Run Aximmetry in virtual host, | Forum

Run Aximmetry in virtual host, to run Aximetry in the cloud

Hi all Axy colleagues.

I'm wondering if it's possible, and if anyone has used it, to be able to run two copies of Axymmetry on the same machine.

One possibility would be to have two instances of Axymmetry on the same windows with two graphics cards (one as master and the other as render node).
Another possibility would be to create two virtual nodes, with vmware proxmod or similar software, and run each copy of Aximmetry on each virtual computer.

I know I need two Aximmetry DE licenses :-).

The first option requires that two instances of the same version of Aximmetry can be run at the same time. In the latest versions it is possible to install the new version separately from the existing version, but I don't know if it's possible to run them both at the same time.

The second option is a scenario where at the software level I don't think there will be any problems (they are two separate computers for all purposes). The problem I might have is with Aximmetry running reliably on virtual hardware. Can Aximmetry be run on AWS or Azure, which would be a similar scenario?

Thank you for your answers.

ToniWedio

Eifert@Aximmetry

Hi,

We do not recommend running Aximmetry twice on the same computer, even if you are using a Virtual Machine to separate them. Doing so can lead to all kinds of issues.

However, Yes, Aximmetry can run on AWS and Azure when configured correctly. It has been tested on both platforms.

Note that one Aximmetry can utilize two graphics cards if you use Aximmetry's own render engine instead of Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine does not support multi-GPU by default.

Could you please provide more details about what you aim to achieve? With more information, I'm sure we can offer a more detailed response tailored to your needs.

Warmest regards,

ToniWedio

Hi Eifert

My apologies for not replying sooner. I've been requested to make a multicam show several times. As you know, one computer per camera is needed if you want to record all camera angles for later editing and/or produce the show on an external vision mixer.

What I want is to use virtualization to save money and not having 3/4 high end computers unused except when a show is shooted. I can have a powerfull computer to prepare the show (lighting, unreal works, ... etc) and at the show time when no lots of cores are needed use it under a bare metal virtualized OS.

In fact its the same technology that you just have announced (Aximmetry Gateway) without the latency risks of AWS/Azure or whatever cloud provider.

I'm thinking on using VMWare data center products, and because I know that NVIDIA drivers for 4090 does not support sharing between different VPS (as RTX/quadro do) I'm planning of having two 4090's to avoid sharing.

Hope I have elaborate enough, thanks for your help, Eiffert.

Eifert@Aximmetry

Hi,

For recording all camera angles for later editing, you only need one computer. You can record all input video and tracking with the camera compound and play them back in post-production to render the virtual world for every camera angle. However, you are correct that for live production using an external vision mixer with every camera angle rendered, you will need a separate computer for each camera angle.

I'm not certain how well a Virtual Machine (VMWare) setup would work, even if they don't share the GPU. Note that you would still end up with a mostly unused 4090 and one 4090 GPU usually costs more than the rest of the computer.
Also note that if your motherboard doesn't support 32 PCIe lanes, your 4090 GPUs might run a little bit slower since they will operate on 8 lanes instead of 16. If your capture card also uses PCIe lanes, you might need more than 32 lanes for the most optimal performance. Keep in mind that beyond individual slot lanes, motherboards have an overall PCIe lane limit.

I couldn't share information about the Gateway previously, but now that it's released, you can find its documentation here https://aximmetry.com/learn/virtual-production-workflow/starting-with-aximmetry/aximmetry-gateway/using-aximmetry-gateway/
You could use the Gateway to run computers in the cloud (e.g. AWS or Azure) and save on hardware costs, though you will have additional latency, as you mentioned.

Warmest regards,

Run Aximmetry in virtual host, to run Aximetry in the cloud

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