Using ShadeGrid Server
The computer running Shade3D will be referred to as the "client machine," and the computer with ShadeGrid Server installed will be referred to as the "server machine."
- Install ShadeGrid Server on the server machine.
- Start ShadeGrid Server on the server machine, in the same way that Shade3D is opened.
ShadeGrid Server 
- On the client machine, open Shade3D.
- Next we will adjust the ShadeGrid Server settings from within Shade3D. Select Rendering > ShadeGrid Manager to open the ShadeGrid Manager. On the ShadeGrid Server tab, the IP address and host name of the computer running ShadeGrid Server should be automatically detected and displayed in the server machine list box.
ShadeGrid Manager 
- Enable the checkbox next to the IP address of a server machine in the list to include that computer when rendering with ShadeGrid.
Note The checkbox next to an IP address detected automatically will already be enabled. In Shade3D Standard and Basic, only the first server machine will be enabled.
If the address of the server machine you wish to use was not automatically detected, or you wish to specify the address manually, click the Add Server... button to open the Input IP Address dialog and enter the appropriate IP address.
Entering IP Addresses 
If you wish to enter multiple IP addresses at a time, hold down the Ctrl key (Win) or option key (Mac) and press the return key. Click OK to add the specified server machine addresses. - If you wish, change the color of the block cursors used to indicate rendering processes by ShadeGrid Server.
- Check the Use ShadeGrid Servers checkbox to use ShadeGrid when rendering. To render entirely using ShadeGrid, check the Use Rendering Server Only checkbox.
ShadeGrid Manager 
- Select Rendering > Rendering Settings to open the Rendering Settings in the Image Window.
- After confirming the rendering settings, click the Render button to render using ShadeGrid.
- After rendering finishes, close ShadeGrid Server if you are done. On Windows, close ShadeGrid Server by clicking the x button on the window's title bar. On Mac OS X, close ShadeGrid Server in the same way as Shade3D.
ShadeGrid Server Details
ShadeGrid Server progress and details can be viewed in the ShadeGrid Server Window.
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- Version
- Shows the version of ShadeGrid Server.
- Host Name
- Shows the name of the computer on the network running ShadeGrid Server (the server machine).
- IP Address
- Shows the IP address of the server machine. Shows the status of ShadeGrid Server. Up to 100 lines are displayed.
- Status
- The following indicate the status of ShadeGrid Server:
On the client machine, chunks rendered by each server machine are displayed in different colors by the block cursor in the Image Window.
If you stop rendering from Shade3D when using ShadeGrid Server, ShadeGrid Server also stops and returns to "waiting..." status. When rendering is resumed, ShadeGrid Server also resumes.
ShadeGrid Server can be closed even in the middle of rendering. Furthermore, if you start ShadeGrid Server in the middle of rendering a scene, it will begin helping with the rendering from that point on.
Memory Capacity
The server machine requires approximately the same amount of memory that would be required for the client machine to render the scene.
If a server machine runs out of memory during rendering, the client machine or other server machines will finish the rendering.
Important Shade3D Standard and Basic are limited to using one server machine. Thus, if the server machine runs out of memory, the client machine will finish the rendering alone.
Server Machine Execution Speed
If systerm performance varies greatly between the client machine and a server machine, the percentage of work done by the slower computer may be extremely low.
Server Machine Limit
Shade3D Basic and Standard and limited to using one server machine.
Shade3D Professional has no limit on the number of server machines that can be used. However, because ShadeGrid Server uses the TCP/IP network, the number of usable server machines may be limited by the network environment.
For example, a Class C network is limited to a total of 256 IP addresses; with two broadcast addresses plus the client machine, this leaves 253 IP addresses that can be used for server machines.
The Network Environment
In order to maximize data transfer speeds between the client and server machines, a 100Base-TX or faster network is recommended.
Ports
ShadeGrid Server uses TCP or UDP ports 1126-1127 for data transfer with Shade3D.
When using security software with a firewall, be sure to allow the appropriate ports.
For detailed descriptions of your security software settings, refer to the documentation that came with the security software.
Version Information
Shade3D and ShadeGrid Server must have the same version number (down to the same revision number) in order to use ShadeGrid Server.
Shade3D's version information can be found by selecting Help > Version Info (Win) or Shade3D > About Shade3D (Mac).
ShadeGrid Server's version information can be found at the top of the ShadeGrid Server window.
When updating to the latest version, be sure to check that the version number of Shade3D and ShadeGrid Server match.
Important Version numbers include the major version number and minor (revision) numbers. For example, Shade3D 13 has minor version numbers separated by periods, as in "13.x.x".