SNUB LAUNCHER

Fully compatible with LightWave 9, 10 & 11 (32bit and 64 bit),
Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion!

DLI_SNUB-Launcher is DreamLight Interactive’s ScreamerNet UB Launcher, an Aqua GUI front end to interactively build the necessary command lines to launch LightWave 3D’s ScreamerNet UB standalone, batch and network rendering component (lwsn). DLI_SNUB-Launcher’s interactive interface makes configuring and launching lwsn drag-and-drop-dead-easy™.

I wrote DLI_SNUB-Launcher in XCode while updating my Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet( lwsn)for Mac OS X white paper and tutorials for ScreamerNet lwsn UB (Universal Binary). After writing up 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 an Aqua GUI interface to interactively build the command lines and launch multiple ScreamerNet lwsn render nodes for standalone, batch and network rendering. DLI_SNUB-Launcher works with either the built-in LightWave Layout ScreamerNet render panel or a 3rd-party render queue controller like OSX ScreamerNet Controller.

If you find DLI_SNUB-Launcher useful, please support our continuing efforts by registering it or by purchasing some of our award-winning DLI_SNUB-Launcher logo merchandise.

Features & Benefits

• Compatible with LightWave ScreamerNet UB (lwsn) 9.3, 9.6, 9.6.1, 10, 10.1& 11+
• Fully compatible with Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard & Lion
• Fully compatible with LightWave ScreamerNet UB lwsn 10+ in both 32 or 64 bit
• Mac Friendly, XCode Universal Binary Aqua GUI for ScreamerNet UB
• Interactive, Error-free, ScreamerNet UB Command Line Building & Launching
• One Click Access to Every ScreamerNet UB Command Line Parameter
• Detailed Pop Up Tool Tips for all Settings & Command Line Parameters
• Easily Launches Multiple ScreamerNet UB lwsn Nodes with One Click
• Zero Configuration, Drag & Drop Scenes on Icon Droplet for Standalone Rendering
• Override Frame Ranges Set in Scenes for Standalone Rendering
• On-the-fly Content Folder Verification and Changing on Scene Loading
• Output Path Verification and Warnings on Scene Loading
• Works Seamlessly with the Built-in LightWave 3D Network Render Panel
• 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 2 Nodes 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 Upgrades Available
• High End Professionally Designed LW11 Benchmark Scene, DLI_SuperBalls, Included

Try the Free LITE Version & Order A Registered License When Ready

Enjoy, Michael Scaramozzino - LightWave 3D Artist Profile President and Creative Director

Contents

Download & Installation

Download

Download your copy of DLI_SNUB-Launcher by right clicking on the link below and selecting Download Linked File from the pop-up menu.

Download DLI_SNUB-Launcher 1.8.zip (UPDATED for LW10/11+) Includes new DLI_SuperBalls LW11 Benchmark Render Scene

Download DLI_SNUB-Launcher 1.5.zip (Older Version for LW9)

Installation

• After downloading the DLI_SNUB-Launcher.zip file, unzip the file by double-clicking it.
• Drag DLI_SNUB-Launcher to your /Applications/NewTek/LightWave3D folder.

That’s it!

The first time DLI_SNUB-Launcher 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 LightWave folder. It will next look for a custom Preferences folder inside the LightWave3D folder, or if not found, then the appropriate config folder in the default location in the current user’s following location:
/Users/CurrentUser/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/11.0

To manually configure it for a custom configuration (or for LightWave 9) double-click DLI_SNUB-Launcher to launch it. Then simply drag lwsn (or ScreamerNet) to the lwsn Path button and drag your desired config folder to the -c Config Folder button. Then set any other desired options.

To drag-render a scene simply set the output path in Layout and save the scene. Then drag-and-drop the scene onto the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon and it will launch lwsn to render the scene. It will prompt you to change the Content Folder if necessary and permit you to edit the frame range.

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

Registration & Ordering

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 lwsn Path will be saved when DLI_SNUB-Launcher is quit and re-launched. It is also limited to launching two ScreamerNet lwsn nodes for network rendering. In order to save custom settings between launches or launch more than two nodes, please purchase one of the registered versions below.

If you find DLI_SNUB-Launcher useful, please support our continuing efforts by registering it.

Registered STD Version - $24.95

The registered standard version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher is fully functional including saving of all custom settings between launches. The only limitation of the standard version is that it is limited to launching ten ScreamerNet lwsn nodes for network rendering at a single site. One license per site (physical location). Registered users are entitled to any minor point upgrades (such as from 1.1 to 1.2) 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 lwsn nodes for network rendering at a single site. It’s actually limited to 99999999 nodes in the DLI_SNUB-Launcher code, which enables as many nodes as possible up to any limit that LightWave/lwsn itself may impose. One license per site (physical location). Registered users are entitled to any minor point upgrades (such as from 1.1 to 1.2) free of charge.

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 installation. It is fully functional other than the number of nodes and saving settings between launches. Once you verify that it works as desired for your installation then you may order a registered license and a code will be emailed to you that you may copy/paste into the registration panel to unlock the purchased functionality.

1) Pay by Credit Card or PayPal Select Registered License Version STD 10-Node Version $24.95 USD PRO Unlimited-Node Version $49.95 USD Upgrade from STD to PRO $29.95 USD	2) OR Pay with Bitcoin for a $5 discount. Select Registered License Version STD 10-Node Version $21.95 USD PRO Unlimited-Node Version $44.95 USD UPGRADE STD - PRO $24.95 USD
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 typically processed within 1-2 business days, Monday-Friday.

General Standalone, Batch & Network Settings

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 lwsn 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 below as well as 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 in the Mac menu bar 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 lwsn on Mac OS X.

lwsn Path

Click the lwsn Path button or drag lwsn (or ScreamerNet for LW9) from the Finder to the button or field to set the path to the ScreamerNet UB lwsn application to launch. The first time DLI_SNUB-Launcher is run the lwsn Path will default to look for a file named lwsn in the bin folder in the same folder as the DLI_SNUB-Launcher application or the latest LightWave Layout. If you place DLI_SNUB-Launcher in the /Applications/NewTek/LightWave3D folder before its first launch, it will set the lwsn Path 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 lwsn from another location, simply click the lwsn Path button and select the ScreamerNet UB lwsn file that you would like to use or, drag-and-drop it from the Finder to the lwsn button or text field. Once set, the lwsn Path is saved between launches of all versions of DLI_SNUB-Launcher, including the free lite version.

Registered

This toggle button shows which license version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher you are running, the free lite unregistered version, or one of the two registered versions, STD 10 node, or PRO unlimited. The registered versions will enable the saving of all the custom settings below the divider lines. The free lite version will only save the lwsn path above the divider lines, the custom settings below the divider lines must be reset each time it’s launched. See Registration & Ordering above for more information about the various DLI_SNUB-Launcher licenses that are available.

-c Config Folder

Click the -c Config Folder button or drag-and-drop 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 lwsn. This is the ScreamerNet -c command line argument.

When DLI_SNUB-Launcher is first launched it will first look for a custom Preferences folder inside the LightWave3D folder and if not found it will next look for the default config folder:
/Users/CurrentUser/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/11.0/ where 11.0 is replaced with the current version of Layout, 10.0, 10.1, 11.0, 11.1, etc. The name of the config file itself is Layout 11 where 11 is replaced with the current version of LightWave.

NOTE: LightWave 9 users will need to manually set this to LightWave 9’s default config folder: /Users/CurrentUser/Library/Preferences/LightWave3D/

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, click the -d Content Folder button or drag-and-drop a folder from the Finder to the button or text field to set the path to the content folder you wish to use to render scenes, objects and images from. When disabled, the content folder that was last set in the config file from within LightWave will be used instead. This is the ScreamerNet -d command line argument.

When loading scenes to render in standalone mode -3, DLI_SNUB-Launcher will warn you of a content folder mismatch and allow you to override this setting with the detected scene content folder.

This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.

-l Log Folder

The check mark allows you to enable/disable writing ScreamerNet UB lwsn output to a log text file rather than to the Terminal. Once enabled, click the -l Log Folder button or drag-and-drop a folder from the Finder to the button or text field to set the path to the folder where you would like to save the log files. 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 -q Quiet Mode on/off to limit the amount of output ScreamerNet sends to the Terminal or to the log file. This is the ScreamerNet -q command line argument. 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 lwsn will use to check for commands to abort or report status. Enter the number of seconds for the time check interval in the text field. This is the -t ScreamerNet command line argument.

During mode -2 rendering lwsn will check the job file at the specified intervals for abort or status commands to interrupt or report the current status. During mode -3 rendering it will report the current status at the specified intervals.

This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.

LWSN Command Line

This field shows the ScreamerNet UB lwsn command line as it is being built from the current settings. For mode -2 it shows the first node’s command line. For mode -3 it shows the command line except for the scene and frame range which are set when the scene is opened to render. You may select and copy the command line from this text field to the clip board to paste into Terminal for manual use if desired. This way you can use DLI_SNUB-Launcher to build your command line to verify the syntax.

Standalone Mode -3 Rendering

DLI_SNUB-Launcher may be used to select scene files and launch ScreamerNet UB lwsn 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 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, whether it is running or not, to have DLI_SNUB-Launcher launch ScreamerNet lwsn in standalone mode -3 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-and-dropping scenes onto the DLI_SNUB-Launcher icon you may also open scenes to render by clicking on or dragging-and-dropping scenes onto the Open Scene for Standalone Render -3 button as well as using the File->Open Scene... menu item.

Standalone Mode -3 Rendering with the Free Lite Version

Only the registered STD and PRO versions of DLI_SNUB-Launcher save the custom settings between launches, other than the lwsn Path. So if you wish to use the free lite version of DLI_SNUB-Launcher as a droplet, dragging-and-dropping scenes on its Finder icon without first launching DLI_SNUB-Launcher and changing settings each time, you’ll need to be sure to use one of the two default locations for the config folder. These two possible locations are a custom Preferences folder inside the LightWave3D folder or the default config for your version of LightWave:
/Users/CurrentUser/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/11.0/

You’ll also need to set the proper content directory in Layout so that it is saved in the config file.

If you wish to use any 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 the icon in the Dock, the Open Scene for Standalone Render -3 button 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.

Multiple Scene Standalone Rendering

When opening scenes for standalone rendering, you may select multiple scenes at once. When multiple scenes are selected a separate instance of ScreamerNet UB lwsn 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 a 12-core (24 thread) Mac Pro with the render threads set to 12 each or you could render 4 scenes with render threads set to 6, or 8 scenes with render threads set to 3, 12 scenes with render threads set to 2, or even 24 scenes with 1 thread each.

Content Folder Verification

When opening a scene for mode -3 rendering DLI_SNUB-Launcher scans the scene’s path to determine what the Content Folder should be set to (based on where objects are found along the path). If this doesn’t match what’s set in DLI_SNUB-Launcher or in the config file it will warn you about the mismatch and provide the opportunity to change the content folder.

Output Folder Verification

DLI_SNUB-Launcher verifies the output folder set in the scene file and produces a warning if the specified output folder can not be found. In that case you should reset the output folder in Layout. LightWave stores the output path in the scene file as an absolute path, even if it is in the Content Folder. So you must reset the output path when moving the scene to a different Mac.

Scene Settings Window

Once the Scene Settings window opens it will display non-editable fields for the Scene File path and the Output Path that was saved in the scene file. These read-only fields are intended as a final check where you may decide to proceed with the render or to cancel it.

This window also contains three editable text fields for the render frame range that was set in the scene file giving you the option to change them if you wish. The First Frame should be lower than then Last Frame if the Frame Step is positive. To render the frames in the reverse order set the First Frame higher than the Last Frame and use a negative Frame Step. When done click the OK button to launch lwsn and render the scene or click the Cancel button to cancel the render.

Batch/Network Mode -2 Rendering

DLI_SNUB-Launcher may also be used to configure and launch multiple ScreamerNet lwsn render nodes for use in a batch or network mode -2 render farm. Run one DLI_SNUB-Launcher on each Mac that you wish to launch lwsn nodes on. After launching all 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 excellent 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

Batch/Network Node Settings

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 information about any of these settings, see below as well as 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 lwsn instance to run on this Mac. This is the number used after the job & ack ScreamerNet command line arguments. The free lite version allows numbers from 1-2. The registered standard version allows numbers 1-10 and the registered pro version allows virtually unlimited node numbers 1-99999999. 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 lwsn instances on this Mac. Enter the node number to use for the last ScreamerNet UB lwsn instance to run on this Mac when running more than one instance 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.

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 free lite version allows numbers from 1-2. The registered standard version allows numbers 1-10 and the registered pro version allows virtually unlimited node numbers 1-99999999. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.

Command Folder

Click the Command Folder button or drag-and-drop a folder from the Finder to the button or text field to set the path to the command folder that ScreamerNet UB lwsn 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 this same command folder. This is the path used for the job/ack ScreamerNet command line arguments. This custom setting is only saved between launches for the registered versions.

DLI_SuperBalls LW11 Benchmark Scene

In order to provide a sample scene that could be used to configure and test ScreamerNet with DLI_SNUB-Launcher I created the DLI_SuperBalls LW11 Benchmark Scene and included it with the DLI_SNUB-Launcher download. This scene may also be used to benchmark the speed of your computer’s rendering abilities. The scene may also be used as an example of using LW11’s nodal textures for SSS subsurface scattering and built-in instancing with randomly colored balls.

NOTE: The DLI_SuperBalls scene may be used to test your ScreamerNet lwsn setup on LightWave 9.6 through LightWave 11+. Just be aware that on versions prior to LW11 it will report two missing plugins, one used for LW11’s built-in instancing, instance-info, and one used for LW11’s composite buffer export, LW_CompositeBuffer, used for extra DOF control in post-processing. In this case you can ignore the missing plugins and the scene will only render one ball rather than all the additional instances.

The download package contains three different versions of the scene as follows:

DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-LowRes.lws - Renders in about 4.5 minutes on a 12-core Mac Pro.
25% resolution with lower AA, DOF and Radiosity settings. Exports a JPG image.

DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-HighRes.lws - Renders in about 2 hours on a 12-core Mac Pro.
100% resolution with full AA, DOF and Radiosity settings. Exports a linear HDR EXR image (and optional HDR depth buffer) ready for HDR post-processing in HDR compositing software like Shake, Fusion or After Effects.

DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-Anim.lws - Renders frames in about 1.5 minutes on a 4-core MacBook Pro
25% resolution with much lower AA, DOF and Radiosity settings. Exports as JPG images.

SuperBalls Standalone Mode -3 Render Test

1. Open DLI_SuperBalls/Scenes/DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-LowRes.lws in LightWave Layout 11 or later.
2. Set the Render Globals->Output: Save RGB on and set the path to the DLI_SuperBalls/Render folder. (This is necessary to set on each machine because the output path is saved as an absolute path in the scene file and will break if the content folder is moved to a new machine).
3. Save the updated scene file.
4. Move the DLI_SNUB-Launcher into your LightWave3D11.0 folder if not already there.
5. Launch DLI_SNUB-Launcher. [If this is the first time it is run it should locate lwsn and LW's config folder by default. If not, just drag LightWave's "bin" folder, or "lwsn" file to the lwsn Path field on the DLI_SNUB-Launcher window and drag the config folder to the Config Folder field.
6. Drag the DLI_SuperBalls folder to the Content Folder button.
7. Now drag the DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-LowRes.lws scene to the Open Scene for Standalone Render -3 button to render it in lwsn. Click OK when it asks to render from 1 to 1 step 1.

SuperBalls Batch Mode -2 Render Test

1. Open DLI_SuperBalls/Scenes/DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-Anim.lws in Layout 11.
2. Set the Render Globals->Output: Save RGB on and set the path to the DLI_SuperBalls/Render folder. (This is necessary to set on each machine because the output path is saved as an absolute path in the scene file and will break if the content folder is moved to a new machine).
3. Save the updated scene file. This saves the output path to the scene file.
4. Set the Render Globals->Render: Multithreading to half of the threads available on your Mac because we’ll use 2 nodes for this test. For example on a 12-core/24-thread Mac Pro set it to 12 Threads or on a 4-core/8-thread MacBook Pro set it to 4 Threads. Note: This is the number of threads that will be used to render on each lwsn node, though each node will spawn additional threads for other purposes.
5. Quit Layout. This saves the multithreading setting to the Layout 11 config file.
6. Move the DLI_SNUB-Launcher into your LightWave3D11.0 folder if not already there.
7. Launch DLI_SNUB-Launcher. [If this is the first time it is run it should locate lwsn and LW's config folder by default. If not, just drag LightWave's "bin" folder, or "lwsn" file to the lwsn Path field on the DLI_SNUB-Launcher window and drag the config folder to the Config Folder field.
8. Drag the DLI_SuperBalls folder to the Content Folder button.
9. Click the Open Batch Render Settings -2 button to open the Batch Render mode -2 drawer.
10. Set the First ScreamerNet Node # to 1, Turn on Through Last Node # and set it to 2.
11. Click on the Command Folder button. Choose the DLI_SuperBalls/Commands Folder.
12. Click Launch ScreamerNet UB Nodes. This should launch Terminal, open two windows each launching an lwsn instance. They should both report "Can't access job file..." because there are no job files yet.
13. Re-launch LightWave Layout 11.
14. Open the Network Render panel.
15. Set the Command Directory to the same DLI_SuperBalls/Commands folder.
16. Click Yes when asked to reinitialize and OK when told that 2 available ScreamerNet CPUs were detected. Both lwsn nodes should now be reporting that they are Ready.
17. Click Add Scene to List and select the DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-Anim.lws scene file.
18. Click Screamer Render and the lwsn nodes should start rendering frames 1 and 2.

For additional step-by-step tutorials on how to use DLI_SNUB-Launcher for basic network rendering and advanced network rendering please refer to our in-depth white-paper Mastering LightWave ScreamerNet (lwsn) for Mac OS X.

SuperBalls Render Benchmarks

DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-LowRes.lws
12-core 2.93GHz Mac Pro: 4m 36s (276.4 seconds)
(MacPro5,1: Mid 2010, Dual Six-core Intel Xeon X5670 Gulftown)

8-core 3GHz Mac Pro: 10m 9s (609.8 seconds)
(MacPro2,1: Mid 2007, Dual Quad-core Intel Xeon X5365 Clovertown)

4-core 2.2GHz 15" MacBook Pro: 13m 6s (786.0 seconds)
(MacBookPro8,2: Mid 2011, 4-core Intel Core i7 2720QM Sandy Bridge)

DLI_LW11-SuperBalls-HighRes.lws
12-core 2.93GHz Mac Pro: 2h 9m 53s (7793.5 seconds)
(MacPro5,1: Mid 2010, 2x 6-core Intel Xeon X5670 Gulftown)

8-core 3GHz Mac Pro :6h 19m 43s (22783.9 seconds)
(MacPro2,1: Mid 2007, 2x 4-core Intel Xeon X5365 Clovertown)

4-core 2.2GHz 15" MacBook Pro: 6h 34m 55s (23695.9 seconds)
(MacBookPro8,2: Mid 2011, 4-core Intel Core i7 2720QM Sandy Bridge)

System Requirements

DLI_SNUB-Launcher system requirements:

DLI_SNUB-Launcher is a Universal Binary for both PPC and Intel based Macs. Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6 and 10.7 compatible. LightWave 3D ScreamerNet UB lwsn version 9.3 or later is required. Compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit versions of LightWave ScreamerNet UB lwsn, though DLI_SNUB-Launcher itself runs in 32-bit mode since there’s no need for it to be 64-bit. Compatible with LightWave3D’s built-in network rendering controller. A third-party ScreamerNet render controller is recommended, but not required.

History

Version 1.8 - Updated for LW 10&11+ & Lion - 05/12/12

Updated for LW10/11, 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 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

Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble getting ScreamerNet UB lwsn 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. Also try rendering the included DLI_SuperBalls test scene to help rule out any problems with your content.

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 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.

All DLI_SNUB-Launcher does is build the ScreamerNet command line and then launch lwsn. Once lwsn is launched and rendering DLI_SNUB-Launcher is no longer involved, so if lwsn is crashing or having other issues, that wouldn’t be related to DLI_SNUB-Launcher itself but would most likely be a bug in lwsn itself, the content being rendered or possibly plugins that are being used..

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.

Restrictions

TM & (C) Copyright 1987-2013 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 (physical location). A separate standard or pro license is required for each additional site that it may be used at. It may be used on the licensed number of computers (10 computers for standard version, unlimited [99999999] computers for pro 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.

DreamLight and the DreamLight Logo are registered trademarks of DreamLight Incorporated. DLI_SNUB-Launcher and the DLI_SNUB-Launcher logo/icon are trademarks of DreamLight Incorporated. LightWave is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc. Macintosh, Mac, XCode, Aqua and Mac OS X are registered trademarks of Apple.

Created by Michael Scaramozzino

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