Hello,
- Version of Deadline 6.1.0.53841R
- Operating System Win 7 X64
- Rendering Application 3D Studio Max 2012
^^ this checkbox should stay disabled once it is unchecked, but it does not.
Go to \your\repository\Submission\3dsmax\Main and open SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini in a text editor. Find this line:
ForceRestartRenderer=trueChange it to this:
ForceRestartRenderer=falseThen save the file. That should prevent it from being automatically enabled when mental ray or vray is the selected renderer.
If I may be so bold to interrupt here…
The only time when I would un-check the “Restart Renderer between Frames” checkbox is for VRay IR map creation, which I’m guessing is where the request is based from.
However, for all other times, I would definitely have this checkbox enabled, as otherwise, some very ‘funky’ results will ‘sometimes randomly’ come back from VRay. It’s the ‘random’ bit that worries me so much, I thought I must just write this reply to warn you.
IMHO. The “Restart Renderer Between Frames” is a kick-ass feature as it ensures VRay is purged of internal memory and good to go between frames, but without the wasted time of shutting down and restarting 3dsMax back up again. Personally, I wouldn’t want to go into production without this little gem by my side
I did what you say but it does not work 
I am quite aware what it does but 80% our production is done with prerendered lightmaps.
Well, there are several files that control defaults and stickiness. The option Ryan listed above is a new, unexposed to the UI option that forces the RestartRenderer option to true when the renderer is mental ray, Brazil or V-Ray. With it turned off, we are back to the regular defaults and sticky settings.
In the same folder, there is the file “SubmitMaxToDeadline_StickySettings.ini”. This file controls whether a checkbox or other control is sticky between sessions or not (in the latter case, a * should appear next to the name). In my file, there is the line
[RenderingOptions]
...
RestartRenderer=true
...
so the Restart Renderer Between Frames option does not have a * and keeps the last setting I make. As long as the ForceRestartRenderer is FALSE in the other file, that is.
If you do see a * next to its name in the UI, then the stickiness property might be set to RestartRenderer=false. In that case, the factory and global defaults kick in.
Deadline ships with a set of factory defaults for all its properties (hard-coded in the “SubmitMaxToDeadline_Functions.ms” file). When a control is not sticky and cannot find a default value elsewhere, it uses the factory default. The factory default of RestartRenderer is FALSE.
To allow Farm Managers to provide recommended settings for any non-sticky settings to all users, we also provide the file “SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini” that Ryan already mentioned. In that file, there should also be an entry for RestartRenderer which might also be set to FALSE. (At least it is on my system).
So if the stickiness is OFF, both the global and the factory defaults on my machine tell that property to be turned off each time SMTD is opened. If I would keep the stickiness off, but would change the _Defaults.ini entry to TRUE, on all systems in the office the property will become TRUE. Should a user uncheck in the UI and submit, it will last for the current session, but next time SMTD is opened, it will be back to checked due to the global default.
When the Sticky setting is set to TRUE though, the property will try to use the last known value from the user’s local settings folder. Each time the user changes the checkbox (or any control), whether it is sticky or not, an INI file entry will be stored locally with his choice. But this value will only be used if the control is flagged as Sticky! So when you set the global _StickySettings.ini file’s property to TRUE, the INI file entry will start enforcing the last known value to the checkbox.
To make things even more flexible (or convoluted, if you are a pessimist), we also support an optional LOCAL STICKINESS file! Basically any Power User could copy the global Stickiness file (or a portion of it) to his own local settings folder and enforce his own private stickiness rules beyond the global stickiness values provided by the Render Farm supervisor. For example if one user is doing 100% light maps, he could enforce the RestartRenderer stickiness to TRUE and set his own default to FALSE by unchecking the checkbox once and for all. So even if the global settings tell all submitting workstations to have this option non-sticky and defaulting to TRUE, that one person could have it his own way.
To make this mess a bit clearer, we have provided a Defaults And Sticky Settings Browser with SMTD in 6.x. You can either use the Tools menu, or click on the text “Options marked with * are NOT sticky between sessions!”
Here is what I see on mine:
[attachment=0]DL6_Defaults_and_Stickiness_Browser_RestartRenderer.png[/attachment]
As you can see, according to my settings the RestartRenderer property was set to Sticky via Global INI file, started as FALSE in Factory Defaults, was also FALSE in the Global Defaults INI file, had no Local Stickiness Override file (no value), and ended up TRUE according to the local INI file storing the last known value set by the user.
You will also see the ForceRestartRenderer in red above it - it is Hard-Coded to be not sticky since it has no UI. It was set to TRUE via the Global Defaults. I should turn it off here and find the person who implemented it, because it violates the logic of everything else I just described 
(EDIT: According to the Blame feature of SVN, Ryan checked the ForceRestartRenderer back in 2011. But I was fully unaware of it… Now I am )
I setup the following things:
\your\repository\Submission\3dsmax\Main and open SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini
ForceRestartRenderer=false\your\repository\Submission\3dsmax\SubmitMaxToDeadline_StickySettings.ini
RestartRenderer=trueBut it does not work. The checkbox stays checked even I unchecked it after reopen the SMTD.
Can you grab the two files from your Repository, zip them up and upload them?
I want to see how they behave on my machine…
P.S. It is nearly 1:30 am here, I will check the thread again in the morning.
Still up.
If everything else breaks, you can open the file “SubmitMaxToDeadline_Functions.ms” in the Repository\Submission\3dsmax\Main folder and remark the following code
/*
if (SMTDFunctions.getInI "RenderingOptions" "ForceRestartRenderer" true) do
(
if rendererID == "mentalray" or rendererID == "brazil" or rendererID == "vray" or rendererID == "brmax" then
SMTDSettings.RestartRenderer = true
)
*/
This is the code that enforces the true state of the option if the renderer is mr, vray or brazil. Save the file, restart SMTD and see if the checkbox will be finally unchecked.
Alternatively, you can change the code to
if (SMTDFunctions.getInI "RenderingOptions" "ForceRestartRenderer" true useStickyFile:false isSticky:false ) do
(
if rendererID == "mentalray" or rendererID == "brazil" or rendererID == "vray" or rendererID == "brmax" then
SMTDSettings.RestartRenderer = true
)and see if this makes a difference. It should have been that way from the beginning (so this might be a bug), but on my machine I am getting exactly the behavior you would expect (disabled the ForceRestartRenderer and now I can set the checkbox to the desired state and it sticks between sessions).
Hmm, I tried this, too, but no change. I attached the files.
SubmitMaxToDeadline_Defaults.ini (3.57 KB)
SubmitMaxToDeadline_StickySettings.ini (3.65 KB)
Files look good.
Something very strange is going on there. I have some suspicion, but it would be difficult to resolve by just typing here.
Is there a way to call you on the phone? Do you Skype?
You can email me privately at bobo AT thinkboxsoftware DOT com and we can arrange something.
Thanks for your patience!
OK, we can do that tomorrow.
Is it possible to get the checkbox in the modify job properties?
Cool, thx for the information. Would it be OK when I give you access via teamviewer? You could check it on your own?