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1 Click the Render button in the transport controls area.
2 In the Render Settings dialog, enable the Use Network checkbox.
3 Select an existing group from the Available groups list.
4 Click the Start Render button.
Continuing with the group example above, five Render nodes are contained in the All group, and two of those Render nodes are also in the Hi-Performance group. If you submit a render to the Hi-Performance group, only two of the computers on the network are used for rendering. If a
composition is then submitted to the All group, the remaining three machines will start rendering the new composition. Once the two Render nodes in the Hi_Performance group complete the first job, they join the render in progress on the All group.
Groups are optional and do not have to be used. However, groups can make managing large networks of Render nodes easier and more efficient.
A single Render node can be a member of multiple groups. A single composition can also be submitted to multiple groups. Submitting a composition to multiple groups results in it rendering on all Render nodes in the selected groups.
When a Render node is a member of multiple groups, the order of the groups is important because the order defines the priority for that Render node.
For example, if groups are assigned to a Render node as All, Hi-Performance, then renders submitted to the All group take priority. Any renders in progress that were submitted to the Hi-Performance group will be overridden. If the order is changed to Hi-Performance, All, then the priority is reversed.
Viewing the Render Log
The Render Log is displayed in the lower half of the Render Manager window, although it can also be displayed in the console window. The text in the log displays the Render Manager activities, including which frame is assigned to which Render node, which Render nodes have loaded the compositions in the queue, and statistics for each render after completion.
— Open the Render Manager and choose Misc > Show Render Log.
There are two modes for the Render Log: a Verbose mode and a Brief mode. Verbose mode logs all events from the Render Manager, while Brief mode logs only which frames are assigned to each Render node and when they are completed.
— Choose Misc > Verbose Logging from the Render Manager’s menu bar.