"Launcher: Timed out executing command...maxadapter.adp.exe" when submitting renders using 3ds Max and Backburner

Autodesk Support

Oct 8, 2023

Products and versions covered

Issue:

When submitting jobs to 3ds Max Backburner network rendering, the Backburner Server application shows a network rendering error message ending with:

Launcher: Timed out executing command: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 20xx\maxadapter.adp.exe" "-o" "ShutDown" "-1" "Info"


This happens more in large scenes.

3ds Max may also show the following error message launching jobs with Backburner:

Failed to create OpenGL context for format QSurFaceFormat(version 2.0, options
QFlags(), depthBufferSize 24, redBufferSize -1, greenBufferState -1, blueBufferState -1,
alphaBufferSize 8, stencilBufferSize 8, samples -1, swapBehavior 2, swapInterval 1,
profile 0)
This is most likely caused by not having the necessary graphics drivers installed.

Install a driver providing OpenGL 2.0 or higher, or, if this is not possible, make sure
the ANGLE OpenGL ES 2.0 emulation libraries (libEGL.dll, libGLESv2.dll and
d3dcompiler_*.dll) are available in the application executables's directory or in a
location listed in PATH.

3dsm19-opengl
Image: OpenGL issue with 3ds Max.


 

Causes:

Includes, but is not limited to:

  • CPU reaching 100% and crashing the system.
  • Backburner not having sufficient time set in the Manager for the job to go to and from the Server.
  • Multiple versions of Backburner installed.
  • Backburner and 3ds Max version mismatch.
  • Server computers not having dedicated graphics cards installed.
  • Server computers having insufficient resources (such as RAM or hard drive space) to process the job.
  • Reference data is corrupted.

Solution:

Below is a collection of the most up-to-date solutions available. The list is not complete, and the final solution may require one, or a combination of the following:
 

Change render engine or contact render plug-in support:

  1. Press Control-Alt-Delete to open the Windows Task Manager. Under the Processes tab, check to see if the 3ds Max render job is taking 100 percent of the CPU and making the system unresponsive.
  2. If using a 3rd-party plug-in render solution such as V-Ray, contact the plug-in developer and ensure the version is optimized for the version of 3ds Max being used.

 

Reset and/or update Backburner:

  1. Reset the Backburner settings by following these steps.
  2. Go into the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, and ensure there are no previous versions of Backburner installed on any machine. If Backburner 2019 is installed, all earlier versions must be uninstalled from all render nodes/Server machines.


Make sure all versions of 3ds Max are identical on all machines:

  1. Go into the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, and check to make sure that all 3ds Max version numbers are identical on the Manager and Server machines. If not, log into your Autodesk Account, download the latest updates for your version(s) of 3ds Max and deploy them on all your machines, both Managers and Servers.
  2. Make sure all 3rd-party plug-ins and scripts installed on the Manager machine are also present on the render nodes.
  3. Make sure all Arnold versions are identical across the Manager and Server node machines, even if Arnold is not being used for the render job. (Mismatched Arnold render engine versions on otherwise identical 3ds Max versions can cause Backburner errors.) Go to the Solid Angle website, download the newest version of Arnold for the version of 3ds Max being used, and install the updated Max-to-Arnold plug-in on all machines.


Increase the Backburner Timeout Settings:

  1. In 3ds Max 2015-2019, go to Render > Render Setup.
  2. At the top of the menu, click the Down Arrow on the right of the Target: Production Rendering Mode button to open it, and choose Submit to Network Rendering. The Network Job Assignment menu appears.
  3. At the bottom of this menu, click the Advanced button. The Advanced Settings menu appears.
  4. At the top, under Per Job Timeouts, check the Enable box.
  5. On the right side, change the existing Minute values to 200 / 6000 / 200, then click OK at the bottom.
  6. Resubmit the 3ds Max scene and see if it renders properly.

 

rsx-img-bb-tmot
Image: Backburner timeout settings.


Check the video card resources in the render node(s):

Insert a dedicated graphics card into all servers on the farm. Even non-Graphical User Interface (GUI) 3ds Max 2019 and onward must detect a graphics card. This does not need to be high end hardware. The entry level recommended cards are acceptable as long as they are DX11 compatible.


Check the render node machine specifications

If some render nodes can process a large job, but others are failing, check that the render nodes have sufficient memory, hard drive space and CPU speed. Underpowered render machines may fail on certain large jobs that other, more powerful server machines can render successfully. If necessary, upgrade or replace the failing nodes.
 

Create a Sphere in a new scene and perform network rendering with it alone.

If network rendering succeeds without problems, there is most likely a problem with the data in the scene.

Products:

3ds Max;

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