What is a Render Farm

A render farm is a high-performance system consisting of multiple computers that work together to produce digital images or video by combining their processing power. These systems are widely used in film production, visual effects (VFX), computer graphics (CG), animation and design. In this article we will look at how render farms are used, their benefits and which GPUs are suitable for building such systems.

How rendering works

Rendering is the process of converting 3D models, textures, lighting and other graphic data into 2D digital images or video.  It is time consuming and complex, as a large number of parameters are calculated, including light, reflection, depth, textures, etc. Because of the mathematical complexity of the calculations, rendering requires powerful computing hardware, especially when dealing with high resolution, complex scenes and effects.

The following components are required for rendering

• Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The GPU is responsible for the computations. Choosing the right GPU depends on performance requirements, budget, and the specific rendering software.

• Rendering software. It manages the rendering process and communicates with the GPU to perform the necessary calculations. Popular rendering solutions include V-Ray, Arnold, Redshift and Octane Render.

• Data sets and other digital assets. These are 3D models, textures, materials, lighting and other graphical data used to create digital images or video.

How are render farms used?

Render farms are used to perform the complex calculations required to create high-quality digital images and video. This process is called rendering. Rendering is time-consuming, especially when working with high-resolution, complex scenes and effects. Render farms help speed up this process by distributing the load across multiple computers working in parallel.

The compute nodes, also known as rendering nodes, run special software that manages the distribution of tasks and the compilation of results. When an artist sends a task to the render farm, the software automatically breaks it down into smaller subtasks and distributes them to the available render nodes. Each node does its work and then the results are stitched together to create the final image or video.

Render farms are most commonly used in the following industries:

• Architectural project visualization. Architects and designers use render farms to create photorealistic images and videos of future buildings, interiors and landscaping. This allows them to visualize and present their designs to clients and stakeholders at life-size and in high quality.

• Creating visual effects (VFX) and computer graphics (CG) for film and television. Render farms are widely used in the film industry to create complex visual effects, simulate physical phenomena and composite multiple image layers. This allows film and television creators to achieve the desired visual result while maintaining high image quality and production process efficiency.

• Animation. Animation studios use render farms to create frames for cartoons, animated series and commercials. Rendering animation can be an extremely resource-intensive process, especially when working with high resolution and complex effects. Render farms allow animators to speed up the rendering process and reduce production time.

• Product design and marketing content. Product designers and marketers use render farms to create photorealistic images and videos to showcase new products, packaging and branding. They can visualize and test designs before production and create compelling marketing materials to promote the product.

• Scientific computing and visualization. Render farms can be used to perform complex scientific computations and visualize results in medicine, physics, chemistry and other areas. This enables scientists and researchers to analyze large amounts of data, model complex systems and visualize their discoveries.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR). Render farms can be used to create virtual and augmented reality content that requires high performance and fast image rendering. This enables VR/AR content creators to deliver a smooth and realistic user experience and speeds up the development and testing process.

Advantages of render farms

• High performance. By spreading the load across multiple computers, you can significantly increase rendering speed compared to using a single computer. This is especially important for projects with tight deadlines, where results are tied to specific dates and it is important that all processes are completed quickly.

• Increased efficiency. Render farms allow artists and designers to continue working on their projects without waiting for rendering to finish. This leads to greater efficiency and increased productivity.

• Scalability. Render farms can be easily scaled to meet the needs of a project or studio. By adding render nodes, you can increase the capacity of the system to handle more complex tasks. Cloud4Y's render farm allows you to create the right number of clusters for different tasks.

• Cost reduction. Renting a cloud render farm significantly reduces costs through more efficient use of resources and reduced latency. Fast access to resources also helps to reduce production costs.

Best GPU for rendering

Choosing the right graphics processing unit (GPU) for your render farm depends on several factors, including your budget, performance requirements and specific rendering software. In general, GPUs with more RAM and higher performance are more suitable for render farms.

Popular models such as:

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. This is NVIDIA's flagship GPU with 24GB of GDDR6X memory and high performance rendering. It supports real-time ray tracing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) acceleration, making it the ideal choice for studios working with complex scenes and effects.

• AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200. This is a professional GPU from AMD with 8GB of GDDR5 memory and good performance in rendering applications. Optimised for workstations and render farms, it offers high performance at a relatively low price.

• NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000. This is a professional GPU from NVIDIA with 48GB of GDDR6 memory and exceptional rendering performance. It also supports real-time ray tracing technology and AI acceleration, making it a great choice for studios looking for maximum performance and memory.

However, there are other graphics cards that are part of the industrial range. For example, NVIDIA® Tesla® V100, P100, M60, M40, RTX 3060-3090 and RTX 4060-4090 GPUs. The Cloud4Y render farm is based on an array of high-performance Tesla M40 professional graphics accelerators.