Sharing Jobs

Though it is not really required, it is better to launch the server first and then connect the nodes. With each new node that is recognized, the server window prints out a message. Each node also gives you visual feedback about its connection to the server.

When you open the web-interface you also have a complete list of available nodes and a variety of basic information about network addresses, operating systems and so on. To share a simulation you are required to have an appropriately prepared scene, so let’s start with a sample setup. This scene is very similar to the IDOC example from the previous chapter, but added again for your convenience.

This example assumes a homogeneous network. This means that all computers in the network must have the same main operating system (Windows, OS X, Linux) and the same paths to the used resources/files. The project consists of four emitters, influenced by a "Gravity" daemon. Simply place the emitters along a horizontal line and draw a box around them, just like in the image below. For better differentiation you could assign various colours to the particles. Of course, such a basic scene could easily be simulated on a single computer – it is being used here simply to explain the concepts behind RealFlow’s "Job Manager".

The next step is to add an IDOC node to the scene:

Icon Bar > IDOC > Multiple

Main menu > Edit > Add > IDOC > Multiple

Before anything is displayed in the viewport, RealFlow asks you to subdivide the IDOC into several independent domains. The number of subdivisions should represent the number of connected nodes. Assuming that you have three simulation nodes in your network, enter “3” under “X”. And now you can also see why the scene contains a cube object around the emitters. That is not for limiting the particles to a certain space, it represents the IDOC’s boundaries. RealFlow shows a dialogue where you can choose “Cube01”, for example, to create the domains directly from the selected object.

Since there are three IDOCs and four emitters, it is necessary to adjust the IDOCs – this can be done by simply rescaling/moving them with the R/W key or the scale and move tools from the "Icon Bar". So, the IDOC in the middle must enclose two emitters, while the other ones contain a single emitter each. You can keep the surrounding cube if you need, but it is also possible to delete it. Finally, select the IDOC nodes and click on:

Node Params > IDOC > Update

After this action you can see that RealFlow attached the emitters to their related IDOCs and you are actually ready to simulate the scene. To send the simulation data to the active nodes, multi-select all available IDOCS and click on

Node Params > IDOC > Send to Job Manager

Another, maybe more convenient way to send the entire scene (without selecting the IDOCs) to the "Job Manager" is a single click on the “Send to job manager” button in the "Simulation Tools" section inside RealFlow.

To monitor the network simulation, open the web-interface and check “Reload every”. This option automatically updates the web-interface and displays the latest status information. You can also set the desired interval. In the node and server panels you can see the simulation running. If you have ever used “RealFlow -nogui” (formerly: "Command Line") version, then the node window’s output certainly will be very familiar to you. From the web-interface you also have some more possibilities, for example changing a job’s priority, stopping or removing jobs, and adding new ones. You will also be informed if there are interruptions of the simulation process or path translation problems.

Once the simulation is completed, switch back to RealFlow’s viewport and press Alt + U to update the timeline and see the final results. In case of errors you will receive an appropriate message via a window:

Connection refused

After clicking “OK”, another dialogue appears, giving you certain options on how to proceed: “Ignore” stops the execution of the "Job Manager" plugin and leads you back to RealFlow. With “Retry”, a new connection attempt is performed. This is useful if you forgot to open the "Job Manager". Finally, there is “Remove temporary files” to manually delete all FLW and RFS files created during simulation. Once the files are deleted, you can return to RealFlow. It is also worth mentioning that the emitters inside a common IDOC (the blue and green emitters in the example above) can still interact. Only particles from different IDOCs cannot mix.