is it possible - (repeat post from DC)

[stickyfingers]

hey,

i'm sitting here looking at my two notebooks(both p3 700), while i'm working out the various pros and cons for (read; budgeting for) a new build.

i'v recently been getting into (read my hobby is taking over my life) cgi.

i'm finding that no matter what software i'm running, i cannot get any distance into a project ( i.e mid-way renders) without having to leave the lappy to 'do its thing' for at least a few hours (read days in some cases)

is it at all possible for me to get my two notebooks two act as an SMP - under XP - or if not does anyone want to volunteer to walkthru me into running XP under linux?

 

[Garion]

You're talking about a Rendering Farm, where multiple machines are combined together to render an object or sequence. There's a variety of packages out there. I don't know if the commercialware ones will support multiple machines, but there's a open source tool called MindsEye. Might be worth looking into.

Alternatively, you could probably build a machine with a decent processor, adequate RAM and cheap video/sound from the hot deals forum for under $250. It would probably blow away your two laptops combined, easily.

- G

 

[stickyfingers]

boo hoo,

thanx for reminding me that my two

/wobbly voice on

faithful, loyal, nearest and dearest friends

/wobbly voice off

are waaaay sucky.

i'm just loking to bridge the period before i turn these two into pure render slaves, whilst i work out how exactly to con my gf into allowing me to drop a shed-load of wedge on a god-box type setup(Ars lang sorry).

yeah, i'm looking into a dualie (poss quad) box, but am stuck on the choice between :a top flight gfx proc (read as NVidia FX range vs ati 9800 or widlcat vp 9900), or top flight screen (read 23"-30" tft vs multiple screens).

cheers for hedz up re: midseye, and hotdeals forum i'll look into it now.