Azure Batch for Maya

This project demonstrates cloud rendering using the Azure Batch service with integrated licensing for Maya, VRay and Arnold.

Please note that the Azure Batch licensing service for Maya is currently in preview. For more information and to register your interest, please see rendering.azure.com.

In order to run this sample, you will need to create an Azure Batch account. You will also need a storage account. You will have the option to create a storage account as part of the Batch account setup for use as Auto Storage. You can use this, or you can set up a storage account independently.

Loading the plug-in in Maya and installing dependencies

Download the latest plug-in release and extract the azure_batch_maya directory to a location of your choice. The plug-in can be run directly from the azure_batch_maya directory.

To install the plug-in:

1. Run Maya
2. Open Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager
3. Click Browse
4. Navigate to and select azure_batch_maya/plug-in/AzureBatch.py.
5. Once activated, the plug-in shelf will have appeared in the UI.

The first time the plug-in is loaded, you will be prompted to agree to some terms and conditions, and install some Python dependencies. The downloading and installing of the Python dependencies may take a few minutes, after which you will need to close and reopen Maya to ensure the updated dependencies are loaded correctly.

Authentication

Before using the plug-in, it will need to be authenticated using your Azure Batch and Azure Storage account keys. In order to retrieve this information:

1. Open the Azure management portal (portal.azure.com).
2. Select Azure Batch Accounts in the left-hand menu. This can be found under More Services in the Compute category.
3. Select your account in the list. Copy and paste the account URL into Service field of the plug-in UI. Paste the account name into the Batch Account field.
4. In the portal, select Keys on the left-hand menu. Copy and paste one of the access keys into the Batch Key field in the plug-in.
5. Return to the management portal home, and select Storage Accounts from the left-hand menu. This can be found under More Services in the Storage category.
6. Select your account from the list. Copy and paste the account name into the Storage Account field.
7. In the portal, select Access Keys on the left-hand menu. Copy and paste one of the access keys into the Storage Key field.
8. Click Authenticate.

Using the Azure Batch plug-in

• Job configuration
• Managing assets
• Environment configuration
• Managing Pools
• Monitoring jobs

Supported Maya Versions

Earlier versions of the code and releases were supported on Maya2017-Update3 only.

Release v0.14.0 adds support for Maya2017-Update4 and Maya2018.

Release v0.16.0 supports Maya2017-Update5

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For details see LICENSE.txt or visit opensource.org/licenses/MIT.

Contributing

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opencode@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.