Command-line rendering fails, interactive rendering succeeds.

[spencer]

background: Rocky Linux 10, Maya 2025, MtoA 5.5.4.

I'm setting up a new renderfarm client (eventually will use Deadline to dispatch jobs to it). I can start up Maya 2025 interactively - license is OK, and can successfully see the Arnold license server in the Arnold License Manager. That activity shows up in the "adskflex.log" file on the license server host. 

I can successfully render a sample scene in Maya 2025. 
When I attempt to use the Render command on that host, from the command line, I see this in the output:

00:00:05 2285MB | authorizing with license manager: network ...
Warning: WARNING | rendering with watermarks because of failed authorization:
00:00:05 2320MB WARNING | rendering with watermarks because of failed authorization:
00:00:05 2320MB | [clm.v1] product key not found (44)
00:00:05 2320MB | environment variables:
00:00:05 2320MB | ARNOLD_LICENSE_ORDER = (not set)
00:00:05 2320MB | ARNOLD_LICENSE_MANAGER = (not set)
00:00:05 2320MB | [rlm] solidangle_LICENSE = (not set)
00:00:05 2320MB | [rlm] RLM_LICENSE = (not set)
00:00:05 2320MB | [clm] ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE = @arnoldserver.cs.washington.edu
00:00:05 2320MB | [clm] LM_LICENSE_FILE = (not set)
00:00:05 2320MB |
00:00:05 2320MB ERROR | aborting render because this is a batch render and abort_on_license_fail option is enabled

The weird thing is, there aren't any watermarks on the image I generate, but there's no logfile entries for the rendering (but it's using MtoA, and not the standalone Arnold renderer, so maybe there wouldn't be?).

My question is: why can I render interactively and not render from the command line, on the same host and with the same Maya file?

This rendering attempt does not show up in the adskflex.log file on the license server host. Yes, I can ping the license server host from the renderfarm client host.

[Stephen.Blair]

[clm.v1] product key not found (44)

Arnold has to be registered. The installer does that for you, so I assume you didn't run the installer (just extracted the files?).

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-re-register...

In the Maya user interface, Arnold doesn't use a license. That's a benefit for Autodesk customers.

[spencer]

I ran the MtoA-5.5.4-linux-2025.run installer after installing Maya 2025 and Bifrost.

I can run Maya 2025 interactively, and render this same Maya file using Arnold, successfully.

[spencer]

Does "Arnold [...] use a license." when one uses the "Render" command, though? 

[Stephen.Blair]

Render command starts a batch render in a separate process, outside of the Maya user interface. So that requires an Arnold license.

[spencer]

I'm pointing the Render command toward the license server - it's in the output dump in the original post. 

I know that when I installed Maya 2025, I did confirm that Maya itself was licensed; I was following these instructions - https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/tsarticles/ts/5ZZjP3R0R7hzPyhDYkd8IS.html - translating, as appropriate, from Ubuntu to Rocky Linux 10. Specifically, I did run the command "/opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/Current/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper list" and see that Maya's in there... but Arnold is not. 

Do I need to run that program again, with the "register" command, and the Arnold-specific parameters? (I've not had to do that before, and we've been batch-rendering using Arnold as the renderer for many years.)

[Stephen.Blair · Accepted solution]

If you still get

[clm.v1] product key not found (44)

then it's never getting as far as trying to connect to the license server.

Arnold has to be registered in the ProductInformation.pit file.
To register an Autodesk product, the Autodesk Licensing Service must be installed

To register Arnold,  you can use the AdskLicensingInstHelper, and it will look something like this:

sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/Current/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper register --prod_key C0PP1 --pv 2024.0.0.F --lm NETWORK --cf $MTOA_DIR/license/ArnoldConfit.pit 

Rendering in Maya doesn't use an Arnold license.

And also, batch renders don't use a Maya license. They require license for the renderer, in this case, Arnold.

[spencer]

Stephen, I have the license details from the Autodesk site, and it appears I need to use "2026.0.0.F" where you have "2024.0.0.F" and "C0PR1" where you have "C0PP1" - does this look right? Also, what is the value of $MTOA_DIR? It appears that it should be /usr/autodesk/arnold/maya2025/license, because that's where I found the "ArnoldConfig.pit" file. 

I am curious; how does this associate our running Arnold license server with the installation of Arnold?

Thank you.

[Stephen.Blair]

$MTOA_DIR is whereever MtoA is installed

AdskLicensingInstHelper register --prod_key C0PR1 --pv 2026.0.0.F --lm NETWORK --cf /usr/autodesk/arnold/maya2025/license/ArnoldConfit.pit

If an Autodesk product is not registered, the licensing aborts, and never even tries to connect to the license server.

[spencer]

Thanks! That did it.