Chapter 6: Batch Processing
Harmony Server uses batch processing to convert scanned drawings to a vector-based format or to render the final animation. The system performs these tasks in the background.
There are two types of batch processes in Harmony; both can run on almost any computer on the network: vectorize and render.
Vectorize
The vectorizing process prepares the images scanned on a black and white scanner for painting by converting them to vector based files (*.tvg files). This converts the drawings from a bitmap format to a digital line-based format.
Vectorizing prepares images for painting by creating paint files. You would only have to manually send scenes to be vectorized in special cases such as:
| • | Processing images that were not scanned in the Scan module |
| • | Reprocessing a scene due to unrecoverable paint errors |
| • | Completing the vectorization after you run the scene through a pencil test |
You can open the Vectorize Queue in the Control Center module to view the list of vectorizing work waiting to be processed.
Render
Also known as compositing, the rendering process composites scenes to create the final frames.
When you have finished working on a scene or all of your animated sequences, you can render it locally or send it to the Render Queue. After you render the animation, you can transfer the scenes to video or film.
You can open the Render Queue in the Control Center module to view the list of compositing work waiting to be processed.
Setting Up the Batch Processing
When you create a new environment for a project, you must set up the batch processing. You can create a particular batch processing schedule and assign certain machines on your Harmony network to vectorize and render the scenes in that environment.
You must set up batch processing on selected Harmony machines to convert scanned drawings to vector files and to composite final frames.
With Harmony batch processing, you can spread the workload across multiple computers on the network, creating a render farm. To do this, you must identify all the computers that will be processing Harmony files and start the batch processing queues. Then, you set up all the environments to add to the database for batch processing.
Once this is done, you can send drawings to be vectorized and scenes to be rendered.
This chapter is divided as follows:
| • | Installing Batch Processing and Configuring the machine-list File |
| • | Creating the machine-list File (Linux) |
| • | The tbprocess Program |
| • | Setting Up Default Schedules |
| • | Testing Batch Processing |
| • | Troubleshooting |
| • | Advanced Batch Processing |
| • | Vectorizing Scenes or Elements |
| • | Rendering Scenes |
| • | Stopping a Process |