SuperConductor requires WCS 6, VNS 2, or newer versions to operate. WCS 5 and VNS 1 do not have the capabilities needed in order to be controlled remotely. References to VNS apply to WCS as well.

1. Decide on how you're going to configure your render farm. The server will run SuperConductor (and may be the machine that has the hardware key). Due to importance of the server and the possibility of serving interruptions during multi-tasking, it is suggested that the server not render. Client computers will do the rendering.

2. For SuperConductor to work, all client machines must run VNS from the same files on the server. We'll do this by mapping the server WCS folder as the same drive to all clients, including the server. Share the server WCS folder as WCS. Enable Allow network users to change my files.

Server running WinXP Professional

3. Map the shared drive as the same drive letter on the server and clients. Using the W drive makes it easy to remember. In this example the server name is Muley.

4. Your file manager will show the newly mapped W drive.

5. The server IP address must be static and you need to know it. If you don't have it handy, bring up the Run window and type cmd or command.

6. Type ipconfig at the command window prompt to retrieve your network adapter settings. In this example, the server IP address is 192.168.1.106.

7. Launch VNS on the server and load any project. Open Preferences and add each of the following Options to the Config page and Set.

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8. While we're about it, let's change the Paths so they point to the new drive we just mapped on the server. In this example, the D:\WCS path prefixes were changed to W:. These changes will not be saved to the PREFs file unless a project is saved, so save it, and close the program.

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9. Launch VNS again and confirm that the Preferences values have been retained. Your firewall may notice the network access and try to block it. Unblock the firewall to allow VNS to render across your network.

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10. On each of the render clients, go the newly mapped W drive and launch VNS.

10.1. Single-processor clients. We're using the server PREFs file and the client W drive is mapped the same as it is on the server, so you shouldn't get any paths warnings. The Hardware Key not found message will remind you a dongle isn't attached. 10.2. Multi-processor clients. Open a VNS instance for each core. For example, launch 2 instances of the VNS executable from the shared W drive on a dual-core machine. We're using the server PREFs file and the client W drive is mapped the same as it is on the server, so you shouldn't get any paths warnings. The Hardware Key not found message will remind you a dongle isn't attached. Note VNS projects often require lots of memory. Make sure you have at least 1 GB of RAM for each core. If you're short on RAM, render with fewer cores.

11. Each client's Status Log will confirm what you already know.

12. Just to be sure, check the Preferences.

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13. Follow this step only if you're rendering in segments. When rendering in segments, you may run into problems with the default setup. That's because WCS and VNS create temporary files during segment rendering in the WCSFrames folder by default. With all network render nodes sharing the same temporary file space, this may cause conflicts.

13.1. Create a C:\temp folder on the server and each client, if they don't have one. 13.2. Launch WCS or VNS on the server and open the project Render Options to the File Output page. Change the Temp Path to C:\temp\. 13.3. Repeat for each Render Option and save the project when you're done.

14. Launch SuperConductor on the server and turn to the Resources page.

14.1. Single-processor clients. Enter the first client IP address in the Add Client box and click OK. If there's anything in the Address Su1 box, delete it. Add the remaining IP addresses. 14.2. Multi-processor clients. Enter the client IP address in the Add Client box, copy it, and click OK. If there's anything in the Address Su1 box, delete it. Paste the IP into the Add Client box, change the Port to 4243, and click OK. If you have more than 2 cores, add an IP and increase the Port value by 1 for each additional core.

15. Your client IPs will be listed in the Available Clients window. Click Use Client to add single clients or Use All to add all of them. Clients will move to the Clients Used window.

16. This would be a good time to Save Client List so you don't have to enter them again next time.

17. Go to the Projects page and Browse for the project you want to render in W:\WCSProjects. This example used the Tutorials\Flyby\Flyby-Final.proj.

18. Add Project when you find the one you want. Each Render Job in the project will show up separately. To delete a Render Job, select it and Delete Project.

19. Start Render to start the clients rendering.

20. The Server Messages page will confirm that the clients have been found, project loaded, and frame rendering started. Multi-core clients will show up as duplicate IPs. In this example, client 192.168.1.105 was a dual-core machine with 2 instances of VNS running, so its IP was found twice (highlighted in yellow).

21. Each client Render Control and Status Log windows will show render progress.

22. The SuperConductor Client Status page shows current client progress.

23. The Projects page shows Render Job progress.

24. If you shut down SuperConductor with the intent to restart it, shut down all client VNS programs. Restart VNS on all client machines and then restart SuperConductor on the server.

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