The Local Data Folder is created on every machine that runs the client.

This folder is required for RR. 


Log Files


The rrClient pipes the renderer output to a logfile in this folder.

The render log file is uploaded every x minutes to the main rrRoot folder and accessible via Control.


Render output


Instead of rendering images to the final network path, the client tells the render application to render the images into the Local Data Folder (if supported for the render application).


  • It reduces network traffic and fileserver access times for some renderers. You have only a one-time access to the fileserver writing the whole image file in one go.

    It helps with these kind of renderers:

    1. A renderer that directly write every rendered pixel/line/tile to the file (Like shake).

    Without: You have a constant few-KB-block write to the fileserver during the whole rende timer of the frame.

    2. A renderer that first write the rendered image uncompressed to the output image, then compress the image in a second step and write the compressed image to the output file.

    (like Maya Software renderer)

    Without: Even more worst than 1. regarding constant fileserver access as it writes an uncompressed and compressed image to the fileserver.

    3. Exr cropping post-process:

    Without: The file is written by the renderer to the fileserver, then read again by at the crop tool and written back to the fileserver.


    So after all, if you render exr files, this feature saves you about 66% network traffic.

  • If a render segment crashes/aborted, then the last frame is not copied to the network.
  • If a image is started to render, then the client creates a placeholder file on the final network path. This placeholder file includes the name of the client, that is rendering the file.
  • If the next frame is started, the last frame is copied to the network folder.
  • During copy to the network drive, the file is analysed for errors (like not loadable or render tile missing).

    These error messages are loaded by the rrSequenceChecker.

  • A low resolution version (500 Pixel wide) of the image is saved in the the website folder. (often named "cached file").

    The low resolution image is loaded by the rrViewer (application for the artist to have a quick view on the sequence) and rrSequenceChecker (sequence visual error analysis). 



Temp folder


RRender sets the temp environment folder for the renderer into the Local Data Folder.

If the renderer writes temporally files, they will be written to [LocalDataFolder]/temp


Renderer prefs


If set via the setenv file of the application, the renderer preferences are copied from the RR network share to the Local Data Folder.

(And then used by the renderer) 


Scene File Caching


If a client gets a scene to render, then it copies the scene file to the local hard drive first.

Then it starts to render the local copy.

This is not a drawback, as the file has to be read from the network anyway.



If a client gets the same scene to render again, then the client does not have to load/copy the scene from the slow network again.


Local cached scenes are deleted after a day.


If a scene file on the network drive changes (date-time/file size), then it is re-copied.


Note on "Local Texture Conversion" and "Cross OS conversion":

You have to enable "Local Scene Copy" for a job to be able to use the "Local Texture Conversion" and/or "Cross OS conversion".

The client does a search & replace on the local scene. 


Local texture copies


Usually a textures is used in many scenes and in many versions of a scene during a project.

So why load this texture every time for every render job from the slow network?


If a job was send with the option to copy textures to the local drive, the the client copies all textures to the Local Data Folder.


Local textures are kept for "x" days (set "x" in rrConfig) in case they are re-used for a scene.


Note: This feature can also be used for reference models or any other file type, it is not restricted to texture files.

For further description how to create your own submission that support Local Texture Copies, see the Customization Submission plugin section.