CPU Rendering Core/thread limitations

[Pyro777]

So, I'm specing out a new workstation for myself (2 xeon 22 core ~44 cores-88 hyper threaded) when I caught wind that not all of them will be available at render time due to either a limitation in Windows or Max.

1. Is that true?

2. If it is true...

        a. does that rule only apply to local processors? If my machine was below the limit, but as I hit multiple machines with DBR I pass the limit, is that     limit removed?

        b. Is Autodesk or Microsoft working on an update for this?

        c. Is there a workaround?

        d. what about running backburner locally or on the network?

[jon.bell]

Hi Pyro,

The current mental ray license is based on total external CPUs, not cores (and it doesn't count hyperthreading as 2 cores.) A dual-Xeon workstation with 44 local cores would count as a single license, and I believe you can have up to 4 more external CPUs for mental ray rendering with 3ds Max.

There may an internal core limit for mental ray, but I believe that's 64 cores total in one machine, so you should be good to go.

As far as Backburner is concerned, it doesn't count cores as separate render nodes -- one machine = one node. (But if you're managing a small render farm, you might also consider using a 3rd-party network rendering management program such as Deadline or Render Pal, which offer free rendering for 1 manager and 2 nodes. Backburner is free, but it's also very old, legacy code, and there are more modern render managers available.)

Finally, this machine you're configuring sounds like a beast -- wish I had that kind of power for my own home workstation!

I hope the above answers your questions. Please let us know. Thanks!

Best regards,

Jon A. Bell

Autodesk Technical Support

[jon.bell · Accepted solution]

Hi Pyro,

Just wanted to update you with this Windows CPU information from a Microsoft forum:

"Windows 10 supports maximum memory configurations that were formerly available only in the realm of servers. Windows 10 Home supports up to 128GB of RAM on the x64 platform. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise both support up to 512GB on the x64 platform. The x86 versions of Windows 10 support a maximum of 4GB of RAM. Windows 10 supports a maximum of two physical CPUs, but the number of logical processors or cores varies based on the processor architecture. A maximum of 32 cores is supported in 32-bit versions of Windows 8, whereas up to 256 cores are supported in the 64-bit versions."

I hope this information helps!

Best regards,

Jon A. Bell

Autodesk Technical Support