Network Rendering FAQ

[Bruno F]

What is KeyShot Network Rendering?
KeyShot Network Rendering is an offline render engine and computer management software for your KeyShot render farm.*

*Note: KeyShot Network Rendering is NOT on-demand cloud computing/rendering.

What does KeyShot Network Rendering do?
KeyShot Network Rendering allows you to connect multiple computer systems in your office network and utilize the available hardware for rendering images, animations, and KeyShotXR's.

How can KeyShot Network Rendering improve my rendering experience?
KeyShot Network Rendering can help you:

• Increase rendering speed and cut down render times
• Add more flexibility in your workflow
• Maximize efficiency of computer resources
• Free up your computer's processor for other tasks

How much does the KeyShot Network Rendering license cost?
Currently, the annual license fee for KeyShot Network Rendering is $15 per core per year (subject to change). Network rendering licenses start at 32 cores and customers may purchase higher core counts in 32-core* increments. For additional questions regarding price, please contact us at sales@luxion.com or visit our product page here.

*The core limit in your Network Rendering license refers to the CPU cores inside your designated rendering stations within your office network. Please note that KeyShot makes no distinction between a logical core (aka thread/logical processor) and a physical cores. They are both counted towards the core limit. As an example, 32 threads on a 16-core machine will count as 32 cores towards the core limit.

Is there a difference between a logical core (thread) and a physical core?
KeyShot benefits from a higher core count. A single logical core, or thread, tends to be slightly slower than a single physical core. When comparing similar processor architecture, 32 threads will always be faster than 16 physical cores. But if you can afford it, 32 physical cores will be faster than 32 logical cores (again, comparing similar chip architectures). The core limit in your Network Rendering license refers to the CPU cores inside your designated rendering stations within your office network. Please note that KeyShot makes no distinction between a logical core (aka thread/logical processor) and a physical cores. They are both counted the same towards the core limit. As an example, 32 threads on a 16-core machine will count as 32 cores towards the core limit.


What is the right farm size for me?
The ideal farm size depends on a couple of factors:

• Your budget for hardware
• Current render times
• Desired render times
• Rendering volume: resolution and number of frames
• Job types: single image or animation

We recommend starting with 32 or 64 cores. You can always upgrade your license if you need more cores.

What are the minimum requirements to run KeyShot Network Rendering?
KeyShot Network Rendering supports the following operating systems:

• Windows server 2016 / Windows 7
• Mac OSX 10.8+
• Linux kernel v2.6.32+.

Which are the best computer specs to get the most out of KeyShot Network Rendering?
KeyShot Network Rendering is 100% CPU-powered. High core/thread counts and clock speeds of the CPU will allow you to get the most out of the rendering engine inside KeyShot Network Rendering. For hardware best practices, click here.

How does KeyShot Network Rendering work?
When you send a job to the network, your KeyShot scene is packaged into a KSP file. The KSP file is first sent to the Master and then to each Slave machine on your network. The Master unpacks and loads the KSP, divides the job into many smaller tasks (tiles or frames), and assigns tasks to the rendering Slaves. The rendering Slaves process all tasks until all tasks are complete. Once all tasks are complete, the Master assembles the final product (image, video, etc) and sends it back to your computer where it will be ready for viewing.

What is a Master, Slave, Monitor?

• Master: a designated computer on your network that holds your license, takes job request from clients and puts them in a queue. The Master service is what administers those tasks and it runs in the background on your Master computer.
• Slave: designated rendering stations on your network that do all of the rendering work. The Slave service is in charge of processing rendering tasks and it runs in the background on your Slave computers.
• Monitor: also known as KeyShot Network Monitor. It is the main user interface to your network queue. It connects KeySho to the network and allows you to send jobs to the network from your computer.*

*By default, the Monitor application is installed on every computer when you install the KeyShot Network Rendering software. This allows you to view and manager the job queue from anywhere in your network.

How do I set up my KeyShot Network Rendering farm?
To set up your KeyShot Network Rendering farm, it is important to install the KeyShot Network Rendering software on all computers. Your computers must be set up in order: first Master, then Slaves, then Clients/Monitors. For step-by-step instructions click here.


How can I improve my rendering speed for KeyShot Network Rendering?
Total processing time in KeyShot Network Rendering is equal to the sum of the data transfer time and the rendering time. You can improve your network's rendering time by adding more cores. To improve your data transfer time, you can optimize two things: your networking equipment and KeyShot file sizes. Smaller KSP file sizes will transfer faster over your network. To reduce file size remove unnecessary geometry or scale down textures and environment files used in the scene. For hardware best practices, click here.

Note: We have observed slowdowns when Geometry Nodes are present in the scene. We recommend avoiding the use of Geometry Nodes when rendering over the network. Otherwise, rendering Geometry Nodes locally may be faster.