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SNUB LAUNCHER
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I wrote DLI_SNUB-Launcher in XCode while updating my Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet for Mac OS X white paper and tutorials for ScreamerNet UB. After writing up the explanations for how to configure and launch ScreamerNet UB in Terminal, I felt that it wasn’t quite Mac friendly enough, so I set about writing an Aqua GUI interface to interactively build the command lines and launch multiple ScreamerNet UB render nodes for standalone, batch and network rendering. If you find DLI_SNUB-Launcher useful, please support our continuing efforts by registering it. Features & Benefits
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Contents |
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- Introduction
- Download & Installation
- Registration & Ordering
- General Standalone, Batch & Network Settings
- Batch/Network Node Settings
- Standalone Mode -3 Rendering
- Batch/Network Mode -2 Rendering
- System Requirements
- History
- Troubleshooting
- Restrictions
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Download & Installation |
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Download
Download your copy of DLI_SNUB-Launcher by right clicking on the link below and selecting Save Linked File from the pop-up menu.
Download
DLI_SNUB-Launcher.zip *NEW UPDATE 04/16/08:
Version 1.25
Installation
- After downloading the DLI_SNUB-Launcher.zip file, unzip the file by double-clicking it.
- Drag DLI_SNUB-Launcher to your /Applications/LightWave3D 9
folder.
You may run the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application from any location you wish, but if you place it in your LightWave3D folder, it will be able to find ScreamerNet without any configuration. DLI_SNUB-Launcher defaults to look for ScreamerNet in the same folder as the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application is first launched from. Otherwise use the ScreamerNet Path button on the DLI_SNUB-Launcher interface to tell it where ScreamerNet is located. - If you ever wish to uninstall it, simply drag DLI_SNUB-Launcher to the trash.
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Registration & Ordering |
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DLI_SNUB-Launcher has three different levels of functionality based upon your registered license.
Free Lite Version
The free lite version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher is fully functional, with the following limitations. All custom settings may be used, but only the ScreamerNet Path will be saved when DLI_SNUB-Launcher is quit and relaunched. It is also limited to launching ten ScreamerNet nodes for network rendering. In order to save custom settings between launches, please purchase one of the registered versions below.
If you find DLI_SNUB-Launcher useful, please support our continuing efforts by registering it.
Registered Full Version - $24.95
The registered full version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher is fully functional including saving of all custom settings between launches. The only limitation of the full version is that it’s limited to launching ten ScreamerNet nodes for network rendering at a single site. One license per site. Registered users will get any and all point upgrades (such as from 1.1 to 1.2) emailed to them directly, free of charge.
Registered Pro Version - $49.95
The registered pro version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher is fully functional including saving of all custom settings between launches and may also be used to launch an unlimited number of ScreamerNet nodes for network rendering at a single site. One license per site. Registered users will get any and all point upgrades (such as from 1.1 to 1.2) emailed to them directly, free of charge.
License Ordering
Order your DLI_SNUB-Launcher registered serial number today!
Be sure to include your correct e-mail address when you place your order. We will e-mail you the registered user name and serial number that you will need to enter in the registration panel.
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General Standalone, Batch & Network Settings |
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All the settings on the main DLI_SNUB-Launcher panel are used for both standalone mode -3 rendering and batch/network mode -2 rendering. All the settings are fully enabled for all versions of DLI_SNUB-Launcher. The free lite version however only saves the ScreamerNet Path between launches. Only the registered versions will save the other custom settings between launches. For more in-depth information about any of these settings, see General ScreamerNet Command Line Syntax from Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet on Mac OS X
? (help)
The round ? (help) button at the top right of the DLI_SNUB-Launcher panel will open your default web browser and bring you to this online manual. You may also use the Help menu for direct access to every page of Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet on Mac OS X for more detailed information and tutorials about all aspects of using ScreamerNet on Mac OS X.
ScreamerNet Path
Click the ScreamerNet Path button or drag ScreamerNet from the Finder to the button or field to set the path to the ScreamerNet UB application to launch. The first time DLI_SNUB-Launcher is run the ScreamerNet Path will default to look for ScreamerNet in the same folder as the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application. If you place DLI_SNUB-Launcher in the /Applications/LightWave3D 9 folder, the ScreamerNet Path will default to the correct location without any further adjustment. If you wish to run DLI_SNUB-Launcher from a different location, or wish to use a ScreamerNet UB from another location, simply click the ScreamerNet Path button and select the ScreamerNet UB application that you would like to have DLI_SNUB-Launcher use. Once set, the ScreamerNet Path is saved between launches of all versions of DLI_SNUB-Launcher, including the free lite version.
Registered
This toggle switch shows which license version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher you are running, the free lite version, or one of the two registered versions. The registered versions will enable the saving of all the custom settings below. The free lite version will only save the ScreamerNet path, other custom settings must be reset each time. See Registration & Ordering above for more information about the various DLI_SNUB-Launcher licenses available.
-c Config Folder
Click the button or drag a folder from the Finder to the button or field to set the path to the folder that holds the config files for ScreamerNet UB. This is the ScreamerNet -c command line argument. The config folder defaults to the LightWave3D folder in the current user’s preferences folder. You’ll only need to change this Config Folder setting if you wish to use a set of config files in a different location than the LightWave 3D default config files stored in the current user’s preferences folder. To change this setting, simply click the -c Config Folder button and select the folder that contains the ScreamerNet config files that you wish to use. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
-d Content Folder
The check mark allows you to enable/disable a custom content folder. Once enabled, use the -d Content Folder button to set the path to the content folder you wish to use. When disabled, the content folder that was set in the config file from within LightWave will be used instead.
Click the -d Content Folder button or drag a folder to the button or field to set the path to the custom content folder that ScreamerNet UB should use to render scenes, objects and images from. This is the ScreamerNet -d command line argument. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
-l Log Folder
The check mark allows you to enable/disable sending ScreamerNet UB output to a log text file rather than to the Terminal. Once enabled, use the -l Log Folder button to set the path to the log folder.
Click the -l Log Folder button or drag a folder to the button or field to set the path to the folder where the ScreamerNet UB logs will be saved. The logs will be named: ScreamerNetLog-#. This is the ScreamerNet -l command line argument. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
-q Quiet Mode
This check mark turns the Quiet Mode on/off to limit the amount of output ScreamerNet sends to the Terminal or the log file. This is the ScreamerNet -q command line argument. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
ScreamerNet Command Line
This field shows an example of the ScreamerNet UB command line that will be built from the current settings set in the interface. For mode -2 it shows the first node’s command line. For mode -3 it won’t show the scene or frame range which are set when the scene is opened for rendering.
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Batch/Network Node Settings |
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Click the Open Batch Render Settings -2 button or select the Settings->Open Batch Render Settings menu item to open the Batch/Network Render Settings drawer. This drawer contains additional settings that are only available for batch/network mode -2 rendering. For more in-depth information about any of these settings, see Batch/Network Mode (-2) Command Line Syntax from Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet on Mac OS X
First ScreamerNet Node #
Enter the node number to use for the first ScreamerNet UB instance to run on this Mac. This is the number used after the job & ack ScreamerNet command line arguments. The registered pro version allows unlimited node numbers. The other versions only allow node numbers up to ten. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
Through Last Node #
The check mark allows you to enable/disable multiple ScreamerNet UB instances on this Mac. Used for running multiple instances on a multi-core/CPU Mac. When running multiple instances on the same Mac, be sure to set the config file’s render threads setting appropriately.
Enter the node number to use for the last ScreamerNet UB instance to run on this Mac when running more than one instance on a multi-core/CPU Mac. DLI_SNUB-Launcher will launch instances numbered from the first node # through the last node# consecutively on the same Mac. The first node # must be lower than the last node #. This is the number used after the job & ack ScreamerNet command line arguments. The registered pro version allows unlimited node numbers. The other versions only allow node numbers up to ten. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
Command Folder
Click the Command Folder button or drag a folder from the Finder to the button or field to set the path to the command folder that ScreamerNet UB will use to read/write commands in the job/ack files. All ScreamerNet render nodes must have read/write access to this folder and your ScreamerNet controller must be set to use the same command folder. This is the path used in the job/ack ScreamerNet command line arguments. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
-t Time Check Interval
The check mark allows you to enable/disable the time check interval that ScreamerNet UB will use to check the job file to interrupt a current render. Normally ScreamerNet only checks for commands in the job file between rendered frames. This setting has ScreamerNet check for commands in the job file during the rendering of frames. This can enable you to abort a render even in the case of frames that may take a long time to render.
Enter the number of seconds for the time check interval that ScreamerNet UB will use to check the job file for commands. This is the -t ScreamerNet command line argument. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.
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Standalone Mode -3 Rendering |
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DLI_SNUB-Launcher may be used to select scene files and launch ScreamerNet UB to render the selected scenes in ScreamerNet’s standalone mode -3 in a few different ways.
Before rendering scenes with DLI_SNUB-Launcher, the config file and scenes must first be set up for rendering properly in LightWave 3D UB with a proper Content Directory, image file format and output path as well as the frame render range. For more in-depth information about setting up your config files and scenes for standalone rendering, see Config Settings for ScreamerNet, Successful Scene Preparation for ScreamerNet and Standalone Rendering with ScreamerNet Mac from Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet on Mac OS X
Droplet Standalone Mode -3 Rendering
DLI_SNUB-Launcher
is a droplet which means that you can simply drag and drop LightWave
scene files onto the DLI_SNUB-Launcher
icon
in the
Finder or in the Dock to have DLI_SNUB-Launcher launch ScreamerNet
and render the scenes using the custom settings that you’ve set
with the DLI_SNUB-Launcher interface.
Opening Scenes for Mode -3 Rendering
In addition to dragging scenes onto the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon you may also open scenes to render by clicking or dragging and dropping scenes on the Open Scene for Standalone Render -3 button as well as using the File->Open Scene... menu item.
Multiple Scene Standalone Rendering
Regardless of which method you use to open scenes for standalone rendering, you may select multiple scenes at once. When multiple scenes are selected a separate instance of ScreamerNet UB will be launched in Terminal to render each scene concurrently. This is useful for rendering multiple scenes on multi core or multi CPU Macs where you set the config file’s render threads to fewer than the available cores/cpus. For instance, with this method you could render two scenes at the same time on an 8-core Mac Pro with the render threads set to 4 each or you could render 4 scenes with render threads set to 2, or 8 scenes with render threads set to 1.
Adjusting Scene Render Range
When you open a scene for standalone mode -3 rendering with DLI_SNUB-Launcher it will open a scene settings dialog where you may change the render frame range’s first frame, last frame and frame step.
Standalone Mode -3 Rendering with the Free Lite Version
If you set your content directory in LightWave 3D to save it in the config file, and leave your config file in the default location of the current user’s preferences folder, then you can use the DLI_SNUB-Launcher as a droplet for standalone rendering whether it is already running or not.
Only the registered versions of DLI_SNUB-Launcher save the custom settings between launches, other than the ScreamerNet Path. So if you wish to use other custom settings with the free lite version, you need to launch DLI_SNUB-Launcher first, and set the custom settings in the interface. Then while DLI_SNUB-Launcher is still running, drag the scene to the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon in the Finder or the Dock, or select the scenes with the Open Scene button or menu item, and it will use your custom settings. Once you quit DLI_SNUB-Launcher, the free lite version will revert all settings other than the ScreamerNet Path back to the initial defaults.
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Batch/Network Mode -2 Rendering |
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DLI_SNUB-Launcher may also be used to configure and launch multiple ScreamerNet render nodes for use in a batch or network mode -2 render farm. After launching the ScreamerNet nodes for mode -2 rendering, you would then use LightWave’s built-in network render panel, or a third party render controller to manage the render queue and send the scenes to the render nodes. DLI_SNUB-Launcher works well with Jon Baker’s new UB version of ScreamerNet Controller for Mac OS X. For more in-depth information about batch and network ScreamerNet rendering, see Batch Rendering with ScreamerNet Mac, Basic Network Rendering with Mac ScreamerNet, Advanced Network Rendering with Mac ScreamerNet and Advanced Network Rendering with Mac ScreamerNet UB from Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet on Mac OS X
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System Requirements |
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DLI_SNUB-Launcher system requirements:
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History |
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Version 1.25 - Leopard Update - 04/16/08
Recompiled in XCode 3 on Mac OS X Leopard version 10.5.2. Added a version check to prevent it from running on Mac OS X versions older than Mac OS X Tiger, version 10.4.0. Previously it would launch on 10.3, but generate errors due to missing components in that version of the OS.
Version 1.2 - Bug Fix - 04/15/08
Fixed a minor bug where dragging & dropping scenes onto the Open Scene mode -3 button or the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon while the mode -2 drawer was left open could try to render the scenes in mode -2 instead of mode -3. Fixed it to close the drawer first, so that it would be in the proper mode.
Version 1.1 - Enabled drag & drop of items directly to fields - 01/07/08
XCode Version 1.0 - for LightWave 9.3.1 ScreamerNet UB - 12/26/07
Initial AppleScript Mode -3 Droplet Test Version - 9/22/07
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Troubleshooting |
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If you’re having trouble getting ScreamerNet UB to work with DLI_SNUB-Launcher, please review Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet for Mac OS X, going through all the included tutorials to be sure that you’re configuring ScreamerNet and preparing your scenes correctly for ScreamerNet rendering. If you are positive that your ScreamerNet configuration and scenes are correct and can confirm that by hand configuring ScreamerNet UB and rendering with the built-in network controller without using DLI_SNUB-Launcher, then you may contact DreamLight Technical Support as outlined below.
All settings are saved in the DLI_SNUB-Launcher preferences
file:
~/Library/Preferences/com.DreamLight.DLI_SNUB-Launcher.plist
If you’ve verified that your configs and scenes are set up correctly, and you’re still having problems with DLI_SNUB-Launcher, the first thing to try is to delete the DLI_SNUB-Launcher preferences file and set up all your settings again.
Also verify that all nodes are using proper paths that are valid for all nodes and users across the network and that read/write permissions are set correctly for all users, files and folders.
Technical Support
You may contact DreamLight by e-mail. Only DreamLight SNUB-Launcher specific questions will be handled. Please send a complete description of your DreamLight SNUB-Launcher specific problem, including a complete profile of your system, via our DreamLight contact form. For general ScreamerNet questions, please refer to Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet for Mac OS X.
Due to the low cost of this software, telephone support is not available. No phone calls please.
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Restrictions |
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TM & (C) Copyright 1987-2007 DreamLight Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
DLI_SNUB-Launcher(TM) is exclusively intended for use by the original purchaser and is non transferable. By downloading DLI_SNUB-Launcher you are agreeing to these restrictions.
DLI_SNUB-Launcher is a commercial utility. It is not in the public domain. It remains the property of DreamLight Incorporated. It may not be distributed, redistributed, posted for downloads, sold, used as an inducement to purchase any other items, bundled with any other items or altered in any way without the express written consent of DreamLight Incorporated.
DLI_SNUB-Launcher is licensed to a user for a single site. A separate full or pro license is required for each site that it will be used at. It may be used on the licensed number of computers (10 computers for full version, unlimited computers for pro version) at a single site. Use at additional sites requires additional licenses, one license per site.
DLI_SNUB-Launcher is provided as-is. Use at your own risk. DreamLight makes no warranties whatsoever regarding this item or its use in any way. DreamLight’s liability is limited exclusively to a refund of your DLI_SNUB-Launcher license fee if any.
DreamLight and the DreamLight Logo are registered trademarks of DreamLight Incorporated. DLI_SNUB-Launcher and the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon are trademarks of DreamLight Incorporated. LightWave is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc. Macintosh, Mac, XCode and Mac OS X are registered trademarks of Apple.
Created by Michael Scaramozzino - LightWave 3D Artist Profile
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