DLI SNUB Launcher for LightWave 3D Network Rendering - DreamLight.com

Version 2 is Cross-platform for Mac OS X & Windows!

Drag-and-drop-dead-easy™ background rendering while you continue to work in LightWave Layout.

DLI_SNUB-Launcher™ – DreamLight Interactive ScreamerNet UB Launcher is a cross-platform GUI front end interface to interactively build the necessary command lines to launch LightWave 3D’s ScreamerNet UB standalone, batch and network rendering component (LWSN) on both Mac OS X and Windows.

DLI SNUB Launcher works by itself for drag-and-drop standalone background rendering with LightWave ScreamerNet LWSN on a single computer. It also works together with our network render controller – DreamLight Constellation, for cross-platform network rendering on Mac OS X Macs and Windows PCs.

Download the FREE LITE version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher™ standalone
OR bundled with DreamLight Constellation today!

DLI SNUB Launcher 2 was completely rebuilt from the ground up as a cross-platform Mac/Win LiveCode application with additional features including red/green auto-highlighting file path fields for easy at-a-glance path verification and a new standalone scene settings panel with user override abilities for drag-and-drop standalone rendering that’s never been easier. The DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 is compatible with LightWave 3D 2015+ on Mac OS X 10.6.8-10.11.6+ and Windows 7,10+. Legacy versions are still available for older versions of LightWave 3D on Mac OS X.

Note: DLI_SNUB-Launcher is currently still a 32-bit application and is not yet compatible with the new Mac OS X Catalina which no longer supports 32-bit applications.

DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 Drag-and-drop-dead-easy™ Network Rendering Now for Windows too!

DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 New Scene Settings Panel for Drag-and-drop-dead-easy™ Standalone Rendering — DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 Scene Settings Panel for Drag-and-drop-dead-easy™ Standalone Rendering

I created DLI SNUB Launcher while updating my Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN white paper (NewTek based the Mac network rendering chapter of the LightWave 3D manual on our white paper) and tutorials for ScreamerNet lwsn UB (Universal Binary for both PowerPC and Intel processors). After carefully writing out the explanations for how to configure and launch ScreamerNet lwsn in Terminal, I felt that it wasn’t quite Mac friendly enough. So I set about writing the original version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher as an Aqua GUI interface in Apple XCode to interactively build the command lines and launch multiple ScreamerNet lwsn render nodes for standalone, batch and network rendering. (Render nodes are instances of LWSN, normally one per computer.) Now with version 2, I’ve rewritten DLI_SNUB-Launcher from the ground up in the cross-platform LiveCode in order to bring our famous drag-and-drop-dead-easy™ ScreamerNet rendering to LightWave 3D’s Windows users as well.

NewTek based the Mac section of the Distributed Rendering chapter in the LightWave 3D manual on our Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN white paper.

From the LightWave 3D 2015 User Manual:

The explanation in these docs is mainly written by Mike Scaramozzino from DreamLight Interactive and are published here with his kind permission. Mike has spent many years rendering using Screamernet and has created a tool to make it all much easier with no use of Terminal required. Visit his site at dreamlight.com and check out the DLI_SNUB-Launcher

Created, Designed & Programmed by Michael Scaramozzino – LightWave 3D Artist Profile
Author of Creating a 3D Animated CGI Short & Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN

DLI SNUB Launcher – Features & Benefits

Render in the background while continuing to work in LightWave on a single computer
Use extra Macs or Windows PCs to render while you continue working in LightWave
Zero configuration, drag & drop scenes on icon droplet for standalone rendering
Auto-highlighting red/green file path fields for easy at-a-glance configuration verification
Override RGB output folder, image format & frame range for standalone rendering
On-the-fly content folder verification and changing on scene loading
Cross-platform drag-and-drop-dead-easy lwsn for both Mac OS X and Windows!
Compatible with LightWave ScreamerNet UB (lwsn) 9.3 – 2015+
Versions compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 – 10.11+, Tiger to El Capitan & beyond
Fully compatible with Windows 7 – 10 and beyond.
Versions compatible with LightWave ScreamerNet lwsn 10+ on both 32 or 64 bit
Interactive, error-free, ScreamerNet LWSN command line building & launching
One-click access to every ScreamerNet LWSN command line parameter
Detailed pop up tool tips for all settings & command line parameters
Easily launches multiple ScreamerNet LWSN nodes (LWSN instances) with a single click
Works seamlessly with the built-in LightWave 3D network render panel
Works seamlessly with our DreamLight Constellation network render controller
Works seamlessly with other third-party ScreamerNet UB controllers
Help menu links to specific pages of Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet for Mac OS X
Free Lite version for 1 node (LWSN instances) without saving custom settings between launches
Registration purchase enables more nodes & saving custom settings between launches
One download for all versions with simple serial number license upgrades available
High end professionally designed LW3D benchmark scene, DLI_SuperBalls, included

Download the FREE LITE version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher™ to check it out today!

DLI SNUB Launcher Customer Testimonial

I really wished I’d filmed this… I’m already rendering !!! I literally got the license a few minutes ago …. that was the quickest time I’ve ever set up anything…

Screamernet has literally brought me to tears in the past – in the fetal position on the ground… I cannot believe how simple this was, how it gives you enough control to know what’s going on and shows you what it’s doing… wow..

I’m very happy with your product. Initially I was waiting for things to fail, or not work.. But it just worked. First time! I got my render back in one hour instead of 7!

all the best,
crisb.

p.s. In the past I was used to the IT people back at Digital Domain dealing with all of this, when we had literally thousands of machines at our disposal, I’ve now left LA and set up a studio in Nairobi, Kenya ! and I’m doing it all myself… Thank-you for making this part so simple, I was expecting insane headaches.

DLI SNUB Launcher – Registration & Ordering

FREE Lite 1-Node License

1 Node Limit
Custom Settings Saving Disabled
Also available with DreamLight Constellation bundle

The FREE lite license version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 is fully functional, with the following limitations. All custom settings may be used, but only the lwsn path will be saved when quit and re-launched. It is also limited to launching 1 ScreamerNet LWSN instance (render node) for rendering.

STD 5-Node License – $24.95

5 Node Limit
ALL Settings Saving Enabled
Also available with DreamLight Constellation bundle

The standard (STD) registered license for DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 enables fully functional saving of all custom settings between launches. The only limitation of the standard license is that it is limited to launching 5 ScreamerNet LWSN instances (render nodes) for network rendering at a single site.

PRO 10-Node License – $49.95

10 Node Limit
ALL Settings Saving Enabled
Also available with DreamLight Constellation bundle

The professional (PRO) registered license for DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 enables fully functional saving of all custom settings between launches. The only limitation of the standard license is that it is limited to launching 10 ScreamerNet LWSN instances (render nodes) for network rendering at a single site.

ENT Unlimited License – $74.95

Unlimited Nodes
ALL Settings Saving Enabled
Also available with DreamLight Constellation bundle

The enterprise (ENT) registered license of DLI_SNUB-Launcher enables fully functional saving of all custom settings between launches and may also be used to launch a virtually unlimited number of ScreamerNet LWSN instances (render nodes) for network rendering at a single site. It’s technically limited to a max number of 99999999 nodes, which enables as many nodes as possible up to any limit of LightWave/lwsn itself.

Registered License Ordering

Before ordering a registered license, please first download, install and test DLI_SNUB-Launcher to verify that it works as desired for your particular installation. The FREE lite version downloaded is fully functional other than the number of nodes is limited to 1 at a time and saving most custom settings between launches is disabled. Please test it with each type of node you wish to run, local, remote and/or cross-platform. Even though it’s limited to one node at a time, you may test it on each type individually, one at a time. Once you verify that DLI_SNUB-Launcher works as desired for your installation then you may order a registered license and a registration serial number will be emailed to you that you may copy/paste into the registration panel to unlock the purchased level of additional render nodes and saving of custom settings.

Pay by Credit Card or PayPal

Pay with Bitcoin for a $5 Discount

NOTE: Please 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. Orders are processed manually, typically within 1-2 business days, Monday-Friday. If you do not receive a registration e-mail within a few days please check your spam filters. Please download and test software BEFORE ordering a registered license.

DLI SNUB Launcher Manual

Download & Installation

Download DLI_SNUB-Launcher by right clicking on the link below and selecting Download Linked File from the pop-up menu. Or download the DreamLight Constellation & DLI_SNUB-Launcher Bundle for both together.

DLI_SNUB-Launcher-2.0.4

1 file(s) 17.72 MB

Download

(Mac OS X + Windows – LightWave 3D 2015+ Compatible with LW 2018, 2019+)
Includes LW11+ DLI_SuperBalls Benchmark Scene & Legacy Mac 1.8 Version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher
MD5 Hash: EF6C618AD83A0174BF39F42E9248B14D (Verify here)

After downloading the DLI_SNUB-Launcher.zip file, unzip the file by double-clicking it on Mac OS X or by right-clicking on it and selecting Extract All…
Drag the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application file from the unzipped folder to your LightWave 3D applications folder where Layout and Modeler are found: /Applications/NewTek/LightWave3D_2015.2 on Mac OS X or C:\Program Files\NewTek\LightWave_2015.2 on Windows. Enter an administrator’s username and password if prompted. You may then create an alias/shortcut to place on your desktop if desired.

That’s it!

LightWave3D 2015.2 Folder on Mac OS X — Mac OS X: /Applications/NewTek/LightWave3D_2015.2

LightWave3D 2015.2 Folder on Windows — Windows: C:\Program Files\NewTek\LightWave_2015.2

The first time DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2 is launched it will search for Layout in the same folder (or the highest version installed if not in the same folder) to determine which version of LightWave you have. It will then search for the bin/lwsn command line application in the LightWave3D folder.

It will next search for the config folder where LightWave’s config files are stored. For Mac users It will first look for a custom Preferences folder that you may have created inside the LightWave3D folder to use as the config folder. If not found, then the default config folder in the current user’s Application Support folder will be used instead.

The default config folder is found in the following location:

Mac OS X:
/Users/userx/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/2015.2

Windows:
C:\Users\userx\.NewTek\LightWave\2015.2

When found, the lwsn Path and Config Folder fields will be highlighted in green. If either is highlighted in red instead then it was not found successfully and needs to be manually set. To manually configure DLI_SNUB-Launcher for a custom configuration simply drag the ScreamerNet lwsn command line application to the lwsn Path button or field and/or drag your desired config folder to the -c Config Folder button or field. Then set any other settings as desired.

[NOTE: The FREE LITE version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher does not save custom settings between launches other than the lwsn Path setting. Any other settings that are manually configured will need to be reset each time it is launched unless you purchase a registered license.]

To drag-and-drop render a scene, simply drag-and-drop the scene file onto the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application icon on the desktop or the dock/task bar (no need to launch DLI_SNUB-Launcher first) and it will first open the new Scene Settings Panel where you may set the RGB Output path, image file name, image format and render range. When done it will launch lwsn to render the scene. It will prompt you to change the Content Folder if necessary.

For more examples of using DLI_SNUB-Launcher for standalone rendering, batch rendering and network rendering check out our quick-start tutorials.

If you ever wish to uninstall it, simply drag the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application file to the trash.

DLI_SNUB-Launcher Version History

Version 2.0.4 – Tooltip Update – 09/30/15

Updated tooltips & website to reflect new registration levels.
Fixed a bug where disabled menus were not re-enabled.

Version 2.0.3 – Win Path Fix & About Box Update – 09/28/15

Added fix to cross-platform Windows paths for top level “C:” and network “\\” paths.
Updated about box for new white paper links & registration levels.

Version 2.0.2 – Updated for Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN – 09/24/15

Updated Help Menu links for updated Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN White Paper
Added reading default Command Folder from config file.
Disabled left-right arrows that were jumping to other cards.

Version 2.0.1.0 – Updated for DreamLight Constellation – 08/27/15

Adjusted the node limits and registration levels to match DreamLight Constellation.
Added new defaults to automatically find Commands and Logs folders in the Content Folder.
Fixed some default configuration issues on Mac and Windows.

Version 2.0.0.7 – Fixed Default Config Path Bug – 06/14/15

Fixed bug in the default config path on the Mac where sometimes it would fail to properly detect the version.
Fixed 64 pixel icon to use internal image rather than external reference
Corrected some typos in tool tips.

Version 2.0.0.6 – Fixed Windows Droplet Bugs – 06/07/15

Fixed default config folder on Windows
Enabled drag-and-drop scene files to desktop icon on Windows
Updated Windows icons to include larger sizes

Version 2.0.0.5 – Fixed Preferences Bug – 06/03/15

Fixed a bug related to saving and loading preferences according to the various registration levels.

Version 2.0.0.4 – Fixed Minor Scene Panel Bug – 06/02/15

Fixed a minor bug where adding support for negative numbers blocked numeric entry in Scene Panel render range fields. Fixed boolean logic to use “and” rather than “or” on the code that prevents non-numeric entry.

Version 2.0.0.3 – Rewritten as Cross-platform LiveCode App for Mac & Win – 05/31/15

Rewritten from the ground up in LiveCode
Cross-platform versions for both Mac OS X 10.6.8+ and Windows 7+
Added new scene settings panel with user overrides for RGB Output Folder, Image Names, Image Format & Frame Range in standalone render mode.
Added red/green auto-highlighting file path fields for easy at-a-glance file path verification.
Released as early beta version to gather user feedback for any issues.
Updated online documentation for new features.

Version 1.8 – Tested for LightWave3D 2015 & Yosemite – 12/15/14

Tested with LightWave3D 2015 & Mac OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite
Updated documentation and moved to DreamLight’s new WordPress web site

Version 1.8 – Tested for LightWave3D 11.5 – 05/29/13

Version 1.8 – Updated for LightWave3D 10&11+ & Lion – 05/12/12

Updated for LightWave 3D 10/11, Mac OS X Snow Leopard & Lion
Added new auto-configuration of default paths for lwsn and config folders for LW10/11 changes.
Moved -t command line argument to main panel for use with both mode -2 & -3 rendering.
Enabled drag-and-drop folders on buttons/fields to activate any associated check mark buttons.
Added drop-down triangle button to the Close Batch Render Settings button.
Added new Content Folder verification code for mode -3 rendering to detect mismatches and allow changing the Content Folder on-the-fly.
Added new Output Path verification to detect and warn of incorrect Output Folder.
Included new DLI_SuperBalls LW11 benchmark render test scene.

Version 1.5 – LightWave 11 Testing – 03/03/12

Tested with LightWave 3D 11 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8. Works fine but NewTek changed the name of ScreamerNet to LWSN and changed its location to the bin folder, so manual configuration is required because the defaults are no longer valid. I’m currently in the process of updating it for newer LightWave 10/11 defaults and testing for use with Lion. The update and will be posted once available.

Version 1.5 – LightWave 10 Testing – 02/01/11

Tested with LightWave 10 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.Works fine but NewTek changed the name of ScreamerNet to LWSN and changed its location to the bin folder, so manual configuration is required because the defaults are no longer valid.

Version 1.5 – LightWave 9.6 Update – 01/10/09

Updated and tested with LightWave 9.6 UB. Also fixed a minor bug where editing some text fields would not update the actual value if the panel was closed while the field was still being edited.

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

Support & Troubleshooting

Always verify that you have the latest build of DreamLight Constellation and/or DLI_SNUB-Launcher based on the version numbers. Download and install the latest version if you’re running an older version and retest any issues with the latest version. We often fix any bugs we find or that are reported by users and post new builds with fixes as soon as possible. You may also review the Version History to see if a fix for any issue you may have encountered is reported as fixed.

If you’re having trouble getting ScreamerNet lwsn to work with DLI_SNUB-Launcher, please test rendering the included DLI_SuperBalls test scene tutorials first. Start with the Standalone Rendering tutorial and then the Batch Rendering tutorial. This will show you how to use DLI_SNUB-Launcher properly by testing it on known content in a known configuration. Many problems turn out to be problems with your custom content or custom configuration, often with network access and/or read/write permission issues to your network content.

Next review our Mastering LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN white paper, going through all the included tutorials to be sure that you’re configuring ScreamerNet and preparing your scenes correctly for ScreamerNet rendering.

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.

All computers must have read access to the same Content Folder and they must all have read/write access to the same Commands Folder and RGB Output Folder. All the paths must be identical to each of those folders for each lwsn node on each computer. If you wish to use different local/remote paths or mixed cross-platform paths then you would need to use a third-party render controller because LightWave Layout’s built-in Network Render panel does not re-map paths for local/remote or cross-platform support.

All settings are saved in the DLI_SNUB-Launcher preferences file found in the following locations:

Mac OS X:
/Users/userx/Library/Preferences/com.DreamLight.DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2

Windows:
C:\Users\userx\AppData\Roaming\DreamLight\com.DreamLight.DLI_SNUB-Launcher 2

If you’ve verified that your configs and scenes are set up correctly, and you’re still having problems with DLI_SNUB-Launcher, the next thing to try is to delete the DLI_SNUB-Launcher preferences file to verify it hasn’t become corrupted. Then launch and set up all your DLI_SNUB-Launcher settings again.

What DLI_SNUB-Launcher does is build the ScreamerNet command line and then launch lwsn. Once lwsn is launched and running DLI_SNUB-Launcher is no longer involved, in any matter whatsoever, so if lwsn is crashing or having other issues like not saving images, that wouldn’t be related to DLI_SNUB-Launcher itself but would most likely be incorrect paths, incorrect permissions, a bug in lwsn, problems with the content being rendered or plugins that are being used.

We will fix any bugs that are found and fixable within DreamLight Constellation and/or DLI_SNUB-Launcher, but are unable to fix any bugs in LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN itself. If you think you’ve found a bug in DreamLight Constellation and/or DLI_SNUB-Launcher please try to render the scene directly in LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN alone using LightWave’s built-in network render panel. That’s the best way to rule out any LightWave 3D ScreamerNet LWSN bugs.

Please report any issues or problems through our Contact Form. While we can’t troubleshoot your custom setup, we can often point you in the right direction and we respond to email support inquiries as soon as possible. We do not have telephone tech support, so no phone calls please.

DLI_SNUB-Launcher License

DLI_SNUB-Launcher™ 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 (physical location). A separate STD, PRO or ENT license is required for each additional site that it may be used at. It may be used on the licensed number of computers (5 nodes for STD version, 10 nodes for PRO version, unlimited [99999999] nodes for ENT version, up to the LightWave limit) 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.