KR101838944B1 - Rendering system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a rendering system and a rendering method for synchronizing a directory between a file server and a user device. The rendering system comprises: a plurality of render nodes processing a rendering work of modeling data requested to render from the user device; the file server storing data required for the rendering work; and a management server distributing and allocating the rendering work of the rendering requested modeling data to the render nodes. The user device dynamically generates the directory synchronized with the user device in the file server, and stores the data required for the rendering work of the user device in the generated directory.

Description

RENDERING SYSTEM AND METHOD [0002]

The present invention relates to a rendering system and method, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a rendering system and method for performing a rendering operation for a plurality of users using a renderfarm.

With the development of computing performance over the past decades, the rendering time for generating graphics data has been getting longer, but the quality of images required by the development of various media industries such as 3D games and movies has also increased.

Generally, the rendering time of one film (one frame) for a movie takes about 2 hours to 10 hours. In addition, since such a movie is reproduced with 24 frames per second or the like, it takes tens of thousands of hours of rendering time to produce an hour and 30 minute movie. In order to solve this problem, there has been used a technique of quickly generating graphic data using a high-speed, large-capacity supercomputer.

However, in recent years, it has been possible to consolidate dozens or hundreds of computers (workstations or servers) into one large system, and to perform large-capacity rendering in parallel on each computer in the integrated system, And renderfarm technology is used to reduce overall rendering time. Web-based services using a render farm use a method of generating graphic data by proxying rendering based on uploaded modeling data when a user of the service uploads modeling data (row data) on a file server.

Meanwhile, the render farm is configured to set a file server, which is a shared storage among render nodes, to load a scene file or the like from a file server and perform rendering.

The file server creates the directories according to a specific rule, and the render nodes map an arbitrary directory created in the file server to the user who is requested to work. Then, the render nodes load the scene file stored in the directory mapped to the user and perform rendering requested by the user.

However, in the conventional method in which the file server unilaterally maps the directory for the user, extensive modification of the modeling data is required in accordance with the directory information (file path) in the file server.

Such a task requires a lot of time and manpower, and there is a serious problem that the path setting error in the program code can not be recognized until the debugging result is detected through actual rendering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a rendering system and method for synchronizing directories between a file server and a user device in performing rendering for a plurality of users using a render farm.

The present invention is characterized in that a user directly creates a directory corresponding to a user device on a file server, performs directory creation and data upload according to predetermined rules automatically through a plug-in or via FTP or the web to perform directory synchronization A rendering system and method are provided.

The present invention provides a rendering system and method for providing a render node with data in a directory created on a file server by a user device so that a render node can perform a rendering operation for a user.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rendering system including a plurality of render nodes for rendering rendering modeling data requested from a user device, a file server for storing data necessary for the rendering operation, And a management server for distributing the rendering operation of the requested modeling data to the plurality of render nodes, and allocating the rendering operation to the plurality of render nodes, wherein the user device dynamically creates a directory synchronized with the user device in the file server, And stores data necessary for the rendering operation of the user apparatus in a directory.

The plurality of render nodes may load the directory generated by the user apparatus from the file server and perform the rendering operation using the data stored in the directory.

The plurality of render nodes may dynamically generate the synchronized directory to the plurality of render nodes.

In addition, the directory may include a directory corresponding to at least one storage path included in the modeling file.

In addition, the data required for the rendering operation includes a scene file.

In addition, when data necessary for the rendering operation is defined as a server name, the user device stores a server.list file including the server name in the synchronized directory, and the render node stores the server.list file And applies the result to the host file, and performs the rendering operation in an environment where it is recognized that a server having the server name exists.

In addition, the user device may generate the directory automatically through a plug-in or according to a predetermined rule via FTP or the web.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rendering method, wherein, when a management server receives a rendering request from a user device, the rendering server assigns a rendering job of rendering requested modeling data to a plurality of render nodes Dynamically creating a directory synchronized with the user device in a file server and storing data necessary for the rendering operation of the user device in the directory, The rendering node of the rendering server loads the generated directory from the file server and performs the rendering operation.

The step of performing the rendering operation may include dynamically generating the synchronized directory by the at least one render node and storing data necessary for the rendering operation, And performing the steps of:

In addition, the directory may include a directory corresponding to at least one storage path included in the modeling file.

Further, the user device is characterized in that a directory is created automatically through a plug-in or according to a predetermined rule through FTP or the web.

In addition, the step of storing the data required for the rendering operation may include storing the server.list file including the server name in the synchronized directory when the data required for the rendering operation is defined as a server name Wherein the step of performing the rendering operation comprises the steps of: the at least one render node loading the server.list file and applying the load to the host file; and determining that the server having the server name exists And performing the rendering operation in the environment.

The rendering system and method according to the present invention dynamically creates a directory of the same character string as the user device in the file server, thereby synchronizing directories between the user device and the rendering system. Therefore, it is not required to modify a large amount of user modeling data, Rendering processing is enabled.

In addition, the rendering system and method according to the present invention enable efficient resource management of a file server by dynamically allocating a directory for a user apparatus, and provide a service improved in convenience to a render farm user.

1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a rendering system according to the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a rendering method according to the present invention.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of known configurations or functions related to the present invention can not be applied to the present invention, detailed description thereof may be omitted.

Quot ;, " include, "" include," as used herein. And the like are intended to indicate the existence of the disclosed function, operation, component, etc., and do not limit the one or more additional functions, operations, components, and the like. Also, in this specification, "include." Or "have." , Etc. are intended to designate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, may be combined with one or more other features, steps, operations, components, It should be understood that they do not preclude the presence or addition of combinations thereof.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a rendering system according to the present invention.

The rendering system 100 may include a management server 110, a file server 120, and a plurality of render nodes 130.

The management server 110 distributes and manages the entire rendering job to all the render nodes 130. Specifically, the management server 110 determines the render node 130 to perform the rendering operation of the modeling data received from the user device 200 through the network, and distributes the rendering operation of the modeling data to the render node 130 can do. The management server 110 may determine the render node 130 to perform the rendering operation based on the processor speed of the render nodes 130, the number of processors, the processor usage rate, the memory capacity, and the like.

For example, the management server 110 performs a rendering operation for any modeling data from the first frame to the 24th frame of the modeling data, and the second render node performs the rendering operation for the modeling data at the 25th You can distribute the rendering task to perform rendering from frame to 48 frames.

In one embodiment, the image data and / or moving image data generated as a result of the rendering operation of the render node 110 may be stored in the file server 120 by the render node 130.

In addition, the management server 110 may periodically monitor and manage the performance of the render nodes 130 and the operation status thereof.

In one embodiment, the management server 110 inputs modeling data for performing a rendering operation and information necessary for a rendering operation via the web page, or generates image data and / Various user interfaces (UI) for downloading data can be provided through a web page. The management server 110 can provide the user device 200 with the distribution status of the rendering data or the rendering job and the rendering status of the rendering node 130 through the user interface in real time.

The file server 120 stores data necessary for the render nodes 130 to perform rendering. For example, the file server 120 may temporarily or permanently store modeling data received in response to a rendering request from any user device 200. In addition, a scene file and the like can be stored as data necessary for rendering the modeling data.

The scene file is a file for rendering, and may include all information required for rendering, and in particular, information for expressing texture or pattern of an object such as a person or object included in the modeling data. The render node 130 may access the scene file of the user device 200 within the file server 120 to render the modeling data requested from the user device 200. [

In various embodiments of the present invention, the file server 120 may synchronize the directory with the user device 200 at the request of the user device 200. Specifically, a synchronized directory using the same string as the user device 200 may be created by the user device 200 in the file server 120. The directory for the user device 200 created in the file server 120 may store data for a rendering operation of the user device 200.

Although the management server 110 and the file server 120 are shown as separate devices in FIG. 1, the present invention is not limited thereto. In various embodiments, they may be configured in a single device (or server) It is possible.

The plurality of render nodes 130 may form a renderfarm that processes the rendering operation of the modeling data requested by the user device 200. Each render node 130 performs a rendering operation distributed by the management server 110 using a specific program provided for rendering. The program can be, for example, 3ds Max, Maya, Lightwave, XSI, Mentalray, Renderman, and the like.

When the rendering job is distributed by the management server 110, the render nodes 130 request information about the directory of the user device 200 corresponding to the rendering job distributed to the management server 110 or the file server 120 . The render nodes 130 may access the directory of the received user device 200 and obtain data (for example, a scene file) for rendering the modeling data of the user device 200.

In one embodiment, the render nodes 130 may create directories synchronized with the user device 200 directly, based on information about directories received from the management server 110 or the file server 120. The render nodes 130 may create a directory having the same string as the user device 200, based on information about the directory. In this case, the directory created in the file server 120 and the directory created in the render node 130 may have the same character string. The render nodes 130 may load the directory created for the user device 200 from the file server 120 into the directory created by the user. In addition, the render nodes 130 may obtain the necessary data for rendering within the generated drive.

The render nodes 130 may perform rendering operations on the modeling data of the user device 200 using the acquired data. The render nodes 130 may generate image data according to the rendering operation result. In addition, the render nodes 130 may combine the generated image data and convert the combined image data into moving image data to generate moving image data.

The render nodes 130 may store the generated image data and / or video data in a directory synchronized to the user device 200, e.g., an output directory (folder).

The user device 200 may request the rendering operation of the user's modeling data through the management server 110. [ The user device 200 may input modeling data for performing a rendering operation and information necessary for a rendering operation through various user interfaces provided by the management server 110.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the user device 200 may communicate its directory information related to rendering operations to the management server 110 or the file server 120. The information on the directory is information on a storage path of data (files) necessary for rendering the modeling data in the user device 200, for example, a storage path of a scene file . That is, the information on the directory may include information on a string and a subfolder as information on a directory (drive and / or folder) corresponding to at least one storage path included in the program code of the modeling file.

In various embodiments of the invention, the user device 200 creates a directory in the file server 120 that is synchronized with its own directory. To this end, the user device 200 may create a directory in the file server 120 having the same character string as that of the user device 200. The user device 200 may store data for a rendering operation of the user device 200 in the created directory.

For example, in the user device 200 of the user 'AAA', if the data for rendering any modeling data is stored in the K drive (or folder) of the user device 200, And may create a K drive for user 'AAA' on server 120. Thus, the drive created in the file server 120 may have a path such as 'FS: // AAA / K'. You can save the data including the scene file in the created K drive. The data stored in the drive K of the user 'AAA' may then be used when the render node 130 renders the corresponding modeling data. Also, the image data and / or moving image data generated by rendering the render node 130 may be stored in the K drive created for the user 'AAA'.

In one embodiment, if the path where data necessary for rendering is stored is defined as a server name, the user device 200 may store a server.list file having the contents (server name) of newfileserver in the created directory. In this case, the render node 130 loads the server.list file before performing the rendering operation, and applies the same to the host file so that the rendering operation can be performed in the same environment as a server named newfileserver exists.

The user device 200 can output the distribution status of the rendering data or the rendering job from the management server 110 and the rendering status of the rendering node 130 in real time through the web page.

The user device 200 may output or reproduce the image data or the moving image data stored in the synchronization drive of the file server 120 on the web page according to the rendering operation result of the render node 130, .

According to the present invention, since the directory between the user device 200 and the file server 120 and the render node 130 is synchronized, it is not necessary to separately modify information about the file path included in the modeling data for rendering , Convenience of the user using the rendering system 100 is increased, and rendering can be performed quickly and efficiently.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a rendering method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the rendering method according to the present invention, the user device 200 may transmit a rendering request to the management server 110 (201). The rendering request may include modeling data that needs to be rendered and information needed for the rendering operation.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the user device 200 may send directory information related to rendering operations of the modeling data to the management server 110 or the file server 120 simultaneously with rendering requests or through separate request / response procedures (202).

The directory information may include information necessary for rendering operation of the modeling data in the user device 200, for example, a storage path such as a scene file. More specifically, the directory information may include information about the strings and subfolders of the drives in the user device 200 that are associated with rendering operations.

The file server 120 may synchronize the directory with the user device 200 based on the directory information received from the user device 200 and store the data necessary for the rendering operation (203). Specifically, a directory having the same character string as that of the user device 200 can be created in the file server 120 by the user device 200. Also, the generated directory may store data necessary for a rendering operation, for example, a modeling file and a scene file received from the user device 200. [

The management server 110 may distribute 204 rendering operations for the requested modeling data to the render nodes 130. For example, the management server 110 may transmit information such as a user name, a file name of scene data, a frame number, and the like to a command such as 'start rendering' to the render node 130 performing the rendering operation.

The render node 130 having received the rendering job can request and receive directory information about the user device 200 from the management server 110 or the file server 120 at operation 205. For example, when the render node 130 requests directory information for the user device 200 to the management server 110 or the file server 120, the management server 110 or the file server 120 may access the render node 130 to send a command such as 'net use K:' to inform that the K directory for the user device 200 has been created.

In one embodiment, the render node 130 loads 206 the directory of the user device 200 from the file server 130 based on the received directory information. In one embodiment, the render node 130 may create the same synchronized directory as the user device 200 and load and store the data required for rendering operations from the file server 120. [ The render node 130 may create a directory having the same string as the user device 200. [ Also, the render node 130 loads a directory of the user having the same string as the directory generated from the file server 120, and adds the data necessary for the rendering operation, such as the modeling file and the scene file And so on.

The render node 130 may perform a rendering operation on the modeling file to generate image data and moving image data (207).

The render node 130 may store image data and / or moving image data generated as a result of the rendering operation through the management server 110 or directly to a drive for the user device 200 of the file server 120 (208) . For example, the render node 130 may store image data and / or moving image data generated in the output folder (K: // output) of the user's K directory.

The user device 200 can access the image data and / or moving image data stored in the file server 120 and output / reproduce the image data and / or automatically download 209 using the download or plug-in.

 It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention, all changes or modifications derived from the technical idea of the present invention.

110: management server
120: File server
130: render node
200: User device

Claims (11)

A plurality of render nodes for processing a rendering operation of the modeling data requested to be rendered from the user device;
A file server for storing data necessary for the rendering operation; And
And a management server for distributing and assigning the rendering operation of the rendering requesting modeling data to the plurality of render nodes,
The user device comprising:
Wherein the directory information for dynamically creating a directory synchronized with the user device is transmitted to the file server, and the directory information is generated in the synchronized directory based on the directory information, Data,
The synchronized directory comprises:
And a directory corresponding to at least one storage path included in the modeling data, wherein the directory includes a directory having the same character string as the directory for storing data necessary for the rendering operation in the user apparatus,
The plurality of render nodes,
Loading the synchronized directory from the file server, and performing the rendering operation using the data stored in the synchronized directory. delete 2. The method of claim 1,
And dynamically generating the synchronized directory to the plurality of render nodes. delete The image processing method according to claim 1,
And a scene file. The method according to claim 1,
If data required for the rendering operation is defined as a server name, the user device stores a server.list file including a server name in the synchronized directory,
The render node,
Wherein the rendering server executes the rendering operation in an environment in which the server.list file is loaded and applied to a host file, and a server having the server name is recognized as being present. The rendering system of claim 1, wherein the user device generates the synchronized directory automatically through a plug-in or according to a predetermined rule via FTP or the web. Distributing and assigning a rendering job of the rendering requested modeling data to a plurality of render nodes when the management server receives a rendering request from the user device;
Wherein the user device sends directory information for dynamically creating a directory synchronized with the user device to a file server to the file server and sends the directory information to the synchronized directory created based on the directory information, Storing data necessary for the operation; And
Wherein at least one render node assigned the rendering task loads the generated directory from the file server and performs the rendering operation,
The synchronized directory comprises:
And a directory corresponding to at least one storage path included in the modeling data, wherein the directory includes a directory having the same character string as the directory for storing data necessary for the rendering operation in the user apparatus,
Wherein the at least one render node performs the rendering operation,
Loading the synchronized directory from the file server; And
And performing the rendering operation using the data stored in the synchronized directory. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the rendering operation further comprises:
The at least one render node dynamically creating the synchronized directory and loading and storing data necessary for the rendering operation; And
And performing the rendering operation using the stored data. delete 9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the data required for the rendering operation comprises:
And storing the server.list file including the server name in the synchronized directory if the data required for the rendering operation is defined as a server name,
Wherein the step of performing the rendering operation includes:
The at least one render node loading the server.list file and applying it to a host file; And
And performing the rendering operation in an environment where a server having the server name is recognized as being present.

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