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Getting Started - Using the DRE
Submitting a job
Pre-Render Checklist
Setting up a Maya project

Submitting jobs with the Distributed Rendering Environment (DRE) submission tools is a fairly straight-forward process. But before you begin, you will need to ensure that you meet the requirements listed below.

If you are here then you are probably ready to begin using the DRE.

Before using the DRE there are several things that you need to consider:
  1. Currently you can only submit from the standard scripts on a Windows NT/XP based machine.

  2. Depending upon which software package you are using, you will have to determine which renderer you are going to use.

  3. Familiarize yourself with the "Pre-Render Checklist" before submitting your job. We don't want to fill up the job queue with junk renders.


  4. Where are you going to put your files once they complete rendering? Make sure that you have the proper media to transfer your files from \hold.ics.purdue.edu as soon as your render is complete.

  5. You will need a valid Purdue career account in order to use the DRE. If you do not know what your career account username and password are, please go to an open ITaP lab with your Purdue student ID. The lab assistants there will be able to help you out.

  6. This particular implementation of the DRE is available only to Maya 6.5 and 3dsMax 7 users. Requests for other software must be sent to ITaP.

  7. You can use the DRE only from certain locations on campus. So, if you are in a lab and are wondering why you are not able to use the DRE, chances are that the lab is not part of the allowed locations for using the DRE. Faculty members, who teach your courses, will let you know from which labs you can use the DRE.

  8. Once you submit your job successfully to the DRE, you can logoff the machine you are using. This will NOT cause any problems. In fact, the DRE is designed as a “fire-and-forget” environment. Email notifications will be sent when your job begins to render (which may not be immediately, depending on the server load) and when your job finishes. Please remember, it is logistically impossible for ITaP to manually email every single student about their job progress.