Workflow & app guides

Install the renderBeamer app and start it. Once renderBeamer is done with the installation process, you need to choose the default download directory. This path will be used as the main output place for all your renders. Next, just log in using the account ID you received or your account email. Please keep in mind that the app should always be running in the background whenever uploading a project or downloading rendered frames.

renderBeamer startup windows - default download directory on the left, and login panel on the right

Once renderBeamer is installed and you’re logged in, you’ll see the Plugins panel. Plugins installation panel should automatically open after the first renderBeamer startup. You can also open it anytime you need to install additional plugins for your 3D apps.

renderBeamer 3D app plugins installation panel

Please keep in mind that each 3D app (DCC) you use needs to have a plugin installed to properly connect to and render on our farm.

Prepare the scene (global setup for all 3ds Max render engines)

Open your scene in 3ds Max and prepare it for rendering on a render farm.

Set the right resolution, file format with output path and cameras to render.
Set required render range. You can select between all available options (single, active time segment, range or selected frames). If you are using a multi-camera scene you can set different frame ranges for each camera in our plugin.
Make sure that your scene does not contain any missing assets and caches.
Animated textures - animation files (avi/mp4/etc) are not a valid option, also .mov files cannot be used. Please make it a frame sequence (jpg\png or so) and connect as an image sequence. You can use the ".ifl" sequence in 3ds Max.
External plugins - we support quite a lot of 3ds Max plugins, however, if you are using some atypical add-on, we may need some time to run a test with the plugin & our network rendering system. Also, we check for plugins used in the scene and compare them with our system. In the case when we don't support some plugins, you will be informed about it automatically upon sending the project. You may also contact our support team via chat from your web manager.
Outputs - they need to be configured the same way as rendering on a local machine. This includes 3ds Max main output, V-Ray frame buffer, V-Ray RAW image, Corona & Mental Ray outputs and any kind of render elements.
Render region should be off, however, should you require it, you can turn it on and omit our plugin’s warning.
Multiple cameras in one scene - our plugin supports this setup for stills, camera animation and full animation
Scene name and output paths should not contain any non-standard system characters like / \ " % # ? or language-specific non-ASCII characters like the Cyrillic or Korean alphabet. If your scene contains such characters, it's always best to change them. If our plugin detects any special characters, it will convert them to "_" including output paths.

Each render engine operates on different render options and features. Therefore, our plugin opens an appropriate GUI for you based on the render engine selected as “Production”.

Use the plugin - setting the mode (Corona)

Once the project is prepared, please locate the renderBeamer menu and hit Beam it up to open the plugin window. In the plugin UI you can prepare your scene for farm rendering.

Plugin UI for Corona render engine. On the top - mode selection menu. Next sampling settings and GI setup. In the middle - camera and render range setup. At the bottom - output format settings.

First, you’ll need to start with selecting one of the available render modes: Render as is (Default), Camera animation - bake and render, Still image - render / bake and render. Each render mode is specifically designed for a different kind of scene setup, so please make sure that you select a mode suitable for the type of scene you’re going to render.

Plugin render modes for Corona render engine:

Render as is (Default) - In this mode your scene renders "as it is". It's useful for scenes with already pre-cached GI or for shots which do not need GI caching. Also, it can be used for scene testing purposes. We do not provide any GI caching options in this mode. Render as is doesn't have any additional settings either.

Camera animation - bake and render - This mode should be used for camera animated scenes. Our plugin creates two jobs in this mode. The first one for the GI caching - called the "bake" scene. The second job is the rendering scene. The rendering scene uses pre-cached GI maps from the first job. With camera animation mode, GI caching is done using the bake step range. The default baking step value is 10, so if your scene is starting at 0 and ending at frame 100, you will receive 11 frames cached (including the first and last frame).

Additional settings for Camera Animation mode

Still Image - render / bake and render - This is our custom distributed rendering system. It’s designed especially for high-resolution still shots. Depending on which settings you choose, submitting your scene with this mode creates two or three jobs - GI cache, render and merge. If you already have pre-cached GI, you can turn off the “Cache GI on farm” switch, and connect your GI maps via the “from file”. They will be uploaded with your scene and used for rendering. Turning off cache switch will force our plugin to forward 2 jobs to the farm render queue - render and merge. When the cache GI switch is on you will receive 3 jobs - GI cache, render and merge. Still Image mode renders your scene with “strips” (horizontal or vertical render regions). After the strip render job is completed, strips are then stitched to one final resolution frame in a merge job. Please keep in mind that the usage of non-cacheable GI setting sometimes can cause issues with GI rendering. For example, with PathTracking+PathTracking setup you can receive visible seams where the strips connect as each of the render nodes will be calculating GI from scratch when rendering the strip.

We strongly suggest to render high-resolution still shots only in “Still image” mode. Also, it's good to cache GI on the farm side (Cache GI on farm switch). With farm-side GI caching you can be 100% sure that the GI map is correctly cached, saved and used for the final rendering.

Every render region (strip) will be rendered on one render node, so with higher resolutions and better quality, we strongly suggest using 20 or more strips. More strips will render the image faster (not always the case for smaller images). Also, your resolution must be divisible by the number of strips you want to use. Otherwise, the number of strips will be limited.

Use the plugin - render settings (Corona)

Once the mode is correctly selected, you can proceed to the next part - the render settings.

‍Progressive render limits - You can set the render quality with Pass limit, Time limit or just with Noise level.

Setting Time limit to 1 second will not allow the plugin to send the scene, as 1 second time setup for rendering is reserved to GI caching procedure.

Global Illumination setup - As for progressive rendering limits, GI settings are also read from your scene and mirrored here. If you are using UHD cache or 4k cache and have pre-cached GI maps, please remember to turn off the bake switch in our plugin and connect them to your scene using “from file” mode before sending the project to the farm.

All render settings displayed in the plugin are extracted from your scene, however, if you still want to change something, you can do it here, without going back and using 3ds Max render settings panels.

Use the plugin - camera settings (Corona)

Once you set quality controls & GI setup, you can proceed to Camera and render range settings. Here you can see all your renderable cameras. When you have multi camera scenes, you can set multiple frame ranges for each camera all at once. Each camera in the scene will be rendered as a separate render job - including GI caching. If you want to test your scene, you should put some render step value in the camera frame ranges. For example, if a scene timeline is 1 to 100 frames, you can test it by putting s10 at the end of time value - 0to100s10. Once the test is rendered, you can then resume the job to render full range in the web dashboard without the need to upload the scene again.

Also, please keep in mind that when rendering with still image - bake and render mode, you can only use single frame values.

Our 3ds Max plugin automatically checks your scene’s time setting and will not allow you to put in any frame number other than the scene timeline. For example, if your timeline starts at frame 10, you won't be able to input frame 0 in the plugin.

At the bottom of the plugin you can set additional farm render options.

Overwrite ext switch allows you to switch your already set output format to a new one. By default, your format is read from your scene, however, if you still want to change it, you can do it by ticking Overwrite ext switch and then selecting your desired format from the list.

Turning on Overwrite extension switch will force the output format to save with default settings. So, for example, if you are using some internal settings for output (like TIFF48bit with alpha or similar setups for .exr outputs) we strongly suggest leaving the Overwrite ext switch off.

Next are additional output switches, used for output saving options:

save render elements separately - which will work only with multi-layer-output files (like EXR/CXR/FXR). This switch will force Corona to save all render elements as separate files instead of one-multi-layer output file. This switch solves 3ds Max & Corona multi-layer saving issues
render elements in separate directories - will force our render nodes to save each render layer in separate directory

The last option is New project name. This option should be used only when you’re working on a new scene (with new assets) from the same project directory. Otherwise, please leave this switch OFF. With this switch inactive, our plugin will not reupload any previously uploaded assets linked to the project.

Additional render settings - used only for farm rendering

Once everything is set just hit the “Send to the farm” button.

Note

You should always run a test job first prior to rendering a full range animation or full resolution still image to check for potential issues and to get an estimated job cost. For animations, try to render a shorter range or use step. For still images, you should render a smaller resolution job (i.e. ⅕ res). This is a very important step to follow which will help you fully test the service without potentially overspending your credits. To get a preliminary cost estimation, use our Cost Calculator. While this is only a rough number and it shouldn’t replace the actual testing, it’s a quick way to get a cost and render time estimate for animations (it doesn’t work for stills).

Use the plugin - additional settings for 3ds Max plugin

Our plugin has additional settings that allow you to adjust your rendering workflow and experience.

To check and set your preferred settings for our 3ds Max plugin, you need to click the "Settings" button in the top right.

Plugin settings - additional settings for 3ds Max plugin

In the settings window, you will find options such as:

Show confirmation prompt after preparing the scene - by default, this option is always turned on. When our plugin completes the process of preparing a project, it displays a prompt that the renderBeamer application has started uploading the project files.

If you want the scene to reload automatically without being prompted everytime, turn off this option in the settings.

Upload original Max scene for Vrscene - this option refers to the “send as .vrscene” setting available in the plugin submit window (for projects with the 3ds Max + V-Ray setup). When enabled, our plugin will upload the .max file together with the .vrscene whenever “send as .vrscene” is used. By default, this option is disabled to skip the unnecessary transfer of a .max file.

Render Stereo V-Ray as a separate job - when you use "V-Ray Stereo Camera" in the scene, by default our plugin splits the main view into two separate jobs - the left view and the right view. This setting allows you to render your project in an optimal way (each view on a separate node). If you need to get one main view from the stereo camera, without splitting it into two separate views, you need to uncheck the box.

Select .anipack file manually - by default, our plugin will automatically handle Anima assets and export the necessary files to .anipack, but in exceptional cases when such a workflow does not work automatically, it is recommended to enable this option. When enabled, in the process of collecting all the assets and preparing the scene for upload, our plugin will ask you to select the .anipack file which will be used to render the project.

Upload the project

Once our plugin completes the scene export, your project will be redirected to renderBeamer to be uploaded. In a nutshell, renderBeamer is a standalone uploader/downloader application that works in conjunction with our plugins. Simply put, it takes care of the file transfers.

After the scene has been fully uploaded, the app will show you a window with a direct link to your scene on Web Manager (web dashboard). To continue, use the click here to submit job button. If for some reason, you closed the window with the link or it didn’t work, don’t worry, you can locate your project in the web dashboard and submit your scene by clicking on the scene file any time (more on that in the next step). You can also copy the link to the clipboard and manually paste it into your web browser.

renderBeamer window with upload confirmation and a link to add the job to render farm

Submit the job (add the job to the render queue)

Now that your project is uploaded you will need to follow the final step - creating and submitting a job to render farm. Web Manager is a home to all your projects and render jobs.

If you followed the link generated earlier by renderBeamer, you will now see the job submission window with several fields and settings. If you didn’t follow the link or it didn’t work, you can do it manually by locating your project in the projects panel, finding the scene file within the project folder (in your folder structure look for the folder called “data”, i.e. Project_name/data/SceneName.max), and clicking on it to open the job window.

creating a job directly from the Web Manager file browser

Our system automatically detects your settings in the scene and uses them to render the job. Before submitting the job to the render queue, please make sure that everything is correct and make adjustments if necessary.

job settings: frame range, resolution, aspect ratio, bucket size

Frame range - use this field to put in the frame range you want to render. Frame range example for animations: 1to740s1 - this is a sequence of 740 frames in total and all the frames 1 to 740 will be rendered. The parameter "s1" means that every subsequent frame in the given range will be rendered. If you want to do a test first, set a higher s value, e.g. "s20", which will result in every twentieth frame in the animation range to be rendered. So if you set the range to 1to740s20, then the frames 1,21,41,61,81,101,...,741,761 will be rendered.

If you have multiple cameras in your scene and you’d like to modify the frame range for all of them at once, you need to tick the checkbox to enable the frame range field.

If you only want to render a single frame (still image), you should input a single frame number into the field. For example, 1 will render the frame number 1.

‍Resolution - here you can set the output resolution in pixels.

‍Aspect ratio lock - if you need to change the resolution and want to keep a certain aspect ratio, you can use one of the available presets: 4:3; 16:9; 16:10; 21 9; 1:1. Leaving the option as "none" means that you are free to modify the values for the "Resolution" ignoring the aspect ratio.

Note

NOTE | If you are going to render an animation or a still image, we always recommend that you perform a test before the final rendering:

For animations, the best way to get a cost estimate is to run a test of the scene on the farm with around 20 frames spread evenly across the range. For example, a frame range 1to200s20 will render every 20th frame as a test and based on that our system will produce a cost estimate for the full render.
For stills, please render the image in 1/5 resolution or any other smaller resolution. In the case of 1/5 resolution test, the cost of full resolution render will be 25 times bigger than the cost of a test. For example, if you want to render an image in resolution 5000x6000, run a test in 1000x1200 res first. If your test costs $1, then the estimated cost for the full res image should be around $25 (5 x 5 = 25). For a 1/4 test it would be $16 (4 x 4 = 16) and so on.

There's more information about running tests and estimating the cost in our documentation.

TIP

If you are going to render a still image in high resolution and your scene does not contain any post-production effects, then it’s recommended to use "Strips" mode in our plugin to speed up rendering by using multiple nodes simultaneously (see more info below).

job settings: output path/name, file extension

Output path - here you can find the default save path for rendered frames in the given job. The default output path is based on the name of your project and scene. You can edit this path if you clone your job and need to render a different range in that project.

‍Output file (w/o ext) - by default, the frames file name is set based on the name of your scene. If you want to create a unique name and/or you need to customize naming for the output according to your pipeline, you can set your own name for the output file.

‍Extension - a format for the main output file is the same as in your scene settings. However, if you want to change the extension to a different one, you can choose from the available options, i.e: BMP, CIN, EPS, PS, EXR, FXR, HDR, PIC, JPG, JPE, JPEG, PNG, RGB, RGBA, SGI, INT, INTA, BW, RLA, RPF, RGA, TGA, VDA, ICB, VST, TIF, VRIMG, DDS, CXR.

job settings: priority, version, retries

Priority - before adding a job to the render queue, you can decide how you want to prioritize it. Depending on the queue and farm traffic, a higher priority may allow your job to quickly acquire nodes to render your project faster. Each priority has a different rate and gives you a different number of nodes - a detailed list can be found here: https://garagefarm.net/pricing

‍Version - by default, the version of 3ds Max is set to the same version you have uploaded the project with. However, if you need to use a different version of 3ds Max than the one detected, you can choose a specific version available on the list.

‍Retries - the value for this option is set to 5 by default. This means that if a rendering process fails or the software crashes, our system will perform five additional rendering attempts. We recommend leaving this option set to default (value 5) as this is the optimal setting to retry rendering in the case of some random 3rd party software errors.

Preferred hardware (node groups) - by default, the system sets the preferred hardware to nodes with 62GB RAM. As we render Corona projects on a CPU device, you can switch the node group button to a custom setup and select the particular group of nodes either based on CPU cores or RAM:

CPU - based on the CPU device you can select between a group of nodes based on the minimum amount of RAM available or the CPU type:
- RAM preference: Min. 62GB RAM; Min. 121GB RAM; Min. 240GB RAM
- CPU preference: Intel Xeon v4 / 22cores, Intel Xeon v4 / 44 cores, AMD Epyc 3gen / 32 cores, AMD Epyc 64 cores

custom hardware setup: node groups available for CPU

The full technical specification of nodes can be found here: https://garagefarm.net/pricing#specs

If you know that your scene requires more than 62GB RAM, then when adding a job to the queue select the group with 121 GB RAM or more to render more optimally only on nodes that have more RAM.

Advanced settings

Job dependencies - if you want this job to start rendering after finishing another job that is in the queue, you can select it here. As a result, the current job will not start until the selected dependency job has finished.
Custom node version - if you need a different software setup (e.g. custom software version), put here the value you received from our support. Note that inputting a wrong number may cause errors during rendering.
Custom script - if your job requires a modified environment or adding a custom script (prepared by our support team), e.g. custom plugin installation, select the available script from the list.

The advanced settings above are empty by default, please do not modify them without consulting support first.

job settings: mode switch (cameras / batch render / scene states / state sets / renderStacks)

Mode - If your scene contains only cameras, the Cameras mode is available and set as the default. However, if our system detects additional configurations such as Scene states, State sets, Batch render, or Render Stacks, no mode is preselected (the dropdown menu will show "Select mode"). In this case, you need to choose the appropriate mode for rendering.

Below are descriptions of the available modes, depending on your scene setup.

Cameras - in this part of the submit window (cameras list) you can select all the cameras that you want to render, and you can also set an individual frame range for each camera. Each selected camera will be added to the queue and rendered as a separate job.

In case you do not select any of the cameras from the list, then the camera selected in the scene will be used as the default camera for rendering.

job settings: cameras (batch renderlist)

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Batch render - this mode allows to queue multiple render sets, each with its own camera, scene state, and frame range, following the Batch Render workflow from 3ds Max.

These render sets also include resolution, width, height, and preset from 3ds Max, which are displayed along with other settings. You can adjust parameters such as frame range and camera selection directly in Web Manager. Selected sets will be processed separately and added to the render queue.

With "Batch Render" mode enabled, you can manage render configurations in Web Manager. If needed, you can switch back to "Cameras", "Scene States" or “State Sets" modes.

job settings: scene states (states list)

Scene states - If your scene contains scene states, our plugin automatically detects them and forwards all states settings along with the job upload. You can render scene states by switching the mode to “Scene states” (instead of cameras).

For each state, you can set an individual camera and range of frames. Each selected state will be added to the queue and rendered as a separate job.

Mode switched to “Scene states”. You can still edit cameras and render range - directly on Web Manager, without the need to reupload the scene. Also, if you still want to render just a camera - you can switch the mode back to “Cameras”.

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State sets - this mode gives a flexible way to manage and render multiple scene configurations in a single project. Each set can have its own camera and frame range, making it easy to organize different setups without manually changing scene settings every time.

State Sets are useful when working with multiple lighting conditions, material overrides, or object visibility changes, providing a structured approach to handling variations within a scene. Our plugin detects and uses settings directly from the native State Sets tool in 3ds Max, ensuring seamless integration with your existing workflow.

Once selected, each set is added to the queue as a separate job. You can tweak frame ranges and camera assignments directly in Web Manager before rendering, ensuring full control over each setup.

job settings: scene states (renderStacks list)

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RenderStacks (based on the renderStacks plugin) - managing multiple scene variations becomes seamless with this mode, allowing for structured batch rendering of different models, materials, lighting setups, or other scene parameters. It is based on the renderStacks plugin for 3ds Max, which automates the process and keeps render configurations organized.

Each entry/pass in the “RenderStacks” mode includes a defined frame range and is processed as a separate job in the queue. It’s a practical solution for rendering multiple design iterations or testing different scene setups without manual adjustments.

Once uploaded, you can manage and modify frame ranges in Web Manager before rendering, ensuring full control over each variation.

The “RenderStacks” mode and list of passes will appear in Web Manager only if the renderStacks plugin was active during scene submission via our 3ds Max plugin. If the scene was prepared using renderStacks plugin but no “RenderStacks” mode or passes are visible, contact our support team for assistance.

job settings: max subdivs, noise threshold

When you add a scene to the queue, these values for Pass limit and Noise limit are read from the render settings in your scene. You can modify them if you want to get a higher quality output. Also, alternatively, you can perform a test with a lower quality to see if given objects are rendered correctly. Both values have a switch that when disabled allows you to always use the scene settings without overwriting the values (set in the web dashboard). This switch is useful when you want to clone a job but are not sure what the original settings were when you uploaded the scene.

‍Pass limit - if you need to increase or decrease the number of samples taken for each pixel, you can do it by changing the value in this field.

‍Noise limit - The value of sampling a pixel is set to the same you have in your render settings. You can adjust the value to a lower or higher one. According to Corona documentation, the typical values should be in the range from 0.001 to 100. Our system allows to put values from 0 to 10000.

job settings: gamma correction (gamma value in/out)

Gamma correction - our plugin reads your settings for gamma correction and automatically turns it ON when it detects it in your scene, while keeping the values for gamma in/out. In case you want to adjust these settings, you can do so by putting values into the fields, then the modified values will be used during rendering. Also, you can disable the gamma correction option altogether by unchecking the checkbox.

job settings: render frame window, job node limit

Render frame window - This option is equivalent to "frame buffer preview" in 3ds Max. When this option is enabled, you will be able to check the progress of rendering from 3ds Max's frame buffer window during rendering. By default, the "Render frame window" option is enabled for jobs with 3ds Max + Corona.

‍Job node limit - by default, the value for this option is empty and so the nodes are assigned automatically depending on the job priority and nodes availability on the farm. Nevertheless, if you want to limit the number of nodes for the given job, please put here the value of the maximum number of nodes you want to be used during rendering.

job settings: pixel aspect, render elements, continue on error

Pixel aspect - These settings are read from your settings in 3ds Max. You can adjust them here to fit the requirements of your output device, without the need to re-upload the scene.

‍Render elements - Our system automatically detects whether additional outputs (render elements) are set in your scene, and then it enables this option. In case you do not want to render additional render elements (despite the settings in the scene), you can disable this switch, then none of the additional outputs will be rendered or saved.

‍Continue on error - By default this switch is turned ON. This means that any error messages related to missing textures and other assets will be skipped. The calculations will continue and rendering will not be aborted. If you disable this option and, let’s say, your scene contains missing asset, rendering will not be possible and the process will fail.

Strips - If you upload your scene using the "Strips" mode (in our plugin), then in the web dashboard you will have a visible additional option for strips.

The number of strips that is available depends on the scene resolution. By default, we set the number of strips you selected while submitting the scene via our plugin.

If you drop down (in the web dashboard) the list of available strips, you can see the "recommended" value for one of options.

The recommended value is calculated automatically by our system and it is the most optimal value as far as the cost and speed are concerned.

You can select any number of strips based on your preferences and needs. For example, you might want to choose more strips if you prefer speed over cost. Other time, fewer strips may be a viable option if you know that the scene loads a long time and the cost is your primary concern.

job settings: fpe (frames per execution)

Frames per execution - this option is only available for animations. By default, the value for FPE is set to 1 for projects rendered on CPU. This means that each frame will be rendered as a new execution (a separate task), in other words, the scene will be loaded on each node every time a new frame starts.

The FPE (Frames Per Execution) option allows you to render several frames (the value you put in) in a row without the need to reload the scene on a render node, and potentially may improve rendering efficiency. If your scene has a long loading time but a short rendering time, you can set FPE to a higher value (for example 4). If the loading time is not long but the rendering time is long, leave the default value or set it to 1.

Detailed information on the use and examples of the FPE option in practice can be found in our dedicated guide: https://garagefarm.net/documentation/how-to-use-and-optimize-frame-per-execution-fpe

job settings: paused state, submit & cancel button

Add job as paused - if you tick this option and then submit your job, it will be added with the status “paused”. This means that it will not start rendering automatically. It is useful to use this option if you intend to add the job to the queue, but you do not intend to render it at the moment. After adding a "paused" job, you can resume it at any time by selecting the "resume job" option (right-click on the job).

‍Submit - when you press this button, the system will immediately add the job to the render queue. Please remember to check all settings before submitting a job!

‍Cancel - if you do not want to add the current job to the render queue or you want to reset your settings and add the scene again, you can use this option. The submission window with the settings for the given job will be closed and all changes will be cancelled.

switch for enabling the “Create video sequence from output frames” option

Create video sequence from output fram - You can create animated video outputs right after rendering frames. Select “Create video sequence from output frames” switch and set all desired video output settings. With the switch ON, the farm will run an additional job to render the frames sequence to a single video output.

additional job settings: Create video sequence from output frames

More info about the settings available in the "video sequence job" you can find in our dedicated article.

Monitor render progress

After giving your render settings a final check and choosing your preferred priority, hit Submit to add your job to the render queue. If you’re a first-time user, you will have received $25 worth of credit to test out our service. The credits should be enough to run a few test jobs and familiarize you with the service.

TIP: You can right-click on the job to get additional options: change priority, pause job, kill job, and archive job.

NOTE: The estimate is based on the currently finished frames and is approximated at that point. Rendering a test as prompted in the plugin (using a step i.e. 1to100s10) is highly recommended for more accurate estimates and detecting potential errors.

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Jobs added to render queue and options available under the right mouse button

When the job has started rendering, you can check the real-time progress of currently processed frames. To do that, just select the render job from the main project list and click the arrow on the top right side to open the panel that shows jobs progress details.

Web Manager progress panel showing currently rendering frames

The Job Details (the panel on the right side of the screen) will show its content only when any of the jobs is selected. The panel is divided into 3 sections.

‍Active frames - it shows currently rendering frames. When a frame finishes, it is moved to the second section, Done frames. If you select any frame in the Done frames list, you can then access the render output process log in the bottom section called Process results.

TIP: When you’re in the Job Details panel and right-click on any of the currently rendering frames in the “Active frames” section, you can access the real-time render log from our nodes.

NOTE: Please remember that if a job has finished rendering, the frames list in the “Active frames” section will be empty because all frames are already rendered, and the list is moved to “Done frames”.

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Real-time render log from our node accessible in the “Active frames” section under RMB

For all jobs in 3ds Max, you can check the current progress from the frame buffer preview. Just click on the icon next to "show progress" option to open the window with the current progress for one of the first active frames from the active frame list.

You can also select a preview for any particular frame directly by clicking on the "show preview" option in the active frame list.

Download and review frames

Each frame completed rendering is downloaded automatically to your local drive to a directory you selected in the renderBeamer application. If you’re unsure where your download folder is located, you can double-check it or change it in renderBeamer’s settings (click on the cogwheel). Also, ensure you have auto download turned on to get the frames downloaded as soon as they are available. If this box is unchecked, you will have to click on each job in Beamer's "downloads" tab, and manually download the frames.

renderBeamer default settings with auto download ON

If you prefer more control over what to download and when you can also download your frames manually. To do that, just turn off the auto download switch in renderBeamer settings and go to the “downloads” tab. Next, select the desired render output using a checkbox, and click the download button.

renderBeamer downloading frames for a selected render job

This workflow will download all rendered frames for the selected job or jobs. However, renderBeamer also gives you an option to download individual frames. You need to use the list files function under RMB to do that.

renderBeamer listing files option for selected render job

Once files for the selected job are listed, just roll down the list and select the files you’d like to download using checkboxes. Next, use the same download button.

renderBeamer downloading only selected frames from a render job

Once your frames are downloaded, you can use the “open directory” option under RMB to open the folder where frames are saved.

Please ensure you keep renderBeamer running whenever you have jobs rendering to get the frames downloaded immediately. It may happen, however, that your frames aren’t downloading at the given moment. It’s likely because our application syncs the files in 15-minute cycles, and it is currently in between the cycles. You can click refresh to force the application to sync.

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Purchase credits

You’ll need to charge your account to continue using the service when you use up all your trial credits. Please note that when your balance goes below $0, you won’t be able to download rendered frames or start new render jobs. You can make payments in the Billing panel in Web Manager. We accept debit cards, credit cards, PayPal and DotPay payments. Also, you can purchase credits via Revolut or Zen.

If your rendering needs are high or you plan to render regularly, please make sure to check out our volume discounts.

billing panel where you can buy credits, view cost & payment history, and view discounts

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In case your account balance goes below 0, any current jobs will be paused - all frames/strips that were in the middle of rendering will be completed but any subsequent frames/strips will not start rendering. To download rendered frames, your account balance must be positive or equal to $0.

Contact us anytime

You can talk to GarageFarm.NET’s tech team any time of the day, any day of the week. We’re here to help you get started, answer your questions, and assist you in any way. Don’t hesitate to give us a shout.

You can contact us through our live chat accessible in the web dashboard or our desktop app when you log in to your account or message us here through the guest chat.

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Table of Contents

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know before starting your first render.

Get Started

General

Uploading & Downloading

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General

Uploading & downloading

Getting started

Testing & estimating

Pricing & billing

Do I need to get a subscription?

On GarageFarm, you pay as you go. Pay only for the time you are rendering. It’s up to you how much you spend. It can be anything between $10 and $10,000 or much more. You’re not required to purchase a subscription and you won’t incur monthly charges for using the service.

Pricing & billing

Do I need to register an account?

To use GarageFarm cloud render farm you need to register an account and then activate it. Registration is straightforward and requires you to provide your name, email, and country. You will get a verification link in the email. When you open the link, your account will get activated and will be ready to use.

We don’t require a credit card to start using the service. As soon as you register and activate an account, you can use a trial that comes with starter credits.

Getting started

Do I need to upload my project again after rendering a test job?

You can submit a job that has been previously tested by right-clicking on it in the web dashboard and selecting ‘Render full range’ without uploading the project again. Please note that the “Render full range” is available for jobs that have been previously rendered with a step (i.e. 1to400s20). Certain renderers and GI modes won’t allow using this feature and you will need to upload the scene again to render the full range.

Uploading & downloading

Do you accept American Express card payments?

Yes, we accept American Express card payments. AmEx card payments are possible when you process a transaction through PayPal or Revolut.

Pricing & billing

Do you have ISO certification? Is GarageFarm ISO certified?

We understand that your projects are valuable and confidential, and we take security very seriously.

GarageFarm's sister company, and our infastructure provider, Copernicus Computing is certified as ISO 27001 compliant which means that the organization has been audited by an accredited certification body and have demonstrated that it has implemented an information security management system that meets the international quality standards.

This certification ensures GarageFarm customers that the rendering services comply with strict security and privacy standards, providing an additional level of trust in how their data and projects are managed on the GarageFarm platform.

To learn more about the ISO certification and its implementation process by our sister company, you can read this blog article. You can also view the ISO 27001 certificate here.

General

Do you offer discounts for students?

Sorry but we don’t. You should try our Low priority, though. It’s great for students and artists who are just starting out. In addition, each account comes with $25 trial credits. You can obtain additional credits through coupons giveaways. Make sure to follow us on Twitter or sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop.

Pricing & billing

Do you offer to sign an NDA?

We can either offer to sign our NDA or sign the NDA provided by you after our legal department reviews the document and approves it.

General

Do you support 3rd party plugins? What if I use a plugin that you don’t have on your farm?

We have a broad range of supported plugins that we constantly maintain and update. If you happen to use a plugin that we don’t have or have a different version currently installed, it‘s not a problem. Talk to us via live chat and tell us the app/plugin you’re using. We’ll explore purchase options. If the software is free, we’ll try to get it installed on the farm within a few hours.

Please note that the custom plugin installations apply only to users rendering on Medium and High priorities. Take a look at the list of apps and plugins supported on GarageFarm https://garagefarm.net/supported-apps.

General

Do you support CPU and GPU rendering? What software can render on CPU and what on GPU?

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, the technology it supports, and compatibility with our hardware.

For example, if you're using Redshift, you can mainly render on GPU because that's how Redshift is built (with an exception of newer Redshift that has a CPU rendering capability). 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, and both modes are supported on GarageFarm.

Rendering modes supported on GarageFarm:

V-Ray - CPU and GPU

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

General

Does your price include tax/VAT?

Our prices do not include the tax/VAT.

We are a United Kingdom-based company, which means that for everyone from the UK we need to add 20% of the VAT to the payment. Generally, HRMC will refund the VAT amount to British companies after filing the VAT Return form.

If you are from a country within the European Union, and you have a valid VAT number, the tax/VAT won’t be added to the payment.

If you are from a country within the European Union, but you don’t have the VAT number, we will add the standard VAT rate for your country to your payments.

If you are from a country outside of the European Union, you don’t need to pay the tax/VAT.

Pricing & billing

How can I check rendered frames?

Each completed frame is downloaded automatically to your local drive to a directory you selected in the renderBeamer application. Please make sure you keep renderBeamer running and the auto-download on whenever you have jobs rendering to get the frames downloaded right away.

As an alternative, when you’re logged in to your account on the website https://app.garagefarm.net/, you can preview all rendered frames in the web dashboard. In the file browser on the left, you can see all your project files. Navigate to the folder inside your project with Renders in the name at the end. You can double click on the frame to preview it online.

Uploading & downloading

How can I download frames?

To download frames you will need to open renderBeamer - our desktop client app. If you have auto-download turned on in preferences, the frames will automatically download to your local drive as soon as they finish rendering. If the auto-download is turned off, you can download the frames manually by going to the downloads tab, selecting the job from the list, and right-clicking or hitting the download button. Each frame will download to a directory you selected in your renderBeamer preferences. If you’re not seeing the job or some frames are missing, try the refresh button - it will sync the app with the cloud. Check out our video tutorial showing how to download frames https://youtu.be/z0F0p5TSHRw?t=304.

Uploading & downloading

How can I get a render time and cost estimate?

You can get a quick estimate using our cost calculator. Remember, it’s only an approximation and only works for animations.

To get a more accurate estimate for animations, we recommend testing a few frames on the farm using a step. For example, if you have 400 frames in your sequence and set the frame range to 1to400s20, you will get 20 frames rendered in total. Our system will then calculate the cost estimate for the full range based on those frames rendered. An important thing to note is that test rendering using a step allows you to test the frames across the entire animation. This results in a more accurate estimation than rendering, for example, 5 successive frames from one part of the animation, i.e. 1to5.

Remember that the more frames you render in a test job, the more accurate the estimation is. Also, you won't need to render those frames again when you choose to render a full range after testing a job with a step.

The calculator works with animations only. To get an estimate for a still, render the image on the farm in a lower resolution.

Please render the image in 1/5 resolution or any other smaller resolution. In the case of a 1/5 resolution test, the cost of a full-resolution render will be 25 times higher than the cost of a test. For example, if you want to render an image in resolution 5000x6000, run a test in 1000x1200 res first, which is 1/5 of the full resolution. If your test costs $1, the estimated cost for the full-res image should be around $25 (5 x 5 = 25). For a 1/4 test, it would be $16 (4 x 4 = 16). You can apply the same logic to any other resolution.

Dive deeper into the why and how of running tests on a render farm https://garagefarm.net/blog/how-to-use-online-render-farms-part-2.

Testing & estimating

How can I know what the current farm load is?

Upon submitting a job on the web dashboard, you’ll be able to see the number of jobs that are currently rendering and waiting in the queue. You can use this info to decide which priority you need to use given the farm load.

General

How can I pay for the service?

We offer a variety of payment options that include debit/credit card, wire transfers, PayPal and some other e-wallets. We encourage you to check out this document detailing how to buy credits on GarageFarm https://app.garagefarm.net/payments.pdf.

Pricing & billing

How can I test the service?

Every new user gets trial credits when registering an account on GarageFarm. You can use the trial to test the service without making a commitment. The trial is sufficient to get familiar with the workflow and to test all features thoroughly.

You won’t be required to use a credit card or to pay when using a trial account on GarageFarm.

Testing & estimating

How can I upload my project to the farm?

Once you have an account on GarageFarm, you’ll need to download and install our software that includes a desktop client app and a plugin for the DCC(3D app) of your choice. After installing the software and a quick setup, you will be able to upload your project to our farm right from your DCC’s interface.

Uploading & downloading

How to get started?

Once you have an account on GarageFarm, you will need to download the desktop client app called rendreBeamer. It bridges your computer with the cloud. In renderBeamer, you can select a DCC (3D app) you want to integrate with. The integration is quick and simple and requires installing a plugin for your DCC.

The next step is to send a project to the farm from the interface of your DCC using the renderBeamer plugin. The full workflow is described step by step in our starter guide https://garagefarm.net/software-guides/general-guide.

Getting started

I got charged for frames that were broken or rendered too long. Can I get a refund?

Don’t worry. Please contact us and we will investigate the issue and will help you find the cause.

If the cause of the incorrect frames was our system failure, we will offer you a refund or some other form of compensation.

Please note that we can’t guarantee a full refund in cases where no tests were performed or the instructions provided in the system or documentation weren’t followed or were neglected. You can read about the Return Policy in our Terms of Service.

Pricing & billing

I have a new scene that uses assets from the same project already uploaded to the farm. Will I have to upload the entire project with all the assets again?

No! Our software will checksum the files that are already present on your GarageFarm account and upload only the new scene, new assets, or the assets that have been modified.

Uploading & downloading

If the calculator says my project would take 10h to render, is it the actual render time?

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.

Testing & estimating

Is the farm secure? Can I render a confidential project on GarageFarm?

When uploading scenes to GarageFarm, all transfers are encrypted. Projects stored on GarageFarm are secured on internal servers safe from any external access. We will always ask for your permission in case we want to use your project files to provide better customer support and a better user experience. We will never share your files with anyone outside of GarageFarm without your written consent.

Following controls are in place to prevent unauthorized physical access, damage and/or interference to the data center building and office: Security guards, secure gate and doors to the servers area and server room. Secure gates and doors, barbed wire fence, security officers, security agency monitoring, security cameras, individually issued security cards for accessing separate areas of the building. To ensure physical security and restrict access and protect equipment we have security guards, access cards, reception, ID cards.

By system design, GarageFarm users are not allowed to access any other data than their own. No client is allowed to access data directly. Each client is allowed to access only his data. Data access is highly secured against unauthorized access.

Our data centre operator provides secure internet connectivity. They do not have access to our local network and data contained there and the data transfer is securely encrypted.

We conduct penetration testing and vulnerability scanning at least once a year. We outsource the testing to our data centre operator's IT department. We evaluate our network and infrastructure security by routine checks. We also perform critical vulnerability software security updates - infrastructure systems and networking gear.

We perform regular sandbox tests of our own and acquired software against a set of rules. Additionally, we perform antivirus and malware checks. Security on developers' workstations is monitored with special care. We continuously and actively monitor network, firewall, and system device logs and employ all the newest security patches and updates company-wide. Our development team is regularly trained in the scope of software cybersecurity.

General

Is there a trial available?

Every account comes with $25 trial credits to allow you to test the service without commitment. You can use all the farm features just like on a full account with two limitations - 10 render nodes (machines) and 30 jobs. It means that you can render a project that costs no more than the amount of the trial credits and the number of jobs doesn’t exceed 30. While on trial you won’t be able to utilize the full rendering speed. However, as soon as you make your first credit purchase the node and job limitation will be lifted.

Getting started

What does GarageFarm do?

GarageFarm has been helping 3D artists meet deadlines and scale their businesses since 2010. It seamlessly connects with your 3D software and fully automates the process of rendering. You can send your scene right from the interface of your application without any complex and time-consuming setups. GarageFarm combines the best of both worlds - advanced technology and the human factor. When rendering with us you're never in the dark, left with no help and a looming deadline.

Don't take our word for it. See how our customers use GarageFarm and what they say about us https://garagefarm.net/case-studies.

General

What files should I upload?

To ensure correct results we’ll need all the files used in the scene: textures, proxies, xrefs, lights, cache etc. However, you don’t need to worry about it because our plugin will analyze the project and will collect all the files connected with the scene and upload them to the farm automatically.

Uploading & downloading

What should I do when a scene fails to render?

We have a team of experts that are online and at your disposal at any time of the day 7 days a week. All you need to do is reach out through our live chat and ask about the job that failed. We will troubleshoot it for you and assist you through the process.

General

What will happen when my render job is more expensive than the credits available in my account?

As soon as your account goes below 0, the render job will get paused (not killed!) and the currently rendering frame(s) will continue rendering until finished. This means your account will go to a negative balance. To prevent this from happening it is crucial to run test jobs before deciding to render full range or full-resolution renders in order to estimate job cost and plan accordingly.

The negative balance in the account is the responsibility of the user and must be paid to enable back full system functionality.

Additionally, if you are a new user and haven't made any payment yet, when your balance reaches -$50, the ongoing jobs will be killed to avoid accruing further costs.

Pricing & billing

What’s included in the rendering time and in the price? How am I charged? How is my render job billed?

We only charge for rendering time, in other words, the time nodes (farm computers) are working and actively processing a job. To break it down further, rendering time includes scene/asset loading, pre-processing, rendering, and output saving. All these processes influence the total time it takes to render a project and effectively that’s what is included in the final cost.

We don’t charge for jobs while they’re waiting in the queue, when they’re acquiring nodes, or when software is being installed on the node prior to starting a 3D app. The billing starts as soon as a job is assigned a node and the node starts rendering. We charge by the second and the pricing is all-inclusive - it encompasses electricity cost, license cost, and service cost.

See our Pricing page to learn more.

Pricing & billing

What’s your storage policy? How long will you keep my files?

We allow our users to store project data (project files and any files saved in an account) on our servers for a total of 28 days after a completed render job or project. We guarantee to safely store project data as they are within the initial 7 days. After that, we will relocate the data to archive storage for the remaining period. The archive storage isn’t guaranteed against data loss. We will completely and securely delete the project files stored in your account 28 days after the last completed render job in the given project.

General

When should I pay?

Initially, you receive $25 credits that you can use to run some test jobs and get familiar with our service. Once you use them up, you’ll need to buy credits to continue rendering. You should give our discounts offer a closer look.

Pricing & billing

Where are you based?

We are a UK based business, our data centre is in Poland, and the employees are working remotely from various locations in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

General

Why is running test jobs important?

Network rendering across multiple machines is very different from rendering locally on a single machine, especially when system environments aren’t the same as is often the case with cloud rendering. Tests help you determine whether your scene renders fine and produces the same results as on your local machine. On top of that, you avoid the situation where you pay for results that aren’t what you had in mind.

We always urge users to run tests first no matter how optimized a scene might be or how confident you are that the scene will render without any issues. Better be safe than sorry. In addition, tests cost very little and if the results are correct, the frames rendered in a test won’t be re-rendered and you won’t be charged for them when rendering full range.

Testing & estimating

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