Configuring Visualize Boost

You can configure the primary Visualize Boost machine as the Coordinator and additional machines in the render cluster as Nodes.

Visualize Boost allows you to render images on a single machine or across a cluster of machines. The setup is simple and intuitive. A primary computer, the Coordinator, manages the cluster and distributes the rendering jobs from SOLIDWORKS Visualize. Additional machines called Nodes, connect to the Coordinator to assist with these tasks on a network. In a render farm, each machine in the cluster runs an instance of Visualize Boost continuously.

To configure Visualize Boost:

  1. Open Visualize Boost:
    • Double-click the Visualize Boost desktop shortcut .
    • From the Windows Start menu, click SOLIDWORKS < version> > SOLIDWORKS Visualize Boost <version>.
    After activation, the Visualize Boost window identifies and shows the name and IP address of the licensed machine.
  2. In Visualize Boost, click File > Settings.
  3. In the Settings dialog box:
    1. Select one machine as the Coordinator. Leave the Coordinator clear when configuring all other Nodes.
    2. Accept the default values of 8001 for the Boost Port and 8002 for the DStellar Port.
      You can update these ports to meet network requirements. Make sure to add firewall exceptions for node communications. For questions, consult your network administrator.
  4. Optional: Additional parameters include:
    Option Description
    Language The machine automatically uses the language of the operating system.
    Theme Choose between a Light or Dark background for the Theme. This setting affects SOLIDWORKS Visualize if it is installed on the same machine as Visualize Boost.
    Notifications Enabled Shows messages from DStellar.Boost in the Windows notification area.
    Export Saves the Visualize Boost configuration settings to a .xml file.
    Import Loads existing settings to an instance of Visualize Boost in a .xml file.
  5. Click Apply.
To finalize the setup, see the instructions for Working with with Visualize Boost.