Frequently asked questions

This page collects the questions our team hears most often, grouped by topic. Use the section index to jump to pricing, account, submission, output, plugins, performance, or support questions. For step-by-step walkthroughs, see the ; for error-specific help, see .

About Super Renders Farm

Q: What is Super Renders Farm? A: Super Renders Farm is a fully managed cloud render farm. You upload your scene, we render it on our infrastructure, and you download the result. We handle worker setup, license routing, asset path resolution, and queue scheduling so you don't have to remote-desktop into machines or install render engines yourself. For a longer overview, see .

Q: How long has Super Renders Farm been operating? A: The team has been running distributed rendering since 2010, and the legal entity was formed in 2017. We're headquartered in Santa Ana, California, and currently serve customers in over 50 countries — primarily archviz studios, VFX teams, animation houses, and motion design freelancers.

Q: Which DCCs and render engines do you support? A: We support 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, After Effects, and NukeX as host applications. Supported render engines include V-Ray, Corona, Arnold, Redshift, Octane, and Cycles. For per-DCC setup details, see the relevant setting-up-* doc such as or .

Q: What hardware does the farm run on? A: Our CPU fleet uses Dual Intel Xeon E5-2699 V4 nodes with 96 to 256 GB RAM per node, totalling more than 20,000 CPU cores. Our GPU fleet runs NVIDIA RTX 5090 cards with 32 GB VRAM each. CPU rendering covers about 70% of jobs we run; GPU is the remaining 30% and growing.

Q: Are you officially partnered with any render engine vendors? A: We have official partnerships with Maxon (Cinema 4D, Redshift), Chaos (V-Ray, Corona), and AXYZ design (Anima). These partnerships provide verified licensing for those engines on our farm. Other supported engines run under standard render-only licensing arrangements.

Pricing and credits

Q: How does Super Renders Farm bill for rendering? A: We bill based on actual compute used, expressed in GHz-hours (CPU jobs) or OB-hours and similar GPU equivalents. You buy credit upfront and the cost of each finished frame is deducted from your balance. For the current rate sheet and credit tiers, see and the .

Q: What is a GHz-hour? A: One GHz-hour equals one gigahertz of CPU processing for one hour. If a render uses 40 cores at 2.2 GHz for 30 minutes, that's roughly 44 GHz-hours of consumption. The unit lets us bill the same way regardless of how many machines we put on a job — the price is tied to compute used, not wall-clock time. For a deeper explanation, see or our .

Q: How do I estimate what a job will cost before submitting? A: The most reliable estimate comes from a small test render. Submit one or two representative frames first, note the GHz-hours consumed, then multiply across the full frame range. For a guided estimate, see the . For a discussion of the math behind any cloud render farm's pricing, see the .

Q: Is there a free trial? A: Yes — new accounts receive free trial credit on signup so you can run a small test render before committing budget. The trial credit covers a meaningful test (a few frames at typical archviz or VFX scene complexity) but is not sized for full production work. For the current trial amount, see .

Q: Do credits expire? A: Credits do not expire under normal use, but inactive accounts may be flagged after a long period without activity. If your account has been dormant for several months and credit appears to be missing, contact support and we can review the account status.

Q: What payment methods and currencies do you accept? A: We accept major credit cards through our Braintree payment gateway, PayPal as an alternative to direct card payment, and bank transfer for USA and Vietnam customers (useful for larger top-ups). Pricing is displayed in USD; your card-issuing bank handles any local-currency conversion. We do not currently accept cryptocurrency. For custom invoicing or corporate purchase orders, contact support before topping up.

Q: Can I get an invoice for my credit purchases? A: Yes. Invoices are generated automatically for every credit purchase and are available from your account billing area. If you need a custom invoice format (specific company details, VAT number, project reference), contact support before topping up so we can configure it.

Q: Can I get a refund on unused credits? A: Refund eligibility depends on the time since purchase and the amount of credit used. Contact support with your account email and the order reference and we'll review case by case. We do not refund credits already consumed by completed renders, since those represent compute work already performed on our infrastructure.

Q: Why did my render cost more than I estimated? A: The most common reasons are scene complexity that scales non-linearly (heavy ray-trace bounces, large displacement, dense Forest Pack instances), motion blur or DOF samples set higher than the test frame, and frames with significantly more on-screen geometry than your test sample. Run two or three test frames across the timeline rather than one to catch this before submitting the full range. See for related troubleshooting.

Account and login

Q: How do I create an account? A: Register on superrendersfarm.com using a working email address. You'll receive a verification email — click the link to activate the account. If the verification email doesn't arrive within a few minutes, check spam; if it's still missing, contact support and we can verify the account manually.

Q: I forgot my password — how do I reset it? A: Use the "Forgot password" link on the login page. You'll receive a reset email at the address on file. The reset link is time-limited; if it expires before you click, request a new one. If the reset email doesn't arrive, the account email may not be verified yet — contact support.

Q: Does Super Renders Farm support two-factor authentication? A: We do not currently offer two-factor authentication on accounts. For account security in the meantime, use a strong unique password and a password manager, and avoid sharing login credentials across team members (see the multi-user question below). If 2FA is a requirement for your studio's compliance posture, let support know so we can track demand.

Q: Can multiple people in my studio share one account? A: We do not currently offer an official multi-user or team feature with separate identities under one billing entity. Sharing a single login is not recommended because every action in render history (submissions, downloads, billing) is attributed to one identity, which makes auditing difficult. For studios that need shared billing with separate user workflows, contact support — we can discuss workarounds case-by-case, and tracked demand for a proper multi-user feature feeds into product planning.

Q: How do I delete my account? A: Contact support from the email address on the account and request deletion. We'll confirm the request, run any final billing reconciliation, and remove the account. Render output stored on our servers is deleted on the standard retention schedule (see the output retention question below) regardless of account closure.

Submitting renders

Q: How do I submit a render job? A: Three submission methods are available: the website upload-and-submit interface (browser-based, easiest for one-off jobs), the SuperRenders Client App (recommended for larger projects — better resume/retry on flaky connections), and DCC plugins that submit directly from inside 3ds Max, Maya, or Cinema 4D. For a step-by-step walkthrough see the .

Q: What file formats are supported for upload? A: We accept native DCC scene files (.max, .ma/.mb, .c4d, .blend, .hip, .aep, .nk) along with all linked assets (textures, IES files, proxy meshes, simulation caches, references). Pack the scene with its assets — most DCCs have a "collect" or "archive" feature for this. For per-DCC packaging conventions, see the relevant setting-up-* doc.

Q: Is there a maximum file size for uploads? A: There is no hard cap, but the SuperRenders Client App is the recommended path for any project larger than a few gigabytes because it supports resume on interrupted uploads and parallel chunk transfer. Browser uploads work for small projects but can fail on large transfers if your connection drops. See for guidance.

Q: How do I prepare a project for rendering on the farm? A: Pack the scene file together with its linked assets, ensure asset paths are relative or use the DCC's collect feature, save with a render-ready camera and frame range set, and remove unused layers or hidden geometry that won't render. The relevant setting-up-* doc covers DCC-specific gotchas (XRefs in 3ds Max, references in Maya, takes in Cinema 4D, etc.).

Q: Can I prioritize a job to get it rendered faster? A: Higher-priority queue options are available for time-sensitive jobs at a per-GHz-hour premium. The standard queue handles most production work well — priority makes the most difference during peak demand windows. For details on tiers and current pricing see .

Q: How do I cancel or rerun a job? A: Both actions are available from the render history view in your account. Cancelling stops new frames from being assigned but does not refund frames already in progress. Rerunning resubmits the same job (useful when you've fixed a missing texture or wrong output path) and creates a fresh job entry — original output is not overwritten.

Render output and download

Q: What output formats are supported? A: We render whatever output format your scene specifies — EXR (multi-layer or single), PNG, JPG, TIFF, TGA, MOV, and MP4 are all common. Multi-channel EXR with separate RGBA / Z-depth / cryptomatte / AOV passes is fully supported. Set the output format in your DCC before submitting; we don't transcode after the render.

Q: How do I download my finished frames? A: Three methods: download directly from the render history page in your browser, use the SuperRenders Client App (recommended for large frame ranges — resumable, parallel), or set up automated download to a watch folder on your workstation via the Client App. For full guidance see .

Q: How long are my render outputs stored on your servers? A: Output is retained on our servers for 45 days after job completion, then automatically deleted. This retention does not vary by user or by job size. Download promptly within the 45-day window, or set up automated download via the Client App if you need the files on your local storage as soon as each frame finishes.

Q: Where do output files end up — same path I set in my DCC? A: Yes. The output path you set inside your DCC is preserved relative to the project root, and the same folder structure is recreated on our side. When you download, the structure comes back intact. This matters most for multi-pass setups where compositing scripts expect specific subfolders (e.g., /passes/diffuse/, /passes/reflection/).

Q: What if I need to download a very large frame range? A: Use the SuperRenders Client App rather than the browser. The Client App handles parallel download, resume on connection drops, and avoids browser memory issues with multi-thousand-frame ranges. See for setup guidance.

Plugins and assets

Q: Which plugins do you support out of the box? A: For 3ds Max we cover the major archviz plugins (Forest Pack, RailClone, Anima, Phoenix FD, Corona toolset, V-Ray suite). For Cinema 4D we cover X-Particles, TurbulenceFD, Greyscalegorilla suite, and the Maxon-bundled tools. For Houdini we cover the standard SideFX shelf plus Redshift integration. The supported list evolves; for the current per-DCC plugin matrix see the relevant setting-up-* doc.

Q: Can I request a plugin that isn't installed? A: Yes. Contact support with the plugin name, version, and your use case. We evaluate based on customer demand and license availability. Some plugins require per-seat licensing that affects whether we can add them to the standard farm; we'll explain any constraints when you request.

Q: Do I need to upload texture assets and references with my scene? A: Yes — pack all linked assets (textures, IES files, proxies, simulation caches, references) along with the scene file. Use your DCC's collect or archive feature to gather everything, or include the asset folder explicitly in your upload. Missing assets are the single most common cause of failed renders on first submission.

Q: How are software licenses handled — do I need to bring my own? A: For engines covered by our partnership and render-only licensing arrangements (V-Ray, Corona, Redshift, Cinema 4D, and most plugins listed above), we provide licensing on the farm — you don't need to upload license files or supply your own keys. For plugins requiring per-seat licensing, we'll let you know when you request.

Performance and quality

Q: How long will my render take? A: Wall-clock time depends on three things: total compute work in the scene, number of nodes assigned to the job, and queue position when you submit. A 1,000-frame archviz animation that would take a single workstation 10 days might finish in hours when split across the farm — but the actual ratio varies by scene. Submit a small test first to calibrate.

Q: Should I render on CPU or GPU? A: Use whichever your scene was authored for — switching engines on the farm changes the visual result. CPU engines (V-Ray CPU, Corona, Arnold CPU) are the right choice for archviz with heavy displacement, large light arrays, or complex shading networks. GPU engines (Redshift, Octane, V-Ray GPU) shine for motion design, product viz, and scenes that fit comfortably in 32 GB VRAM. See for the cost tradeoff.

Q: Why is only one node rendering my job when I expected several? A: For single-frame stills, we typically run distributed rendering on one node because the scene loads once and renders end-to-end — splitting a single frame across nodes adds coordination overhead that often slows things down. For animation jobs (multi-frame), the queue assigns multiple nodes in parallel by default. If you need bucket-distributed single-frame rendering, contact support to discuss whether your scene is a fit.

Q: Can I increase the number of nodes assigned to my job? A: For animations, the queue assigns nodes based on current load and your priority tier — there's no manual "more nodes" toggle. For stills with long render times where bucket-distributed rendering would help, contact support and we can evaluate the scene. See for related troubleshooting.

Support and escalation

Q: How do I contact support? A: Live chat is available on knowledge.superrendersfarm.com — the chat icon is in the bottom-right of every page. For account, billing, or in-flight render questions, chat is the right channel. For partnerships, custom pipelines, or anything that needs a written record, email support and we'll route to the right person.

Q: What are typical support response times? A: Our team replies during business hours, typically within minutes during peak production windows and within hours otherwise. We do not currently publish a specific response-time SLA — for time-sensitive escalations during critical production deadlines, contact support and flag the deadline so the team can prioritize.

Q: I'm a studio with regular render volume — is there enterprise support? A: Yes. Studios with sustained render volume can arrange dedicated account management, custom pricing tiers, and priority queue access. Contact support and describe your typical project size, render frequency, and team size; we'll set up a call to scope what makes sense for your pipeline.