
OctaneRender
Octane Render is a real-time 3D unbiased rendering application that runs exclusively on NVIDIA's CUDA technology. It is the first GPU-based unbiased renderer to be released to the public and it uses the graphics card(s) to calculate all measures of light, reflection and refraction.
Component Recommendations
Processor
As Octane does not use the CPU for rendering, a CPU with a high core count is not required. However, a fast multi-core CPU will significantly improve the scene loading speed. Therefore we recommend a processor with 4 to 6 cores.
Memory
In general, 3-6GB of RAM per CPU core is recommended. For example, if you select a single 12-core processor, 32GB will suffice for basic tasks or 64GB for more demanding workloads.
Storage
We recommend a solid-state drive (SSD) for the operating system and software.
In addition, we recommend a 4TB or larger hard drive for storage of the pre-rendered assets or the rendered export files if storing these files locally. Hard drives work well for rendering since it is generally not read or write intensive.
Graphics
Octane Render can run on most CUDA enabled consumer video cards, instead of only on high-end Quadro cards that most other solutions and middleware require. We recommend dual NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, which currently offers the best performance to price ratio, but any recent high end NVIDIA card will offer great rendering performance with Octane.
Multiple GPUs will increase the performance of the application linearly. For example, two cards with provide double the performance of one card. The GPUs do not need to be of the same type.
Chassis
The HP Z8 G4 Workstation is recommended if you would like dual processors and/or multiple high performance graphics cards.
The HP Z6 G4 Workstation is recommended if you would like to start with a single high-end processor and single high-performance graphics card with the potential of upgrading in the future. With the Z6 G4, you can add a second matching processor and double the memory using the optional second processor riser. The power supply will also support two mid-range graphics cards.
The HP Z4 G4 Workstation is recommended for majority of workflows. Since Intel now produces single Core i9 and Xeon processors with up to 18-cores and high clock speed, there is no need for dual processors unless you will have heavy CPU rendering or intensive tasks demanding more than 18-cores. Also, the HP Z4 G4 has an optional 1000W power supply that will support the most powerful graphics cards inluding the GeForce RTX 2080Ti and Quadro RTX 6000.
Specialty Hardware
For massive computes, we carry NVIDIA Tesla K80 and P100 accelerators installed in worlds leading Cubix Xpander Rackmount series expansion chassis. The top selling, Xpander Rackmount 2, Gen 3 expands one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot in the HP Z Worskation into two dual-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for passively cooled cards. Add 2 4 8 or 16 Tesla compute processors to for extreme compute power to take on any advanced product. Shave hours, days, or weeks off your estimated completion time to maximize your productivity.
For rigorous rendering and advanced deep learning solutions, we carry the Cubix Xpander Desktop Elite series expansion chassis ideal for NVIDIA GeForce GTX and RTX GPUs. The most popular in the series, Xpander Desktop Elite, Gen 3 - 1500w, expands one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot in the HP Z Worskation into four dual-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for actively cooled cards. The 1200w model also available for a mixture of GPUs and specialty hardware cards, and the 8 and 16 GPU model for a grid computing solution.