FAQ

Support
Installation / Cloud Manager
Blender
Payment/Credits
General
  • Error 3: Can not connect to the render farm
    Follow these steps below.

    1. Make sure you enter the correct account details:
    USERNAME: administrator
    STUDIO NAME: your studio name
    PASSWORD: *******

    2. Firewall
    Still not working, turn off your firewall for a moment. If this was the problem make an exception rule in your firewall software to allow the cloud manager connection.

    3. Secure network
    Are you on a sercure network with closed ports? We need port 17392 and 17393 to be open to connect to the farm. The host address is: www.dropandrender-farm.com (linked to an IP Address)

    4. Still not able to login after the steps above? Contact us directly.
  • My job is not downloading
    You can always use the archive feature to download all your files. The files will be stored for 7 days on our service after the render is completed.

    Take a look at this video to see how it works:



    Follow these steps below:
    1. Sometimes when your computer goes idle/sleepmode, the download will be suspended. Try logout and back in again to trigger the download.

    You can also request a FTP account where you can download all your files.
  • Some really useful tips!
    30% FASTER
    If your render finishes within 5 min per slice on the farm you can change the custom slices to speed up the render farm without extra costs. By default every nodes gets a single frame, when you up the slice number, nodes get multiple frames before sending them to you again. This saving startup time and possible calculations from the project.

    To do this: go to the advanced tab in the plugin and change the slice number. A good average number is 20 min per slice. So if your frame is taking 5 min, the slice number is 4 (20/5).

    Here you can find a video about it:
    Custom Slice Number


    CHANGE PRIORITY AFTER SUBMISSION
    You can change your priority while rendering or waiting in the queue. This can be helpful when you already submitted your job and you notice the long waiting line or you want to make sure your project keeps rendering.

    To do this: Open the cloud manager and right click on your job. Click change render queue. This wil open a list where you can change the priority.

    Here you can find a video about it:
  • There is no window shown to install the plugin.
    Follow the steps below:
    1. Do you have Blender installed on the default location?
    PC: C:/Users/%username%/AppData/Roaming/Blender Foundation/Blender/%version%
    MAC: /Users/%username%/Library/Application Support/Blender/%version%

    If not, the cloud manager is not able to find your install and you need to manually add the Application Path. See the steps below:

    - Open the cloud manager
    - Click help on top of the page and select -> Preferences
    - Open the Plugin Manager
    - Right click on the empty field and select "Add"
    - Select the application profile and the Root Application path
    - Click Apply.
  • Animated textures
    Use image sequences formats (jpeg, png, etc.), instead of movie formats (avi, mp4, etc.) or else it will not work on the farm.
  • How to render a single image with Tile Rendering.
    In our new update Tile Rendering is as easy as it can be.

    In you have a big still image click the "Tile Render" checkbox inside the Drop & Render Blender add-on. Now projects will be rendered on multiple machines.
  • Where can I find my invoice?
    To find your invoice, login to your account and click on your account name. There you see the tab with transactions. Click on the transaction to download the PDF file.
  • I cannot buy credits?
    Remove your VAT number from your account and try again.
    You can adjust your profile settings by clicking on your account name on the DropIt page.

    If this is not working, please contact us via the live chat on the website.
  • My VAT number is not working
    Follow these steps:

    1. You need to be in the country of your VAT registration. If your are currently not in the country of your VAT, please remove the number in your user profile. You can go there by clicking your Studio Name inside the drop it page (you need to pay the tax amount of your current location).

    2. Your company name must match your VAT number. We do a check on the official EU taxation page. Check here if your settings are correct http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/.

    3. You can always leave the VAT number open and get your taxes back in your own country.

    We need to be very strict on this, we need to be able to prove your company for our administration.
  • What version of Octane are you using?
    We support all versions! How is that possible?

    We use environment variables to re-create your version of Blender. So it doesn't matter if you are on the latest release or a release that is a year old. We've got you covered! Pretty cool right?

    The plugin will auto detect your version.
  • What version of Redshift are you using?
    We support all versions! How is that possible?

    We use environment variables to re-create your version of Blender. So it doesn't matter if you are on the latest release or a release that is a year old. We've got you covered! Pretty cool right?

    The plugin will auto detect your version.
  • My job is still on queue state
    To get good control over your deadline, take a look at the video below. We will explain how you can use priorities and other features to get your files as soon as possible:

    Render Priorities
  • How to start rendering
    First thing is to take a look this video:
    Start video
    It will give you all the information to get started.

    This should give you a good idea on the basics. But of course you can always contact us! We are happy to help!
  • Already logged in message
    To use Drop & Render on multiple machines you can use the User Manager feature.

    Just take a look here:
    Account Manager
  • Higher costs than calculated
    The price calculator is an estimate, this is due to the many variables that come with rendering.

    The most common problem is the startup and pre-calculation time. Since by default every node gets a single frame, each time a frame starts it needs to start Cinema 4D and load the project. With heavy geometry or objects this can take 1 or 2 min. After that, there are maybe startup calculations like simulations, GI, ect.

    When you have render times under 10 min per frame you lose time and thus credits with each frame.

    We made a fix for this called: Custom slice number. Where you feed multiple frames into one server.



    If your are still having doubts about the costs please send us this information:
    - Your workstation specs (Processor, GPU and memory installed).
    - Your project specs (Amount of frames, time to complete a single frame).
    - The name of your project that you've submitted to the farm.
    - Optional: copy the log file from your project folder inside an email for us to see all the details.


  • What add-ons do you support
    We actually support all versions, all the latest releases but also older releases. This is applicable for every plugin we support.

    Our Blender add-on is so smart that it will detect all your plugins and also the versions of your plugin. After that we create a Blender instance of your setup.

    This way we eliminate version issues causing a way higher succes rate on your jobs.

    You can expect that we always have the latest releases of all plugins. We update everything daily.
  • Custom Pool
    A pool is a selection of nodes that we have available. This option can be useful for test frames or single frames. Don't use this for all your renders because the real speed of a render farm comes with amount of nodes you get.

    Here some examples:

    ENTER: CPU
    You will get the strongest nodes available. All these nodes have Cinebench scores over 3000. Good for single frames or quick test renders.

    ENTER GPU
    In this pool there are only GPU machines with 4 cards or more active. Being 4 times 2080 ti or 3090 cards.

    ENTER MEMORY
    Enter this if you need nodes with more than 64 gb of memory.
  • Custom Install Path
    We always advise to use the default install location for the cloud manager. This is the most stable way to work with the software.

    Here are the default locations:
    PC: C:/Program Files/SquidNetSoftware/dropandrender"
    MAC: /Applications/dropandrender

    If for some reason you cannot use these install paths you can setup a custom location inside the C4D plugin. Point this path to the Cloud-Rendering or Cloud_ui folder. Now the C4D plugin and Cloud manager can communicate with each other.
  • Custom Plugin Version
    Our plugin is so intelligent that it will detect all your plugins and also what version you are using. By default all these things happen automatically.

    For example, when you are using Redshift our plugin will check your version and use this on the farm. So it doesn't matter if you are on a very old release or the latest. We've got you covered. The same thing happens to FlipFluids, Octane or any Luxcore ect.

    The custom plugin field is something that is used when we give you support. Maybe a version is not working correctly on your job. And with this we can give you access to other versions.

    The replace button can overwrite the auto search, meaning that you have to enter everything manually. Again is something that is used while giving support.
  • How does the custom plugin feature work?
    Drop & Render made a very unique system when it comes to working with third party plugins. On our farm we have all versions of the plugins we support.

    Here's how it works!

    When you click the 'check scene' button in our plugin, we will go over your scene and check all active third party plugins. After that we check what version you are using. All this happens in the background, meaning that you don't have to do anything.

    For example:
    You are working with Redshift as your render engine and X-Particles for your particles simulations. Our plugin will detect your versions and use this to create environment variables on our farm. When you submit the job it will load your plugin versions. This way we eliminate version differences, making sure your renders will come out like you created them.

    We always have the latest releases ready, but you can always contact us to make sure.
  • Nothing happens when I click submit
    Follow the troubleshoot steps below:

    - Log in to the cloud manager.
    - Make sure to install the cloud manager on the default location.
    Mac: /Applications/DropandRender
    PC: C://Program Files/SquidNetSoftware/DropandRender/
    - Reset the advanced tab inside the C4D plugin.

    Still not working, please send us the log file that is inside your project folder.
  • Cloud Manager on MacOS Catalina startup.
    With the new OS for Mac you need to allow the cloud manager inside Security & Privacy.

    To do this, open up System Preferences -> Security & Privacy and start the cloud manager. Hit cancel when you get a warning.

    After that the cloud manager will show up in the Security & Privacy settings. Hit allow and you can now open the cloud manager.

    Soon we will have a OS certificate that will eliminate this problem.
  • What version of Blender do we support?
    You can find an overview of all supported versions, add-ons and engines over here:
    https://blender.dropandrender.com/blender-render-farm
  • Can't install the Blender add-on?
    Follow the steps below:
    1. Do you have Blender installed on the default location?
    PC: C:/Users/%username%/AppData/Roaming/Blender Foundation/Blender/%version%
    MAC: /Users/%username%/Library/Application Support/Blender/%version%

    If not, the cloud manager is not able to find your install and you need to manually add the Application Path. See the steps below:

    - Open the cloud manager
    - Click help on the top of the page and select -> Preferences
    - Open the Plugin Manager
    - Right click on the empty field and select "Add"
    - Select the application profile and the Root Application path
    - Click Apply.
  • How about the safety of my project files?
    Security is one of our top priorities. The process is fully automatic, encrypted (nobody can see your project), and files are automatically deleted after 21 days. With the cloud render you even have the option to render directly to your harddrive, so there won't be an output on our servers!

    Everything is encrypted by OpenSSL AES-256 and 2048-bit RSA data encryption. Your projects are safe with us.
  • Can I render a single frame?
    Yes! We have tile rendering for all supported applications. Please note that the cost calculator is not appropriate for tile rendering.
  • When is the render farm available?
    24/7 and 365 days a year!
  • Something went wrong I think?
    No problem, our support team is here to help you to make sure that your render comes out great. When in need of support, please contact us via our website for live chat support.
  • How do I get an invoice?
    We will e-mail you the invoice after you bought your render credits. The invoice can also be downloaded as a PDF from your user profile.
  • Do my render credits expire?
    As long as you don't delete your Drop and Render account, your render credits will not expire!
  • When do I get the €10,- of free render credits?
    When you create an account, the free render credits will be automatically added.
  • I use a plugin that is not in the list above.
    Contact us and we will check if we can add the plugin to our list.
  • Which payment methods do you support?
    To make your payment as easy as you want, you can choose out of many payment methods: American Express, Apple Pay, Bancontact(BE), Carte Bleue(FR), Dankort(DK), EPS Ãœberweisung(AT), iDeal(NL), Giropay(DE), Maestro, Mastercard, PayPal, SOFORT(EU), Visa.
  • Do you guys support GPU rendering?
    Yes we do! We have 1.000.000 CUDA cores waiting for you!
  • How accurate is the cost calculator?
    The cost calculator can't be used to estimate the cost of still images (Tile Rendering). Please only use the calculator for animations and keep in mind that it is only an estimate.
  • Cloud manager crashes when trying to login
    If the cloud manager crashes when you try to connect, your workstation is blocking the connection.

    Make sure you whitelist the cloud manager in your anti virus software and also your firewall.

    This will resolve this problem so you can login again.

    If you still have issues?

    Are you on a sercure network with closed ports? We need port 17392 and 17393 to be open to connect to the farm. The host address is: www.dropandrender-farm.com (linked to an IP Address)
  • How do I uninstall the Blender add-on?
    Follow these steps to uninstall the Blender plugin:

    1. Open the Cloud Manager

    2. Go to the Cloud Managers Preferences
    PC: Help > Preferences
    MAC: cloud_ui > Preferences

    3. Click the 'Plugin manager'-button at the bottom

    4. Right-click on the plugin you would like to uninstall and select 'Uninstall'


    As an alternative, you can also manually remove the plugin by deleting this folder:
    PC: C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\[VERSION]\scripts\startup\BlenderPlugin
    MAC: /Users/[USER]/Library/Application Support/Blender/[VERSION]/scripts/startup/BlenderPlugin
  • What drives the Drop & Render team? Discover Our Story
    Drop & Render consists of a small and dedicated team that caters to your every render-need. With our home base in The Netherlands, we provide our service to professionals and companies all over the world.

    Our main goal is to create advanced, but user-friendly tools to speed up your workflow. Whether you are a busy independent contractor or a member of a big studio in need of many different features, we at Drop & Render help you to make those tight deadlines and save on time and money.

    We are a team of hard working 3D software enthusiasts that operate seven days a week. We are always looking into new ways to improve our service and getting your images to you in just a blink of the eye (not literally, although that would be awesome)!
  • What software do you support and do you also support my version?
    Visit this page for a comprehensive list of all software supported by Drop & Render. For Blender, we support nearly all major render engines and plugins.

    Supported Blender

    The best part? We always support your version. Our Blender plugin intelligently detects all your plugins and their versions. Then, we replicate a Blender environment matching your setup, virtually eliminating version-related issues and significantly increasing the success rate of your projects.

    Rest assured, we consistently offer the latest versions of all plugins, with daily updates
  • How do I calculate the price for my job?
    For a quick estimate, utilize our price calculator available on our website.

    Pricing

    For a more detailed calculation, the most accurate method is to submit a few frames to the render farm and multiply this by the total number of frames you need to render.

    Another option is our Deadline Control feature. This tool helps us better understand your deadline and maximum budget, allowing you to submit your job with confidence, knowing it aligns with your requirements.

    Learn more about Deadline Control in this video:

  • Looking to connect? Find out how to contact us.
    For Existing Account Holders
    If you already have an account, please navigate to your dashboard and click on the support page. Our dedicated team is available to assist you with any questions you might have.

    For New or Non-Account Holders
    Don't have an account yet? No problem! Feel free to use the chat system available on our website for immediate assistance.

    Direct Contact for Additional Inquiries
    Should you have questions that our support system cannot address, please reach out to us directly at info(at)dropandrender(dot)com.

    Our Business Hours
    Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 6 PM
    Saturday and Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM
    Time Zone: CET (Central European Time)

    Our Headquarters
    Prinsenstraat 12
    3311 JS
    Dordrecht / Rotterdam
    The Netherlands

    Official Details
    VAT Number: NL863831965B01
    Chamber of Commerce: 86013165

Video Tutorials

Custom Slice Number

Save time and money by using a custom slice number

Archived Images

Download your frames everywhere

Render Priorities

Have full control over your deadline

Account Manager

Add multiple users to your studio account and intergrade Drop & Render in your company workflow.

Custom Frame List

Render specific frames and requeue slices