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Rendering same scene with two computers

scyhocescyhoce Posts: 69
in The Commons

I have a 3060 desktop and a 1650 laptop. I was wondering If I could use the laptop to help the desktop with rendering? Is there a way?  

Comments

  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,082

    You could do that with Iray Server, if you decide that the cost is worthwhile. However, a 1650 doesn't have much VRAM, so it's unlikely to contribute to many renders unless you keep you render very simple scenes and/or watch your resources like a falcon.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 18,142

    You could use your Apple M1 Macbook Air as a bridge between them otherwise, no, you can't.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 101,070

    You can't split a single frame, as far as I know, and the process is deterministic so doing two noisy renders and averaging them wouldn't help.

  • HavosHavos Posts: 5,366
    edited March 2023

    One option would be to load the same scene on both then spot render half the screen on one PC and the other half of the screen on the other. Combine the completed halves into one with a photo editor. 

    Post edited by Havos on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,239

    I often use both my computers for animation 

    not with iray so much now  though but will again if I can get my 980Ti to not blackscreen my Win7

  • outrider42outrider42 Posts: 3,679

    There is no point to trying to add a 1650 laptop to a 3060. The 3060 can run circles around around it, and has 3 times the VRAM. Odds are very high that even if you could make this happen, the 1650 is too VRAM constricted to participate.

    When you use multiple GPUs, the scene must fit into each one's VRAM. So if the scene is bigger than the 4gb a 1650 has, the 1650 will do nothing at all. If by chance the 1650 could fit the VRAM, it is still so much slower that it barely impact rendering times. And this is assuming it is even possible to get this setup to work.

    Your best option is to add another 3060 or 12gb sized GPU to your desktop. If you can pop another 3060 in there, you would almost double your rendering speed. That is much, much, more preferable over trying to force an aging 1650 into action. I suggest a 12gb card as it would be the same size as your current 3060, meaning they would both be rendering most of the time. But there is no rule here, you can build your PC however your want, and as long as your PC can handle the power, cooling, and space requirements to add extra GPUs, you can use any combo of Iray supported GPUs you like if it works for you.

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