Render farm licensing and setup with 3ds Max

Autodesk Support

Apr 2, 2024

Products and versions covered

Issue:

When setting up a network render farm you have the following questions regarding the installation and licensing setup of 3ds Max and Backburner:
  1. Do all of the render nodes within the render farm need to have 3ds Max installed? 
  2. Do the render nodes need 3ds Max licenses?
  3. Can an off-premises render node be used within the render farm?
  4. How many render nodes can I use with a 3ds Max and Backburner render farm?
  5. Will Backburner work if the manager is using Windows 10 and the render nodes use Windows 7?
  6. Can I install more than one version of Backburner on a given machine?

Environment:

  • Microsoft Windows 7 (SP1)
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1
  • Microsoft Windows 10 (Home, Professional, Enterprise)

Solution:

  1. Yes. You must install a full copy of 3ds Max and Backburner on all computers participating in the network rendering.
    • The version installed must be the same as the one used to create the 3ds Max file that is submitted to the render farm. In addition, each copy of 3ds Max needs to be identical -- if an update, extension or plug-in is installed on the Manager machine, it must also be installed on every render node within the network.
    • The Backburner Server is the only program that needs to be running on each render node for network rendering. It can run as an application or as a Service, so it launches automatically upon the machine's startup. (To start the application version of Server automatically upon Windows sign in on a render node, follow these instructions from Microsoft.)
       
  2. No. Although 3ds Max needs to be installed on every render node within the render farm network, these copies of 3ds Max do not need to be individually licensed.
    • 3ds Max copies installed on render nodes should not have the Manager serial number entered, nor should they be launched after installation on the node(s). The network render management software will launch the 3dsmax.exe program on its own.
    • Serial numbers should only be used for licensed workstation copies of 3ds Max.
    • Note: If a nonlicensed copy of 3ds Max on a render node is launched manually by accident, it will go into a 30-day Trial mode. (It can be reclosed.) However, even if that Trial mode expires, it will still function normally as a Server node for network rendering.
 
  1. Yes. Render nodes can be used for network rendering even if the Workstation machine is not located on the premises of the render farm itself. There are certain limitations to using off-site render nodes:
    • The render nodes must be within the same Workgroup.
    • They must have a reliable network connection, including full Windows Permissions, and VPN access when necessary.
       
  2. Amount may vary. For network rendering use, you can install 3ds Max and Backburner on 999 render node machines within a single render farm. Any additional nodes will require another 3ds Max license. 
    • If rendering in 3ds Max 2017 (or prior), there is unlimited rendering on up to 999 render nodes using the Scanline, Quicksilver, ART, and Nvidia's Iray and Mental Ray render engines.
    • If rendering in 3ds Max 2018 (or newer), there is unlimited rendering on up to 999 render nodes using the Scanline, Quicksilver, and ART render engines.
      • Mental Ray and Iray were licensed for render farms directly from NVIDIA. However, as of November 2017, Nvidia discontinued Mental Ray as of 3ds Max 2018; the render engine is not available in 3ds Max 2019 or beyond.
      • Arnold requires paid licenses for each render node used in the render farm. See: Arnold for 3ds Max (MAXtoA)
    • If rendering in 3ds Max using 3rd-party renderers such as V-Ray, additional licenses may be required to take full advantage of the render farm. More information can be found on the Chaos Group FAQ page.
    • If rendering in 3ds Max with a 3rd-party network rendering manager such as Deadline, licensing and render node information can be found on the Thinkbox site .
  3. Yes. Backburner will work with any Windows 7, 8, and 10 Operating Systems with both the Manager machine and render nodes.
     
  4. No. Only one copy of Backburner can be installed on a machine at a given time. However, older versions of 3ds Max should be able to submit jobs to the newer version of Backburner, as multiple versions of 3ds Max can exist on one machine.

When set up successfully, a single licensed copy of 3ds Max can send out render instructions and information to a nearly unlimited number of render nodes, as long as each render node's Backburner Server program can successfully see the Backburner Manager program, and vice versa. 

Note: When installing 3ds Max 2019 (or more recent versions) see the information listed in How to download and obtain Backburner for 3ds Max 2019 and newer versions.

Products:

3ds Max;

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