A 3D render farm refers to a cloud computing platform or service specifically designed and configured for processing and rendering 3D scenes. Choosing the right render farm is crucial for getting high-quality renders and meeting project requirements. If you are looking for a 3D render farm that can quickly process rendering tasks for your current or future 3D projects, this article introduces 6 cloud rendering farms that have been tested and proven over time and in the market.
Top Considerations When Choosing a 3D Render Farm
When choosing a 3D render farm, you should consider some key factors, such as the cloud rendering farm's rendering power and speed, supported software, price, security, and customer support.
Rendering Capability and Speed: You need to assess the rendering capability of the render farm, including its ability to handle complex scenes, high-resolution images, and advanced vfx effects. You can check the configuration of the machine devices they offer and test their rendering speed through some free trial provided by some render farms.
Supported Software: You need to ensure that the render farm supports the specific 3D software and plugins used in your workflow, such as Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Corona, V-Ray, etc.
Pricing: Pricing may be the most important factor in deciding whether to use a render farm, so it's essential to check the pricing models of cloud rendering farms. If you are unsure of how much your project will cost, you can estimate it using the pricing calculator of the render farm, or utilize the free trial of the render farm to calculate the rendering prices for the first frame, middle frame, and the last frame, thus estimating the overall cost. The second method is more recommended.
Security: You need to prioritize the security measures implemented by the render farm to protect your data and assets. Inquire whether they offer data encryption, secure file transfer, backup protocols, and disaster recovery options.
Customer Support: The level of customer support provided by the render farm is also crucial, including their response time, technical support, and troubleshooting capabilities. Having support from technical personnel can spare you from the hassle if you are not familiar with the render farm.
List of the Best 3D Render Farms
1. Fox Renderfarm
Fox Renderfarm has been on the market since 2011 and has since become a world-class renderfarm with its excellent rendering capabilities and outstanding services, dedicated to providing secure and fast cloud rendering services to their customers. They support CPU and GPU rendering, both online and desktop (Desktop available for Windows and Linux).
Fox Renderfarm has a huge number of render nodes, and its $25 free trial offered to new users is enough for you to test their rendering speed and cost. In addition, to promote education, they offer exclusive discounts to students and teachers. Here are the prices offered on the Fox Renderfarm pricing page.
Check here if Fox Renderfarm supports your software and plugins. If you have special needs, you can consult their online customer service.
In terms of security, Fox Renderfarm has successfully completed MPA’s Content Security Best Practices and officially become a TPN Trusted Partner! It means that it has no problems with security, so you can be assured of the safety of your files.
When it comes to customer service support, this cloud rendering farm offers 24-hour service, so any time, any place you can reach them and they will serve you.
2. iRender
iRender is a young render farm, starting in 2019. Their model is very different, while most render farms go SaaS, iRender has chosen a different path - IaaS model. This model allows users to get access to the servers provided by iRender and getting control over them to work directly on the computers.
The price of iRender is based on the usage time of the node and the level of the machine. Here are the prices offered on its pricing page.
Due to its unique IaaS model, iRender supports almost all software, here are some of them.
Although iRender prominently labels GPUs on their webpage, which would lead people to think that they support only GPU rendering, but they actually support CPU rendering as well. iRender doesn't have a free trial for new users, however, there is a recharge discount. Their online service is also available 24/7, so feel free to contact them with any questions.
3. Rebusfarm
Rebusfarm is a long established cloud rendering farm, and since their emergence in 2006, they have been committed to providing as much rendering power as possible at the most affordable prices, while maintaining a service-oriented connection with their customers.
They charge 1.28 cent/GHzh for CPU rendering and 0.48 cent /OBh for GPU rendering and offer a free trial of 25 RenderPoints to test their rendering capability. Here are the software and plugins they support.
In the bottom right corner of the page of Rebusfarm, they offer some ways to contact them, but the live-chat seems not to be online 24 hours a day, you can try it by yourself.
4. GarageFarm
GarageFarm is a render farm founded in 2010 by 3D artists who strongly believe that CG artists should be completely focused on creating their art without worrying about render times and waiting for the rendering to finish.
For new users they offer a $25 free trial. Here are their official prices. It should be mentioned that they offer a special 33% discount for Blender rendering.
Here are some of the software they support.
In terms of service support, GarageFarm offers 24-hour service, meaning you can contact them at any time.
5. Ranch Computing
Since 2006, Ranch Computing has been serving as a powerful render farm for all 3D designers to render their work.
For new users, they offer a free trial of €30. Here are their official prices.
They support most 3D software and renderers as well as plugins, check out the images below.
They don't support 24-hour service and strictly follow office hours, but if there are special situations, they will provide special support to their customers.
6. SheepIt Render Farm
Blender is popular among many users as open source free 3D software. So it's a happy thing that Blender has its free distributed render farm, which is SheepIt.
At SheepIt, users render 3D projects by collaborating with each other. Users can increase the rendering priority of their projects by sharing their computers, rendering for other users and then earning Points. SheepIt Render Farm has a strong community and an active development team, making it a great choice for Blender artists without a budget.
Conclusion
The final choice of a 3D render farm still needs to be decided based on your specific needs, such as your software, budget, project deadline, and etc. You can compare the rendering experience of multiple render farms to decide which one you prefer. Anyway, why not try the free $25 trial of Fox Renderfarm to experience the super-fast cloud rendering service? Have a good rendering!
