After Effects render-engine CC2017 license issue

[julianm82517430]

Hi there,

I am trying to setup our render-farm for AFX rendering and am encountering some issues. Problem is that the ae-render engine can't be started without license. Everything I find online implies that the render engine can be run without license. Did anything of that change on a recent update? And if not what's the proper way to setup a render node/slave?

I logged in with an Adobe-ID to install After Effects, started the main software as well as the render engine once (and closed it afterwards) and then unsigned the Adobe-ID. Are any further steps required?

Regards,
Julian

[Tim Kurkoski · Accepted solution]

These links have the information you need:

Automated rendering and network rendering in After Effects

installing After Effects CC render engines with Adobe Creative Cloud | Creative Cloud blog by Adobe

[Unicycle Rob]

I've read some of this already and watched a few youtube videos explaining how to set it up.

I have not yet gotten it to work for me. I noticed while AE Render Engine is running the "Watch Folder", it scans the watch folder and I see it listing out the collected files and then starts scanning again instead of rendering?! Why is this happening?

I've also added the blank txt file that the Adobe article suggests, and double checked to see if there wasn't two extensions at the end as I turned hide extensions off.

Please Help! Thanks!

[Tim Kurkoski]

When you collected your After Effects project, did you turn on the Enable Watch Folder Render checkbox in the Collect Files dialog? That's what I usually forget to do.

[Unicycle Rob]

Yes I did that too

[Unicycle Rob]

I was able to take a screen shot of when my render engine finds the file. It happens so fast you can't read what it says. But now that I've taken a screen shot it reads "Render control file not vailed for "BB.aep".

"BB" is the name of my project.

Why is it not valid? What am I doing wrong?

[Tim Kurkoski]

Can you share the RCF.txt file?

[Unicycle Rob]

This is what it reads:

After Effects 13.2v1 Render Control File

max_machines=5

num_machines=0

init=0

html_init=0

html_name=""

[Tim Kurkoski]

That looks correct.

What version of After Effects are you using to collect the project?

What version of After Effects are you using to render the project?

It appears you have the collected project on a shared drive, presumably on a network. If you move the project to a local drive, does that make a difference? (Network drives should be fine, but often there are permission issues or other problems.)

[Unicycle Rob]

Version of After Effects are you using to collect the project: 2015.3

Version of After Effects are you using to render the project: CS6

I'm making a local network between both computers (Ethernet cable from one to the other). I've created a shared folder that the other computer can recognize. What do you mean by a local drive? If its on a local drive how would the other computer see it? You know what I mean?

[Unicycle Rob]

Do you mean the local drive of the render machine? So instead of the shared folder on the design machine, it will be on the render machine. So when I collect files they will be on the shared folder to the local drive of the render machine.

Sorry to repeat what I've said. Just want to understand exactly what your asking. Thanks!

[Unicycle Rob]

So I tried the watch folder on the local drive of the render engine this time. Its still saying "Render Control File Not Valid"

[Tim Kurkoski]

So, this is your problem:

> Version of After Effects are you using to render the project: CS6

Notice the first line of the RCF.txt file:
> After Effects 13.2v1 Render Control File

Although we haven't revved the RCF version since 13.2, CS6 was version 11. It won't recognize a 13.2 RCF file.

Now, I don't think there have been many substantial changes in the RCF content itself, but the other problem you're going to run into is that CS6 can't read project files (.aep) saved by newer versions. (There's a function to save to a previous version, but that's not wired into the Collect Files process.)

In summary: what you're trying to do won't work. I recommend you install the same version, or newer, to render the project as you save it from. (Note that Watch Folder rendering was disabled in the 2015 and 2015.3 releases of After Effects. It was re-enabled in the 2017 release.)

> Do you mean the local drive of the render machine? So instead of the shared folder on the design machine, it will be on the render machine. So when I collect files they will be on the shared folder to the local drive of the render machine.

By this, I meant the local drive of a render machine yes. And only as a test, with a single machine. Just for diagnosing the problem.

But I don't think this is relevant anymore. See above.

[Unicycle Rob]

Thank you! I'll try updating my CS6 to 13.2 and see how that works.

If not then I guess I'll have to update them both to the 2017 version that just came out.

Thanks a lot for all your help!!!