How to use the KeyShot render farm

Owned by Andrew Molloy
Jun 27, 2024
3 min read

Keyshot is installed on the architecture lab computers.

Configure the Network Monitor

  1. Open the KeyShot Network Monitor program (under the Windows Start button)
  2. Click File > Connection Settings
  3. Uncheck ‘Auto detect master’
  4. Enter the following settings:
    1. Master Hostname: Click this link to obtain the hostname (login required)
    2. Queue port: Click this link to obtain the port (login required).
  5. Click Apply and look in the lower right corner of the Monitor window. It should say something similar to “Worker count: x   Cores: xxx/xxx   Connected”.

  6. Minimize the Monitor window.

Send the Render Job

  1. Start KeyShot and load the file you want to render.
  2. Click Render > Render. 
  3. Under Output, adjust settings as needed.

  4. Under Options

    1. Change Mode to Send to Network. 

    2. Important: change Render Engine to CPU Mode.
      1. If you forget to change to CPU mode, it may default to using GPU mode, which the render farm does not support (and your job will sit in the network queue).

    3. Once you change modes, the button in the lower right corner of the Render window will change from “Render” to “Send to Network”.

    4. Adjust any additional settings under Options, then click the Send to Network button to start the render.

Monitor the Job Progress

  1. Go back to the KeyShot Network Monitor program and your render should appear on the list after a few moments. It may not appear right away so give it a little time.

  2. Once it starts to render, you can check the progress and estimated time to completion. Note that this estimate can fluctuate wildly, so perhaps check back again in an hour for a more accurate estimate.

  3. You can logout of the computer once the render is queued.
  4. When the render is finished, you will need to go back to the same exact computer to pick up the completed job. If this is not possible, email us at archit@syr.edu and we will send you the output.

Troubleshooting

  • If your job status shows 'Ready' but does not start processing, here are a couple of reasons:
    • Another job may be actively rendering ahead of yours.
    • You forgot to switch the Render Engine to CPU Mode.
      • You can check this in the Keyshot Network Monitor by scrolling the job window to the right to reveal the Mode column. If it says GPU then delete the job and resend it after changing the Render Engine to CPU Mode.



    • If neither of the above reasons apply, email us at archit@syr.edu. We may need to restart the license service to get things working again.

Pick up your completed job

  • Start the KeyShot  Network Monitor program and look under the completed jobs. Right-click your job and choose Download.

KeyShot Tips

  • KeyShotWeb (formerly known as XR and VR) is not enabled by default; here’s how to enable it:
    • In KeyShot, click Help > Select Floating License Type.
    • Enable ‘Check out KeyShotWeb feature from license server’ and click OK.
    • KeyShot will then restart with KeyShotWeb enabled. Notice the KeyShotXR icon on the bottom toolbar is active.
  • KeyShot does not support importing animated lights from Maya. However, light animations may be applied in KeyShot. Try using the color animation mode in Keyshot. Black = lights off; white = lights on.