University of California at Berkeley
           Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences
                       Instructional Support Support


/share/b/pub/zync.help

								   Oct 24 2018

CONTENTS
	Zync Rendering on Google Cloud Platform
	Rendering on Zync from Maya: Staff
	Rendering on Zync from Maya: Students


Zync Rendering on Google Cloud Platform
---------------------------------------

  Zync (http://zyncrender.com) is software for rendering animation frames 
  into movies.  It is used by the animation classes (UCBUGG and CNM190).  
  It runs on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).  Usage fees are requested 
  from Google from GCP Education Grants.
  
  It is available for EECS classes on the computers in 200 SDH
  (http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~inst/iesglabs.html) along with Maya 
  (animation editor), Tractor (render farm) and Renderman (render tool).  
  
Rendering on Zync from Maya: Staff
----------------------------------

  The instructors or IT staff set up a Zync "project" site for each group 
  of students, using a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Education Grant (coupon) 
  for each group (https://cloud.google.com/edu/).  This provides a "billing 
  account" for the project on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and avoids 
  the need for any staff or students to give a credit card number.  
  
  Instructions for setting this up are in 
  https://doc.zyncrender.com/cloud-project-setup, except that instead of 
  entering personal information and a credit card for Billing, you redeem 
  a Google coupon at https://console.cloud.google.com/education.  
  
  WARNING: It will assign the coupon irrevocably to the Google account 
  that you are currently logged into (without asking), so be sure that 
  is the GCP billing account for the intended project.  Also, use Chrome.

  Then, notify the students of the "Zync URL" for their project site.  The 
  students will login to that URL from Maya using their own Calnet IDs.

  Please ask inst@eecs.berkeley.edu for help.  [ISG staff: see 
  https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~inst/staff/SSL/?file=Maya-render-on-Zync.pdf 
  for details.]

Rendering on Zync from Maya: Students
-------------------------------------

  Here are instructions for students to use Zync from Maya:

  0) Where you run Maya, you need to install the Zync Client app and 
     the Zync for Maya plugin from http://download.zyncrender.com.
     Each student will have to do that once for his/her EECS account.  
     See https://doc.zyncrender.com/.

     Note: instead of getting an email from Zync about your new site,
     the EECS IT staff will create a shared site for your class or
     team, which you will access with your Calnet ID.  Your TAs will 
     notify you of the "Site URL", such as https://instzync1.zync.io.

  1) Start the Zync Client app with these settings:
     "Site URL" = GET THIS FROM YOUR TA
     "Login with Google" =  your Calnet account, ie oskibear@berkeley.edu 

  2) Start Maya.

  3) To render, choose Zync from the Maya menu bar and click on the Zync 
     icon.  Enter your render settings in the Zync Submit box.  At the 
     bottom of the Zync Submit box, Click on "Launch Job".  

  4) Logon to the "Site URL" given above, using your Calnet account, to 
     see the progress of your render jobs.

 
 					Instructional Support Group
  					384/386 Cory, 333 Soda
  					inst@eecs.berkeley.edu