[Chris Clephane]

Ok, I found it for you. CS3 DOES include the render engine, BUT the install/usage process is different from previous versions (No separate install option).

Full Link to ADOBE:

https://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/8.0/help.html?content=WS3878526689cb91655866c1103a4f2dff7-79a2.html

Or read my PARAPHRASED VERSION:

On your render machines….
1) Install the full version from the AECS3 DVD.
2) You don’t need to activate it.
3) Launch the RENDER VERSION of the app (NOT the AECS3app) from the AECS3 program folder.
4) Make sure a FULLY LICENSED and ACTIVATED version of AECS3 is also on the network (to act as the master machine.)

4b) And again…good freaking luck with the 3rd party renderfarm plugin licensing. (I know you software developers read this forum…and you know who you are! SHAME! SHAME!)

5) Make sure there is a common share network folder (all machines should have FULL READ/WRITE permissions to the shared folder.) AND don’t forget the XPHome limitation of only 4 or 5 machines per network….and the XPPro limitation (without a server) of seats as well.

Just a cautious reminder….Past 5 or 6 render machines…you are going to start needing some serious infrastructure….

(gigabit/server, etc.)

It gets expensive and laborious quickly….

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

Yeesh! Yes. AE chokes on MP3’s.

Sadly it took us a year of random crashes and sluggish performance to finally figure that one out.
MP3 Waveform redraws in particular are obscenely slow….just don’t go there….DON’T DO IT MAN! No compressed audio in the AE Timeline!

As previously stated. Open the file in another app….SAVE AS into another uncompressed format. (AIF/WAV, etc.)

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

Actually under AE6.5 Pro….it was a very simple install and config. (You have to have the PRO version of AE to get the RenderEngine installer) Troubelshooting in particular was a NIGHTMARE!

3rd party plug-ins were particularly quirky and annoying. Licensing the plugins was always the issue. You would have 6 or 7 machines return “correct” results and one machine return and “unlicensed” red x through the frames. Good luck trying to figure out which was the offending machine/plug combination….

—

Yes, the performance increase is dramatic. Especially if you are still working with G4 machines or early G5 machines.

The new quad core and dual quad core machines really take the sting out of render times. You can NOW do on a single machine what you used to need a dozen to do.

With the release of the 8 core intel apple machine we retired our Gridiron X-factor renderfarm. (AE6.5 -26 processors a mix of g4 and G5).

—

My advice: If you are asking these basic questions about Renderfarms….save the potential headaches of troubleshooting . Bank some $$ and get a new machine with some serious horsepower (quad-core or more)…that will make the biggest difference for you right now. Dell is selling quad core
AMD machines for $875. When on vacation–for emergencies I take a dual 2.0 mac mini with AECS3. It is highly respecatble in terms of performance as well…and at $650-ish a great deal. Having a top-end machine for composition allows you to be more creative (more time to make changes and PLAY with settings…) you see results faster.

Renderfarms only speed along the final render.

Gridiron NUCLEO allows you to render in the background…while you continue to work on other things in the foreground with no perceptible performance hit.

So again, if you are trying to learn/experiment with AE…a higher powered primary machine will help you along MUCH more than having a render farm. Having the ability to experiment with settings and view your results in higher resolution quickly…makes all the difference in the world.

If you are on PC (Or have 10 or 20 old XPPro PC’s laying around) and know all of this already…try a copy of Butterfly Net render. It is a PC renderfarm controller that works with ALL major apps. (Lightwave, Maya, AE, etc.) It only controls the render applications and handles the render process. It does NOT provide the render engine CODE for these apps. You will need to have your legal original install disks, etc. IT simply acts as a traffic cop…delegating tasks and re-assembling final frames. They are currently refining an Apple version of the SW as well.

WE use the PC version for 3D-MAX and Lightwave renders. Its a great way to continue using our 2-5 year old PC’s.

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

All,

FIRST: History shows this is not the sort of thing Adobe would make available for download. Not to be negative…its just the way they roll.

SECOND: Has anyone READ the current feature list for AECS3?

After reading this thread…I became curious, so I tried to install the CS3 render engine on one of our systems…
……and as per a previous post…I could not find the install option on our Master Suite Collection discs.

Confused….I went to the Adobe website.
I don’t see DISTRIBUTED RENDERING as a current feature in the master feature list.

Perhaps they dropped the feature?

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

Connect the two machines via Gigabit ethernet using a hub or crossover cable. Then get yourself a copy of REMOTE DESKTOP from Apple. Using ARD 3 you can run the desktop from within a window on the laptop.
-C

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

We use Speed Tools Utilities (QuickBack Module) to create the second volume. Our AE CS3 suite works just fine. It has worked for us in the past BOTH on a dual partition and on a dual drive (separate internal boot drives) scenario.

http://www.speedtools.com

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

I am assuming you are trying to output SD footage.

—-
FYI- When the camera is in in P2 mode (as opposed to DV tape mode) the Component (YRB) output can be set in the camera (for monitoring and otherwise..) to 480i, 720p and 1080i. Most use this to hook a Marshall or Panasonic HD monitor to the camera …as most quickly discover the built-in screen is almost worthless for HD shooting.

If the component output on the camera is set to 720p or 1080i…your SD input device will not “SEE” the signal or be able to lock on to it.

That stated…. S-Video and Composite outputs will ONLY output SD (non-configurable). SO in your situation….BASED on the fact that the AJA “Sees” video from the Svideo and composite, outputs, but not through the component….the Component output on the camera might be set to an HD resolution. (Which would yield NO result/viewable signal on your AJA inputs.)

Double check your camera monitor output settings.

-C

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

Yes. Yes. Yes. PN support would be magical.

Once implemented…We would have absolutely NO need to maintain 3 FCP seats anymore. (We could get by with just one.) Its financially tedious (and frustrating) to have such un-needed and unused redundancy on our machines (M100 & FCP). We only use FCP when a client brings in a previously started session on external drives…or requests it. And not to mention the media maintenance issues/headaches with FCP (archive/un-archive.) Everything is SO much more intuitive with M100.

(((FYI-For basic everyday production we OBVIOUSLY prefer the Media100/AE workflow.)))

M100 Sales guys…When PN support comes available we can FINALLY justify retiring our two aging M100i systems and replace them with additional M100HD systems.

-C

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

All,

I had/have the same problem. Never gave it much thought, but relieved to discover I wasn’t the only one either….

Opening the “damaged” comp in RED, copying the tracks and pasting into a new comp was my workaround as well.

-C

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.

[Chris Clephane]

Thanks, That confirms/supports many of my suspicions.
(And I will keep this post a little more straightforward….as the subtleties of attempted humor and playful chiding are clearly sometimes lost in the translation to text.)

We have also decided to stick with tape as a primary archival medium for many of those same reasons. (As opposed to a primarily IT-based workflow.) We have already had failures of CD-R media and DVD-R media less than 5 years old. DLT’s are not proving robust long-term either as the newer units are not always playing back the older tapes reliably (in spite of advertised “backwards playback compatibility”.) But those beta tapes come off the shelf and play with no issues….5 years…10 years….15 years old. No issues.

Operating systems and computers have changed significantly over the past 8 years…to the point that I can no longer open old text documents due to planned incompatibility by some manufacturers. (Redmond, WA guys…you know who you are..) But I can always trust the Betas to play. And based on my perception of the industry, I feel I probably need to count on that for another 10+ years or so. .

Our 3/4″SP deck is getting lonely though. (Just one left.)

I edit video. I post sometimes.
I fix things. I eat marshmallows.
I play drums. I drink scotch.
I like TV.

Done typing now.