Render a few frames from different places in the animation on your computer and calculate the average render time per frame. That's the frame time you should put in the calculator.
The calculator works with animations only. To get the cost estimation for a still, render the image on the farm in a lower resolution.
First, render a test image in a 1/4 or 1/8 of the original resolution. Then, multiply the render cost you get by 16 or 64 to get the full resolution cost. Note that these type of estimates might not be accurate, especially for higher resolution images.
Read more about testing on our dedicated FAQ page.
On GarageFarm, you can render on nodes that either use CPU or GPU. The computing device you choose to render on largely depends on your 3D software and the technology it supports.
For example, if you're using Redshift, you can only render on GPU because that's how Redshift is built. If you're using Cycles in Blender, you can choose either CPU or GPU because Cycles supports both technologies and both modes are supported on GarageFarm. V-Ray also supports both CPU and GPU, however, our farm is only compatible with V-Ray CPU.
Rendering modes supported on GarageFarm:
V-Ray - CPU
Corona - CPU
Redshift - GPU
FStorm - GPU
ProRender - GPU
Cycles - CPU and GPU
Cycles 4D - CPU and GPU
Arnold - CPU
Cinema 4D native engine - CPU
Modo native engine - CPU
After Effects - CPU
This shouldn't happen. Try looking through the list again as some models might be placed in a different category (i.e. desktop, mobile, server etc). If your model isn't on the list, however, select the one nearest to it.
For Mac computers, check out this article that will help you find your CPU model how to find your mac's exact cpu model.
The estimates generated in the calculator are only there to give you a rough idea of how much a project would cost and how long it would render. However, we strongly suggest rendering a few test frames on the farm beforehand to get a more accurate estimation. Refer to our FAQ page to learn more about testing FAQ page.
The calculator shows the farm render time in a best case scenario where your job gets a maximum number of available nodes, however, in practice that number may vary. In addition, the calculator only shows the time of the nodes when they are rendering. It doesn't include the waiting time in the queue or the time a scene would need to open/load on the render node.
On GarageFarm, we have one price regardless of 3D software and render engines that you render with. One exception is Blender which has a reduced price by 33% (automatic discount).
Important thing to note is that our price varies based on the node type. Because nodes can have different CPUs and different GPUs, their rendering power isn't uniform and thus they have different rates check node specs and rates
OctaneBench allows you to benchmark your computer's GPU computing power using OctaneRender engine. Visit Otoy website to download the OctaneBench package, run it, wait a few minutes for the app to complete, and get your score.
We charge for rendering time, in other words, the time nodes (farm computers) are working and actively processing the project. To break it down further, rendering time includes scene/asset loading, pre-processing, rendering, and output saving. All these elements influence the time it takes to render a project.
