Is rendering on separate PC possible?

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    Right now, when you work on complicated project and render video on Enscape, it makes it hard to do other work on the computer while waiting for render to finish, because it uses a lot of processing power. So it will be nice to have Enscape on separate PC connected to main PC with 3D software (like Vectorworks) via local network, so when you hit render only the second computer is busy, and you can continue working on different project in Vectorworks on main computer or any other things: like editing video in Premiere. Right now I need two Vectorworks licenses with project sharing and two Enscape License to be able to work and render without interruptions. I know this is complicated stuff, and possibly a long shot, but please pass this request to devs, maybe they will say it is relatively easy. I know the downside is that in a big design studio where you have couple of designers, there is a risk that they will buy only one license for render PC and share it, but there is an easy solution for that, make it like this: both main PC and render PC have to have the same version and license of Enscape and communicate via ethernet, or via Enscape project files that you export and import.

    I have experience with virtual TV studio and live concert industry where external rendering to offload work to secondary machine so the main runs as smooth as possible is quite often a necessity, ant this is where this idea came from. Below links of software/hardware that use this approach for reference:
    https://www.disguise.one/en/products/rx-range/

    https://www.notch.one/


    P.S. Enscape is an awesome software. Is is so good I honestly regret I did not give it a go some time ago when my friend told me about it.

    P.S2 Please speed up the batch render in Vectorworks, without this there is no way to render stuff from complex projects.

    Thanks a lot for your inquiry and feedback - while this isn't possible yet, can you let me know your machine specifications in general, like CPU, GPU and so forth? Although it would be most interesting to know what graphics card you're using. :) Afterward I will also forward your inquiry to our developers.

    Thanks for your answer. Actually I am doing some testing right now on different machines, before I choose the optimum price/performance combo. As for what I use:

    GPU: RTX4000, GTX2070, GTX 1660ti, GTX1650, Geforce 1060,

    CPU: Xeon E-2246G, i7-9750h, i5-9300 and Xeon 1650v2.

    And in overall I think it will be a major leap forward If I could use most powerfull PC as main machine, and as render machine I will choose the one with the best Graphics card. While it is not impossible to work on other stuff while rendering movies in Enscape, working on that PC is very slow if I start rendering in Adobe premiere, or batch edit all panoramas in Photoshop. I know that in theory I could batch-render everything over-night (not in Vectorworks that I use ;( ), but this workflow leaves me with longer turnaround time from start to finish. Offload rendering is just an idea, and I know it is a long shot, but it was worth to ask anyways.

    Keep up the good work!

    I would like to add a consideration to this.


    We, an architect office 40 to 50 persons, are using Windows Terminal Sever (Citrix Virtual Desktop).

    So graphic cards (NVIDIA Grid) are shared. This is working well with Revit, Sketchup, Adobe etc.

    For rendering we are using Vray, which has the option of render in the Swarm. In fact a bunch of workstations which were not used anymore.

    Those combined are a render farm and rendering from Sketchup or Revit is offloaded to those machines.

    This way no CPU/GPU is used on the client side.


    Now we want to add Enscape to our workflow. This is working with virtual shared GPU (kind off) but when exporting in hires high quality it could be using 100% GPU.
    In this case other users on the same Windows Server are stuck.


    We started using Citrix about 5 years ago to be independent in workplace. Much to our likings.

    Since Covid 90% of our office is working at home for almost 100% of the time.

    And this is here to stay, more or less.


    In my opinion Enscape should consider a way to offload the render process to a dedicated machine or even a bundle of machines.

    Maybe a dedicated machine in an fysical office would be possible. But in virtual it is not.


    What I see is more and more architects and engineers are moving to VDI.

    In such a situation the choice of render software is very much based on being able to use it in VDI, by offloading.


    Thanks.

    Have you guys tried the openGL for RDP sessions yet?

    I found it referenced in this post: https://blog.enscape3d.com/working-from-home-tips


    https://developer.nvidia.com/designworks


    Only done some basic testing so far, I was able to RDP in from my macbook at home to my windows PC at work load up enscape and kick off a 20 minute video render


    Currently running an RTX2080 on the work desktop. I will do more testing on the new machines I have with RTX 3080s...

    We are also looking into using Windows terminal service for Enscape. What is your experience?