network rendering bootable CD

[Nero]

Does anyone know of any way to get a network rendering farm working by just running off bootable CD's? My school is reluctant when it comes to installing new software to computer hard disks.

[iamnafets]

Depending upon which software you are running, there are HUNDREDS of small linux kernals that can run off CD. If anyone does come up with an idea, especially for 3dsmax, I'd be interested too. Our school doesn't allow installations, and doesn't allow anything but basically an internet browser on any computer outside the compsci lab *sigh*

[djcapelis]

Well... first thing you need to figure out is how you plan to get 3ds max rendering under linux. I mean, of course I would suggest not using 3ds to render your projects... but that's me.

If you want a bootable cd to render with max, than first is figuring out how you can render max with linux. Once you can do that... making/getting the bootable cd is easy as pie.

If you were hoping for a bootable version of windows... you're not likely to find it outside of locked OEM doors and using one would be copyright infringement anyways... (assuming you were to find a place to download it... if you stole it than it would not be copyright infringment.) (Not a good idea to steal though, that has problems of it's own.)

[iamnafets]

Sorry I should have separated the two ideas, fully realizing that a bootable network render of 3ds max would be almost impossible. I'm really new to the field. The only thing I can think of is if there is an option for an external renderer that spits it to a local server, the then feeds tasks to each farm "field". Ya... I'm a web developer but my team needs me :)

[Nero]

There IS actually a bootable version of windows, called Windows PE (Pre-installation). If you go online and search for a program called BartPE, you can make your own version. I've been trying to get 3dsmax to run, including the command line utility and backburner, but apparently they keep looking for dlls, some windows dlls, others backburner and 3dsmax dlls.

I know that you can boot linux off a cd, but is there a way to run max on linux?

Also, are there any alternative renderers than possibly we can feed a 3dsmax scene into that DO run on linux?

Or maybe a way to run 3dsmax on a windows emulator on a linux boot disc?

[bainbane]

I have been told that a linux distro called dynebolic is bootable from a cd drive. If you connect all your computers to a hub, it should cluster automatically too. It also comes with a nice free renderer called POV-ray, obviously not max, but I'm pretty sure you can convert the files (look on their website, its got pretty pictures). All this stuff is hearsay though, cuz although I've downloaded all the stuff, I cant seem to burn a bootable iso image for some reason.... you should be able to find all this stuff on google though.

[djcapelis]

A few notes:

*Downloading windows PE is a violation of international copyright laws unless you're friends with Microsoft.

*Max won't likely run on linux, you can try with wine... but if it did, copying it onto a bunch of discs unless you have a site license would be... you guessed it, copyright infringement. (ah whoops... just backburner... haven't worked with it, didn't realize it was a seperate util... is that licensed as freely distributable or something?)

*No need for a special clustering distro, the network renderer should take care of the networking magic, full clusters are usually for other types of things, network rendering is much more simple.

*POV-ray is a full fledged tool and isn't just a small little utility, it's been used to render images by an astronaut while he was staying in the international space station.

*.max files are very hard to convert to/from due to the fact that the scene data is not stored in an open standard. I find it doubtful that you'll be able to use these directly. .3ds and .obj would be a better choice, but neither of these contain scene data either.

*any good open source tool (I prefer blender, see my little picture thingie... www.blender.org) should be able to network render on a bootable disc.