Log in to Web Manager (web dashboard) at https://app.garagefarm.net and download our renderBeamer app for you operating system.
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.
Once renderBeamer is installed and you’re logged in, you’ll see the Plugins panel, which opens automatically on the first launch. You can access it anytime to install additional 3D application plugins.
Note that the After Effects plugin isn't initially displayed in the supported plugins list. To enable its installation, go to the settings panel (cog-wheel icon) in renderBeamer, check "enable all plugin versions", and return to the Plugins panel. You'll now see the option to install our After Effects plugin (marked as "deprecated").
Here in the plugins panel, you can install plugins that allow you to work with our farm. Once you installed the plugin for your 3D app, you can proceed to the next step.
Open your project in After Effects and prepare it for rendering on a render farm.
Now that the project is prepared and ready to be sent, please save your project and use our AE plugin (run it from the menu Composition > renderBeamer: Beam it up!).
You can also use the renderBeamer Cost calculator option to get rough cost and time estimates of your project (note: we strongly recommend running a test on the farm to get a more accurate estimate).
After you select one of the options, our plugin will export the scene and all project data will be redirected to our renderBeamer app and uploaded to the farm.
After you beam up a project, our plugin will export the scene and all project data will be redirected to our renderBeamer app.
From here you can select renderable compositions and set desired video / audio outputs.
If your project is an easy one, and contains only one composition, you can use a smart collect switch. Using collect smart will force the app to upload only assets connected to one render queue compostione. If your project contains multiple compositions used for editing and preparing the scene, please leave smart collect switch off.
Ignore missing assets should be used only in cases when a project may contain some missing textures, animated clips, scripts etc. Please keep in mind that if the project contains missing assets and the ignore missing asset switch is off, the After Effects render farm process won't be able to render your scene.
Next, we can see render settings where you can set frame range, and output format, and resolution. Below there are video & audio settings. Here you can set desired video output options, including encoder type, profiles and frame rate.
Once you're happy with the settings, just hit the Send button. Now, renderBeamer will save the scene and all data will be uploaded to the farm.
Once our plugin completes the scene export, your project will be redirected to renderBeamer to be uploaded. 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 just use 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 later (more on that in the next step). You can also copy link to clipboard and manually paste it into your web browser.
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/Scene_name.aepx), and clicking on it to open the job window.
As you can see, all plugin render settings are forwarded to Web Manager. If you still want to change something - like render range - this is the last place to do it.
If everything is fine, just use “Submit” button. Now, your scene will be forwarded to farm render queue and video job window will be at the front.
Now, all that needs to be done - is just using the “Submit” button on the video job. At this point, your scene will be added to the farm render queue, including video ffmpeg.
Each frame that has completed rendering is downloaded automatically to your local drive to a directory you selected in the renderBeamer application. If you’re not sure where your download folder is located, you can double check it or change it in renderBeamer’s settings (click on the cogwheel). Also, make sure 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.
If you prefer more control over what to download and when, you can also download your frames manually. To do that, just turn off 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.
This kind of workflow will download all rendered frames for the selected job or jobs. However, renderBeamer also gives you an option to download individual frames. To do that, you need to use the list files function under RMB.
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.
Once your frames are downloaded, you can use open directory option under RMB to open the folder where frames are saved.
When you use up all your trial credits, you’ll need to charge your account to continue using the service. 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.
If your rendering needs are high or you plan to render regularly, please make sure to check out our volume discounts.
You can talk to the 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.
We also recommend checking out our FAQ page which answers most of the questions new users have.
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