Boost for Daz 1.5 (Public Release)
Details on this release of Boost for Daz productivity and cost-saving features
Public Release Date: January 23, 2023
Boost for Daz Version: 1.5
Supported Iray Server version: 3.53
Supported Daz Studio versions:
Daz 4.21.1.26 (Public Beta - Dec 19, 2022)
Daz 4.21.0.5 (released Oct 12, 2022)
Daz 4.20.0.17 (released Apr 29, 2022)
Boost for Daz Release 1.5 - Features
Crafted to help you get better at your game, more cost-effectively, Boost for Daz Release 1.5 is designed to help you work faster, be more productive and save you money!
>> I've read enough! Just take me to Boost for Daz...
Save/Reuse Session Data - upload to one machine, render on another, & re-render on yet another!
What this feature does? This feature allows you to upload a Daz project to one machine (typically, a CPU machine) and then render with another GPU. And if that is not enough, you can save that and 'upgrade' to another GPU to finish things faster. Learn about other scenarios where this feature can be a life saver.
With the Save/Reuse Iray Session Data capability, you can upload your project render package to a low cost CPU first, save it on Boost for Daz (for 24 hours at no cost). [Boost for Daz saves the entire Iray Server Session data (including anonymized uploaded data*, queue data - job names and results, and Iray Server Admin settings.] Within 24 hours, one can now reuse and load that saved Iray Server session data, and now pick any GPU to render the project.
*uploaded data: anonymized assets, textures and snapshots (geometry from the .DUF file and references to the anonymized assets and textures used in the snapshot)
What problem does it solve? Why should I care? For starters, it saves you a ton of money! Your total costs of using a GPU to render your Daz project on Boost for Daz includes BOTH the time it takes to upload your render package to Boost for Daz, AND the time it takes to render the project on your chosen GPU. This was especially an expensive problem for those with slower (<200 Mbps Upload speed) internet connections.
Costs Savings? Here's some sample saving scenarios:
Earlier, it would have cost $0.70 for an 8GB render package that took about 30 mins to upload to a Boost for Daz RTX4000, prior to rendering. With this Save/Reuse capability and uploading to CPU Only (2-core), that $0.70 cost will be reduced to $0.20, a savings of almost 72%! Again, this is cost allocated to just to the uploading portion of the render process.
Another scenario? Let's look at a larger 20GB render package being upload using a connection with an internet upload speed of ~25Mbps. This would take ~1.7 hours to upload. Needing to use an NVIDIA A5000 for rendering (24GB VRAM), earlier that upload time would have cost ~$11, but when choosing to use a CPU Only (2-core) machine, that upload cost would now be cut drastically to just $0.66 - a savings of about 94%! That's practically no upload costs!
Where can I learn more? To dig into more use cases where this capability to help you be more productive while saving you money, read the Save/Reuse knowledge base article.
Download Queue Render Results - after session termination
What this feature does? With this feature, your Iray Server Queue render results (secured in a Zip file) will now be available for up to 7 days after the termination of the session. Access is only available from within your Boost for Daz account.
What problem does it solve? Why should I care? Often users would find that their sessions timed-out and terminated while they were busy doing something else. Or they needed to get the original results of a prior session. Recall that once a session is terminated (either by you or by Boost for Daz), Boost for Daz used to flush all the uploaded files and delete the entire private machine it had created for you. Understandably, many Boost for Dazzers found this frustrating!
We heard you! Now you can get your results - for up to 7 days right from within your Dashboard. Just click on Session Statistics (in the menu by clicking on the logo in the top right of your Dashboard page), and then locate the desired session ID. The results are securely zipped and are downloadable to your local drive. Voila!
Where can I learn more? Review the knowledge base article Download Render Results to learn more on how to make best use of this feature.
>> I've read enough! Just take me to Boost for Daz...
More GPU variants - go faster with 3x and 4x GPU variants
What this feature does? Quite simply - it's speed. For many of you with impending deadlines and situations where time is of the essence, these additional GPU variants give you that extra 'boost' to get the job done quick and right.
Making your money go farther is always a priority for us. Combing this feature with the Save/Reuse Iray Session Data feature mentioned above, we've been recommending a new 'best practice' to save money and get your jobs done faster and accurately - as you envisioned them.
Resize: Significantly reduce the dimensions of your image/animation (e.g. 100 or 200px , of course, stay consistent with your aspect ratio.)
Upload: Use a CPU Only machine to upload your project. This will get all the required assets, textures, etc. onto Boost for Daz. Make a note to select 'Save session contents' checkbox. Stop session.
Render 1: Start a new session and render with the smallest GPU that will fit your project's render package. Make a note to select 'Save session contents' checkbox. Stop session. Check if all is OK with the render (with reduced dimensions). This step will give you enough data to calculate the acceptable cost of your final render.
Render 2: Assuming all looks good with the rendering in Step 3, reset dimensions to the original sizes. Select a faster or different GPU (with the appropriate GPU VRAM sizing) and quantity of GPUs to complete your render.
What problem does it solve? Why should I care? Getting your projects rendered quickly. For many this will give you an edge and an opportunity to offer quicker turnaround times to your clients and customers!
Where can I learn more? Review the knowledge base article Speed Factors of GPU Variants to learn more on how to make best use of the availability of faster GPU Variants.
>> I've read enough! Just take me to Boost for Daz...
CPU Rendering - when GPU's fall short or just won't cut it
What this feature does? Offers a pure CPU option to render your project.
What problem does it solve? Why should I care? Two primary use cases:
The GPU (running Iray Server) has a problem with aspects and elements of your scene and rejects it. (Note: It's possible that this GPU rejection might not be the fault of your project. Some elusive bugs in NVIDIA Iray Server, cause GPU rendering to not work.)
You want to use CPU to render. For certain types of project, CPU rendering gives results more in line with your artistic vision for your project. In these case you don't want GPU, but want a faster CPU with more RAM.
Access Iray Server Session Logs - blow-by-blow session render details
What this feature does? Ever want to know what goes on behind the scenes to get your Daz project rendered? Are you looking for the dreaded 'out of memory' error noted only in the Iray Server logs. Well wonder no more. Access to the Iray Server logs for your session (available for 10 days from the termination of the session) gives you direct access to the blow-by-blow events and messages generated by Iray Server while rendering your project.
What problem does it solve? Why should I care? In a word, troubleshooting. If you are experiencing problems in the completion or quality of your render, then peeking into the detailed Iray Server logs will give you insights into the root cause of the problem. The most common problem is an 'out of memory' problem which is what happens when your render package size is greater than the GPU VRAM.
Where can I learn more? Review the knowledge base article Access Iray Server Session Logs to learn more on how to make best use of the availability of faster GPU Variants.
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