SquidNet Software

Latest Release

Work Queue View.
Specify minimum memory reqs.
Job Dependencies.
Pre/Post Command Execution.
Minor enhancements.
Bug fixes.

Sponsor Sites

SquidNet 2.31 Available!!

Cross-Platform Network Management Solution

Help Wanted!!!

Attention 3D Artists!!, are you looking to build your own personal render farm using Maya, 3DSMAX, Blender, Mental Ray, Lightwave or any other 3D rendering application? If you are, you may be able to help us create support for these applications by joining our SquidNet Template Development program. The program allows potential SquidNet users to assist us with the development and testing of job request templates for specific 3D rendering and compositing applications. In exchange for your help, we'll provide you with free SquidNet network licenses for as many nodes as your farm has. Here's how the program works:

Simply send an email to support@squidnetsoftware.com saying that you'd like to participate in the SquidNet Template Development program and please identify which 3D rendering application you're using.

If accepted, we'll send you temporary network licenses for you to use on your SquidNet farm.

Send us command line instructions on how your 3D application processes jobs. In particular, send us the full list of command line arguments used by your application to process rendering and compositing requests.

Once we receive your command line instructions, we'll send you a job template containing your command line parameters for you to try out on your network.

We'll repeat the process of feedback, tweaking and testing until we have a polished application job template.

Once complete, we'll send you your free network licenses for your SquidNet render farm.

Joining the program is totally free and at absolutely no cost to you !! All we ask is that you completely validate the application template so that others are free to use it without issue.

SquidNet Software's Cross-Platform Network Distribution Processor (SquidNet) allows just about any distributed processing application (Maya, Blender, Lightwave, research, educational, etc...) with a command-line based interface to evenly distribute job "slices", segments or frames amongst one or more network processors. These network processors, called Tipnodes, pull and process outstanding job requests from a centralized virtual queue. This virtual queue contains jobs requests that are submitted from SquidNet users via the SquidNet Management Console (SMC) which provides a GUI-based interface into the network. SquidNet system supports the following features:

Submittal of jobs requests based on application templates (Maya, 3DS Max, Blender, Generic, etc...).

Cross-Platform support (WINDOWS, LINUX).

Platform Path Translation Manager. Issue a single path/file destination in cross-platform job requests.

Manage remote network installations from local Network Manager Dialog.

Assignment of Job Priorities (0-highest, 24-lowest).

Centralized interface that provides users advanced flexibility and management options, including the ability to tap CPU power on desktop workstations during off-peak hours.

Tipnode support for multi-core processor systems.

Independent views into each subsystem (job queue, work queue, tipnodes, etc...)

Streamlined digital workflow from one or more independent locations.

Monitors all render nodes on a network, and includes real-time CPU, memory and network traffic views.

Ability to specify the number of network tipnodes that a job will use.

Automatic restart of job slices if their processing times exceed a specific time period.

Priority Boosting --- automatically increase priority of specific jobs every N minutes.

Selectable thread processing priorities. (Idle, Normal, High and Real-time).

Execution Script. Process job slices within criteria of O/S dependant batch file or shell script.

Job states: Queued, Processing, Interrupted, Suspended, Resumed, Error and Completed.

Increase/Decrease/Change job priorities.

Real-time log for system monitoring.

Real-time job log.

Real-time job slice log.

Rendered image capabilities.

Extensive error reporting with the ability to resubmit frames from failed jobs.

Tipnode activation and de-activation.

Tipnode start/stop processing.

Email notification on specific job processing events.

Pool Management. Assign any tipnode to one or more network pools.

Easy to use network render management solution.

and more...

Supported Applications

Built-in support: Maya, 3D Studio Max, RealFlow Mesher, Blender, Mental Ray Standalone and most generic applications

Future support:

Autodesk: RenderMan for Maya, Final Render for Maya, V-Ray for Maya, Combustion.

Adobe: After Effects

Handbrake DVD converter.

Elecard video converter.

MentalRay

Digital Fusion

Houdini

Lightwave

Maxwell

Shake

Cinema 4D

XSI

.... any application that supports a command line interface.

Earn Free License Upgrades !!

Need a new job template? If you need a template for an application that we currently don't support. No problem!. Just drop us an email at template@squidnetsoftware.com and describe the type of application that you're using and what parameters/functions you need to support. If we integrate your template we'll send you 2 free lifetime usage tipnode licenses.

Need a new feature implemented? If you need a specific feature that we currently don't support please send an email to feature@squidnetsoftware.com. If we implement your request, we'll send you 2 free lifetime tipnode licenses.

Need an evaluation license? If you'd like to try out SquidNet Professional just send an email to sales@squidnetsoftware.com and we'll send you a SquidNet Professional license to try out for 7 days.

Operating System Support

WIN2000, WINXP 32/64, VISTA 32/64 and most popular Linux distributions.

Products

SquidNet Deluxe: A Free version that provides limited but functional capabilities for a small network (a max of 2 concurrent processing nodes with no limit to the number of cores on each).

SquidNet Professional: Full featured version.

SquidNet Tipnode License: Adds additional Tipnode processing power to existing SquidNet networks.

SquidNet Deluxe/Professional Comparisons

Feature Deluxe Professional

* Default number of distributed nodes. 2 2+

* SMTP Email Notification. No Yes

* Lifetime updates. Included Included

* Advanced Job Request Features. No Yes

* Maximum concurrent Tipnodes. 2 Unlimited

* Maximum CPU cores utilized 1 Unlimited

* Maximum job threads per job request. 1 Unlimited

* Job log file view. No Yes

* Job slice log file view. Yes Yes

* CPU Usage Graph per Tipnode. No Yes

* Output Image View. No Yes

* Pool Management. No Yes

* Application Template Support. Full Full

* Remote Tipnode management. No Yes

* Maximum Job profiles. 5 Unlimited

* Job Priority in-progress modification. No Yes

* Job Suspend/Resume. Yes Yes

* Network Clean. No Yes

* Tipnode Clean. No Yes

* Tipnode Activate/Deactivate. No Yes

* Advanced Template Parameters. No Yes

* Start/Top Tipnode. No Yes

* Maximum Software Updates. Unlimited Unlimited

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