a collection of known Terragen error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.65 Tile Assembler


You can submit Tile assembler jobs from the Monitor. Normally, these jobs are submitted as dependent jobs for youroriginal tile jobs, but you can submit them manually if you wish. Please note that the Tile Assembler plugin is EOL(End-Of-Life/deprecated) and we recommend using the newer Draft Tile Assembler plugin for all tile/region assemblyduties.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Tile Assembler specific optionsare:

• Input Tile Files: Select just one of your image tile files from a group to perform the tile assem-bly for. The files should have the format [PREFIX]_tile_[I]x[J]_[X]x[Y].[EXTENSION]. For example,r:\projects\deadline\Tests\example_tile_1x1_2x1_0000.exr. Ensure the filenames match this naming conven-tion.

• Tiles Are Uncropped: Enable this option if a tile consists of the full resolution of the image, with only a partof it rendered.

9.65. Tile Assembler 817


• Ignore Overlap: If assembling uncropped tiles, enable this option to ignore any overlap that exists for the giventiles. For example, if two tiles share a few pixels between them.

• Clean Up Tile Files After Assembly: Enable to automatically delete the tile files after successfully assemblingthe final image.

• Opaque Opacity: Use this option if non-exr tiles use opaque opacity in ‘empty’ pixels.


The Tile Assembler plug-in does not require any configuration.

9.65.3 FAQ

Is the Tile Assembler plugin still officially supported in Deadline?

No. Please note that the Tile Assembler plugin is EOL (End-Of-Life) and we recommend using the newerDraft Tile Assembler plugin for all tile/region assembly duties. The old Tile Assembler system is stillavailable in Monitor and via some of the in-app tile rendering submission scripts and will still work.However, it is now deprecated, so please do not build any in-house tools around Tile Assembler. Thenewer Draft Tile Assembler contains all the features of the old Tile Assembler and more! Tile Assemblerwill be removed at an undetermined date in the future. You have been warned!


This is a collection of known Tile Assembler error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know. Please note that the Tile Assembler plugin is EOL (End-Of-Life) and we recommend usingthe newer Draft Tile Assembler plugin for all tile/region assembly duties.

ERROR: ImageMagick: Invalid bit depth for RGB image ‘[path to tile/region render output image]’

This error is due to the TileAssembler executable not supporting certain bit depth images such as VRay’sRE’s “Reflection”, “Refraction” and “Alpha” when saved from the VRay Frame Buffer (VFB). Pleaseuse the newer “Draft Tile Assembler” plugin to ensure all image types/bit depths are correctly assembled.Draft Tile Asssembler jobs can also be submitted independently if you already have the *.config file(s)and is explained further in the Draft Tile Assembler documentation.

9.66 V-Ray Distributed Rendering


You can submit interactive V-Ray DBR jobs from 3ds Max, Maya, or Softimage. The instructions for installing theintegrated submission script can be found further down this page.

The interactive submitter will submit a V-Ray Spawner job (V-Ray standalone for Maya, Softimage, 3dsMaxRT,Rhino, Sketchup) to reserve render nodes, and the submitter will automatically update the V-Ray server list.

Do NOT execute or install the Chaos Group V-RaySpawner (V-RaySpawner/V-RaySpawner RT/V-Ray standalone)executable as a background service (NT service/daemon). Deadline is more flexible here and will spawn the V-RaySpawner/standalone executable as a child process of the Deadline Slave. This makes our system more flexible andresilient to crashes as when we terminate the V-Ray DBR job in the Deadline queue, the Deadline Slave application will‘cleanly’ tidy up V-RaySpawner/standalone and more importantly, any DCC application (3dsMax/Maya) or standalone





instances which it in turn has spawned as a child process. This can be helpful if V-Ray DBR becomes unstable anda user wishes to reset the system remotely. You can simply re-queue or delete/complete the current DBR job orre-submit.

Port Configuration

Here is a consolidated list of port requirements for the various versions of V-Ray. Ensure any applicable firewalls areopened to allow pass-through communication. Typically if in doubt, opening TCP/UDP ports in the range: 20200-20300 will cover all V-Ray implementations for DBR. During initial testing, it is recommended to open all ports inthis range, verify and then consider tightening up security.

Pro-tocol

Default PortNumber

Application Notes

TCP/IP 20204 3dsMax V-RayProduction

V-Ray 2.x, V-Ray 3.x - Production and Nightly beta builds (v2 & v3:20204)

TCP/IP FIXED 3dsMax /V-Ray Spawner

Used by render servers to broadcast a message that they are ready tojoin an ongoing DR session (v2 & v3: 20205)

TCP/IP 20206 3dsMax V-RayRT/GPU

V-Ray 2.x, V-Ray 3.x RT/GPU - Production and Nightly beta builds(v2 & v3: 20206)

TCP/IP 20207 Maya V-Ray 2.x and 3.x RT/GPU - Production and Nightly beta buildsTCP/IP 20207 Softimage V-Ray 2.x and 3.x - ProductionTCP/IP 20207 modo V-Ray StandaloneTCP/IP 20207 Rhino V-Ray StandaloneTCP/IP 20207 SketchUp V-Ray StandaloneTCP/IP 20207 C4D V-Ray Standalone

9.66. V-Ray Distributed Rendering 819


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The V-Ray DBR specific optionsare:

• Maximum Servers: The maximum number of V-Ray Servers to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Port Number (Softimage/Maya/3dsMax/3dsMaxRT only): The port number that V-Ray will use for dis-tributed rendering. In the case of Softimage, this is necessary because Softimage uses V-Ray standalone fordistributed rendering and the default port number for V-Ray in Softimage is different from the default portnumber in V-Ray standalone. The port number needs to be identical on all machines including the worksta-tion machine for a particular DCC application to communicate correctly. It is recommended to disable anyclient firewall whilst initial testing/configuration is carried out. Typically, opening TCP/UDP ports in the range:20200-20300 will cover all V-Ray implementations for DBR.

• Use Server IP Address instead of Host Name: If checked, the Active Servers list will show the server IPaddresses instead of host names.

• Automatically Update Server List (3dsMax only): This option when un-checked stops the automatic refreshof the active servers list based on the current Deadline queue.

• Complete Job After Render (3dsMax only): When checked, as soon as the DR session has completed (maxquick render finished), then the Deadline job will be marked as complete in the queue.

• Active Servers (3dsMax only): Individual Deadline Slaves can be enabled/disabled here (V-Ray Spawner as ajob will still continue to run on the disabled slaves until the job is deleted/completed).

• Check ALL/INVERT/Check NONE (3dsMax only): Easily enable all/invert/none all currently listed DeadlineSlaves in the Active Servers List.

Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Reserve Servers button to submit the V-Ray Spawner job.The job’s ID and Status will be tracked in the submitter, and as nodes pick up the job, they will show up in the ActiveServers list. Once you are happy with the server list, press Start Render (3ds Max and Maya) or Render CurrentPass/Render All Passes (Softimage) to start distributed rendering.

Note that the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone process can sometimes take a little while to initialize. This means thata server in the Active Server list could have started the V-Ray Spawner, but it’s not fully initialized yet. If this is thecase, it’s probably best to wait a minute or so after the last server has shown up before pressing Start Render.

Update Servers (3dsMax only) button will manually update the Active Servers List. Note, if you modify the MaximumServers value, the job’s frame range will be updated when this button is pressed or if “Automatically Update ServerList” is enabled.

After the render is finished, you can press Release Servers or close the submitter UI (Setup V-Ray DBR With Deadline)to mark the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone job as complete so that the render nodes can move on to another job.

9.66.2 V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone Submission

You can also submit V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone jobs from the Monitor, which can be used to reserve rendernodes for distributed rendering. Note, if you submit the job via the Monitor submission script, that you will need tomanually configure/update your local workstation settings to point to the correct, corresponding Deadline slaves overan identical port number.



Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The V-Ray DBR specific optionsare:

• Maximum Servers: The maximum number of V-Ray Servers to reserve for distributed rendering.

• Application: The application you will be initiating the distributed render from.

• Version: The version of the application, if applicable.

• Port Number (Softimage/Maya/3dsMaxRT only): The port number that V-Ray will use for distributed ren-dering. In the case of Softimage, this is necessary because Softimage uses V-Ray standalone for distributedrendering and the default port number for V-Ray in Softimage is different from the default port number in V-Ray standalone. The port number needs to be identical on all machines including the workstation machine fora particular DCC application to communicate correctly. It is recommended to disable any client firewall whilstinitial testing/configuration is carried out. Typically, opening TCP/UDP ports in the range: 20200-20300 willcover all V-Ray implementations for DBR.



Rendering

After you’ve configured your submission options, press the Submit button to submit the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray stan-dalone job. Note that this doesn’t start any rendering, it just allows the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone applicationto start up on nodes in the farm. Once you’re happy with the nodes that have picked up the job, you can initiate thedistributed render manually from within the application (ie: Rhino or Sketchup). This will likely require manuallyconfiguring your V-Ray Server list.

After the distributed render has finished, remember to mark the job as complete or delete it so that the nodes can moveon to other jobs.


You can configure the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode,select Tools -> Configure Plugins and select the V-RaySpawner plug-in from the list on the left.

V-Ray Executables

Here you can specify the executable used for rendering for the different versions of V-Ray.

DR Process Handling

• Handle Existing DR/DBR Process: Only one instance of the same DR process running over the same port ispossible. This option allows for Deadline to fail the task if this is the case or attempt to kill the currently runningprocess, to allow the Deadline managed DR process to run successfully. Note, if the process is set to kill anddoes indeed kill a currently present process, but seems to auto-restart even after killing; then this indicates theprocess is already running as a service and the service will need to be stopped by your IT staff. Do NOT installas a service as Deadline can NOT support this configuration.

DR Session Timeout (unsupported in 3dsMax)



• DR Session Auto Timeout Enable: If enabled, when a DR session has successfully completed on a slave, thetask on the slave will be marked as complete after the DR session auto timeout period in seconds has beenreached (Default: False).

• DR Session Auto Timeout (Seconds): This is the timeout period (Default: 30 seconds) when a DR session willtimeout and be marked as complete by a slave.


There are integrated V-Ray DBR submission scripts for 3ds Max, Maya, and Softimage. The installation process forthese scripts can be found below.

You can also submit V-Ray Spawner jobs for Rhino and Sketchup from the Monitor. In this case, the render nodeswill simply be reserved for DBR, and the distributed rendering process itself will have to be initiated manually fromwithin Rhino or Sketchup.

3ds Max

The following procedures describe how to install the integrated V-Ray DBR submission script for 3ds Max. Theintegrated submission script and the following installation procedure has been tested with Max versions 2012 and later(including Design editions).

Note: Due to a maxscript bug in the initial release of 3ds Max 2012, the integrated submission scripts will not work.However, this bug has been addressed in 3ds Max 2012 Hotfix 1.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/3dsmaxVRayDBR/Installers


• Copy [Repository]/submission/3dsmaxVRayDBR/Client/Deadline3dsmaxVRayDBRClient.mcr to [3ds InstallDirectory]/MacroScripts. If you don’t have a MacroScripts folder in your 3ds Max install directory, check tosee if you have a UI/Macroscripts folder instead, and copy the Deadline3dsmaxVRayDBRClient.mcr file thereif you do.





Maya

The following procedure describes how to install the integrated V-Ray DBR submission script for Maya. The inte-grated submission script and the following installation procedure has been tested with Maya versions 2012 and later.


Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/MayaVRayDBR/Installers


• On Windows, copy the file [Repository]\submission\MayaVRayDBR\Client\DeadlineMayaVRayDBRClient.melto [Maya Install Directory]\scripts\startup. If you do not have a userSetup.mel in [My Documents]\maya\scripts,copy the file [Repository]\submission\MayaVRayDBR\Client\userSetup.mel to [My Documents]\maya\scripts.If you have a userSetup.mel file, add the following line to the end of this file:

source "DeadlineMayaVRayDBRClient.mel";

• On Mac OS X, copy the file [Repository]/submission/MayaVRayDBR/Client/DeadlineMayaVRayDBRClient.melto [Maya Install Directory]/Maya.app/Contents/scripts/startup. If you do not havea userSetup.mel in /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/scripts,copy the file [Repository]/submission/MayaVRayDBR/Client/userSetup.mel to/Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/scripts. If you have a userSetup.mel file, addthe following line to the end of this file:




• On Linux, copy the file [Repository]/submission/MayaVRayDBR/Client/DeadlineMayaVRayDBRClient.melto [Maya Install Directory]/Maya.app/Contents/scripts/startup. If you do nothave a userSetup.mel in /home/[USERNAME]/maya/scripts, copy the file [Reposi-tory]/submission/MayaVRayDBR/Client/userSetup.mel to /home/[USERNAME]/maya/scripts. If youhave a userSetup.mel file, add the following line to the end of this file:


• The next time Maya is started, a Deadline shelf should appear with an orange button that can be clicked on tolaunch the submitter.

• If you don’t see the Deadline shelf, it’s likely that Maya is loading another userSetup.mel file from somewhere.Maya can only load one userSetup.mel file, so you either have to configure Maya to point to the file mentionedabove, or you have to modify the file that Maya is currently using as explained above. To figure out whichuserSetup.mel file Maya is using, open up Maya and then open up the Script Editor. Run this command:

whatIs userSetup.mel

Softimage

The following procedure describes how to install the integrated V-Ray DBR submission script for Softimage. Theintegrated submission script and the following installation procedure has been tested with Softimage versions 2012and later.

Submitter Installer

• Run the Submitter Installer located at <Repository>/submission/SoftimageVRayDBR/Installers


• Copy the file [Repository]/submission/SoftimageVRayDBR/Client/DeadlineSoftimageVRayDBRClient.py tothe folder [Softimage Install Directory]/Application/Plugins

• Launch Softimage. The submission script is automatically installed when Softimage starts up. To make sure thescript was installed correctly, select the Render toolbar on the left and click the Render button. A Setup V-RayDBR With Deadline menu item should be available.



9.66.5 FAQ

Is V-Ray Distributed Rendering (DBR) supported?

Yes. A special ‘reserve’ job is submitted that will run the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone process onthe render nodes. Once the V-Ray Spawner/V-Ray standalone process is running, these nodes will be ableto participate in distributed rendering.

Which versions of V-Ray DBR are supported?

V-Ray DBR interactive rendering is supported for 3ds Max, Maya, and Softimage 2012-2015. You canalso submit V-Ray Spawner jobs for Rhino and Sketchup from the Monitor. In the latter case, the rendernodes will simply be reserved for DBR, and the distributed rendering process itself will have to be initiatedmanually from within Rhino or Sketchup.

V-Ray Slave or V-Ray Spawner application fails to start manually?

During initial configuration of V-Ray DBR & any future debugging, it is recommended to disable anyfirewall & anti-virus software at both the DBR master host machine as well as all render slave machineswhich are intended to participate in the DBR render. We suggest you manually get V-Ray DBR up andrunning in your studio pipeline to verify all is well before then introducing Deadline as a framework tohandle the Spawner/Slave process.

Is Backburner required for 3dsMax based V-Ray DBR rendering via Deadline?

Yes. Normal 3dsMax rendering via Deadline requires the Backburner dll’s to be present on a systemand this is the same prerequisite for V-Ray DBR rendering to work correcty. Ensure you have the lat-est/corresponding version of Backburner to ensure it supports the version of 3dsMax you are using. Youcan submit a normal 3dsmax render job to verify that Backburner & 3dsMax rendering via Deadline areall operating correctly before attempting to configure V-Ray DBR rendering. Use the Deadline job reportto verify the correctly matched version of Backburner, 3dsMax are in order.



3dsmax.exe starts (via vrayspawnerYYYY.exe) in the taskbar (minimized) but then instantly disappears?

V-Ray DBR rendering requires Deadline to have rendered at least one normal 3dsMax render job on theslave machine prior to attempting DBR rendering via vrayspawnerYYYY.exe. Essentially, to test/debug ifthis is an issue, try to manually start the vrayspawnerYYYY.exe program from the Start menu (Start menu> Programs > Chaos Group > V-Ray for 3dsmax > Distributed rendering > Launch V-Ray DR spawner).It will automatically try to find the 3dsmax.exe file and start it in server mode. You should end up with3dsmax minimized in the task bar with the title “vraydummyYYYY.max”. If 3ds Max stays there alivewithout closing then V-Ray DBR is working correctly. If you see the 3ds Max window flashing on thetaskbar and then instantly disappearing, right-click on the V-Ray DR spawner icon in the taskbar tray,select “Exit” to close the DR spawner application, and try submitting a regular Deadline 3dsMax renderjob with this machine running Deadline slave. After that, try to start the V-Ray DR spawner again.

Do I need to run the vrayspawner (or RT/vrayslave/vray standalone) application or install vrayspawner (orRT/vrayslave/vray standalone) executable as a service/daemon on each machine?

No. Do NOT execute or install the Chaos Group V-RaySpawner (V-RaySpawner/V-RaySpawner RT/V-Ray standalone) executable as a background service (NT service/daemon). Deadline is more flexible hereand will spawn the V-RaySpawner/standalone executable as a child process of the Deadline Slave. Thismakes our system more flexible and resilient to crashes as when we terminate the V-Ray DBR job in theDeadline queue, the Deadline Slave application will ‘cleanly’ tidy up V-RaySpawner/standalone and moreimportantly, any DCC application (3dsMax/Maya) or standalone instances which it in turn has spawnedas a child process. This can be helpful if V-Ray DBR becomes unstable and a user wishes to reset thesystem remotely. You can simply re-queue or delete/complete the current DBR job or re-submit.

Can I force V-Ray Spawner/Slave to run over a certain control port?

Yes. Set the system environment variable VRAY_DR_CONTROLPORT to the required port numberor where possible, in the case of some supported applications we expose the Port Number option inour Monitor/in-app submitters. Please consult the V-Ray version 2 or version 3 user manual for moreinformation on TCP/IP Port Numbers.

Can I force V-Ray DBR to run over a specific port for 3dsMax?

Yes. V-Ray production renderer specifically via 3dsMax uses a TCP port (default:20204), which canbe changed via the “Port Number” spinner. V-Ray RT as the renderer uses a different TCP port (de-fault:20206). See here for more information on Port Configuration. Please consult the V-Ray version 2 orversion 3 user manual for more information on TCP/IP Port Numbers. Note, the Port Number can onlybe controlled via the 3dsMax in-app submitter and NOT when “reserving” a V-Ray DBR job for 3dsMaxvia the Deadline Monitor submission script.

V-Ray DBR rendering seems a little unstable sometimes or my machine slows down dramatically!

Depending on the number of slave machines being used (Win7 OS < 20), scene file sizes being movedaround together with asset files, and your network/file storage configuration, it may help to disable yourlocal machine from participating in the DR render process. Depending on your 3D application used andthe V-Ray version, there might be a “Use local host” or “Don’t use local machine” checkbox option,which can help to reduce the load on your local machine.

Can I fully off-load 3dsMax V-Ray or Mental Ray DBR rendering from my machine?

Yes, although please note, this is a different workflow and is supported directly in the 3dsmax plugin. Seethe V-Ray/Mental Ray DBR section for more information.


This is a collection of known V-Ray DBR error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY/Distributed+Rendering

http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY3/Distributed+Rendering

http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY/Distributed+Rendering

http://docs.chaosgroup.com/display/VRAY3/Distributed+Rendering




error: Failed to start network server: Failed to open listening port (98)

VRay.exe/vrayslave has been configured as a service/daemon on the machine generating this error mes-sage, possibly during the V-Ray/Maya install process and this is conflicting with Deadline trying toalso spawn the same process on the same TCP port (default: 20207). On Linux, ensure you checkthe contents of the file: “/usr/autodesk/maya20##-x64/vray/bin/vrayslave” for a line entry as follows:“/usr/autodesk/maya2014-x64/vray/bin/vray.bin $* -server -portNumber=20207” where ## is the Mayaversion. This line entry should not be present. Note, we are unable to attach to an already running processas part of the V-Ray Spawner Plugin, hence the V-Ray executable must NOT already be running. Do NOTexecute or install V-Ray as a service. Deadline is more flexible here and will spawn the executable as achild process of the Deadline Slave.

9.67 VRay Standalone


You can submit VRay Standalone jobs from the Monitor.



9.67. VRay Standalone 829


Setup your vrscene Files

Before you can submit a VRay Standalone job, you must export your scene into .vrscene files. You can export intoeither one .vrscene file with all your frames in it, or one .vrscene file per frame.

Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The VRay specific options are:

• VRay File: The VRay file (*.vrscene) to be rendered. If you are submitting a sequence of vrscene files (one fileper frame), you only need to select one vrscene file from the sequence.

• Output File: Optionally override the output file name.

• Separate Input vrscene Files Per Frame: Select this option of you are submitting a sequence of vrscene files(one file per frame).

• Threads: The number of threads to use for rendering. Specify 0 to use the optimal number of threads.


• Vrimg2Exr Options: If you are saving out vrimg files, you can submit a dependent Vrimg2Exr job that willconvert the vrimg files to exr files.


You can configure the VRay plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the VRay plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• VRay Executable: The path to the VRay executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines.

Path Mapping For vrscene Files (For Mixed Farms)

• Enable Path Mapping For vrscene Files: If enabled, a temporary vrscene file will be created locally on theslave for rendering and Deadline will do path mapping directly in the vrscene file.

9.67.3 FAQ

Is VRay Standalone supported?

Yes.


This is a collection of known VRay error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.68 VRay Ply2Vrmesh


You can submit Ply2Vrmesh jobs from the Submit menu in the Monitor.

9.68. VRay Ply2Vrmesh 831




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Ply2Vrmesh specific optionsare:

• Input File: The file to be converted.

• Output File: Optionally override the output file name. If left blank, the output name will be the same as theinput name (with the vrmesh extension).

• Append: appends the information as a new frame to the .vrmesh file

• Merge Voxels: merge objects before voxelization to reduce overlapping voxels



• Smooth Angle: a floating point number that specifies the angle (in degrees) used to distinguish if the normalsshould be smoothed or not. If present it automatically enables the -smoothNormals flag.

• Smooth Normals: generates smooth vertex normals. Only valid for .obj and .geo files; always enabled for .binfiles

• Map Channel: stores the UVW coordinates to the specified mapping channel (default is 1). Only valid for .objand .geo files. When exporting a mesh that will be used in Maya, currently this must be set to 0 or the textureson the mesh will not render properly

• FPS: a floating-point number that specifies the frames per second at which a .geo or .bin file is exported, so thatvertex velocities can be scaled accordingly. The default is 24.0

• Preview Faces: specifies the maximum number of faces in the .vrmesh preview information. Default is 9973faces.

• Faces Per Voxel: specifies the maximum number of faces per voxel in the resulting .vrmesh file. Default is10000 faces.

• Preview Hairs: specifies the maximum number of hairs in the .vrmesh preview information. Default is 500hairs.

• Segments Per Voxel: specifies maximum segments per voxel in the resulting .vrmesh file. Default is 64000hairs.

• Hair Width Multiplier: specifies the multiplier to scale hair widths in the resulting .vrmesh file. Default is 1.0.

• Preview Particles: specifies the maximum number of particles in the .vrmesh preview information. Default is20000 particles.

• Particles Per Voxel: specifies maximum particles per voxel in the resulting .vrmesh file. Default is 64000particles.

• Particle Width Multiplier: specifies the multiplier to scale particles in the resulting .vrmesh file. Default is1.0.

• Velocity Attr Name: specifies the name of the point attribute which should be used to generate the velocitychannel. By default the ‘v’ attribute is used.

• Disable Color Set Packing: only valid for .geo and .bgeo files; disables the packing of float1 and float2 at-tributes in vertex color sets.

• Material IDs: only valid for .geo files; assigns material IDs based on the primitive groups in the file.

• Flip Normals: reverses the face/vertex normals. Only valid for .obj, .geo and .bin files

• Flip Vertex Normals: reverses the vertex normals. Only valid for .obj, .geo and .bin files

• Flip Face Normals: reverses the face normals. Only valid for .obj, .geo and .bin files

• Flip YZ: swap y/z axes. Needed for some programs i.e. Poser, ZBrush. Valid for .ply, .obj, .geo and .bin files.

• Flip Y Positive Z: same as -flipYZ but does not reverse the sign of the z coordinate.

• Flip X Positive Z: same as -flipYPosZ but swaps x/z axes.


You can configure the Ply2Vrmesh plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Ply2Vrmesh plug-in from the list on the left.

9.68. VRay Ply2Vrmesh 833


Render Executables

• Ply2Vrmesh Executable: The path to the ply2vrmesh.exe executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your rendernodes.

9.68.3 FAQ

Which versions of Ply2Vrmesh are supported?

Ply2Vrmesh for VRay 2 and 3 are currently supported.


This is a collection of known Ply2Vrmesh error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.69 VRay Vrimg2Exr


You can submit Vrimg2Exr jobs from the Monitor. You can use the Submit menu, or you can use a job’s right-clickScripts menu to automatically populate some fields in the Vrimg2Exr submitter based on the job’s output.





9.69. VRay Vrimg2Exr 835


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The Vrimg2Exr specific optionsare:

• VRay Image File: The VRay Image file(s) to be converted. If you are submitting a sequence of files, you onlyneed to select one vrimg file from the sequence.

• Output File: Optionally override the output file name (do not specify padding). If left blank, the output namewill be the same as the input name (with the exr extension).

• Frame List: The list of frames convert.

• Specify Channel: Enable this option to read the specified channel from the vrimg file and write it as the RGBchannel in the output file.

• Long Channel Names: Enable channel names with more than 31 characters. Produced .exr file will NOT becompatible with OpenEXR 1.x if a long channel name is present.

• Set Gamma: Enable this option to apply the specified gamma correction to the RGB colors before writing tothe exr file.

• Crop EXR Data Window: Enable this option to auto-crop the EXR data window.

• Set Buffer Size: Enable this option to set the maximum allocated buffer size per channel in megabytes. If theimage does not fit into the max buffer size, it is converted in several passes.

• Store EXR Data as 16-bit (Half): Enable this option to store the data in the .exr file as 16-bit floating pointnumbers instead of 32-bit floating point numbers.

• Set Compression: Enable this option to set the compression type. The Zip method is used by default.

• Separate Files: Writes each channel into a separate .exr file.

• Threads: The number of computation threads. Specify 0 to use the number of processors available.

• Multi Part: Writes each channel into a separate OpenEXR2 ‘part’.

• Convert RGB Data to the sRGB Color Space: Enable this option to converts the RGB data from the vrimgfile to the sRGB color space (instead of linear RGB space) before writing to the exr file.

• Delete Input vrimg Files After Conversion: Enable this option to delete the input vrimg file after the conver-sion has finished.


You can configure the Vrimg2Exr plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the Vrimg2Exr plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• Vrimg2Exr Executable: The path to the vrimg2exr.exe executable file used for rendering. Enter alternativepaths on separate lines.

9.69.3 FAQ

Is Vrimg2Exr supported?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Vrimg2Exr error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.70 VRED


You can submit jobs for VRED from the Monitor.

9.70. VRED 837




Submission Options


The VRED specific options are:

• Version: Which version of vred to use.

• Job Type: What type of job to submit.



• View: Which View to render from.

• Animation Clip: Which animation to render.

• Dimensions: The dimensions of the final rendered image.

• Super Sampling Factor: The super sampling factor to use when rendering.

• Render Quality: The render quality to render with.

• Background Color: The color of the background to use when rendering.

• Include Alpha Channel: Whether or not the the alpha channel should be included.

• Premultiply Alpha: Whether or not the alpha channel should be premultiplied.

• Tonemap HDR: Whether or not tonemapping should be applied to .hdr files.

• DPI: Dots per inch when rendering a still frame.

• Export Render Passes: If the render quality is set to raytracing you can export separate render passes.

• Export Meta Data: Whether or not Meta Data should be embedded into the rendered files.


You can configure the VRED plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the VRED plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• VRED 2015 Executable: The path to the VRED 2015 executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.70. VRED 839


• VRED 2016 Executable: The path to the VRED 2016 executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative pathson separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.70.3 FAQ

Is VRED supported by Deadline?

Yes.

Can VRED render non-GUI via Deadline?

Yes. We already pass an additional argument at render time (-nogui) to force a non-GUI session of VREDPro is run during network rendering. If you would prefer to save on your VRED Pro license being usedin non-GUI mode, then please consider using “VRED Server Node” instead which has no GUI. See thenext FAQ for more information.

Is VRED via Deadline able to render using VRED Server Node (render node) Licenses?

Yes. In order to render using VRED Server Node (render node) licenses (and save using expensive VRED-Pro licenses) you should edit the VRED Render Executable path to “VREDServerNode.exe” instead of“VREDPro.exe”. Note, you must actually own some “Autodesk VRED Render Node 20xx” licenses(where xx is the YEAR) to be able to use the “VREDServerNode.exe” executable as it does NOT usethe same license that “VREDPro.exe” uses. Please note that we believe these “Autodesk VRED RenderNode” licenses are actually referred to on the ADSK pricing list as “Autodesk Raytracing Cluster Modulefor Autodesk VRED 20xx” if you have trouble finding them via your ADSK reseller.


This is a collection of known VRED error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.71 VRED Cluster


You can submit jobs for VRED from the Monitor.





Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation.

The VRED Cluster specific options are:

• Cluster Count: The number of tasks/maximum number of slaves to create in the cluster. Default: 1

• Port Number: The port number to be used for the cluster service. Default: 8889. Ensure firewall is open.

• VRED Version: The VRED application version to use.


You can configure the VRED Cluster plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools ->Configure Plugins and select the VRED plug-in from the list on the left.

9.71. VRED Cluster 841


Cluster Executables

• VRED 2015 Cluster Executable: The path to the VRED 2015 Cluster executable file used for rendering. Enteralternative paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed onyour render nodes.

• VRED 2016 Cluster Executable: The path to the VRED 2016 Cluster executable file used for rendering. Enteralternative paths on separate lines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed onyour render nodes.

9.71.3 FAQ

Is VRED supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known VRED error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.






9.72 Vue


You can submit jobs from within Vue, or you can submit them from the Monitor.

9.72. Vue 843


Submitting from Vue

If you are submitting a single frame from within Vue, select Render -> Render Options, then do the following:

• Find the Renderer section, select RenderBull/RenderNode Network, then press the Edit button.

• In the Options dialog that pops up, enter the submission command described below.

• You can also enter the folder you want the temporary Vue scene file saved in during submission. By default, youshould be able to leave this blank. Press OK when finished.

• Press Render to bring up the submission dialog.

If you are submitting an animation from within Vue, select Animation -> Animation Render Options, then do thefollowing:

• Find the Renderer section, select Network Rendering/RenderNode Network, then press the Edit button.

• In the Options dialog that pops up, enter the submission command described below.

• You can also enter the folder you want the temporary Vue scene file saved in during submission. By default, youshould be able to leave this blank. Press OK when finished.

• Press Render Animation to bring up the submission dialog.



This is the submission command to submit a job from within Vue. Make sure this is entered as one line, and make sureto set the deadlinecommand.exe and repository paths correctly. Note that the last two arguments ‘10’ and ‘64bit’ areoptional, are are used to automatically populate the Version and Build settings respectively. Check the Vue submissiondialog in the Monitor for the available options for Version and Build.

"[Client Bin Folder]\deadlinecommand.exe" -executescript[Repository]\scripts\submission\VueSubmission\VueSubmission.py"[FILE_PATH]" "[SCENE_NAME]" "[NUM_FRAMES]" 10 64bit

9.72. Vue 845


Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation, and the Draft/Integration optionsare explained in the Draft and Integration documentation. The Vue specific options are:

• Vue File: The Vue scene file to be rendered.

• Render animation sequence: Whether or not to render the full animation.

• Version: The version of Vue to render with.



You can configure the Vue plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the Vue plug-in from the list on the left.

Render Executables

• Vue Executable: The path to the Vue executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths on separatelines. Different executable paths can be configured for each version installed on your render nodes.

9.72.3 FAQ

Which versions of Vue are supported?

Vue 6 and later are supported (Infinite and xStream editions).

I have Vue render node licenses, but when I render with Deadline, I get the error “No serial number found”.



If you have render node licenses for Vue, you need to use the *RenderNode.exe executable (ie: Vue 9xStream RenderNode.exe) instead of the StandaloneRenderer.eon executable for rendering.


This is a collection of known Vue error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want to keepthis list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.

Unable to initialize application - Check render log for more information.

Check the render log for the job to see if this additional information in printed out:

STDOUT: Initializing...ErrorSTDOUT: No serial number foundSTDOUT: Unable to initialize application. Exiting.

If this is the case, it means that Vue can’t get a license. If you have render node licenses for Vue, you need to use the*RenderNode.exe executable (ie: Vue 9 xStream RenderNode.exe) instead of the StandaloneRenderer.eon executablefor rendering.

9.73 xNormal


You can submit xNormal jobs from the Monitor.

9.73. xNormal 847




Submission Options

The general Deadline options are explained in the Job Submission documentation. The xNormal specific options are:

• XML File: The xNormal XML file to render.



You can configure the xNormal plug-in settings from the Monitor. While in super user mode, select Tools -> ConfigurePlugins and select the xNormal plug-in from the list on the left.



Render Executables

• xNormal Executable: The path to the xNormal executable file used for rendering. Enter alternative paths onseparate lines.

9.73.3 FAQ

Is xNormal supported?

Yes


This is a collection of known xNormal error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We want tokeep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


9.73. xNormal 849





CHAPTER

TEN

EVENT PLUGINS

10.1 Draft

10.1.1 Overview

Draft is a tool that provides simple compositing functionality. It is implemented as a Python library, which exposesfunctionality for use in python scripts. Draft is designed to be tightly integrated with Deadline, but it can also be usedas a standalone tool.

Using Deadline’s Draft plugin, artists can automatically perform simple compositing operations on rendered framesafter a render job finishes. They can also convert them to a different image format, or generate Quicktimes for dailies.

10.1.2 Submitting Dependent Draft Jobs

When submitting jobs to Deadline through any of our integrated submitters, you now have the option to have Deadlinecreate a dependent Draft Job once the submitted job is done rendering; this is where the Draft Event Plugin comes intoplay.

The options available here are similar to those discussed in the Draft Plugin section. Although it might appear asthough there are less options here than in the Monitor submitter, all the same information will get passed to the Drafttemplate. This approach just allows us to automatically pull a lot of the needed info directly from the scene file andfrom information filled in elsewhere in the submitter.

851


10.1.3 Setup

Since Draft is being shipped alongside Deadline, there is not a whole lot of configuration that is needed for this eventplugin to work (beyond simply enabling it). There are, however, options that allow you to select the priority, groupand pool to which the Draft event plugin will submit Draft jobs.

To access these settings, simply enter Super User mode and select Tools -> Configure Events form the Monitor’s menu.From there, select the Draft entry from the list on the left.

The Draft event plugin settings are:

• Enabled: If this event plugin is enabled.

• Draft Pool: The Group to which the Draft jobs will be submitted. If blank, the original job’s Group will bere-used.

• Draft Group: The Pool to which the Draft jobs will be submitted. If blank, the original job’s Pool will bere-used.

• Draft Limit: The Limit to which the Draft jobs will be submitted. If blank, no Limit will be used.

• Priority Offset: This offset will be added to the original job’s priority, in order to determine the Draft job’spriority.

• Draft Output Folder: The folder in which to put the Draft output, relative to the Draft input folder.

852 Chapter 10. Event Plugins


10.2 FontSync

10.2.1 Overview

The FontSync event plugin can be used to synchronize fonts from a central server to Windows and Mac OS X rendernodes. It can be configured to synchronize the fonts when the Slave application is launched on the render node, orbefore each job the Slave renders.

The font folder on the central server must be accessible by the render nodes, and it is recommended to use separatefolders for Windows and Mac OS X fonts.

10.2.2 Setup

Some configuration is needed to use the FontSync event plugin. To access these settings, simply enter Super Usermode and select Tools -> Configure Events form the Monitor’s menu. From there, select the FontSync entry from thelist on the left.

General Options


• Perform Font Synchronization: If the event plugin should synchronize fonts when a slave starts up, or beforeeach job it renders.

Mac OSX Font Synchronization Options

• Network Mac OSX Font Folder: The network Mac OSX font folder used for synchronization.

10.2. FontSync 853


• Local Mac OSX Font Folder: The local Mac OSX font folder to synchronize with the network font folder.Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

Windows Font Synchronization Options

• Network Windows Font Folder: The network Windows font folder used for synchronization.

• Use User’s Temp Folder as Font Folder: If enabled, the fonts will be copied to a DeadlineFonts folder in thecurrent user’s TEMP folder. Using this option avoids having to create a font folder on each machine, and avoidspermission issues.

• Local Windows Font Folder: The local Windows font folder to synchronize with the network font folder. Enteralternative paths on separate lines. This is ignored if Use User’s Temp Folder as Font Folder is enabled.

• Timeout For Font Registration (ms): The amount of milliseconds the event plugin will wait before timing outper font when registering fonts.

10.3 ftrack

10.3.1 Overview

ftrack is a cloud-based Project Management tool that provides Production Tracking, Asset Management, and TeamCollaboration tools to digital studios; see the ftrack website for more information.

Using Deadline’s ftrack event plugin, artists can automatically create new Asset Versions in ftrack when they submita render Job to the farm. When a Job completes, Deadline will automatically update associated Asset Versions with aproper Status, Thumbnail, and Components (if the output location is known).


https://www.ftrack.com/


10.3.2 Creating Versions

Versions can either be created automatically on submission (using the ftrack Event Plugin), or done manually after-wards.

Automatic Version Creation

When you submit a new job to Deadline, you can have Deadline automatically create a new Asset Version in ftrack.This is done by connection to ftrack during the submission process, and selecting the Asset to which the Job shouldbe tied. The majority of the submission scripts that ship with Deadline include the ftrack connection option. For thisexample, we will use Nuke, but the process is basically the same for each submission script.

First, find the tab or panel with the Integration settings. For Nuke, this is under the Integration tab.

10.3. ftrack 855


Choose ftrack from the Project Management drop down, and then press the Connect button to bring up Deadline’sftrack browser. Enter your ftrack Login Name and press Connect. If the connection is successful, Deadline will collectthe list of Projects and Tasks you are assigned to. If there are problems connecting, Deadline will try to display theappropriate error message to help you diagnose the problem.



10.3. ftrack 857


After you have selected a Task and Asset, you must specify a Version Description.



After you have configured the Version information, press OK to return to the Nuke submitter. The ftrack settings willnow contain the Version information you just specified. To include this information with the job, leave the CreateNew Version option enabled. If you want to change the Version name or description before submitting, you can do sowithout reconnecting to ftrack.

10.3. ftrack 859


You can now press OK to submit the job. If the ftrack event plugin is configured to create the new version duringSubmission, the log report from the ftrack event plugin will show the Version’s ID. Otherwise, the Version won’t becreated in ftrack until the job completes.

You can view the log report for the job by right-clicking on the job in the Monitor and selecting View Job Reports.



Manual Version Creation

You can also create an Asset Version and tie it to a Job after submission, from the Deadline Monitor. To do this, simplyright-click on the job and select ‘Scripts’ -> ‘Create FTrack Version’. This will bring up an ftrack browser so that youcan connect, pick the appropriate asset, and set a description. After specifying the required information, just press OKand the new Version should be created.

10.3. ftrack 861


Selecting An Existing Version

Some of our submission scripts can edit an existing ftrack version. For example, our Quicktime submitter allows youto select an existing ftrack Version to upload the movie to when the job completes.



Choose ftrack from the Project Management drop down, and then press the Connect button to bring up Deadline’sftrack browser. Enter your ftrack Login Name and press Connect. If the connection is successful, Deadline will collectthe list of Tasks you are assigned to. If there are problems connecting, Deadline will try to display the appropriateerror message to help you diagnose the problem.

10.3. ftrack 863




After you have selected a Task and Asset press OK to return to the Quicktime submitter. The ftrack settings will nowcontain the Version information you just specified. To upload the movie file to the selected Version, leave the CreateNew Version option enabled.

10.3. ftrack 865


You can now press OK to submit the job. When the job finishes, the rendered movie will automatically be uploaded tothe selected Version.

10.3.3 Setup

In order to be able to create versions within Deadline, you must first follow the steps below to setup Deadline’sconnection to ftrack.



Create API Key

The first thing you need to do is create an API Key in ftrack. This will be used by Deadline to authenticate whenconnecting to the ftrack API.

To create a new API Key, you need to navigate to the ‘API Keys’ page, located under the ‘Security’ header of ftrack’sSettings section. Once this page is displayed, press the ‘Create’ button to create a new key; while you could re-use anexisting key, it is recommended that you create a separate one for Deadline.

The name of the key doesn’t matter much (as long as it’s descriptive), but make sure Enabled is set to ‘On’ and thatyou select the ‘API’ role. Once you’ve filled in all the values, click the ‘Create’ button to finalize the key’s creation.

Once you’ve created the new entry, take note of its ‘Key’ value – you will need this when configuring Deadline in thenext step.

Configure Deadline

Once you’ve created an API Key as detailed above, you can now set up the Event Plugin to connect to ftrack. Toperform this setup, you need to enter Super User Mode (from the Tools menu), and then select ‘Tools’ -> ‘ConfigureEvents’. Once in the Event Plugin Configuration window, select ‘FTrack’ from the list on the left.

10.3. ftrack 867


This is where you will configure all the ftrack-relevant settings in Deadline. There are several different categories ofsettings you can configure; they are described in more detail below.

Options

This section contains general high-level options that control the behaviour of the Deadline’s ftrack integration.

• Enabled: This will turn Deadline’s ftrack integration on/off. In order for this feature to function properly, thismust be set to ‘True’.

• Create Version On Submission: This setting controls when an Asset Version is created in ftrack. If this is‘True’, they will be created when a Job is submitted. On the other hand, if this is ‘False’, the Asset Version willonly be created when the Job is Completed.

Connection Settings

This section contains information that Deadline uses to connect to the ftrack API; these settings must be configuredproperly in order for this feature to work at all.

• FTrack URL: This is the URL which you use to connect to your ftrack installation.

• FTrack Proxy: The proxy you use to connect to ftrack. This is only relevant if you use a Proxy; if in doubt,leave this field blank.

• FTrack API Key: This is where you must enter the API Key created in the ‘Create API Key’ step.

Version Status Mappings



This section contains mappings from Deadline Job Statuses to ftrack Asset Version Statuses. These are not neces-sary, but if specified, Deadline will update the status of Asset Versions as Deadline Jobs change status (based on themappings provided).

Rename ExtraInfo Columns

The ftrack integration uses ExtraInfo columns 0-5 to display relevant information about the Asset Versions that aretied to Deadline Jobs. Given that “ExtraInfo0” isn’t exactly a descriptive name for what that column is being used forin this context, many people find it useful to rename these columns to be more descriptive.

To do so, you must be in Super User mode and select ‘Tools’ -> ‘Repository Options’. You must then go to the ‘JobSettings’ section, and select the ‘Extra Properties’ tab; from here you’ll be able to change these column names tosomething more appropriate.

10.4 Puppet

10.4.1 Overview

Puppet is management system that can be used to keep applications and plugins synched across your render nodes.See the Puppet Labs Website for more information.

The Puppet event plugin that ships with Deadline can be used to run a Puppet update on a slave when it starts andwhen it becomes idle, thus allowing you to keep your render nodes in sync without interupting jobs that are currentlyrendering.

Note that Puppet must already be configured to work outside of Deadline. Once your Puppet system is set up, you canthen enable the Puppet event plugin for Deadline to automatically trigger Puppet updates.

10.4.2 Setup

Some configuration is needed to use the Puppet event plugin. To access these settings, simply enter Super User modeand select Tools -> Configure Events form the Monitor’s menu. From there, select the Puppet entry from the list onthe left.

10.4. Puppet 869

http://puppetlabs.com/


The Puppet event plugin settings are:


• Puppet Path: The path to the Puppet executable file. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

• Verbose: If enabled, the puppet update will have verbose logging enabled.

10.5 Salt

10.5.1 Overview

Salt (or SaltStack) is management system that can be used to keep applications and plugins synched across your rendernodes. See the SaltStack Website for more information.

The Salt event plugin that ships with Deadline can be used to run a Salt update on a slave when it starts and when itbecomes idle, thus allowing you to keep your render nodes in sync without interupting jobs that are currently rendering.

Note that Salt must already be configured to work outside of Deadline. Once your Salt system is set up, you can thenenable the Salt event plugin for Deadline to automatically trigger Salt updates.

10.5.2 Setup

Some configuration is needed to use the Salt event plugin. To access these settings, simply enter Super User mode andselect Tools -> Configure Events form the Monitor’s menu. From there, select the Salt entry from the list on the left.


http://www.saltstack.com/


The Salt event plugin settings are:


• Salt Exe: The path to the Salt Executable. Enter alternative paths on separate lines.

• Logging: The level of verbose logging Salt will provide.

10.6 Shotgun

10.6.1 Overview

Shotgun is a customizable web-based Production Tracking system for digital studios, and is developed by ShotgunSoftware.

Using Deadline’s Shotgun event plug-in, artists can automatically create new Versions for Shots or Tasks in Shotgunwhen they submit a render job to the farm. When the job finishes, Deadline can automatically update the Version byuploading a thumbnail and marking it as complete or pending for review.

10.6. Shotgun 871

http://www.shotgunsoftware.com/

http://www.shotgunsoftware.com/


10.6.2 Creating Versions

Versions can either be created automatically on submission (using the Shotgun Event Plugin), or done manuallyafterwards.

Automatic Version Creation

When you submit a new job to Deadline, you can have Deadline automatically create a new Version in Shotgun. Thisis done by connecting to Shotgun prior to submitting the job and choosing the Task that the job is for. The majority ofthe submission scripts that ship with Deadline include the Shotgun connection option. For this example, we will useNuke, but the process is basically the same for each submission script.

First, find the tab or panel with the Integration settings. For Nuke, this is under the Integration tab.



Choose Shotgun from the Project Management drop down, and then press the Connect button to bring up Deadline’sShotgun browser. Enter your Shotgun Login Name and press Connect. If the connection is successful, Deadlinewill collect the list of Tasks you are assigned to. If there are problems connecting, Deadline will try to display theappropriate error message to help you diagnose the problem.

10.6. Shotgun 873




After you have selected a Task, you must specify a Version name and a description. If you have configured Versionname templates in the Shotgun event plugin configuration, you can select one from the drop down. You can alsomanually type in the version name instead.

10.6. Shotgun 875


After you have configured the Version information, press OK to return to the Nuke submitter. The Shotgun settingswill now contain the Version information you just specified. To include this information with the job, leave the CreateNew Version option enabled. If you want to change the Version name or description before submitting, you can do sowithout reconnecting to Shotgun.



You can now press OK to submit the job. If the Shotgun event plugin is configured to create the new version duringSubmission, the log report from the Shotgun event plugin will show the Version’s ID. Otherwise, the Version won’t becreated in Shotgun until the job completes.

You can view the log report for the job by right-clicking on the job in the Monitor and selecting View Job Reports.

10.6. Shotgun 877


Manual Version Creation

To manually create a Version from a completed job, right-click on the job in the Deadline Monitor and select Scripts-> Create Shotgun Version. This will bring up the Shotgun browser so that you can connect, pick the appropriate Task,and specify a Version name and description. After specifying the appropriate information, press OK to create the newversion.



Selecting An Existing Version

Some of our submission scripts can edit an existing Shotgun version. For example, our Quicktime submitter allowsyou to select an existing Shotgun Version to upload the movie to when the job completes.

10.6. Shotgun 879


Choose Shotgun from the Project Management drop down, and then press the Connect button to bring up Deadline’sShotgun browser. Enter your Shotgun Login Name and press Connect. If the connection is successful, Deadlinewill collect the list of Tasks you are assigned to. If there are problems connecting, Deadline will try to display theappropriate error message to help you diagnose the problem.



10.6. Shotgun 881


After you have selected a Task, you can select a Version for that Task. Then press OK to return to the Quicktimesubmitter. The Shotgun settings will now contain the Version information you just specified. To upload the movie fileto the selected Version, leave the Create New Version option enabled.

You can now press OK to submit the job. When the job finishes, the rendered movie will automatically be uploaded tothe selected Version.



10.6.3 Advanced Workflow Mode

When setting up the Shotgun event plugin, you can enable an Advanced Workflow Mode. This mode allows youto create Versions by selecting a Task, or by selecting a Project and Entity. Studios that don’t use the Task-centricapproach will probably find the Advanced Workflow Mode more suitable to their needs.

10.6.4 Setup

Follow these steps to setup Deadline’s connection to Shotgun.

Create the API Script in Shotgun

In Shotgun, you must first create a new API script so that Deadline can communicate with Shotgun. This can by donefrom the Admin menu.

10.6. Shotgun 883


After the Scripts page is displayed, press the [+] button to create a new script, and enter the following information inthe window that appears. If you can’t see one or more of the following fields, use the More Fields drop down to showthem.

• Script Name: deadline_integration

• Description: Script for Deadline integration

• Version: 1.0

• Permission Group: API Admin

After you have created the new script, click on the deadline_integration link in the Scripts list and note the value inApplication Key field (it’s a long key consisting of alphanumeric characters). You’ll need this key when configuringDeadline’s Shotgun connection in the next step.



Configure the Shotgun Connection

After you have created the Deadline API Script in Shotgun, you can now configure the Shotgun event plug-in from theDeadline Monitor. Enter Super User Mode from the Tools menu, and then select Tools -> Configure Events.

10.6. Shotgun 885


The event plugin settings are split up into a few sections. The most important sections are the Options and ConnectionSettings, as these control how Deadline connects to Shotgun. In most cases, the Field and Value Mapping sections canbe left alone because they map to fields that exist in the default Shotgun installation. Only studios that have deeplycustomized their Shotgun installations might have to worry about changing the Field and Value Mapping settings.

Options

• Enabled: The Shotgun event plugin must be enabled before Deadline can connect to Shotgun.

• Create Version On Submission: If enabled, Deadline will create the Shotgun Version at time of submissionand update its status as the job progresses. Otherwise, the Version will only be created once the job completes.

• Enable Advanced Workflow: If enabled, the user can select a Project and Entity instead of just a Task.

• Thumbnail Frame: The frame to upload to Shotgun as a thumbnail.

• Convert Thumbnails with Draft: Whether or not to attempt to use Draft to convert the Thumbnail frame priorto upload.

• Thumbnail Conversion Format: The format to convert the Thumbnail to prior to upload (see above).

• Version Templates: Presets for Version names that users can select from (one per line). Available tokens include${project}, ${shot}, ${task}, ${user}, and ${jobid}. For example:

– ${project} - ${shot} - ${task}

– ${project}_${shot}_${task} (${jobid})

• Enable Verbose Errors: Whether or not detailed (technical) error information should be displayed when errorsoccur while connecting to Shotgun.

Connection Settings

• Shotgun URL: Your Shotgun URL.

• Shotgun Proxy: Your proxy (if you use one).



• API Script Name: The name of the API script you created in Shotgun earlier (deadline_integration).

• API Application Key: The key from the script you created in Shotgun earlier (it’s a long key consisting ofalphanumeric characters).

Shotgun Field Mappings

These are the Version fields that Deadline is expecting to exist in Shotgun. The default values match those from adefault Shotgun installation, so you will only have to edit these settings if you have customized the Version Fieldnames in your Shotgun installation.

Note that some of the Fields you can specify aren’t created by default in Shotgun. You will have to manually createthose fields in Shotgun and specify their names here, if you wish to use them. An example of such fields would beDeadline Job ID, and Average/Total Render Time.

Status Value Mappings

These are the Version status values that Deadline is expecting to exist in Shotgun. The default values match those froma default Shotgun installation, so you will only have to edit these settings if you have customized the Version Statusvalues in your Shotgun installation.

Draft Field Mappings

• Draft Template Field: The field code for a Task field that contains a Draft Template relevant to the Task. If thisis specified, Deadline can automatically pull in the specified template at submission time.

Test the Shotgun Connection

After you have configured the Shotgun connection, you can test it from the Deadline Monitor by selecting Scripts ->TestIntegrationConnection. This will bring up the Test Integration Connection dialog.

10.6. Shotgun 887


Choose Shotgun from the Project Managemnt drop down, and then press Connect. If the connection is successful,Deadline will collect the list of Tasks you are assigned to. If there are problems connecting, Deadline will try todisplay the appropriate error message to help you diagnose the problem.



Set up Shotgun Columns in the Deadline Monitor

Deadline uses the job Extra Info properties 0 to 5 for Shotgun specific settings, and you can configure the columns inthe Job List in the Monitor to properly represent these settings. In the Monitor, enter Super User mode from the Toolsmenu, and then select Tools -> Configure Repository Options. Find the Job Settings section and click on the ExtraProperties tab. It will show the following:

10.6. Shotgun 889


Rename the Extra Info properties as shown in the following image. After committing these changes, you will now beable to see these Shotgun specific columns in the Job List in the Monitor.



10.6.5 FAQ

Which editions of Shotgun does Deadline support?

Deadline supports the Studio and Partner editions of Shotgun, because those editions include the necessaryAPI access.

Which versions of Shotgun does Deadline support?

Deadline supports Shotgun 2.3 and later.

Which version of the Shotgun API does Deadline use?

Deadline 7.1 ships with version 3.0.17 of the Python Shotgun API.

10.6. Shotgun 891



CHAPTER

ELEVEN

CLOUD PLUGINS

11.1 Amazon EC2

11.1.1 Overview

The Amazon EC2 plugin for Deadline allows for communication between Deadline and the EC2 service. It workswith both the Cloud Panel in the Monitor and the Deadline Balancer application.

11.1.2 Configuration

Before you can configure the Amazon EC2 plugin for Deadline, you must add Amazon as a provider in the CloudProviders dialog in the Monitor. The Amazon EC2 plugin requires only a few credentials before it can be used inDeadline. These can be collected from the Amazon EC2 web site (see the image below).

893


Configuration Settings

894 Chapter 11. Cloud Plugins


General

• Enabled: Enables the cloud region for use in Deadline.

Options

• Access Key ID: Your EC2 Access key.

• Secret Access Key: Your EC2 secret key.

• Region: The EC2 region you want to use.

• Account Number: Your EC2 account number. Used to filter the image list.

VM Configuration

• Key Pair Name: The Key Pair to be used for the instance.

• Subnet ID: ID of the Subnet to start instances in.

• Instance Types: List of the Hardware Types used on EC2. Make sure you use types that are supported byAmazon. You can find a list of them Here

• User Data: Any data you want to pass to an instance. Can be used to configure instances as part of start upscripts. Doing curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/user-data from within the instance will get you everything you

11.1. Amazon EC2 895

http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/

http://169.254.169.254/latest/user-data


put in here.

• Security Group: Start instances in this security group.

Customization

• Instance Name: The name of the instances that are started by the Balancer. We add some random hex values tothe end for uniqueness.

11.1.3 FAQ

Is Amazon EC2 Cloud supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Amazon EC2 Cloud error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions.We want to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, pleaseemail Deadline Support and let us know.

Currently, no error messages have been reported for this cloud plug-in.

11.2 Google Cloud

11.2.1 Overview

The Google plugin for Deadline allows for communication between Deadline and the Google Cloud service. It workswith both the Cloud Panel in the Monitor and the Deadline Balancer application.


Before you can configure the Google Cloud plugin for Deadline, you must add Google Cloud as a provider in theCloud Providers dialog in the Monitor. The Google plugin requires only a few credentials before it can be used inDeadline (see the image below). You can download the Client Secrets file from the API->Credentials section of theGoogle Compute console.

11.2.3 Credentials

Here is a guide for how to get your client secrets file from the Google Cloud Console and verify your access to yourGCE project in Deadline. Step 1: Get your project ID

This is used in Deadline to verify access to this project.




Step 2: Create your credentials

Click on ‘Credentials’ under ‘APIs & auth’. Here we’ll create a new Client ID.

Step 3: Creating a new Client ID

The first time you create a Client ID GCE will ask you to configure your consent screen. Select ‘Installed Application’and then click ‘Configure consent screen’. If you’ve already configured a consent screen you should see a dialogsimilar to Step 5

11.2. Google Cloud 897


Step 4: Consent Screen

Setting up a basic consent screen is pretty simple. All you need is an email address and a product name. Everythingelse is optional.

Step 5: Creating a new Client ID (continued)

After setting up our Consent screen we’ll be taken back to the Create Client ID screen. Make sure ‘Install Application’and ‘Other’ are both selected. Then click ‘Create Client ID’



Step 6: Downloading your Client Secrets File

To download your Client Secrets file click on ‘Download JSON’. Ensure you click on ‘Download JSON’ for your‘Client ID for native application’. Do NOT ‘Download JSON’ for your ‘Compute Engine and App Engine’ as thisJSON file NOT work.

11.2.4 Verifying Access

In order to use the Google Compute Engine we need to authenticate with Oauth 2. What we’re going to need is theProject ID (found in Step 1), the path to your client secrets file you download above and the path to your oauth.dat file(this file won’t exist until we successfully connect to GCE). Fill in these fields in the Cloud Providers dialog and click‘Verify Access’. (Note: This is not the only way to get the oauth.dat file. The first time Deadline tries to connect toGCE with either no oauth file or an expired oauth file it will go through this process.)



A web browser will start asking you to sign into your Google Account.

Next, you’ll see the consent screen you created in Step 4. Here’s what a basic consent screen looks like.

After choosing ‘Accept’ you should see this message:

Now your oauth.dat file should be downloaded and you should be all set to use your GCE project with Deadline.

Notes:

• This verify access process is time sensitive. It will timeout if you wait too long. The timeout is not very long,only lasting about 30 seconds.

• One issue that has come up is blocked ports. If you have a process running that blocks on port 8080 this will notwork. You’ll have to change the port number. (Programs such as Skype might do this)

• oauth.dat files do eventually expire. You will need to repeat this process to get a new one.



11.2.5 Configuration Settings

General


Credentials

• Client Secrets *.json File: The path to your Client Secrets file. You can download it by going to your project,clicking on Credentials (under the APIs & auth heading) and clicking download JSON. Note: Deadline requiresa Client ID for native applications.

• OAuth 2.0 *.dat File: The path to your OAuth2 dat file. This file won’t exist until you’ve Verified Access atleast once (or try to use the plugin) for the first time. The API will download it after you grant it access.

• Project ID: The non-human readable ID of your Google Cloud Project. Found on the Overview tab and theCloud Console. See Step 1.

Options

• Region: The GCE region you are using.

• Network: The GCE network to spawn instances.



• Disk Size: The size of the Persistent Disk to start with your instance. The default is 10GB.

• Port Number: The port number used for authentication.

• Show Images in Cloud Panel: Show the image name in the Cloud Panel. Enabling this may cause performanceissues.

Customization

• Instance Name: The name of the Instances that will be spawned. We add some random hex values on the endto make them unique.

• Tags: Tag firewall rules to the instances that Deadline starts. Each tag should be on a new line.

11.2.6 FAQ

Does the Google Compute Engine API need to be enabled?

Yes, ensure that the Google Compute Engine API is enabled for the project. In the Google DeveloperConsole, click the project name. From the left-side menu, choose the APIs link under the ‘APIs and auth’heading. If Google Compute Engine is not shown in the list of Enabled APIs at the top of the page, dothe following: Scroll down and find Google Compute Engine and enable it. If you have not previouslyenabled billing for the account, you will be prompted to do so. After enabling billing, you will again needto enable the Google Compute Engine API. It should now appear under the list of Enabled APIs at thetop of the page. Once Google Compute Engine appears in the list of Enabled APIs at the top of the page,re-generate and re-save the Client Secret JSON file.


This is a collection of known Google Cloud error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.

Error: No JSON object could be decoded

There is an issue with the JSON file you downloaded. Here’s a checklist of possible issues that should beconsidered:

• The JSON file could be corrupt or poorly formatted or didn’t download cleanly. Try pasting it intoan online JSON checker to verify it is valid OR try re-downloading the file again.

• Double-check you selected the *.json file for the ‘Client Secrets *.json File’ and you selected theoauth.dat file for the ‘OAuth 2.0 *.dat File’ in the ‘Configure Cloud Providers...’ dialog.

• Double-check you clicked on ‘Download JSON’ for your ‘Client ID for native application’. DoNOT ‘Download JSON’ for your ‘Compute Engine and App Engine’ as this JSON file NOT work.

• It’s possible that the JSON credentials file was made (downloaded) before the Google GCE APIswere enabled or had time to update/refresh after being enabled in the Google Console. So, ensurethe GCE Compute API is enabled and try waiting 5 minutes before re-downloading the JSON file,perhaps trying a different internet browser in case of any intermediate ‘downloader’ manager issue.



http://jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com/


11.3 Microsoft Azure

11.3.1 Overview

The Azure plugin for Deadline allows for communication between Deadline and the Azure service. It works with boththe Cloud Panel in the Monitor and the Deadline Balancer application.


Before you can configure the Azure plugin for Deadline, you must add Azure as a provider in the Cloud Providersdialog in the Monitor. The Azure plugin requires only a few credentials before it can be used in Deadline (see theimage below). You’ll also have to create and upload a Management Certificate.

11.3. Microsoft Azure 903

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/gg551722.aspx



General


Credentials

• Subscription ID: Your access ID for your Azure account.

• Certificate Path: Path to your Azure Certificate.

• VHD Blob Storage: The url of your Blob Storage.

• Blob Storage Password: Password for Blob Storage if you have one.

VM Config

• Affinity Group: The Affinity Group to start instances in. Can be used instead of Location.

• Location: The Location to start instances in. Can be used instead of Affinity Group.

• Virtual Network: The virtual network that the instance will be a part of.

• Subnet Name: Name of the subnet that the instance will be in.



• VM Login User: User name to login to the instance.

• VM Login Password: Password to login to.

Customization

• Instance Name: Name used when starting new instances. We add some random hex values to the end foruniqueness.

11.3.3 FAQ

Is Azure Cloud supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Azure Cloud error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. We wantto keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please email DeadlineSupport and let us know.


11.4 OpenStack

11.4.1 Overview

The Openstack plugin for Deadline allows for communication between Deadline and an Openstack server. It workswith both the Cloud Panel in the Monitor and the Deadline Balancer application.


Before you can configure the OpenStack plugin for Deadline, you must add OpenStack as a provider in the CloudProviders dialog in the Monitor. The Openstack plugin requires only a few credentials before it can be used inDeadline (see image below).

11.4. OpenStack 905





General


Options

• User Name: Your Openstack user name.

• Password: The password for your Openstack account.

• Keystone Endpoint: The endpoint of the Openstack server. This is listed as Identity in the Access & Securitysection of the Openstack project.

• Tenant Name: The Tenant name (aka Project Name).

• Keypair Name: Instances start with these key names.

• Security Group: Start instances in this security group.

Customization

• Instance Name: The name of newly created instances. We add some random characters on the end for unique-ness.



11.4.3 FAQ

Is Openstack Cloud supported by Deadline?

Yes.


This is a collection of known Openstack Cloud error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.


11.5 vCenter

The vCenter plugin for Deadline allows for communication between Deadline and a vCenter server. It only workswith the Cloud Panel in the Monitor. It does not work with the Deadline Balancer application.


Before you can configure the vCenter plugin for Deadline, you must add vCenter as a provider in the Cloud Providersdialog in the Monitor. The vCenter plugin requires only a few credentials before it can be used in Deadline.

11.5. vCenter 907




General


Options

• vCenter Server: The name of the vCenter Server you want to connect to.

• User Name: Username for vCenter.

• Password: Password for vCenter.

Customization

• Instance Name: Name used when starting new instances. We add some random hex values to the end foruniqueness.

11.5.2 FAQ

Is VMware vCenter supported by Deadline?



Yes, but not with Balancer. Only basic manual ‘cloud’ instance starting/stopping/terminating is supportedvia the cloud plugin architecture.


This is a collection of known VMware vCenter error messages and their meanings, as well as possible solutions. Wewant to keep this list as up to date as possible, so if you run into an error message that isn’t listed here, please emailDeadline Support and let us know.


11.5. vCenter 909




CHAPTER

TWELVE

RELEASE NOTES

12.1 Deadline 7.0.0.54 Release Notes

12.1.1 Overview

Deadline 7 is the latest version of Thinkbox Software’s scalable high-volume compute management solution. It fea-tures built-in VMX (Virtual Machine Extension) capabilities, which allow artists, architects and engineers to harnessresources in both public and private clouds.

In addition to enhanced cloud support, Deadline 7 expands support for the Jigsaw multi-region rendering feature,which can now be accessed in 3ds Max, Maya, modo, and Rhino. Deadline 7 also introduces Draft 1.2, an update toThinkbox’s lightweight compositing and video processing plug-in designed to automate typical post-render tasks suchas image format conversion as well as the creation of animated videos and QuickTimes, contact sheets, and watermarkelements on exported images. Finally, Deadline 7 introduces a wealth of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes,which are detailed below.

Note that a new 7.0 license is required to run this version. If you have a license for Deadline 6.2 or earlier, you willneed an updated license. In addition, the version of Draft that ships with Deadline 7 needs a new 1.2 license. If youhave a license for Draft 1.1 or earlier, you will need an updated license.

12.1.2 Highlighted Features

VMX (Virtual Machine eXtension)

With VMX (Virtual Machine eXtension) built in and pluggable cloud support, Deadline 7 can interact with privateand public cloud solutions out-of-the-box, including Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure and OpenStack, among others.The new Deadline Balancer application can start and shut down virtual instances on demand based on the jobs in thequeue, the current budget settings, or other custom algorithms. Multiple cloud solutions can be used simultaneously,along with classic non-cloud rendernode and workstation rendering.

Updated to MongoDB 2.6.3

Deadline now ships with MongoDB 2.6.3, with version 2.6.1 being the new minimum requirement for Deadline 7.Deadline utilizes MongoDB’s new timestamp feature to significantly reduce the number of write queries performedduring normal operation. Not only does this improve performance under heavier loads, but it also allows Deadline tosupport MongoDB’s Sharding feature. Sharding can be used to create a cluster of MongoDB instances, allowing thedatabase server to scale horizontally by adding more nodes to the cluster.

Deadline’s Replica Set support has been improved as well. Previously, you had to specify each node in your ReplicaSet when specifying the MongoDB server name. Now, you can also include the Replica Set name.

911


Updated User Interface

Deadline’s User Interface libraries have been updated to Qt 5, and the Deadline applications now use Qt’s new Fusiontheme for a more modern look and feel. The Fusion theme provides better scaling at larger resolutions, and it alsoprovides more color contrast.

The Monitor also uses new progress bars to show the progress for jobs. The progress bars show the state of every taskfor the job, not just the complete versus incomplete tasks. This allows you to see the overall state of all the tasks at aglance.

Finally, updating to Qt 5 also addresses issues that Qt 4 had with Wacom tablets.

Python Upgraded to 2.7.8

Deadline now ships with Python 2.7.8. Note that this shouldn’t affect any existing scripts that you use with Deadline.

In addition, the Deadline applications no longer set the PYTHONHOME and PYTHONPATH environment variablesfor their current session. This means that any applications launched from a Deadline application will no longer inheritthese modified variables, which should avoid compatibility issues if those other applications use a different version ofPython.

Draft Upgraded to 1.2.3.57201

Deadline now ships with Draft 1.2.3.57201. Note that this shouldn’t affect any existing Draft template scripts that youuse with Deadline. Also note that if you are using Draft 1.1 or earlier, you will need an updated Draft license. Belowis a list of what’s new in Draft 1.2.3.57201:

Python Version

• The Python version that Draft requires is now Python 2.7.

FFmpeg Version

• FFmpeg libraries have been updated to version 2.3.

OpenColorIO Improvements

• Use config.ocio and ColorSpaces / Roles to create OCIO color processors for color correcting images.

• Create OCIO color processors directly from your favourite LUT files... see http://opencolorio.org/FAQ.html forthe full list of LUT formats supported.

ASC CDL Improvements

• A fully standard-compliant implementation of ASC CDL LUTs. (The clamping steps in OCIO’s ASC CDLimplementation is not currently standard-compliant.)

• Added ASC CDL and OCIO lut example templates.

WebM Improvements

• Added support for WebM files (vp8 video codec, vorbis audio).

EXR Improvements

• Improved error message when trying to open an exr file that doesn’t exist.

Unicode Improvements

• Draft now supports unicode filenames and text annotations!

912 Chapter 12. Release Notes

http://opencolorio.org/FAQ.html


• Note: We need to modify the DraftParamParser.py library so that unicode strings aren’t mangled in the Dead-line/Draft boundary, but once they’re in, Draft handles them properly.

Licensing Improvements

• Draft Licences are now more flexible! Most Draft features require only that a license be present. Actual checkoutof licenses now happens only while videos are being encoded or decoded.

• “Lost connection to license server” no longer pops up dialog boxes on Windows.

Mono Upgraded to 3.8

Deadline now runs against Mono 3.8 on Linux and Mac OSX, which helps improve stability. In addition, the MacOSX version of Mono is now 64-bit. This new version is bundled with the Linux and Mac OSX Client and Repositoryinstallers.

Mono Included in Linux Installers

Mono is now installed automatically as part of the installation procedure on Linux. It is installed to the Deadlineinstallation folder, and won’t impact any existing Mono installations. Now Mono no longer needs to be installedmanually on Linux prior to installing Deadline.

Updated Slave Licensing Model

When running multiple slaves on a single machine, they will now share a single license instead of needing one licenseper slave instance. In addition, the slaves will only hold onto their license while they are rendering. When they becomeidle, they will return their license.

Customizable Styles for Deadline Applications

The new Styles configuration panel in the Monitor options allows you to customize the color of the Deadline applica-tions. Simply specify a palette color and the User Interface will automatically use lighter and darker variants of thatcolor where necessary. In addition, the font style and size can be configured as well. Finally, you can export styles andshare them with other users.

New Batch Property for Grouping Jobs

A new Batch property has been added to jobs that allows jobs to be grouped together in the Job List. All jobs with thesame Batch name will be grouped under that Batch name, and the Batch name can be expanded or collapsed to showand hide all the jobs, respectively. Jobs in the same Batch will also be grouped together in the Job Dependency View.Finally, the properties for the jobs in the same Batch can be modified by simply right-clicking on the Batch item in theJob List or the Job Dependency View.

New Graphs in the Monitor

New graphs have been added to the Monitor. The Jobs panel can show pie charts based on the job pool, secondarypool, group, user, and plugin. The Tasks panel can show graphs representing the task render times, image sizes, cpuusage, and memory usage. The Slaves panel can now show bar charts that show how many slaves are in certain poolsand groups. The Job Reports panel can now show a pie chart that shows the percentage of errors generated by eachslave.

12.1. Deadline 7.0.0.54 Release Notes 913


Customizable Default Layout for Panels in Monitor

A default layout for panels in the Monitor can now be saved, and when a new panel is opened, it will use the saveddefault layout. So now you can set up your favourite default layouts for the Job list, Task list, etc and not have to worryabout setting them up again when you open new panels.

In addition, you can now save the layout from a panel to disk and load it in again. This allows you to share a layoutfrom your Monitor with someone else.

Job Dependency Improvements

Job dependencies are now more flexible than ever. Individual dependencies can have notes attached to them, and theycan also have their own overrides for the Frame Offset and Resume On... settings.

The Job Dependency view in the Monitor has also been updated to show these per-dependency settings. In addition,there is now a new feature in the Dependency View that allows you to test the dependencies and see which ones passand which ones do not. Finally, the look of the nodes in the Dependency View have been updated.

Limit Improvements

Limits are now much more flexible than they were before. Previously, one Limit Stub per Slave was used up when aSlave rendered a job that required that Limit. This is still supported, but now, a Limit can be configured so that oneLimit Stub per Task is used up, or one Limit Stub per Machine is used up.

The per Task option is useful if you are rendering with an application that requires one license per instance, and youare rendering more than one concurrent task at a time. The per Machine option is useful if you are rendering withan application that only requires a single license per machine, regardless of how many instances are running on thatmachine.

Improvements to Pool and Group Management

The Slave list in the Pool and Group Management dialogs can now be filtered, and all columns in the list are nowavailable. In addition, you can now right-click on specific slaves in the Slave list in the Monitor to modify Pools andGroups for the selected slaves only.

Suspend Tasks

Deadline now supports the ability to suspend and resume individual tasks. This can be useful if you want to postponeor skip the rendering of specific tasks.

Slave Scheduling Improvements and Idle Detection

Deadline’s Slave Scheduling feature has undergone a major overhaul. Previously it was part of Power Managementand controlled by Pulse, but now it is a standalone feature that is controlled by the Launcher application that runs onevery Client machine. This means that Pulse is no longer required to use the Slave Scheduling feature.

There are also new features that have been added to Slave Scheduling. If a slave is scheduled to start on a machine, anotification message will now pop up for 30 seconds indicating that the slave is scheduled to start. If someone is stillusing the machine, they can choose to delay the start of the slave for a certain amount of time. Another addition isthe new option to enforce the slave schedule. If enabled, the Launcher will keep restarting the slave if it is shut downduring a period of time that it is supposed to be running.



Finally, Slave Scheduling can now be configured to launch the slave if the machine has been idle for a certain amountof time (“idle” means no keyboard or mouse input). There is also additional criteria that can be checked beforelaunching the slave, including the machine’s current memory and CPU usage, the current logged in user, and theprocesses currently running on the machine. Finally, this system can stop the slave automatically when the machine isno longer idle.

Note that Idle Detection can be set in the Slave Scheduling settings, or on a per-slave basis in the Slave Settings dialogin the Monitor. It can also be set in the new Local Slave Control dialog so that users can configure if their local slaveshould launch when the machine becomes idle.

Job Dequeueing Mode

Slaves now have a new Job Dequeuing mode that controls which jobs a slave dequeues based on how the job wassubmitted. By default, a slave will dequeue any job, but it can be configured to only dequeue jobs submitted from thesame machine that the slave is running on, or submitted by specific users.

The Job Dequeuing Mode can be configured in the Slave Settings dialog in the Monitor. It can also be set in the newLocal Slave Control dialog so that users can configure if their local slave should only render their own jobs, or if theywant to help another user render their jobs.


The Monitor and Launcher applications now have a new dialog that can be used to control the slave running on thelocal machine. It can be used to start and stop the slave, or connect to the slave’s log. This is useful if the slave isrunning as a service on the machine.

In addition, you can set up the slave to launch if the machine has been idle for a certain amount of time (“idle” meansno keyboard or mouse input). It can also stop the slave automatically when the machine is no longer idle.

Finally, the slave’s Job Dequeuing Mode can be configured here. By default, a slave will dequeue any job, but it canbe configured to only dequeue jobs submitted from the same machine, or submitted by specific users. This is useful ifa user wants their slave to only render their jobs, or they want to help another user render their jobs.

Note that the Idle Detection and Job Dequeuing Mode settings can also be changed by administrators for all slaves.In addition, the Local Slave Controls feature can be disabled by administrators if they don’t want users to be able tocontrol their local slaves.

Render As User

A new option has been added to Deadline to render jobs with the account that is associated with the job’s user. Theaccount information can be configured in the Deadline user settings. On Windows, the user’s login name, domain, andpassword are required. On Linux and Mac OSX, just the user’s login name is required, but the Slave must run as rootso that the Slave has permission to launch the rendering process as another user.

Improved Slave Statistics

Additional statistical information is now gathered for individual slaves, including the slave’s running time, renderingtime, and idle time. It also includes information about the number of tasks the slave has completed, the number oferrors it has reported, and its average Memory and CPU usage. Like job statistics, Pulse does not need to be runningto gather this information.



Pulse Redundancy

You can run now multiple instances of Pulse on separate machines as backups in case your Primary Pulse instance goesdown. If the Primary Pulse goes offline or becomes stalled, Deadline’s Repository Repair operation can elect anotherrunning instance of Pulse as the Primary, and the Slaves will automatically connect to the new Primary instance.

Note that when multiple Pulse instances are running, only the Primary Pulse is used by the Slaves for Throttling.In addition, only Primary Pulse is used to perform Housecleaning, Power Management, and Statistics Gathering.However, you can connect to any Pulse instance to use the Web Service.

New Events and Asynchronous Job Events

New events have been added to the Event Plugin system. The first is the OnHouseCleaning event, which triggerswhenever Deadline performs Housecleaning. This allows you to set up event plugins to do custom cron-job styleoperations within Deadline.

In addition, there are four new events that trigger when a slave changes state: OnSlaveStarted, OnSlaveStopped,OnSlaveRendering, and OnSlaveStartingJob. As an example, an event plugin could be written to have slaves automat-ically add themselves to Groups when they start up based on some custom criteria, or an event plugin could be writtento have slaves perform maintenance checks when they become idle.

Finally, there is now an option to process many types of job events asynchronously. The benefit is that job events willno longer slow down batch operations in the Monitor (for example, deleting 1000 jobs will be much faster if you areusing event plugins because those events will be processed later). These job events are queued up in the Databaseand Deadline’s Pending Job Scan will process them at regular intervals. Because they are placed in a queue, they willstill be processed in the same order that they were triggered. Note that if this option is enabled, some events are stillprocessed synchronously, like the OnJobSubmitted and OnJobStarted events.

Auto Configuration Overhaul

The Auto Configuration feature has undergone a couple of significant changes. The first is that all Deadline applica-tions can now pull the Auto Configuration settings, instead of just the Slave. This means that Auto Configuration cannow be used to automatically configure workstations, not just render nodes.

The second change is with how Auto Configuration works. Previously, all Auto Configuration settings were pulledfrom Pulse. Now, only the Repository Path is pulled from Pulse, and the other settings are pulled when the Deadlineapplication connects to the Repository. The benefit to this is that most of the Auto Configuration settings will workwithout Pulse running.

Finally, Auto Configuration rule sets can now be enabled or disabled, so you no longer have to delete a rule set if youwant to remove it temporarily.

Region Awareness

Regions can now be configured in Deadline, and users and slaves can be assigned to a specific region. Currently, thisis useful for Path Mapping, and allows you to map paths differently based on the region that the users or slaves are in.Note that when VMX launches a slave, it will automatically be added to the region associated with the cloud providersettings.

Grid-Based Script Dialogs

New grid-based functions have been added to the DeadlineScriptDialog class which makes it easier to create customdialogs. Instead of setting the width and height when adding new controls to a row, you can instead add them to a gridand indicate which row and column the control should go in. Optionally, you can also indicate how many rows and



columns the control should occupy. By being part of a grid, the controls will now grow and shrink dynamically basedon the size of the dialog and the size of the font.

FTrack Integration

The Deadline/FTrack integration enables a seamless render and review data flow. When Deadline starts a render, anAsset Version is automatically created within FTrack using key metadata. When the render is complete, Deadlineautomatically updates the created Version appropriately – a thumbnail image is uploaded, components are createdfrom the Job’s output paths (taking advantage of FTrack’s location plugins), and the Version is flagged for Review. Indoing so, Deadline provides a seamless transition from Job Submission to Review process, without artists needing tomonitor their renders.

Jigsaw for Maya, modo, and Rhino

Jigsaw, which was previously only available for 3ds Max, is now available for Maya, modo, and Rhino. It gives youmore control over the tiles and/or regions that you are submitting to Deadline. This feature uses Thinkbox Software’sDraft library to assemble the final image instead of the old TileAssembler.exe application. Note that Draft requires alicense, so contact Thinkbox Sales if you don’t already have a Draft license.

Submission Script Installers

Submission script installers can now be found in each application folder in the Submission folder in the Repository.These allow for most of the submission scripts to be installed automatically, instead of having to manually copy overfiles.

Support for Salt and Puppet

Application and Event plugins have been added to support the Salt and Puppet automation applications. Jobs can besubmitted to the application plugin to update software and machine configurations on specific machines, while theevent plugins can be used to update all of your machines when the slave running on them becomes idle.

Updated Application Support

Support has been added for After Effects CC 2014, Arnold for Houdini, Cinema 4D 16, Corona, Fusion 7, Nuke 9,Realflow 2014, and SketchUp 2015.

12.1.3 Complete Release Notes

General Improvements

• Added the new VMX (Virtual Machine eXtension) system to Deadline.

• Upgraded Python to version 2.7.8.

• Added FTrack support, and updated many job submission scripts to connect to FTrack.

• Added new event to Event Plugins that triggers every time Housecleaning is performed. This is useful forperforming custom cron-job style operations within Deadline.

• Added new events to Event Plugins that trigger when a slave starts, stops, starts rendering, and becomes idle.



• Added option to process many of the job events asynchronously to improve performance (particularly in theMonitor).

• Added application and event plugins for Puppet and Salt automation applications.

• Users, slaves, and pulse can now be added to regions, which affects how Path Mapping is performed for them(regions can be configured in the Repository Options).

• Path mapping can now be associated with regions so that different path mappings can be set for different regions.

• There is now an option in slave scheduling to keep the slave running during scheduled hours.

• Housecleaning and the Pending Job scan are now performed on a more regular basis by the Slaves when Pulseisn’t running.

• During the Pending Job Scan, the task dependency check now handles a missing __main__ function in thedependency script properly.

• Fixed a typo where the Pending Job Scan would refer to itself as Housecleaning.

• Fixed an encoding issue when saving and loading job and slave reports.

• Added new slave statistics gathering that logs more information about individual slaves.

• Added new vCenter Cloud plugin.

• Limits can now be configured with different usage levels. They can be per task, per slave, or per machine.Previously, they could only be per slave.

• Bumped up the maximum thread/cpu setting limit in the submission scripts.

• The Deadline temp folder on the Client machines now gets cleaned up on a regular basis.

• Split out the critical Housecleaning operations into a new Repository Repair operation (orphaned task and limitstub checking, stalled slave checking, and available DB connection checking).

• The randomness of the housecleaning checks has been removed to make the system more reliable and pre-dictable.

• Fixed some cases where timestamps were still using 12 hour clocks.

• Added IP address/hostnames to the power management logging.

• Fixed a bug that prevented Deadline from shutting down an OSX machine.

• Most integrated submitter client scripts now print out where they’re getting the main script file from prior torunning the main script.

• Housecleaning can now detect if a task is waiting to start, but the slave hasn’t updated its state to show that it’srendering that task.

• Fixed a bug that prevented the timeout from triggering when running the housecleaning operations as separateprocesses.

• Added an option for splitting the output from the different housecleaning operation to separate logs.

• Fixed how the timestamps look when connecting to a remote slave/pulse/balancer log.

• Job event triggers now fire properly when changing states of individual tasks.

• Improved performance when checking pending jobs with frame dependencies.

• The Deadline applications no longer set the PYTHONHOME and PYTHONPATH environment variables fortheir current session.

• The error message that is displayed when auto-archiving a job fails now shows the job ID instead of the jobname.



• Housecleaning only loads event plugins once when deleting or archiving completed jobs.

• When purging jobs in housecleaning, the event plugins are only loaded once per batch.

• Added a Machine Startup option in Power Management to not send the command to the machine to launch theslave.

• Added user group permission option to disable job submission (enabled by default).

• Added stalled Pulse and Balancer detection to housecleaning.

• Removed a misleading message that was printed when getting the user from deadline.ini and one wasn’t definedyet.

• Housecleaning, pending job scan, and repository repair are no longer run as a separate process by default.

Installer Improvements

• Mono is now shipped with the Linux installers, so it is no longer required for Mono to be installed prior toinstalling Deadline.

• Added the major version number to the shortcuts created on windows, and to the uninstaller shortcuts createdon all operating systems.

• Added command line option to Client installer to set the NoGuiMode setting.

• When setting up the database, the Repository installer now checks to make sure the database version is theminimum supported version.

• The Repository installer now checks to make sure it’s not installing over an existing repository that’s a differentversion.

• The Repository installer now sets the default database name to include the major Deadline version number.

• The Repository installer now creates a repository.ini file in the repository install directory which contains theVersion information.

• The Windows Repository installer now ships with both the standard and legacy versions of MongoDB. Thestandard version will be installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 and later, and the legacy version will be installedon older versions of Windows.

• The Repository uninstaller now removes all subfolders except for the “custom” one.

• Fixed a bug in the Client Installer that was causing the license server entry to be reset if the repository directorywas invalid.

• The MongoDB service name and port can now be customized in the Repository installer, and its default is basedon the current Deadline version.

• The Windows client installer now creates a DeadlineLauncher# registry key to start the Launcher on login (where# is the major version number). This allows different versions of the Launcher to start on login.

• Fixed a bug in the Repository installer that was causing “Password:” to be set for the user name in dbCon-nect.xml on OSX.

• Fixed some errors when running the Repository installer in unattended mode.

• Installers on OSX are now signed with codesign v2 so that Gatekeeper doesn’t flag them on OSX 10.9.5.

• The replica set name and mongo password fields in the Repository installer are now wider.

• The Mono.Posix and Mono.Security dlls are no longer installed with the Linux version of Deadline.

• The api, balancer, cloud, and draft folders in the repository are now backed up during an upgrade.



• Windows installers are now code-signed.

• The settings folder is now backed up by the Repository Installer.

• The “slavedatadir” command line option for the client installer is now visible in the usage instructions.

Repository Improvements

• Archived jobs are now stored in subfolders based on the year and month they are submitted.

• Job reports are now stored in a subfolder with the job’s ID, which improves performance when deleting reportsfor a job.

• The License Server is no longer installed in the Repository. It can be downloaded from the Thinkbox website.

• There are now submission script installers in each application folder in the Submission folder in the Repository.

• Lock files are no longer used in the Repository to ensure that operations like Housecleaning and RepositoryRepair are only done by one application at a time.

• There are now separate 32 and 64 bit versions of the windows bin.zip file in the repository. This is so that wecan ship platform-specific libraries as part of the auto-upgrade in the future if necessary.

Database Improvements

• Upgraded minimum MongoDB requirement to 2.6.1 (although the Repository installer ships with 2.6.3).

• Deadline now uses MongoDB’s new timestamp feature to reduce the number of write operations it performs.

• Split many collections into separate databases to improve performance.

• Using the new timestamp feature allows Deadline to support Sharding.

• A Replica Set Name can now be specified when configuring the database connection settings.

• Improved how passwords are saved in the database.

• When saving a new job, if there is a job with that ID in the Deleted Job Collection, it is now removed from theDeleted Job Collection.

• A config file is now installed to the Database folder, and this can be modified to configure how MongoDB runs.

• Unexpected mongodb exceptions now include the stacktrace and exception type.

• Reduced the number of database writes that occur when deleting jobs, slaves, pulses, balancers, and limits.

• Reduced bandwidth when checking if a job or slave exists in the database.

• Fixed a bug where too many asynchronous calls to the database could result in connection errors.

• When adding history entries, the saving of the new entries and the purging of the old ones is now done in onequery instead of two.

• Added a “locking” collection to the database that is used instead of lock files to ensure that operations likeHousecleaning and Repository Repair are only done by one application at a time.

Job Improvements

• Individual tasks for jobs can now be suspended or resumed.

• Added ability to render jobs using the account for the user that submitted the job.

• Job dependencies are more flexible, and can have per-dependency overrides and notes.



• Added new OnTaskTimeout option to mark a task as complete.

• Added optional timeout option for the Starting phase of a job.

• Added a job timeout option to calculate the task timeout based on the number of frames for the current task.

• Jobs with custom plugin locations specified no longer need the custom plugin to be in the repository to besubmitted and resubmitted.

• Sequential jobs are no longer dropped for higher priority jobs. Once a slave picks up a sequential job, it willkeep rendering it until the job is complete or the render is canceled.

• Added a job task buffer value that can be applied to balanced or weighted algorithms to help prevent slaves fromjumping between jobs to keep things balanced.

• Fixed a bug where pre job scripts were not necessarily finishing before regular tasks were started.

• Failed jobs with a post job script no longer remain stuck in the queued state.

• Added option to submit a job with a start time delay by specifying a JobDelay=dd:hh:mm:ss value in the jobinfo file. The delay value is represented by the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds, all separated bycolons.

• Fixed a bug when undeleting a job that could cause the job’s task counts to be incorrect.

• Jobs now have a limit on the number of error reports that can be generated. A job with the maximum numberof errors will fail and cannot be resumed until some reports are deleted. This number is configurable in the JobSettings in the Repository Options.

• Fixed a bug that could cause interruptible jobs to be interrupted for another job of equal priority.

• Improved the performance of how job tasks are updated in some cases.

• Added support for jobs to have their own custom event plugin directory to load event plugins from.

• Added a job option to override the number of days before the job is automatically cleaned up.

• Added an option to completely override auto-cleanup settings, which means you can choose to disable auto-cleanup for a job if it’s enabled in the Repository Options.

• A history event is now logged when a job is failed because it reached the error limit.

• If a job with a post job task is frame dependent, the post job task now only gets released if all the other tasksare complete. This fixes the problem of the job showing up as Queued in the Monitor because the post tasks isqueued, but the rest of the tasks are a combination of pending/completed/failed.

• During job submission, if the job’s user doesn’t exist, default user settings are now created for them.

Client Application Improvements

• Upgraded user interface libraries to Qt 5, which fixes some known Wacom Tablet issues.

• The Deadline applications now use the new Qt Fusion theme for a more modern and scalable look.

• All Deadline applications can now update the Auto Configuration configuration settings, instead of just theslave.

• All Auto Configuration settings, except for the Repository path, are now pulled directly from the Repository.Only the Repository Path is still pulled from Pulse.

• The color and font used in all Deadline applications can now be customized from the Monitor.

• All Deadline application command line arguments now support any number of leading dashes (for example,“deadlinemonitor -console” or “deadlineslave –help”).



• Added a NoGuiMode setting to the deadline.ini file. It’s set to False by default, but if True, then the launcher,slave, and pulse will always run in nogui mode, regardless if the -nogui flag is passed or not.

• All logs for the Deadline applications and for jobs now have timestamps.

• The LaunchPulseAtStartup and LaunchBalancerAtStartup settings are now stored in the system deadline.ini file,not the per user one.

• The Monitor, Pulse, and Balancer listening ports and process IDs are now stored in separate ini files, not thesystem deadline.ini file. This means that a symlinked deadline.ini file can now be shared between multiplemachines.

• Added the major version number to the app packages on OSX.

• Fixed some bad logic when the applications try to determine if they should run in GUI mode or not.

• Fixed a typo in the dbConnect.xml error that would be shown if the Client application couldn’t find or read thedbConnect.xml file.

• The look of the disabled text in labels now matches Qt’s default look.

• On OSX, any popups that appear when the splash screen is visible now appear in front of the splash screen.

• On Windows, a task bar item is now visible when the splash screen is visible.

• Improved the Connection Error message when a Deadline application cannot connect to the Repository orDatabase.

• Menus that are too long for the screen are now scrollable.

Launcher Improvements

• The Launcher now controls the the scheduled starting and stopping of slaves.

• The Launcher displays a popup message when a slave is scheduled to start, allowing a user to delay launchingthe slave if they are still using the machine.

• The Launcher can detect if the system is idle and launch the slave. It can also stop the slave when the system isno longer idle.

• Added new Local Slave Settings dialog to the Launcher menu to control the local slave and configure its IdleDetection and Job Dequeuing Mode settings.

• The Launcher system tray icon now shows the Deadline version number in the tooltip.

• The launcher now waits 5 minutes after starting before it starts checking if it should restart a stalled slave. Thisensures that if the launcher is set to launch the slave at startup, and that slave previously stalled, the slave willhave a chance to cleanup after itself. Otherwise, the launcher might try to launch the slave multiple times.

• Added new “-shutdownall” command line option to launcher, which shuts down the slaves, pulse, and balancerbefore shutting down the launcher.

• On Linux, Deadline’s init.d script now shuts down the slaves and the launcher during a reboot/shutdown, whichensures the slaves check their licenses back in. Pulse and the balancer are shut down if they are running as well.

• On Linux, fixed some other issues in Deadline’s init.d script.

• The Restart Slave If Stalled option is now disabled by default.

• Fixed some bugs in the Launcher init script on Linux.

• Cleaned up the output of a successful remote command.

• The Launcher can now process multiple remote commands simultaneously.



• Added the -balancer command line option to launch the Balancer through the Launcher.

• A LaunchBalancerAtStartup=true entry can be added to the system deadline.ini file to have the Launcher startthe Balancer when the Launcher starts.

• When running as a service on Windows, the Launcher now properly shuts down the slave when the machine isshut down, which ensures the slaves check their licenses back in. Pulse and the balancer are shut down if theyare running as well.

• Added new optional entries to deadline.ini file to have the launcher keep pulse and balancer running (Keep-PulseRunning=true and KeepBalancerRunning=true).

• Added a “-slavenames” command line option to the launcher to be used with “-slave” to launch slaves withspecific names by specifying a comma-separated list of slave names.

• Added “-upgrade” command line option to launcher to simply trigger an upgrade if it’s required.

• Up to 5 attempts are now made during an auto-upgrade to copy over the binaries, with an increasing intervalbetween attempts.

• When the launcher checks for upgrades, it now performs an upgrade if the local Version file is missing (but thenetwork one exists).

• When doing an automatic upgrade, the launcher now copies the bootstrap files to the system’s temp directory,instead of using the Deadline temp directory.

Monitor Improvements

General

• The UI Lock can now be toggled on and off using the Shortcut “ALT+‘”.

• Font sizes are now consistent for all column headers in the lists in the Monitor.

• Added new graphs to the Monitor.

• There are no longer artifacts in the images when saving graphs to disk.

• Default list layouts can now be saved for each panel in the Monitor. These defaults are used when new panelsare opened.

• List layouts for each panel in the Monitor can be saved to disk and opened again later.

• The lists no longer auto-scroll horizontally when clicking on a column that is only partially visible.

• Added ability to add Separators when customizing Script Menus.

• The Monitor now gives the user the option to save the Location and Size when pinning a layout or saving alayout to disk.

• When right-clicking on the column headers for a list to show hidden columns, the column will now appear wherethe mouse cursor is instead of at the end.

• Added search history to the search boxes in the Monitor. The search history can be cleared from the down-arrowmenu for each list.

• The default size for the Manage Pools and Manage Groups dialogs are now bigger.

• The Slave list in the Pool and Group Management dialogs can now be filtered, and all columns in the list arenow available.

• Fixed a bug when deleting groups and pools from the Manage Pool and Group Dialog that was preventingdeletion of a single pool or group, or deleting them all if one was selected for deletion.



• The Slave Scheduling feature has been broken out of the Power Management dialog and now has its ownconfiguration dialog.

• Added new Repository Options panel to create regions.

• In Repository Options, moved the database threshold to the Notifications panel, and grouped it with the databaseemail address setting.

• Added an option to the Email Notification panel in the Repository Options to enable/disable auto-generatingemail addresses for new users. If enabled, the email address will be based on the SMTP server unless a postfixoverride is specified.

• The statistics panel in the repository options now has all of its settings in a group box.

• Added a toggle to the FarmOverviewReport to switch between percentages and counts for the graphs.

• Repository options dialog now notes that it can take up to 10 minutes for the settings to propagate.

• Improved the tooltips in the Repository Options dialog.

• Fixed a typo in the House Cleaning panel in the Repository Options.

• Updated Repository Options, Job Properties, Slave Properties, and Monitor Options dialogs so that each paneltakes up a bit more space.

• New rows created in the Path Mappings, Drive Mappings, and Monitor Layout panels in the Repository Optionsnow have the correct height.

• Moved the database threshold in the repository options dialog to the Notifications panel, and grouped it with thedatabase email address setting.

• Added a button in the Repository Options dialog to reset all settings back to factory defaults.

• In the Repository Options, all performance-related settings are now on a new Performance panel. Use the newAuto Adjust spinner control to automatically pick good default settings based on the number of Slaves in yourfarm.

• Fixed a bug in the Auto Configuration page in the Repository Options that occurred when the last entry in theAuto Configuration list was deleted.

• Auto Configuration rule sets can now be enabled or disabled.

• Manage User, Manage Groups and Manage Pools dialogs no longer close the Name dialog if an invalid name isentered.

• When a new user group, pool or group is created, it is automatically selected.

• Fixed an error that could occur when deleting multiple users at the same time.

• The Farm Statistics dialog now has a drop down to choose an interval, rather than 4 separate buttons.

• The Configure Cloud Providers dialog now initializes the cloud plugins before displaying to improve perfor-mance when viewing the settings for different cloud plugins.

• Added Import Settings option to the Tools menu, which allows you to import settings from other Repositoriesrunning a minimum of Deadline 6.

• Added new Local Slave Settings dialog to the Tools menu and the main toolbar to control the local slave andconfigure its Idle Detection and Job Dequeuing Mode settings.

• Improved layouts of controls in Plugin and Event Plugin configuration dialogs.

• Features that require Pulse now mention it in their respective property dialogs.

• Updated all Monitor scripts to use the new grid-based system for the script dialogs.



• All Monitor submission scripts now save their sticky settings if the dialog is closed using the “X” button, or ifAlt+F4 is pressed.

• Added additional command line arguments for the Monitor to set specific Monitor Options at startup.

• Fixed the filter types for some columns in the slave list, job report list, and slave report list.

• If a Remote Control command succeeds, the result will now be “Connection Accepted” instead of just beingempty.

• Added Monitor option to show when the last house cleaning and pending job scan operations where performedin the Monitor status bar. If they haven’t been performed for more than 10 minutes, they will be highlighted inred.

• Added Monitor option to enable slave pinging (it’s now disabled by default).

• Fixed some Remote Control commands that were not checking if they should be using the slave’s IP address, ora machine name or IP address override.

• Fixed a bug where trying to send a Remote Command to an unknown host would hang indefinitely on Linuxand OSX.

• When executing a remote command, if the process returns a non-zero exit code, then the result is returned as afailure instead of a success.

• Fixed a “ManageListForm” error.

• The limit dialog and the power management dialogs now disable the name field instead of just making it read-only when in edit mode.

• Added settings in the Repository Options to control how long the local Launcher and Balancer logs should bekept for.

• Fixed a layout issue in the multi-line file browser control in the Plugin Configuration dialogs.

• Resetting the Repository Options in the dialog is now visually smoother.

• Added a panel menu item to reset the default list layout back to the original default.

• Fixed an error when removing users from the User Group permissions dialog.

• When cloning an existing user group, the clone is selected automatically.

• Increased the default height for the Manage Users dialog.

• Added Monitor Option settings to configure the double click task behavior for rendering, completed and failedtasks.

• The scripts menus are now hidden when right-clicking on a panel with nothing selected.

• The job scheduling weight settings in the Repository Options now have 4 decimal places instead of 2.

• Updated the icon/script sync icon to be the “refresh” icon.

• Added View menu option to show/hide the main toolbar.

• Cleaned up the layout of the View menu a bit.

• Graph names are now shown in the panel titles when they are showing a graph.

• The splitter for job reports, slave reports, and remote command panels no longer moves when resizing the panel.

• Fixed a leak caused by the context menus in the panels.

• Fixed a bug in the Auto Job Timeout settings in the Repository Options that caused the Timeout Multiplier tobe disabled when it shouldn’t be.



• When restarting the Monitor, the location of the splitters for all panels is now restored properly from the previoussession.

• When switching between saved layouts, the Monitor is now hidden and shown to ensure that the location of thesplitters is restored properly.

• Fixed a bug in the Manage Users dialog where the password confirmation fields were not being verified onaccept.

• Tweaked some labels in the idle shutdown and machine startup tabs in the power management dialog.

• Cleaned up the error message when a job import fails due to the job already existing.

• Deleting a ruleset in the auto configuration panel of the repository options now resets all controls to their defaults.

• When creating new Path Mappings in the Repository Options, they are no longer case-sensitive by default.

• Plugin and Event configuration settings are now sanitized when they are saved.

• Added a new general TestIntegrationConnection script to the General script menu that can be used to test con-necting to Shotgun or ftrack, and it shows the results.

• Added stacktraces to the error messages if the Monitor can’t update its data cache.

• Added Repository Configuration settings for maximum repository, slave, job, pulse, and balancer history entries.

• Double clicking the title bar of a floating panel in the Monitor now maximizes it on Windows.

• Repository history entries are now logged when changing Repository Options.

• Fixed a bug when collapsing and expanding group boxes in the Configure Plugins/Events dialogs.

• Improved the performance of bulk delete operations in the Monitor.

• Improved the default widths of some of the columns for lists in the Repository Options.

• When switching between the global pinned monitor layouts, the local pinned layout settings (column layoutsand filters) are ignored so that they do not get clobbered.

• Fixed a typo in the Application Logging panel in the Repository Options.

• Fixed a layout bug in the Plugin Configuration if CategoryOrder was specified in the .options file of a plugin.

• Fixed some errors when editing idle shutdown overrides, and when editing existing thermal shutdown sensorsand overrides.

• When connecting to a remote log from the Monitor, it now connects to the correct machine if the Monitor isconnected to a different repository than the one stored in the deadline.ini file.

• CMD+R shortcuts now work properly on OSX (ie: resume job, resume task).

Jobs and Tasks

• Added new progress bars to the job list to show the state of all tasks for the job at a glance.

• Jobs with only a single task now show better job progress in the Job list.

• Fixed some issues that caused the job counts in the job list to be incorrect.

• Fixed some issues where requeue reports weren’t getting created properly for jobs.

• Improved layout of controls in the plugin-specific properties in the Job Properties dialog.

• Selecting multiple jobs and modifying their properties only overwrites shared properties for dependencies, extrainfo variables and environment variables.

• All dependency related job properties are now in the Dependencies panel in the job properties dialog, instead ofbeing spread across three separate panels.



• The job timeout panel in the job properties now lets you specify a timeout in terms of hours, minutes, andseconds.

• Fixed a color control bug in the plugin-specific job properties that would cause the property to appear as modifiedwhen pressing Cancel on the color picker dialog.

• Split up the job history logging to be more granular when modifying certain Job Properties.

• Jobs can now be grouped together in the Job list if they share the same Batch name.

• Improved the performance of the Quick Filters for the job list.

• User name quick filters now have “Me (userName)” as the entry for the current user, and will be the first user inthe list.

• Changed the right-click menu item text in the quick filters to avoid confusion.

• Added an option when suspending a job to only suspend the non-rendering tasks for the job.

• Updated the Transfer Job script to include some missing job properties that weren’t getting transferred.

• Fixed an error that could show up in the Console when closing the Job Details panel.

• The Explore Output menu in the job and task list no longer shows any duplicate paths.

• The task list now shows the current CPU and RAM information for a rendering task.

• Added right-click menu item to task list to suspend/resume individual tasks.

• Swapped the default location of the Startup Time and Render Time columns in the task list.

• The Job Dependency nodes in the Monitor have also been updated to show per-dependency settings.

• Added a new feature to toe Job Dependency View to test the dependencies and see which ones pass and whichones do not.

• The backgrounds for the graphs and the Job Dependency View now match the look of the rest of the Monitor.

• Jobs can now be grouped together in the Job Dependency View if they share the same Batch name.

• The layout can now be pinned for the Job Dependency View panel.

• You can now select multiple jobs in the job list and have them show up in the job dependency view.

• The Job report list in the Monitor now have columns that show Memory and CPU usage information.

• Moved the Explore Path menu for non-job nodes to the main context menu in the Job Dependency View, andfixed a bug that caused it to be disabled when it shouldn’t be.

• Cleaned up the error message when changing the frame range for a job, and the new task count exceeds themaximum allowed.

• Added ability to pin and save quick filters.

• The archive job path is now remembered within a session (it will revert back to the default repository folder thenext time the Monitor is restarted).

• Added new Cleanup panel to job properties window (for auto-cleanup override settings).

• Added option to auto-filter Job Reports based on the selected Task.

• Added option to switch Job Reports panel to a horizontal orientation.

• Added a Render Status column to task list, which shows the same information that the Task Render Statuscolumn in the slave list shows.

• Fixed some layout and font-size issues in the job dependency drag and drop dialog.

• Fixed a bug that could cause output paths in the job/task context menus to show double path separators.



• Event plugins are only loaded once when archiving a batch of jobs.

• Fixed a bug when parsing the frame padding of an output path that contained multiple sections of paddingcharacters.

• The Task ID column in the Task and Job Report lists are now string filters instead of integers.

• Capped the job and task sub-menu length for viewing output and auxiliary files to 50 menu items.

• Deleting jobs from the monitor now logs to the repository history.

• If a job report can’t be loaded, the error message is now shown in the job report viewer.

• Task progress bars are now only visible for completed and rendering tasks.

• Task progress bars no longer change color based on the task’s state, although they will still match the completedjob color when the task is complete.

• Disabled ability to resubmit tasks for Tile and Maintenance jobs.

• For tile jobs, the tile numbers under the Frame column in the Task List now start at 1 instead of 0.

• Fixed a bug in Job Properties where editing a job’s existing Script Dependencies wasn’t being committed prop-erly when pressing OK.

• Fixed some errors when removing multiple asset or script dependencies from their respective lists in the jobproperties.

• Fixed spelling of “interruptiple” in the job properties dialog.

• Fixed a bug in the Job Dependency View that could lock up the Monitor when clicking on different jobs.

• When resubmitting a job that was scheduled to start at a certain time, the flag that indicates if the job has beenresumed already is now reset.

Slaves and Pulse

• You can now right-click on specific slaves in the Slave list in the Monitor to modify Pools and Groups for theselected slaves only.

• Added job icon to the Job Name column in the slave list.

• The Slave list now shows which Limits the slaves are whitelisted, blacklisted, and excluded for.

• The Slave report list in the Monitor now have columns that show Memory and CPU usage information.

• The utilization value in the slave list now takes into account rendering and idle slaves (necessary if there aremultiple slaves running on the same machine, but not all are rendering).

• If the slave list is filtered, the utilization will show the total utilization, as well as the utilization for just thevisible slaves.

• Fixed a bug where the utilization would only update if you click on a slave in the list.

• Cleaned up the utilization text a bit so that it’s easier to read.

• Added option for viewing history to the Pulse list.

• Moved the Modify Pools/Groups menu items in the slave list menu below the Modify Slave Properties menuitem.

• The slave list now shows the time a slave has been in its current state for all states (previously it would onlyshow this for rendering slaves).

• A warning now appears when trying to shut down the local machine from the slave list, instead of failing silently.

• Added option to switch Slave Reports panel to a horizontal orientation.



• If a slave report can’t be loaded, the error message is now shown in the slave report viewer.

• When deleting a pulse, the history entry is now logged in the repository history.

• The Mark Slave As Offline menu item is now shown if the slave is in the StartingJob state.

• Fixed a bug where history entries for saving slave settings weren’t logged if only one slave was selected.

• The Job Candidate Filter in the Slave list now handles jobs with empty whitelists properly.

• The Slave Reports panel now shows render logs in addition to render errors.

• Added new graphs to Slave Reports panel.

• Added Connect Host, Primary, and Region columns to pulse list.

• Pulse settings can now be modified from the pulse list.

• The pulse list is now used to connect to the pulse log, instead of the Tools menu.

Limits and Cloud

• The Limit list shows who the current stub holders are if that Limit is in use.

• The Limit list now has a new column that shows the Usage Level for the Limit.

• The Limit property dialog now has an option to use the Usage Level for the Limit.

• Many context menu items in the Cloud panel (ie: starting and stopping instances) are now performed asyn-chronously.

• User group permissions can now be set for the Cloud panel.

• The cloud panel will show dialog boxes if an error occurs when interacting with the cloud instances.

• Cloud plugin data is now only loaded and updated if the Cloud panel is being displayed.

• Added some messages to the cloud commands so you get some feedback when a command is successful.

Console and Remote Commands

• Fixed a timestamp bug in the Console panel.

• The Remote Commands panel is now enabled by default in the User Group Permissions (so that the Monitor’sLocal Slave Controls can display it).

• Fixed a spacing inconsistency between the timestamp and the text in the Monitor’s Console panel.

Slave Improvements

• Multiple slaves on a single machine now share one license, instead of requiring one license each.

• Slaves now return their license when they become idle.

• New Idle Detection settings can be set per slave. They can be used to launch the slave when the machine is idleand/or stop the slave when the machine is in use again.

• New Job Dequeueing Mode settings can be set per slave. They can be used to force slaves running on worksta-tions to only pick up jobs submitted from the same machine, or by specific users.

• Slaves can now be added to regions, which mainly affect how the slave applies Path Mappings.

• The slave system tray icon now shows the Deadline version number in the tooltip.

• Added timestamps when streaming the slave log.

• Fixed a startup bug on Linux and Mac OSX that could result in multiple slaves with the same name starting upon the same machine.



• Improved how the slave picks its IP address on Windows and Linux so that it picks a network interface with agateway (the Mac OSX version already did this).

• If a slave is initially running in Free Mode and it later gets a license, the License information in the slave UI andthe slave list in the Monitor will be updated appropriately.

• When a slave can’t connect to a license server, it only tries to do auto-discovery every 5 minutes so that it doesn’tsaturate the network.

• The slave now queries the machine’s CPU speed at regular intervals while it’s running, instead of just cachingthe value it gets at startup. This is useful for machines with CPU speeds that dynamically change while thesystem is running.

• Fixed a bug that was not checking the Job failure detection settings when a plugin failed to sync its files.

• When searching for a job, we no longer prune jobs that have a QueuedChunk count less than or equal to 0. Thishelps ensure that if a job’s state gets messed up, queued tasks will still be dequeued for that job.

• When searching for a job, the slave will now cache any Limits that it failed to acquire, and ignore other jobs thatrequire the same limit during that search.

• The idle interval between job searches is now calculated based on the percentage of the idle slaves in the farm.The interval increases as more slaves become idle.

• Improved the message printed by the slave when it is doing a self-cleanup because it didn’t close properly theprevious sessions.

• Limit stub returning a little more robust.

• Improved verbose log messages when the slave is looking for a higher priority job.

• Fixed a bug that allowed the slave to move on to another task before finishing saving the log for the current task.

• Significantly improved how the slave handles large amounts of stdout from the rendering process (both to per-formance and memory usage).

• Improved speed and reduced database load when a slave is processing limit groups while searching for a job torender.

• Fixed a null reference exception when the slave would check if it needed to return limit stubs based on progress,and the limit no longer exists.

• The check that the slave makes to see it needs to return limit stubs based on progress is now done every fewminute instead of every second.

• If the dlinit file is not found after a plugin sync, the slave will try three more times and then throws an exception.

• When dequeuing a job, the slave now returns job limit stubs immediately if it can’t find any tasks for that job.

• When dequeuing a job, the slave will check if the job has any queued tasks available before trying to get a taskfor it.

• When updating the job state information during rendering, the slave no longer reads the full job object backfrom the database.

• Slaves only do partial updating of their state when possible to reduce bandwidth.

• Fixed a bug that could cause the slave to crash during shutdown.

• Fixed a bug that would result in only partial logs for a task that rendered across different days.

• The local task logs have been renamed to ensure they are unique to the slave and render thread that is renderingthem.

• Any orphaned local task logs are now cleaned up the next time that render thread renders a task.



• Fixed a bug that could cause a render to fail if the job’s name changed between tasks.

• Added some additional logging just before the slave exits.

• Slaves now save their own copy of the task report, which can be viewed from the Slave Reports panel in theMonitor.

• Fixed some text fields in the Slave UI that weren’t readonly.

• Fixed some typos in some error messages.

• During each job scan, the slaves cache if a plugin supports concurrent tasks or not to avoid repeatedly reloadingthat information from the repository.

Pulse Improvements

• A primary pulse can now be configured, which is the ones that the slaves will connect to. Only the primaryinstance of pulse will do things like housecleaning and the pending job scan.

• If the primary pulse is offline or stalled, the repository repair operation can elect another running pulse as theprimary. This can be enabled in the repository repair settings in the repository options.

• Fixed some text fields in the Pulse UI that weren’t readonly.

• Pulse no longer controls the Slave Scheduling feature. It is now handled by the Launcher.

• Pulse now only sends the Repository Path for Auto Configuration requests. The other settings are pulled fromthe Repository after the Deadline applications have connected to it.

• The Pulse system tray icon now shows the Deadline version number in the tooltip.

• In Power Management, Idle Shutdown now takes into account if there are multiple slaves running on the samemachine.

• Added field to the Pulse UI that shows the state of the web service.

• The slave can now be shutdown with “deadlineslave -s” when it hasn’t connected to a repository yet.

• Added more information to the pulse throttling messages such as the slave name, job id, number of requests andthrottle limit.

• Made some tweaks to the web service new and delete user groups functions to not return error codes for certainoutcomes.

• Fixed bugs in some REST API functions that could cause Pulse to crash.

• Added a catch to prevent REST API functions from causing Pulse to crash.

• Changed some of the error messages that were inconsistent with the rest of the REST API.

• Pulse no longer prints out an error when favicon.ico is requested from the web service.

• Cleaned up the web service messages when the command is an invalid API command, and when no commandis specified.

• Added Access Control Allow Origin header to Web Service responses.

• The options request type is now supported by the Web Service.

• When deleting from the restful API, we now log to the repository history, not the job’s history.

• Added support to the restful API for only grabbing certain job properties in a request for jobs to reduce theamount of data getting passed around.

• Fixed a bug in the Machine Startup feature of Power Management that would result in no slaves being wokenup for a job with an empty whitelist.



Command Improvements

• All command line options now support any number of leading dashes (for example, “deadlinecommand.exe-pools” or “deadlinecommand.exe –groups”).

• Added new commands to suspend/resume individual tasks.

• Added a new command to suspend all non-rendering tasks for a job.

• Fixed some bugs with the RenderJob command line option.

• Fixed some bugs with the JobStatistics command line option.

• Added some User Group command line options.

• Fixed the RemoteControl command to properly print out results.

• Updated the help text for the ChangeRepository command line option to mention the optional Repository Pathargument.

• The RemoteControl command options are no longer case sensitive.

• Added GetJobDetails command to print the job details that are shown in the Job Details panel in the Monitor.

• Added GetVersion and GetMajorVersion commands.

• Added commands that can be used to configure the Cloud plugins, group mappings, regions, etc.

• Added DeadlineCommand commands for adding job, slave and repository history entries.

• Added command line option to DoHouseCleaning and DoRepositoryRepair to choose which mode to run.

• Added command line commands for performing path mapping.

• Removed JobCleanup command line option, since the DoHouseCleaning command can do this.

• The DoPendingJobScan command line option can now take an optional region parameter that is used for pathmapping when checking asset and script dependencies.

• Added SlaveExists command to check if a slave exists.

• Deadline Command no longer checks if the collection indices in the database need to be created (the otherDeadline applications still handle this).

• The ChangeRepository command no longer tries to load the Qt libraries if it is being passed the repository pathas a command line option.

• The ChangeLicenseServer command no longer tries to load the Qt libraries if it is being passed the license serveras a command line option.

• The ChangeUser command no longer tries to load the Qt libraries if it is being passed the user name as acommand line option.

• Fixed a bug with commands that accept a repository path as an argument. The bug would cause deadlinecommand to crash if the repository path was quoted and ended with a character (ie: “\serverrepository”).

Scripting Improvements

• Added new events to the Event Plugin API: OnHouseCleaning, OnSlaveStarted, OnSlaveStopped, OnSlaveRen-dering, and OnSlaveStartingJob.

• Added new grid-based control options to the DeadlineScriptDialog class, which make it easier to create custominterfaces in the Deadline scripts.

• Updated the cloud plugins to not swallow their errors when creating instances.



• Exposed some errors that happened when Cloud/Balancer plugin files were missing or spelled incorrectly.

• Added function to get the database connection string.

• Added function to change a job’s frame list.

• Default for ConcurrentTasks in a plugin’s dlinit file is now True.

• Added API commands to launch processes with a specific user account.

• Made some improvements to the way python exceptions are printed out.

• Fixed some issues with how python stdout and stderr redirection to the Deadline logs was working.

• Added new API commands to suspend all non-rendering tasks for a job.

• When a plugin, event, cloud, or Monitor script is executed, the log will now show where the script is beingloaded from.

• Added “EnabledStickySaving” function to the DeadlineScriptDialog class that can be used to automatically savesticky settings when the dialog is closed.

• Improved some function documentation for the API.

• The Slave Stdout Limit is now applied to ManagedProcess objects created in plugin scripts. Before, it was onlyapplied to the main DeadlinePlugin object.

• Fix a bug that prevented module import errors from showing the actual Python error.

• Added some additional User Group functions.

• The RGB spinners in the Color script control now resize when the control size changes.

• Added ClientUtils.CreateScriptTempFolder() function to create a temporary folder for the script that is automat-ically cleaned up.

• Fixed how the value is set for the RadioControl script control.

• Fixed a bug with getting the disabled slave count in the GetFarmStatisticsEx.py web service script.

• Added a OnJobPurged event trigger that gets called right before a job gets purged from the database.

• Added OnSlaveStalled callback for event plugins.

• Added functions to the REST API and the standalone Python module to get the job details that are shown in theJob Details panel in the Monitor.

• Added support to the REST API and the standalone Python module to undelete deleted jobs, purge deleted jobs,get deleted jobs and get deleted job ids.

• Added RepositoryUtils.GetJobDetails() function.

• Added RepositoryUtils functions to get deleted job IDs and to undelete jobs.

• Fixed a bug that prevented JobUtils.CalculateJobStatistics() from working in non-Monitor scripts.

• PYTHONHOME and PYTHONPATH are now properly set to the system’s values in RunProcess for the eventplugins.

• GetConfigEntry and GetConfigEntryWithDefault functions for plugins now trim whitespace off the values.

• Added support to the Standalone Python API for doing basic authentication with the Web Service.

• Added missing documentation for SlaveUtils.GetMachineIPAddresses() API function.

• Added RepositoryUtils.SlaveExists() function to check if a slave exists.

• Fixed a bug where the OnJobFinished callback for Event plugins wasn’t always getting the updated job object.



• Added some missing properties to the doxygen docs for BalancerInfo, PulseInfo, SlaveInfo, and SlaveSettings.

• SlaveHostMachineIPAddressOverride in SlaveSettings now represents the correct value.

Application Plugin Improvements

3ds Max Improvements

• Updated SMTD version numbers to 7.0.

• Fixed a SMTD initialization error.

• When copying external files, SMTD no longer tries to copy over missing files.

• 3dsMax2015_sp2 & Extension_1 dictionary entry added to 3dsmax plugin.

• Default/sticky settings can now be set in SMTD for the ExtraInfo fields.

• Removed (x86) references in 3dsmaxcmd plugin for Max2014 & Max2015.

• Made some improvements for the RTT (Render To Textrure) feature in SMTD, including the option to bake oneobject per task.

• Fixed bug in FumeFX string handling in 3dsmax plugin.

• Updated SMTD to handle blowup mode properly.

• Updated Region manipulator in SMTD to keep aspect ratio while in blowup mode.

• When offloading Mental Ray DBR jobs, the job will now use a temporary max.rayhosts file, rather than modifythe original.

• Added workaround to prevent 3ds Max 2015 from crashing when it’s rendering as a service.

• Fixed some layout issues in SMTD.

• Fixed some layout issues in the VRay DBR submitter.

• Added better error messages to SMTD if the main script from the repository can’t be loaded.

• Added some new SMTD sanity checks (CheckForOutputPathLength, CheckForREPathLength, CheckForDu-plicateREPaths, CheckForObjectNames, CheckForCorruptGroup).

• Fixed a bug in the 3ds Max 2015 workspace workaround that caused it to fail if the workspace directory doesn’texist.

• Fixed a bug that affected the tile assembly of frames rendered using the VRay frame buffer.

• Fixed a tile assembly issue with VRay MultiMatte render elements.

• Updated 3dsmax plugin dict in 3dsmax.py to clearly inform users which versions of 3dsMax are broken withDeadline.

• Changed maxTileAssembler command to use “HiddenDOSCommand” to hide console window on slave.

• SMTD - Add [PREVIEW] job ability to enable/disable its parent dependency to the [REMAINING] frames job.

• SMTD - When rendering single frame tile or single frame jigsaw, OutputFilename# should be frame specificinstead of ####.

• SMTD - If VRay “Separate Render Channels” is enabled, RE paths were not output to the Monitor OutputFile-name#.

• SMTD - Re-worked logic for when VRay RE’s are output as “Separate Render Channels” via VFB to theMonitor OutputFilename#.



• SMTD - When the script file “SubmitMaxToDeadline_RemapLocalToNetworkPath.ms” is not found in theRepository, the option for network remap will be hidden from the UI.

• SMTD - Improved “Generate Quicktime .MOV File” drop down UI positions.

• SMTD - Last edited dates are now shown in the SMTD ABOUT dialog.

• SMTD - 3dsmax.options - “Size” category re-named to “Render Size” so it appears next to the other “Render...”categories in alphabetical order in job properties.

• SMTD - Updated “RebuildRenderElements” function.

• SMTD - Added ability to override Tile/Jigsaw Assembler Pool, Secondary Pool, Group & Priority to be differentfrom main 3dsMax job.

• SMTD - Added sticky/default ini entries for Assembler Override settings.

• SMTD - Empty State Sets are now purged from the scene during submission via SMTD.

• SMTD - Submit a subset of Tiles for rendering with Draft Assembler, and they will all assemble over blackbackground.

• SMTD - Re-queue some of the “Completed” tasks of the above job to render more tiles that were not requestedas Custom Tiles during submission - the Draft Tile Assembler will successfully integrate them into the finalimage(s).

• SMTD - Submit with “Clean Up Tiles” checked multiple times - each time, it will successfully assemble thenew tiles over the previous output image used as background.

• SMTD - Jigsaw standalone feature “Fill Regions” backported to SMTD Jigsaw MX version, with extendedfunctionality.

• SMTD - Added an option to permanently rename render elements during submission.

• SMTD - Fixed a bunch bugs that could affect how the output paths are passed to Deadline.

• SMTD - The State Sets dialog is now automatically closed during submission and re-opened afterwards.

• SMTD - The “Sequencer Mode” State Set dialog docking now supported during State Sets dialog auto closingduring submission.

• SMTD - Properly handles versions earlier than Max 2015 not having “IsMainFrameVisible” property availablein State Sets object.

After Effects Improvements

• Added support for After Effects CC 2014.

• Improved the error message if the wrong submission script is installed on the client machine.

• Relaxed the output path sanity check in the integrated submitter so that it doesn’t prevent you from submittinga job that is outputting to a folder that doesn’t exist yet.

Arnold Standalone Improvements

• Added the -dp flag to the render arguments to speed up the rendering.

Cinema 4D Improvements

• All multi-pass paths are now included when submitting from the integrated submitter, allowing you to openthese output files from the Monitor.

• Fixed a bug in how the integrated submitter gets the output file name in cases where the output name schemedoesn’t start with a period.

• A Team Render submitter is now available that lets you launch Team Render on slaves and connect to them toperform an interactive render.



CommandLine Improvements

• Path Mapping is now performed on the arguments for CommandLine jobs.

CommandScript Improvements

• Path Mapping is now performed on the arguments for CommandScript jobs.

Corona Improvements

• Added support for Corona standalone.

DJV Improvements

• Re-worked DJV plugin & submission script to handle new DJV v1.0.1, which has changed the majority of it’scommand line flags in this new release!

• Fixed a couple bugs when using the job right-click script to submit a DJV job.

Draft Improvements

• Added Path Mapping support to the Draft tile assembler.

• Updated Draft to version 1.2.3.57201. Also note that if you are using Draft 1.1 or earlier, you will need anupdated Draft license.

• Updated Draft Tile assembler monitor submission script to be able to add all of the plugin submission options.

• Updated Draft Tile submitter to fix a visual bug.

• Improved the error message when the Draft Tile Assembler can’t load input tiles.

FFmpeg Improvements

• Path mapping is now applied to the preset files.

• The FFmpeg plugin now enforces the correct path separators based on the OS.

• Fixed some typos in the FFmpeg submitter in the Monitor.

Fusion Improvements

• Added support for Fusion 7.

• Updated the Fusion plugin icon.

Hiero Improvements

• Fixed how we get the start and end frame for a clip in the Hiero submitter.

Houdini Improvements

• Fixed some bad logic when checking the output file in the houdini submitter.

• Fixed an error when loading the sticky SubmitSuspended property in the integrated houdini submitter.

• The integrated submitter now includes the current ROP name with the job name.

• Improved Arnold for Houdini support.

Lightwave Improvements

• Updated the Path Mapping tooltip in the Lightwave plugin to mention that it can be disabled if there are no PathMapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

• Jobs submitted from Lightwave 11.8 now render properly.

Mantra Standalone Improvements

• The “mantra: Bad Alembic Archive” error message is now caught during rendering.



• Updated the Path Mapping tooltip in the Mantra plugin to mention that it can be disabled if there are no PathMapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

Maya Improvements

• Added Jigsaw support to Maya.

• Removed unnecessary 32 bit paths from the MayaBatch and MayaCmd plugin configurations.

• Added a new stdout handler to catch a Maya licensing error.

• Fixed some text cutoff issues in the integrated submitter on Mac OSX Mavericks.

• Added overrides for the height and width of the render output to the Monitor submitter.

• Fixed FumeFX Wavelet Sim issue for MayaBatch & MayaCmd.

• Fixed an Arnold for Maya verbosity flag bug.

• Fixed some issues when using tile rendering with VRay.

• VRay render elements are now supported when using the Draft Tile Assembler.

• Arnold AOVs are now supported by tile rendering.

• Added multichannel EXR support for Jigsaw and Draft Tile rendering.

• Fixed the default Maya executable paths on OSX.

• Added an explanation to the tooltip for the frame list control in the integrated submitter for why it would bedisabled.

• Fixed some Vray related bugs in the integrated Maya submitter due to differences between Vray 2 and Vray 3.

Mental Ray Standalone Improvements

• Added plugin configuration option to treat exit code 1 as error or success.

modo Improvements

• Added Jigsaw support to modo.

• Added option to modo Monitor submitter to specify the output pattern.

• Added warning message to modo Monitor submitter that overriding output and using Tile Rendering has limi-tations, and that they should use the integrated submitter in certain cases.

• Fixed a bug in the integrated modo submitter that prevented it from working in modo 801.

Nuke Improvements

• Added support for Nuke 9.

• Updated Nuke plugin to properly handle frame counts in batch node when given write node names.

• Fixed a bug that could crop up when setting the environment in the nuke submitter prior to launching dead-linecommand.

• Added Render Using Proxy Mode option to the Nuke submitter.

• Removed Build option from Nuke submitter, since the versions of Nuke that Deadline supports are 64-bit only.

• Fixed an error that could occur if PrepForOFX is not defined in the Nuke.dlinit file.

• The integrated Nuke submitter now includes output paths for all Views so that they can be viewed from theMonitor.

• The integrated Nuke submitter now displays a warning if you are trying to submit a job that has no Views.



• Updated the names given to the Knobs created by the integrated submitter, which seems to address some insta-bility issues that could come up.

• The secondary pool setting is now sticky in the integrated submitter.

• Fixed a bug with Nuke path mapping that would mess up embedded TCL in the output path.

• Updated the Path Mapping tooltip in the Nuke plugin to mention that it can be disabled if there are no PathMapping entries defined in the Repository Options.

• The integrated Nuke submitter handles TCL embedded in the output path properly when passing the paths toDeadline to view the output from the Monitor.

• Fixed an error in the submitter when the Nuke comp has proxy mode enabled.

• In the Nuke submitter, Deadline’s settings are now created in a “Deadline” tab, instead of just using the defaultUser tab. The settings have more readable names too.

• Added Performance Profiling option to submitter (Nuke 9 and later).

• Changed layout of submitter controls a bit.

• Fixed an issue with loading Shotgun and FTrack KVPs from the Nuke script file.

Puppet Improvements

• Added support for Puppet jobs.

Python Improvements

• Path separators for the script path are now set per OS after Path Mapping has taken place.

Quicktime Improvements

• Fixed an error in the job right-click script to submit a Quicktime job.

Realflow Improvements

• Added support for Realflow 2014.

• Improved Hybrido simulation progress reporting.

Rhino Improvements

• Added Jigsaw support to Rhino.

• Added Tile Rendering support to Rhino.

• Updated the default Rhino 5 executable path.

• When Rhino starts up, the “Enter” button is now pressed to workaround a case where Rhino wouldn’t startrendering.

Salt Improvements

• Added support for Salt jobs.

SketchUp Improvements

• Added support for sketchup 2015.

• Increased width of export directory and prefix fields in the submitter.

Vray DBR Improvements

• Added a task timeout option to all the DBR submission scripts. When the timeout is reached, the task will bemarked as complete so that the slave can move on to something else.

• In the Monitor submitter, the application version number is now sticky between sessions.



• The 3ds Max and Maya DBR submitters now disable vray distributed rendering when closing if the submitterhad automatically enabled it.

• The 3ds Max DBR submitter can now automatically mark the spawner job as complete when the renderingfinishes.

• Fixed how the Maya Vray DBR submitter creates a new shelf if there isn’t already a Deadline shelf.

• In the Monitor submitter, the port label visibility is now toggled on/off based on the currently selected applica-tion, which properly refreshes the UI.

• The default Vray spawner paths for 3ds Max Design are now included.

• Added a timeout setting for all supported applications except 3ds Max (3ds Max RT is supported though).

• Added an option for how to handle the case where a vray DR process is already running on the machine.

• The Port number can now be specified for 3ds Max.

• 3ds Max RT is now properly supported.

• Updated height of VRay dialog in Softimage.

• In the Ply2Vrmesh submitter, the attribute field is now wider.

Event Plugin Improvements

ftrack Event Improvements

• Added ftrack support to most of the submission scripts.

Shotgun Event Improvements

• Updated Shotgun API to version 3.0.17.

• Added functionality to upload a filmstrip and a H264 quicktime movie to Shotgun when a job finishes rendering.


12.2.1 Overview

This is a patch release for Deadline 7.0. It fixes a few important bugs that were discovered shortly after Deadline 7.0was released.

A bug with how the Slaves updated their state in the database had a significant impact on database performance.In order to fix this bug, we had to change how the Slaves update their state, and as a result the Slave list in theMonitor will show that your Slaves are in an “Unknown” state until all your machines (Slaves, Monitors, Pulse,etc) are running Deadline 7.0.1. Once all machines are running the same version, the Slaves will appear properlyin the Monitor again.

See the Deadline 7.0.0.54 Release Notes for the full release notes.

Note that a 7.0 license is still required to run this version. If you have a license for Deadline 6.2 or earlier, you willneed an updated license. In addition, the version of Draft that ships with Deadline 7 needs a new 1.2 license. If youhave a license for Draft 1.1 or earlier, you will need an updated license.





• Fixed some bugs in the Dependency panel in the Job Properties dialog.

• When resubmitting a job from the monitor, you can no longer set the frames per task to 0, which results in anerror during submission.

Slave Improvements

• Fixed a bug with how slaves update their state in the database, which had a negative impact on performance.

• The slave no longer prints out logging before and after each successful license checkout (errors are still printedout).

• The slave no longer updates its state in the database a bunch of times when shutting down.

• Reduced the frequency at which the slaves check if housecleaning needs to be done. Now, they only check at thesame interval that Pulse would be performing the housecleaning operations, instead of before each task search.


CommandScript Improvements

• Fixed a syntax error in the CommandScript plugin.

Maya Improvements

• Fixed a couple bugs that affected how the integrated submitter handled some VRay render elements.

Mental Ray Standalone Improvements

• Fixed a syntax error in the MentalRay plugin.


12.3.1 Overview

This is the second patch release for Deadline 7.0, which fixes a few bugs, and adds support for Lightwave 2015.

See the following pages for the full release notes:

• Deadline 7.0.0.54 Release Notes





• The Repository installer now sets the version number correctly in the repository.ini file.



• The submission script installers no longer create a rollback folder in the Repository folder.


• Fixed an error on Linux when checking how long the system has been idle in a headless environment.

Slave Improvements

• Fixed a bug that caused the slave to report that it had a permanent license in some cases when it couldn’t checkout a valid license.

Pulse Improvements

• Fixed a bug that prevented a Primary Pulse from performing the Pending Job Scan on Linux and OSX.



• Fixed a bug for 3ds Max 2015 when checking the visibility of the SceneExplorer prior to rendering.

Cinema 4D Team Render Improvements

• The C4D Team Render plugin now works properly with C4D 15 and 16.

• Removed the security token file location options from the plugin configuration, since they aren’t needed.

• The security token file is now created in the correct location on OSX.

• Improved the error message that occurs if the security token file can’t be created (often due to permissions).

• Moved the “Copy to Clipboard” button next to the security token field in the integrated submitter.

• Increased the button widths at the bottom of the integrated submitter to fix some text cutoff issues.

• If the security token is blank when submitting the job, it is now populated with the token that is automaticallygenerated.

• The Team Render submission script installer now supports C4D 16.

• The security token can no longer be modified from the Monitor after the job has been submitted.

Combustion Improvements

• Path mapping is now performed on the scene file path (if the scene isn’t being submitted with the job).

Lightwave Improvements

• Added support for Lightwave 2015.

• Fixed a bug that prevented the integrated submitter from working with Lightwave 2015.

modo Improvements

• Permissions are now set properly by modo submitter installer, which allows modo to recognize the Deadlinesubmitter when loading.




12.4.1 Overview

This is the third patch release for Deadline 7.0. It fixes a critical bug in the feature that allows you to pick an alternatefolder for job auxiliary files in the Job Settings in the Repository Options. Without this fix, Deadline can delete anyexisting subfolders in the chosen folder if their name doesn’t match an ID of a job that is still in the queue. This isn’t aproblem if you choose an empty folder (which is recommended), but if you choose a folder with existing subfolders,those subfolders will get deleted.

This fix ensures that only subfolders with names that represent a valid job ID can be deleted by Deadline.

See the following pages for the full release notes:






12.5.1 Overview

Deadline 7.1 adds many new features to Deadline 7.0, including enhanced logic for balanced/weighted job schedul-ing, new Slave metrics, better font synchronization, and new application support. It also fixes some bugs that werediscovered after Deadline 7.0 was released.

Note that a new 7.1 license is required to run this version. If you have a license for Deadline 7.0 or earlier, you willneed an updated license. In addition, the version of Draft that ships with Deadline 7.1 needs a new 1.3 license. If youhave a license for Draft 1.2 or earlier, you will need an updated license.

12.5.2 Highlighted Features

Enhanced Logic for Balanced/Weighted Job Scheduling

An experimental Enhanced Balancing Logic option has been added for balanced/weighted scheduling options in theJob Scheduling settings. When this option is enabled, the Slaves will use the new SlaveJobState collection in thedatabase to get a more accurate snapshot of all the rendering jobs in the farm, and use this information to make betterdecisions about which job they should be rendering.

Testing has shown that when this option is enabled, a proper distribution of Slaves among jobs is much more consistent,and Slaves no longer jump between jobs of the same priority. The result is more predictable behavior, and less wastedtime due to the overhead of switching between jobs that are expensive to start up.

New Slave Metrics

Slaves now report their Network I/O, Disk I/O, and Swap usage, which can be viewed from the Monitor. This infor-mation is also stored in the statistics that are gathered for the Slaves.



In addition, Swap usage for the rendering process is stored with a job’s task when it completes, and is also stored inthe statistics for the job when it completes.

Improved Slaves Statistics Reports

The Slave Resource Usage farm report is now called the Slaves Overview farm report, and shows additional statistics.For example, the new Slaves Overview chart shows how many slaves were in each state (starting job, rendering, idle,offline, stalled, and disabled). In addition, the new Available/Active Slaves charts show the number of slaves that areavailable, and the number of available slaves that are active. Finally, the new Plugin Usage chart shows the overallusage of the render plugins.

Both the Slaves Over and Active Slaves Stats reports can also be shown for a given region. This allows you seestatistics for slaves in a specific Cloud region, or in specific areas in the office (ie: render nodes versus workstations).Note that this requires you to set which regions your slaves belong to in their Slave Settings.

Improved Graphs in the Monitor

Line and Bar graphs in the Monitor now support panning and zooming, and a right-click option has been added to resetthe zoom level. In addition, individual series in some Line graphs can be shown/hidden from the right-click menu.Finally, the axis labels in these graphs have been updated to properly represent integer and date/time values, whichmakes them easier to read.

Expanded Font Synchronization

The new FontSync event plugin that ships with Deadline can be used to synchronize fonts on Mac OS X and Windowsbefore the Slave application starts rendering any job, or when the Slave first starts up. This general FontSync eventplugin replaces the font synchronization options in the After Effects plugin and now works for ALL plugin types inDeadline.

Improved Job Batch Display

Deadline 7 introduced the ability to group jobs together in the Monitor by setting their Batch Name property. Now, allDeadline submitters automatically set the Batch Name if multiple related jobs are being submitted at the same time.For example, when submitting each render layer as a separate job in Maya, they will all be part of the same batch.Another example is submitting a Jigsaw render with a dependent assembly job.

In addition, the Batch Row in the job list in the Monitor now shows information for all columns, depending on thesettings for the jobs in the batch. For numeric settings like priority or machine limit, the largest value for the jobs isshown. For settings like pool and group, the value will be shown if all jobs have the same value, and if they don’t,<batch> is shown instead. For all other columns, <batch> is simply shown.

Finally, the counts above the job list in the job panel now show the number of batches in the list, and the selected countnow ignores selected batches so that it properly represents the number of selected jobs.

Protected Jobs

Jobs now have a “Protected” property. When enabled, the job can only be deleted by the job’s user, a super user, or auser that belongs to a user group that has permissions to handle protected jobs. Other users will not be able to deletethe job, and the job will also not be cleaned up by Deadline’s automatic house cleaning. This is useful if you have jobsyou need to keep around for testing or benchmark purposes.



Flexible Image Viewer Configuration

The Monitor has always had the option to specify up to three viewers to use when viewing images from the Task list.Now, optional command line arguments can be set, which are then passed to the viewer when viewing images. Thereare also special tags, which are replaced automatically with information about the image being viewed.

The following tags are supported in the command line options:

• {FRAME}: This represents the task’s frame file. For example: /path/to/image0002.png

• {SEQ#}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘#’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image####.png

• {SEQ?}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘?’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image????.png

• {SEQ@}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘@’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image@@@@.png

• {SEQ%}: This represents the task’s frame sequence files, using ‘%d’ as the padding. For example:/path/to/image%04d.png

The arguments default to “{FRAME}”, which keeps the default behavior from previous versions of Deadline intact.

In addition, proper names can be given to the viewers, which are shown in their corresponding menu items. Finally,viewers can be configured to support chunked tasks (tasks which consist of more than one frame).

Standalone Web Service Application

A standalone Web Service application is now shipped with Deadline, and is called deadlineWebService.exe. It worksexactly the same as the Web Service feature that is built into Deadline Pulse, and both can be configured using the newWeb Service page in the Repository Options.

Install Launcher as Daemon on Mac OS X

The Deadline Client installer now has an option to install the Launcher as a Daemon on Mac OS X. This feature letsyou run the Launcher daemon as root, or as another user account.

Improved Submission Script Installers

The submission script installers now show what DEADLINE_PATH is set to (which is used by the submission scriptsto determine where the Deadline Client’s bin folder is located). You then have the option to change it if it’s incorrect,or set it if it doesn’t exist. This is useful if you have multiple versions of Deadline installed on your system.

A side-effect of this improvement is that it allows you to update DEADLINE_PATH without having to reinstall theDeadline Client or manually changing your system’s environment. To do this, simply run any submission scriptinstaller, change the DEADLINE_PATH value, and uncheck all options listed in the Components list. The installerwill then update the DEADLINE_PATH without installing the submission script files.

Draft Updated to Version 1.3.2.58232

This version of Draft requires a new Draft 1.3 licenses, and includes the following updates:

EXR Images:

• Added support for EXR data and display windows (previously data windows were set to the same size as thedisplay windows).



• Updated to OpenEXR 2.2.0.

LUT support:

• Added ACES 1.0 LUTs to the included ocio-configs folder.

• Improved the robustness of the Draft ASCCDL Reader. The reader can now handle different syntax in its inputfile.

VideoEncoder:

• Fixed a bug when encoding an image with VideoEncoder. The VideoEncoder was applying a bit of scaling tothe image.

• Fixed bug on Mac OS X where encoding with certain dimensions (ie: 640 x 480) was causing a memory errorcrash.

Draft Tile Assembler:

• Added support for assembling big images by exposing a new class in Python called TileAssembler. Most of thelogic of an assembly job can now be handled internally

New Application Support

Support has been added for many AEC (Architecture Engineering Construction) and Product Visualization products,including AutoCAD, CSiBridge, CSiETABS, CSiSAFE, CSiSAP2000, EnergyPlus, MicroStation, VRED and VRED-Cluster.

Support has also been added for 3ds Max 2016, Anime Studio 11, Composite 2016, Corona distributed rendering,Maya 2016, Media Encoder, Houdini 14, LuxSlave distributed rendering, Natron, Nuke Studio Frame Server dis-tributed rendering, Renderman RIS for Maya, VRay for modo, and Vue 2015.


General Improvements

• A standalone Web Service application is now shipped with Deadline.

• A new “KeepWebServiceRunning” property can be added to the system’s deadline.ini file to restart the webservice application if it is stopped or crashes.

• Added a generic new event plugin to synchronize fonts, and removed the font synchronization option from theAfter Effects plugin.

• Regions can now be renamed.

• On OSX, the Deadline applications now respond properly to SIGTERM and SIGINT signals.

• All Deadline job submitters now set the job’s Batch Name automatically if multiple related jobs are beingsubmitted.

• Passwords can now be longer than 15 characters (affects super user password, passwords for running jobs asusers on Windows, etc). Note that this does not break existing passwords that are already saved.

• Fixed a bug that caused the Slave, Balancer, and Pulse to report their disk space incorrectly on Linux.

• Added ability to import statistics from another repository.

• Added options to Jigsaw window to pan the image using the middle mouse button.

• If a non-pulse machine performs house cleaning, pending job scan, or repository repair, it logs it to the repositoryhistory.



• Updated submitters that support Draft tile assembly to add a new line to the start of Draft assembler config filesto workaround potential encoding issues.

• Fixed some rounding errors in Jigsaw that could occur with region sizes if the background image is a differentresolution than the rendered image.

• Fixed some encoding issues that could occur in the assembly config files when submitting Jigsaw renders.

• Added an Idle Detection option to only stop a slave when the machine is no longer idle if that slave was originallystarted by idle detection.

• Fixed a bug when doing path mapping that caused the whole file to be read into memory when there weren’t anypaths in the Mapped Paths settings in the Repository Options.

• Deadline no longer tries to create the deadline.ini file if it doesn’t exist, which can happen unintentionally whenthe deadline.ini file is being updated on Linux or OSX, and cause the file to get wiped.

• The Deadline applications no longer cache the machine’s host name, which can cause problems when runningmultiple instances of the Slave on the same machine.

• Fixed a bug in how the default font for the Deadline applications was chosen on OSX, which could cause theshortcuts in the menus to be displayed incorrectly.

• Fixed issues with how all the Deadline applications handled startup errors.


• The Repository installer now ships with default script menu layouts for the Monitor (they are only applied ifthere aren’t existing customizations to the script menus).

• Added a “–backuprepo” command line option to the Repository installer to specify if the repository should bebacked up or not (default is true).

• Improved the speed of backing up the repository in the Repository installer.

• Added command line option to the Windows Client installer to kill Deadline processes before proceeding withinstallation.

• Fixed an error in the OSX Client installer that occurred when trying to set up the Launcher Login Item in aheadless session.

• The Repository installer now sets the label in the mongodb plist file correctly on OSX.

• Added option to OSX Client installer to install launcher as a daemon.

• The Submitter Installers no longer create empty folders in the Start Menu on Windows.

• The Client uninstaller now checks if there is another Deadline installation prior to deleting DEADLINE_PATH,and if there is, it prompts the user if they want to delete DEADLINE_PATH or change its value to somethingelse.

• The submission script installers now show what DEADLINE_PATH is set to, giving you the option to change itif it’s incorrect.

• Fixed some issues with the MongoDB init script that is installed by the Repository installer on Linux that couldcause it to conflict with a previous MongoDB installation.

• Fixed how the LAUNCHERSERVICELOCK variable is set in the Launcher init script that is installed by theClient installer on Linux.

• Fixed a bug that caused the modo submitter installer to install into an extra DeadlineModo sub folder.

• The DeadlineModoClient.pl script for modo 6xx and earlier is now shipped with the Repository installer again.



• End of line characters are now removed with the Repository installer sets up the dbConnect.xml file in theRepository.

• The SketchUp submitter installer now works even if SketchUp hasn’t been installed on the machine yet.

• Fixed the default install paths in the SketchUp submitter installer for SketchUp 7, 8, and 2013.

• Added command line option to the Client installer to set the launcher daemon delay setting (Linux and OSX).

• Permissions are now set properly on the integrated submission scripts that are installed by the Submitter In-stallers.

• When installing the launcher as a service on Windows, the client installer now grants the “SeServiceLo-gonRight” right to the account name so that the service can start properly.

Job Improvements

• Added an option to the job scheduling settings to set when the job should stop.

• The swap usage of the rendering process is now stored with the task when it is complete, and is also stored inthe job statistics.

• Added a job option to specify the rendering progress cut-off for interrupting a job.

• Maintenance jobs now take the job’s whitelist/blacklist into account when setting the number of tasks for thejob.

• Added an “Enhanced Balancing Logic” option for balanced/weighted scheduling options. It’s an experimentalfeature that helps prevent slaves from jumping between jobs.

• Added new OutputFilename#Tile? property to the job info file, which will keep track of images for tile jobs (#is for the output index, ? is for the tile index).

• Added job property to project jobs from being deleted or archived.

• A history entry is now added to a job before it is deleted (in case the job gets undeleted later).

• Fixed some warning messages that could appear when submitting a job that is frame dependent.

• Fixed some bugs when submitting jobs with asset dependencies.

• Updated the JobTransfer plugin to use the new RepositoryUtils.CreateJobSubmissionFiles function, which en-sures that the transferred job’s properties are set correctly.

• The TransferSubmission script now sets the transfer job name based on the selected job name.

• Trailing path separators are now stripped from the output directory when using OutputDirectory# in the job infofile during submission.

• Added a Custom job scheduling option which lets you pick specific days to start and/or stop the job, just like inthe Slave Scheduling settings.

• When setting the next start or stop date for Daily scheduled jobs, it is now relative to the current date, not thedate that the job was originally scheduled to be started or stopped.

• Fixed a Daylight Savings Time related bug that affected job archiving and getting jobs from the REST API.

• When archiving a job, any JSON errors are now written to the log.

• Added option to use ‘sudo’ or ‘su’ on Linux and OSX when rendering the job as another user. Also added theoption to preserve the environment when using ‘sudo’ or ‘su’.

• Fixed an Automatic Job Timeout logic bug. Now, if both Automatic Job Timeout options are enabled in theRepository Options, then both requirements must be met.



• A job no longer fails to submit if an empty Username value is set in the job info file. Instead, the currentDeadline user on the machine is used.

Statistics Improvements

• The Slaves Overview report now shows an overview of Available and Active slaves.

• The Slaves Overview report now shows overall usage of the render plugins..

• The Slaves Overview and Active Slave Stats reports can now be shown for a specific Region.

• Added tables to the Slaves Overview report to show Last, Min, Avg, and Max values for the series in the graphs.

• All farm reports pages now use splitters so that the graphs can be resized or hidden.

• In the Farm Reports dialog, the date range boxes are now formatted to be consistent with how dates are formattedelsewhere.

Power Management Improvements

• When Power Management is starting up Slaves for a job, it now checks the job’s Limits, and doesn’t start upSlaves if they will exceed the maximum for those Limits.

• When starting up Slaves for a job, the list of jobs for the secondary pool scan are now gathered properly.

• The maximum number of Slaves that can be started for a specific job is now tracked between the primary andsecondary pool scan, in case the job shows up in both collections.

• Fixed a bug in Idle Shutdown that would not shutdown an idle Slave on a machine if there were offline and/orstalled Slave instances on the same machine.

• The thermal shutdown sensor dialog in the Power Management window now ensures that the user enters a hostname or IP address for the sensor.

• When setting up Thermal Shutdown, you can now specify “Test” sensors that can be used to test the ThermalShutdown functionality without connecting to real temperature sensors.

• Added option to Power Management groups to simply include all slaves in the group (instead of having to addeach one manually).


• The option to change the user is now disabled if Deadline is configured to use the system’s user.

• Fixed a memory leak in the Launcher that occurred when it launched various Deadline applications through it.

• When shutting down a Linux machine, the Launcher now tries to use “sudo shutdown” instead of just “shut-down”.

• The deadlinelauncherservice script on Linux now returns the proper exit code when checking the status of theLauncher.

• Fixed a bug that prevented Idle Detection from working properly on Linux.

• The launcher now passes a “-service” command line argument to the slave if it is running as a service onWindows. This tells the slave that it is running as a service.

• The init.d script (Linux) and launchd script (OSX) now pass a -daemon argument to the launcher.



• When the launcher is running as a daemon (Linux and OSX), it will sleep the number of seconds specified forthe LauncherDaemonStartupDelay setting in the system deadline.ini file before starting up any other Deadlineapplications. This delay helps ensure that the machine has its hostname set during startup before launchingSlave, Pulse, or Balancer.

• The Launcher icon tooltip now shows that the repository is not set when the deadline.ini file doesn’t exist.


General

• All remote viewer scripts (ARD, Radmin, RDC, and VNC) now use the hostname/IP override if necessary.

• When managing the Script menus in the User Group Permissions dialog, scripts that are no longer in the repos-itory no longer show up.

• When auto-configuring the performance settings in the Repository Options, a preview of the current and newperformance settings is now shown.

• The option to change the user is now disabled if Deadline is configured to use the system’s user.

• Added Import/Export/Default buttons to the Script Menus page in the Repository Options.

• Fixed a bug in the Script Menus page where script items were losing their order when dragged and dropped asa group.

• Fixed a bug in the Script Menus page that could cause the Monitor to crash during some drag and drop opera-tions.

• When changing repositories, the Submission and Scripts menus in the Monitor are now updated.

• Moved Image Viewer settings to separate page in Monitor options, and added the option to specify commandline arguments for them.

• The Client Setup page in the Repository Options now explains that clients can automatically upgrade or down-grade.

• Added a pinned filters button above the list in most panels to allow quicker switching between pinned filters.

• Tooltips for spinner controls in the Repository Options now show the minimum and maximum values that aresupported.

• The default balancing algorithm in the Balancer Settings in the Repository Options now has a Verbose option.

• Made a slight improvement to the performance of the list panels.

• The size of the box on the left of Repository Options, Plugin Configuration, etc, can now be resized.

• The datetime values shown in the Monitor are no longer based on the system’s region settings. This was breakingthe Monitor datetime filters in some regions.

• The first column in all the lists can now be moved using drag and drop.

• The Monitor no longer asks for the super user password twice during startup if the Monitor is configured to startin super user mode.

• Fixed inconsistencies in the sort order of the job status column.

• Added options to the House Cleaning settings in the Repository Options to disable having the Slaves performhousecleaning, repository repair, and pending job scan.

• Added option to Slave Scheduling groups to simply include all slaves in the group (instead of having to add eachone manually).

• Removed the [?] button in the top right corner from a few dialogs, since it isn’t used.



• Added a green label to the Monitor status bar that makes it clear that you are only seeing your own jobs if youaren’t allowed to see other users’ jobs. The tooltip for this label explains why you can’t see the other jobs.

• Fixed a bug in the local slave controls where some options weren’t disabled by default if Override Idle DetectionSettings was disabled.

• Added an option to the View menu to save all pinned layouts to a zip file.

• The first tab in each group of tabs is now selected by default when opening the Monitor, instead of the last tab.

• The pinned filter button menu for the list controls is now updated properly.

• The Monitor no longer is hidden and restored when changing local pinned layouts.

• The Execute Command remote control option now respects the IP Address or Host Name override of the ma-chine it’s connecting to.

• Added user permission option to control if users in a group are allowed to handle protected jobs.

• Fixed tooltips and tab order in New/Edit Path Mapping dialog.

• The Reports panels in the Monitor now use a monospace font when using the default style (like the Consolepanel does).

• The Console font in a custom style is now applied properly when the monospace option is disabled.

• The Log report row color in the Reports panels is now applied properly when using a custom style.

• Line graphs now support panning and zooming, and a right-click option is now available to reset the zoom level.

• Individual series in some Line graphs can be shown/hidden from the right-click menu.

• Improved the axis labels in many graphs so that they properly represent integer or date/time values.

• Fixed a display issue with the Find icon in the context menu for the Console and Reports panels.

• Fixed a bug that could prevent jobs exported in one timezone from being imported into another timezone.

• Fixed a bug that could prevent the report panel from displaying an error message if it can’t connect to Pulse tostream logs (if Pulse log streaming is enabled in the Monitor options).

• Fixed how the controls in the Override Idle Detection group box were enabled/disabled when enabling it.

• Split local slave dialog into 3 tabs so that it’s not so tall.

• Error and log reports now show if the slave was running as a service (Windows only).

• Added a new CheckTemperatureSensors.py script that can be used to check the temperature of all sensors inPower Management.

• Added options for custom viewer name (which is used for the menu item), and if it supports chunked tasks. Ifan image viewer supports chunked tasks, the chunked task image viewer dialog won’t be shown.

• Added a better error message to deal with custom viewers that are pointing to directories instead of files.

• When the Monitor is configured to start in super user mode, it no longer hides panels during startup that the userwouldn’t normally have permissions to see.

• The Monitor no longer loads the Monitor settings twice during startup.

• When changing repositories while in super user mode, the monitor will stay in super user mode if the new repodoesn’t have a super user password, or will prompt for the password if it does have a super user password.

• Fixed a bug in the logic that determines if the Timeout Multiplier label in Automatic Job Timeout settings in theRepository Options is enabled or disabled.

• When streaming logs from Pulse, the Monitor will now only to connect to the Primary Pulse if it is running.



• Fixed an error in the Custom Farm Reports when creating a graph with a Time Span value for the group or valuecolumn.

• Increased the default width of the Edit Data Columns dialog when creating a Custom Farm Report.

Jobs and Tasks

• The job batch expansion arrow in the job list is now always shown in the first column.

• The job batch row now shows more information based on the jobs in the batch.

• The batch row now shows the number of jobs that are in the batch.

• The counts above the job list now show the number of batches, and the selected count now ignores batch rowsso that it properly shows the number of selected jobs.

• The counts at the top of the job list now update properly when switching between graph and list displays.

• The “Job Batch” setting in the Job Properties dialog is now called “Batch Name”.

• The initial title for the charts in the job list is now set properly.

• Fixed a bug where changing a job’s state from the Monitor didn’t update the job’s Started and Finished dateproperties.

• Fixed error when updating job’s history after deleting all reports for the job.

• When switching between being able to see other users’ jobs and not being able to see them, the job counts arenow updated properly.

• The Scan For Missing Output option is now available for Tile jobs.

• The Scan For Missing Output dialog now pulls the colors for the task output rows from the job list’s colorscheme.

• Clicking “No” on the requeue confirmation in the Scan For Missing Output dialog no longer closes the dialog.

• Output for Tile jobs can now be viewed from the Task list in the Monitor.

• Added a new dialog to handle the resubmission of Tile jobs.

• Fixed a bug in the Scan For Missing Output dialog that would always result in the whole job getting requeued.

• Fixed some cases where job batch rows did not disappear properly when all their jobs were filtered out.

• Removed an obsolete warning message that could appear when using quick filters in the job list.

• Trailing path separators are now removed in the job/task context menu options to Explore Output so that dupli-cates can be removed properly.

• Fixed a bug when whitelisting or blacklisting a slave from the task menu that prevented it from persisting.

• The Scheduling page in the Job Properties now has a Custom option, which lets you pick days of the week tostart and/or stop the job.

• The job properties dialog will now ask you to pend/release a job if the scheduling settings have changed.

• Fixed a bug that prevented the job progress bar in the Monitor from updating when the progress for a single taskjob is updated.

• Changed the color for normalized render time line in the task render times graph.

• Fixed an error in the Job Dependency View when changing the Elided Titles setting.

Slaves and Pulses

• When starting Slave machines from the Slave list, the info dialog is now displayed immediately.

• The initial title for the charts in the Slave list is now set properly.



• The Slave list now shows the name and port of the Pulse instance that a Slave is connected to (it still shows“No” if it can’t connect to Pulse).

• The host name or IP address specified in the Pulse settings is now treated as an override. If left blank, the hostname or IP address shown in the Pulse list will be used (depending on the Pulse setting to use Pulse’s IP addressin the Repository Options).

• If a host name or IP address override is specified in the Pulse settings, it is now used when the Slaves connect toPulse, and for remote commands.

• A MAC address override can now be specified in the Pulse settings.

• Added Pulse remote commands to Monitor to perform housecleaning, pending job scan, repository repair, andpower management check.

• Removed the filtered utilization calculation from the slave list because it impacted performance, and wasn’treally that useful.

• Fixed some display issues in the Slave list for slaves that were in the Starting Job state.

• Fixed an “onDataChanged” error in the Slave list.

• Removed some debug logging when starting slaves via Remote Control.

• Disabled slaves now show their actual state in parenthesis in the Status column in the slave list.

• Disabled slaves are no longer included in the utilization values in the slave list.

• Slaves that are starting a job are now included in the utilization values in the slave list.

• When sending remote commands from the Monitor to the Slave, only the slave’s postfix is sent, instead of thefull slave name. This prevents slaves from starting up with the wrong slave name if the machine’s host namechanges.

• When sending remote commands from the Monitor to the default slave instance on the machine, the ‘~’ characteris used to represent the default instance (since the default instance has no postfix).

• The CPU Affinity settings in the Slave Properties now mention that it’s only supported on Windows and Linux.

Limits

• Added a button to the Limit List Control to add a new Limit, which works the same as the existing right-clickingoption.

• The list labels in the Limit Dialog are now set correctly when editing a Machine-level Limit.

Balancers and Cloud

• Cloud Regions can now be renamed.

• Added a Scripts menu to the Balancer list’s right-click menu.

• Added Balancer license information to the Balancer list.

• Added Balancer remote commands to Monitor to perform balancing.

• A host name or IP address override can now be specified in the Balancer settings, which is used for remotecontrol.

• A MAC address override can now be specified in the Balancer settings.

• Added a button and a right-click option in the Cloud Panel to add a new instance.

• Some right-click options in the Cloud Panel are now asynchronous.

• Fixed a bug that affected the updating of the Cloud panel.

• Permissions for the cloud panel are now open by default.



Slave Improvements

• Slaves now report their Network I/O, Disk I/O, and Swap usage, which can be viewed from the Monitor.

• Fixed a bug that could cause the Slave to lock up when registering new fonts on Windows.

• The Slave UI now shows the name and port of the Pulse instance that the Slave is connected to (it still shows“No” if it can’t connect to Pulse).

• Fixed an Access Denied error that could occur when rendering as a user on Windows.

• On Windows, a warning is now printed if the rendering process cannot be assigned to a job object instead offailing the render. Note that this is only an issue on Windows 7 and earlier.

• The Region name is now shown in the Slave UI.

• The Slave now sets its Slave name when updating a requeue report.

• Fixed a bug that prevented the Slave on Linux from getting the output image size correctly after it finishedrendering a task.

• On Linux and Mac OSX, a SIGKILL signal is now sent to the rendering process when cancelling a task if itdoesn’t shut down gracefully.

• When finished rendering a task from a Tile job, the Slave now sets the output image file size for the task.

• The slaves now report memory usage for a task more reliably on Linux.

• Fixed an error on Windows when mapping drives to a remote path with ‘/’ as the path separators.

• Disabled slaves no longer perform house cleaning, pending job scan, or repository repair operations.

• A slave now only triggers slave events when its state actually changes. Previously, the slave would trigger theOnSlaveIdle event repeatedly when it didn’t find any jobs to render, even if it was idle before looking for a job.

• When the slave is shutting down, it skips the gathering of system info (cpu, ram, swap, network I/O and diskI/O) when reporting the slave state because it can significantly slow down the shutdown of the slave.

• The slaves now only try to connect to the Primary Pulse if it is running.

Pulse Improvements

• Fixed a few bugs with how Slave names were processed by the web service (for example, there were issues withcase sensitivity).

• Added functions to the REST API to get the contents of job, task, and Slave reports.

• The confirmation dialog shown when shutting down Pulse now mentions if Pulse is the Primary.

• The Region name is now shown in the Pulse UI.

Balancer Improvements

• Added a text box to the Balancer UI that shows information from the previous balancing operation.

• Added Balancer license information to the Balancer UI.

• Added option to change license server from the Balancer’s file menu.

• The Balancer system tray icon is now hidden when the Balancer is closed.

• The Balancer now responds to remote shutdown requests properly.

• The Balancer UI and logs now show which logic plugin the Balancer is using.



• The confirmation dialog shown when shutting down Balancer now mentions if Balancer is the Primary.

• The Region name is now shown in the Balancer UI.

• Added icon to the Perform Balancing menu item in the Balancer UI.

• The primary balancer now tries to pull a license immediately after connecting to the repository. This ensuresthat the license information in the balancer GUI is correct when it pops up.

• The primary balancer will now check in its license if it is switched to standby mode while its running.

• The primary balancer will now explicitly check in its license when it is shut down.

• The Balancer now shows regions as disabled if they are disabled or if they are disabled specifically for theBalancer.

• Fixed a bug that could cause the Slave from a terminated instance to still show up in the Slave list in the Monitor.

Command Improvements

• Added RemoveCloudRegion command line option to remove a cloud region.

• Fixed the help text for the CreateCloudRegion command.

• Fixed the deadlinecommand shell script to properly set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH on Linux.

• More job properties are now supported by the GetJobSetting and SetJobSetting commands.

• Added GetJobExtraInfoKeyValue and SetJobExtraInfoKeyValue commands to get/set key/values in the job’sExtra Info dictionary.

• Added GetJobPluginInfoKeyValue and SetJobPluginInfoKeyValue commands to get/set key/values in the job’sPlugin Info dictionary.

• Added AppendJobFrameRange command to append frames to a job without affecting the job’s existing tasks.

• Improved stdout when using commands that change a job’s state (like RequeueJob).

• The help messages for the SubmitMultipleJobs and Multi commands are now consistent.

Web Service Improvements

• A standalone web service application is now included with Deadline.

• Fixed a bug that could cause the web service to lock up on Linux and OSX.

• Added REST API functions to get the Deadline version.

• Added REST API functions to delete Pulse and Balancer instances.

• Added REST API functions to perform path mapping.

• Added “States” parameter to the jobs API to get jobs in the specified state(s). It accepts a comma separated listof states.

• Added REST functions to get the report contents for a job.

• The web service now returns status code 500 when a web service script throws an error.

• Web service scripts can now return a status code, as well as additional headers.

• Added REST function to append frames to a job without affecting the job’s existing tasks.



Scripting Improvements

• The RepositoryUtils.CheckPathMappingInFileAndReplace() function no longer loads the entire file in memoryfor path mapping.

• Popup detection in the Application Plugins now works on Qt popups and Windows 8 mobile popup dialogs.

• Invalid DateTime values in Deadline objects passed via the standalone Python API no longer cause errors, andinstead are set to the minimum DateTime value.

• Right-click scripts for the Balancer list in the Monitor can now be created.

• Added new ReplaceFrameNumberWithPadding and ReplaceFrameNumberWithPrintFPadding functions toFrameUtils.

• Added functions to the standalone Python API to get the contents of job, task, and Slave reports.

• Fixed the “RemoveSlavesFroLimitGroupList” function typo in RepositoryUtils.

• ProcessUtils.IsProcessRunning() is now more reliable on OSX.

• Added functions to JobUtils to test dependencies.

• Added new Power Management events.

• Added script API functions to modify a job’s bad Slave list.

• Added a GetEventDirectory() function to the event plugin class, which returns the directory path for the currentevent plugin.

• Added new API functions to get selected Pulse and Balancer settings objects in the Monitor.

• Added Standalone Python API functions to get the Deadline version.

• Added Standalone Python API functions to delete Pulse and Balancer instances.

• Added functions to PathUtils to register or unregister a list of fonts (Windows only).

• Added a RepositoryUtils.CreateJobSubmissionFiles function to create the submission files from the job.

• Added new MappedPaths module to standalone Python API to perform path mapping.

• Added a RepositoryUtils.GetJobsInState function to get jobs that are in the specified state(s).

• Added Jobs.GetJobsInState and Jobs.GetJobsInStates functions to standalone Python API to get jobs in specificstates.

• Added JobBatchName to Job object in the script API.

• Removed use of deprecated JobUtils and ScriptUtils functions from the Monitor scripts that ship with Deadline.

• Added FrameUtils.ReplacePaddingWithFrameNumber() function to Script API.

• Added standalone Python functions to get the report contents for a job.

• Added IsRunningAsService() function to DeadlinePlugin to check if the slave is running as a service on Win-dows.

• Added Limit properties LimitCurrentHolders, LimitInUse, and LimitStubLevel to scripting API.

• Added RepositoryUtils.GetPowerManagementOptions function to scripting API.

• Added PowerManagementGroup and PowerManagementOptions classes to scripting API.

• The SetIniFileSetting function no longer changes the order of sections and keys in the ini file.

• Added RepositoryUtils.GetPathMappings() function to get all the path mappings for the current OS and region.



• Added RepositoryUtils.AppendJobFrameRange() function to append frames to a job without affecting the job’sexisting tasks.

• Added standalone Python function Jobs.AppendJobFrameRange() to append frames to a job without affectingthe job’s existing tasks.

• Comments are now supported in the param and options files for the plugins. A ‘;’ or ‘#’ can be placed at thestart of a line to comment it out.


3ds Cmd Improvements

• Added support for 3ds Max 2016.

• Added Backburner sys env PATH checks to 3dsCmd plugin.

• Fixed FTrack bug in the 3dsCmd integrated submitter.

• Version info for 3dsmaxcmd.exe and 3dsmax.exe executables are now logged during rendering.

• Added a new sanity check to the integrated submitter.

• Updated version dictionary in 3dscmd.py.


• Added support for 3ds Max 2016.

• Many Corona renderer properties can now be modified from the Monitor after the job has been submitted.

• Increased the communication timeout between Deadline and 3ds Max, which greatly reduces the occurrence oftimeout errors.

• Lowered the timeout for customise.ms from 10 minutes down to 1 minute.

• Improved the reliability of the Kill ADSK Comm Center feature.

• Added Qt popup handling.

• Fixed a bug with .mxp path config files for some submission modes.

• The contents of the temporary dl.ini file are now printed to the render log.

• Fixed a bug in SMTD that allowed you to click the Submit button before SMTD finished loading.

• A warning message is now logged if the Backburner version installed doesn’t match the version of 3ds Maxbeing rendered with.

• Sub State-Sets and Scripted State-Sets now supported in SMTD.

• Unified color scheme in SMTD.

• Blacklist/whitelist now shows the slave states by coloring the items in the list in SMTD.

• The Batch Name for jobs is now supported for all job type submissions in SMTD.

• Updated support for some Corona advanced options that recently changed.

• Fixed a bug with Quicktime job submission in SMTD.

• Added popup handler for ADSK license dialog popup when you ‘borrow’ a license.

• Added popup handler for Populate dialog.

• Fixed some Tile/Jigsaw related bugs.

• Added MAXScript Debugger popup ignorer.



• SMTD now sets the tile output paths for a Tile job so that they can be viewed from the Monitor.

• Fixed a bug in SMTD that prevented a couple Shotgun checkboxes from working properly.

• Fixed how SMTD set the job batch name when using the Create/Upload checkboxes.

• Added new sanity checks to SMTD.

• Added ExtraInfo customisable maxscript $tokens to SMTD.

• Added extra LogInfo line so we can see in a crashing 3dsMax error/log report that slave is running as a service.

• Added V-Ray & Corona VFB override checkbox option in SMTD.

• Added V-Ray & Corona VFB enable/disable checkbox, only active if override option is enabled in SMTD.

• Updated customize.ms to use DeadlineUtil.WarnMessage for warning messages.

• Added support for V-Ray Image Sampling - “Render Mask” Type = current scene selection.

• Updated V-Ray advanced renderer maxscript properties to support latest V-Ray v3.15 / nightly builds.

• Updated iray advanced renderer maxscript properties to support most recent iray features introduced in 3dsMax2014 onwards.

• Added read-only labels to 3dsmax submission via SMTD to display the final, assembled image resolution whentile/region/jigsaw rendering.

• Changed “V-Ray VFB [Region] button is enabled” sanity check from #fail to #fix.

• Added a couple Maxwell popup ignorers.

• Updated version dictionary in 3dsmax.py.

After Effects Improvements

• Changed wording of “Number of Tasks” to “Number of Machines” in multi machine rendering settings.

• Enabling multi machine mode in the Monitor submitter now disables the local rendering option.

• Fixed a text cutoff issue in the integrated After Effects submitter.

Anime Studio Improvements

• Added support for Anime Studio 11.

• The submitter can now parse the Layer Comps from the new .anime and .animeproj scene files that were intro-duced in Anime Studio 11.

Arnold Standalone Improvements

• Added path mapping support to the contents of the Arnold .ass files.

• Added progress reporting to the Arnold plugin.

• The Command Line field in the Monitor submitter is now sticky.

Cinema 4D Improvements

• Added stdout handler to catch “The output resolution is too high for the selected render engine” error message.

Composite Improvements

• Added support for Composite 2016.

Corona Improvements

• Added support for Corona distributed rendering.

• Updated the Corona icon.



Draft Improvements

• Updated Draft to version 1.3.2.58232 (requires a new Draft 1.3 license).

• Added the Use Shotgun Data button and its functionality to the job right-click Draft submission script.

• Fixed a bug caused by trailing backslashes in paths being passed as command line arguments to Draft.

• Fixed some bugs in the Draft Tile Assembler.

• Updated Draft Assembly plugin to use new Draft functions, which reduce memory usage and improves perfor-mance.

Fusion Improvements

• Re-added Submission and Job scripts to submit Fusion Quicktime jobs to Deadline (was removed in Deadline6).

• Fusion Quicktime jobs are now submitted to the Fusion plugin, instead of having their own QuicktimeFusionplugin.

• The Fusion plugin now pulls from the Fusion render log correctly when Fusion.exe is chosen as the renderexecutable.

• Fixed a bug in the integrated submitter that would prevent job submission from working for certain versions ofFusion 7.x.

Hiero Improvements

• When submitting a sequence with a custom in/out time, the integrated Hiero submitter now sets the end frameproperly.

Houdini Improvements

• Added support for Houdini 14.

• Added support to the integrated submitter for submitting Wedge ROP jobs.

• Submission settings in the integrated submitter now get saved in the Houdini scene file so that settings are stickybetween individual scenes.

• Removed auto-detection of Houdini install path in the Houdini submitter installer due to various bugs.

• Fixed a bug with how the Houdini submitter installer installed the submission script on OSX.

• Fixed an ftrack bug in the integrated submitter.

• The integrated submitter now collects all ROPs in the scene, not just the ones in /out.

• Added Tile rendering support when submitting from the integrated or Monitor submitters.

• Improved path mapping support by using the HOUDINI_PATHMAP environment variable.

• Path mapping is now enabled by default in the Houdini plugin.

LuxRender Improvements

• Added support for LuxSlave distributed rendering (works like the VRay Spawner and modo Distributed Ren-dering plugins).

• Updated the default executable paths in the plugin configuration.

Mantra Standalone Improvements

• Added support for Houdini 14.

• Added Tile rendering support when submitting from the Monitor submitter.

• Improved path mapping support by using the HOUDINI_PATHMAP environment variable.



• Fixed a path mapping error that affected Houdini’s crowd feature.

• Path mapping is now enabled by default in the Mantra plugin.

Maxwell Improvements

• Added support for Maxwell 3.1’s new Extra Sampling options, which can be overridden in the Maxwell submit-ter.

• Fixed an error when submitting Maxwell jobs that prevented them from being submitted.

• The Minimum Sampling Level value is now 0 instead of 1.

• Stripped out a bunch of unnecessary plugin info settings that were set by the submitter when submitting a mergejob.

• Added option to Monitor submitter to specify the camera to render.

Maya Improvements

• Added support for Maya 2016.

• Added the out of order frame range and preview job options to the integrated Maya submitter.

• Added configurable submission properties for the different kinds of dependent export jobs that can be submittedfrom Maya.

• Added additional Vrimg2Exr options to Maya submitter (when submitting a dependent vrimg2exr job).

• VRay render elements can now be viewed from the Monitor when the job is submitted with the integrated Mayasubmitter.

• The Maya submitter now sets the tile output paths for a Tile job so that they can be viewed from the Monitor.

• Fixed some bugs in Jigsaw for Maya.

• The integrated submitter can now export Arnold .ass files locally and then submit an Arnold Standalone job torender them.

• The Jigsaw window now respects the selected camera in the integrated submitter.

• Added option to the integrated submitter to submit a Maxwell export job to Deadline, as well as a dependentMaxwell standalone job.

• Added option to the integrated submitter to perform a local Maxwell export, and then submit a Maxwell stan-dalone job to render the exported files.

• The Command Line field in the Monitor submitter is now sticky.

• The Jigsaw regions are now rendered properly when using Arnold.

• Arnold’s MergeAOV setting is now respected when Tile or Jigsaw rendering.

• Fixed a bug with getting bounding boxes for Jigsaw when using a vertical camera.

• The Threads setting is now disabled in the Monitor submitter if it isn’t supported by the selected renderer.

• Some settings in the Monitor submitter are now disabled when the “File” renderer is selected.

• Added support for Renderman RIS for Maya.

• When exporting Renderman RIB files in the integrated Maya submitter, there is now an option to set the Ren-derman renderer to RIS.

• When exporting Renderman RIB files for a scene with layers, a dependent PRMan job is now submitted foreach layer.

• Fixed offset issues when rendering tile and Jigsaw renders with Renderman for Maya.



• Fixed inverted assembly issue when rendering animation tile jobs with Renderman for Maya.

• Tile and Jigsaw now works with render layers with Renderman for Maya.

• Fixed a bug that could cause Jigsaw animation jobs to not submit a dependent assembler job.

• Jigsaw animation jobs now respect the frame list override when overriding layer settings during submission.

• Draft Assembly config files are now created in the layer folder that the output is saved to. Before, they weresaved to the root image folder.

• Removed some debugging print statements from the integrated Maya submitter.

• Path mapping is now enabled by default in the MayaCmd and MayaBatch plugins.

• Fixed the install path for the Maya integrated submitter installer on OSX.

• Removed all frame borders from the integrated Maya submitter (since they are deprecated in Maya 2016).

• Fixed an overlap issue with the integration Connect button in the Maya integrated submitter.

modo Improvements

• Added path mapping support for assets in the modo scene file, and for the render output paths.

• Added submission option to submit each render pass group as a separate job.

• Native modo dialogs are now used for info, errors, and yes/no questions.

• The local scene file warning is now only shown when the scene file is not being submitted with the job.

• Added support for VRay for modo.

• Fixed a typo in the description of the Geometry Cache Buffer setting in the modo plugin configuration.

• The output format is now sticky in the modo submitter for the Monitor.

• The modo submitter now sets the tile output paths for a Tile job so that they can be viewed from the Monitor.

• Fixed a typo for one of the tabs in the modo submitter for the Monitor.

• Added Output Override settings to the integrated modo submitter, which let you render to the Layered PSD orEXR formats.

• The browser buttons in the integrated submitter no longer clear their corresponding values if the user cancelsthe browser window.

• Fixed a bug that prevented Draft assembly from working when submitting modo Tile renders from the Monitorfor if a layered EXR format was not selected.

• Added support for a modo sanity check script, which can be created in the submission/Modo/Main folder in theRepository.

Nuke Improvements

• Added support for Nuke Frame Server distributed rendering (for Nuke Studio).

• Added support for sequence/container submission in Nuke Studio.

• Added option to integrated submitter to submit only write nodes within precomp nodes.

• Added option to integrated submitter to render the precomp nodes first.

• Fixed an issue with how the nuke integrated submitter handles write nodes with embedded TCL in the outputpath.

• Fixed the nuke integrated submitter to evaluate embedded TCL properly before checking for frame padding.



• The integrated submitter now properly detects if Gizmos are selected when submitting the selected write nodesonly.

Octane Improvements

• The Octane submitter can now parse render targets from Octane 2 ocs files.

• The Octane submitter handles ocs parsing errors better.

Ply2Vrmesh Improvements

• Added support for handling multiple frames.

• Added option to merge the outputs.

PRMan Improvements

• The PRMan plugin now supports rendering RIB files with layers in the file name.

REDLine Improvements

• Added support to REDLine for using RMD files for metadata, in addition to the existing RSX option.

Rhino Improvements

• Added Qt popup handling.

• Fixed a bug in the Rhino submitter.

• The Rhino submitter now sets the tile output paths for a Tile job so that they can be viewed from the Monitor.

• Fixed some layout issues in the Rhino submitter.

• Tweaked Tile Rendering labels in the submitter, and added a label that explains that tile rendering is disabledwhen submitting from the Monitor.

RIB Improvements

• The RIB plugin no longer fails 3delight renders when they print “error reporting” to stdout.

RVIO Improvements

• Re-added right-click job script for RVIO submission.

Softimage Improvements

• The Softimage submitter now sets the tile output paths for a Tile job so that they can be viewed from the Monitor.

VRay Standalone Improvements

• When rendering separate vrscene files per frame, the frame padding is now added to the output file name.

• Path mapping is now enabled by default in the VRay plugin.

VRay DBR Improvements

• Added support for VRay DBR for 3ds Max 2016 and Maya 2016.

• The Monitor VRay Spawner submitter now defaults to the “none” pool like the other submitters.

• The minimum value for the maximum number of servers in the Monitor submitter is now 1 instead of 0.

• The Version and Port settings can now be seen in the job properties for VRay Spawner jobs.

• Updated the default TCP ports for 3ds Max VRay and 3ds Max VRay RT.

• The port number in the integrated submitter is now disabled after the render begins.

• Updated Vray Spawner Monitor submitter to add support for Cinema 4D.

• Monitor submitter now hides the port setting if it isn’t applicable for the selected application.



• The log box in the submitter for 3ds Max now has colored text.

• Fixed a regression in the submitter for 3ds Max.

• Added Check ALL, INVERT & None button to the submitter for 3ds Max to allow easy Active Server Listselection.

• Added ability to select which Slaves are used for DBR in the submitter for 3ds Max. Disabled Slaves will stillcontinue to run the spawner job until it is deleted or completed.

• Added a couple Maxwell popup ignorers when rendering with VRay for 3ds Max.

• Fixed the install path for the Maya VRay DBR integrated submitter installer on OSX.

• Increased the width of the Maya VRay DBR submitter, and removed all frame borders from the UI (since theyare deprecated in Maya 2016).

VRimg2Exr Improvements

• Added additional submission options: Separate Files, Multi Part, Long Channel Names, and Threads.

Vue Improvements

• Added support for Vue 2015.

• Default Vue executable paths for Vue 2014 and 2015 now include the path to the Vue PLE executable.

Event Plugin Improvements

Draft

• Fixed a bug where Pool and Group were switched in the Draft event plugin.

• Fixed the Draft event plugin to pass on the contents of the DraftExtraArgs key-value pairs to the Draft job.

ftrack

• You can now create new Assets from Deadline’s ftrack UI.

• The Asset list in the UI will now list all Assets belonging to the selected Task’s parent (as opposed to assetsalready tied with that Task).

• The ftrack event plugin now uses a relative path to load the ftrack API.

• The ftrack event plugin no longer adds the ftrack API path to sys.path if it’s already there.

• Fixed a bug in the ftrack event plugin where it would still try to create a thumbnail after determining that itshouldn’t.

• If there is only one output file, Deadline now creates the default “main” component instead of “Dead-line_Output_0”.

• Upgraded the ftrack API.

Shotgun

• The Shotgun event plugin now uses a relative path to load the Shotgun API.

• Cleaned up some logging in the Shotgun event plugin.

• Added option to Shotgun event plugin to specify the character that should be used for frame padding whenuploading the paths to Shotgun (default is ‘#’).



Cloud Plugin Improvements

Amazon EC2 Cloud Plugin Improvements

• Added support for Security Groups.

• Tags are now copied over when cloning an existing instance.

• Fixed a typo in a log message.

• Added support for user data.

• Updated boto library, which added support for new AWS regions.

Google Cloud Plugin Improvements

• Fixed a bug in the Google Cloud plugin that caused it to only show the first 500 instances in the Monitor.

• Improved the tooltip for the Project ID field in the plugin configuration.

• Set a minimum and maximum value for the Port field in the plugin configuration.

• Cloning an existing instance now copies the persistent disk size.

• Added support for starting and stopping instances.

• A Save File dialog is now used when setting the path to the OAuth File in the plugin configuration.

• Removed unnecessary deletion of disks in TerminateInstances because all instances the Balancer starts haveautodelete on.

• Added regions that were missing.

• Numbers can now be used in instance names (note that the first character in the instance name must be alowercase letter).

OpenStack Cloud Plugin Improvements

• Added support for Security Groups.

• Added support for Key Names.

• Metadata is now copied over when cloning an existing instance.

• Added a Region Name option to the OpenStack cloud plugin configuration.

• Updated the version of the libcloud library that the OpenStack cloud plugin uses.
