How we created a seamless hybrid rendering environment that balances on-premise and AWS cloud resources, optimizing AWS Deadline for 10x capacity at 64% lower cost.
10x
Peak rendering capacity
30%
Shorter project timelines
€0
Capital expenses
Hybrid Rendering Solution
Learn how we helped a VFX studio expand their rendering capacity with a seamless hybrid cloud solution without requiring capital investments.
A VFX studio with an existing on-premise render farm was struggling with two critical issues:
The studio's on-premise render nodes were running at only 42% average utilization during normal periods, yet were completely overwhelmed during production peaks. They were using AWS EC2 instances as overflow, but launching them manually with no integration into their render management system.
Each time a cloud render node was launched, it required a full synchronization of project assets (20-50GB per project), resulting in substantial egress costs and 30-45 minute delays before rendering could begin.
Their default Deadline configuration sent jobs randomly to available nodes with no consideration for hardware capabilities or connectivity speed. GPU-intensive lighting passes were often rendered on CPU-only instances, while simulation tasks were ineffectively distributed.
Monthly cloud expenses varied from €500 to over €12,000 with no budgeting controls. Multiple times, instances were left running after jobs completed, incurring unnecessary costs.
We designed a hybrid render farm architecture that maintained their existing on-premise hardware while seamlessly integrating cloud resources. Our solution provided a unified job submission system that intelligently routed renders to the most appropriate resource pool.
lighting_pool, sim_pool, and comp_poolWe implemented a multi-tier auto-scaling cloud render farm that automatically provisioned and deprovisioned instances based on queue composition and depth. This ensured resources were precisely matched to job requirements, controlling costs while providing virtually unlimited scaling capacity.
| Auto-Scaling Group | Instance Type | Scaling Trigger | Target Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPU-Rendering | g4dn.2xlarge (Spot Fleet) | GPU queue greater than 10 frames for greater than 5 minutes | lighting_pool |
| CPU-Rendering | c5.12xlarge (Spot Fleet) | CPU queue greater than 25 frames for greater than 5 minutes | comp_pool |
| Simulation | r5.8xlarge (Spot Fleet) | SIM queue greater than 5 frames for greater than 5 minutes | sim_pool |
We developed a multi-tiered storage solution with intelligent synchronization that only transferred the specific assets needed for each job, minimizing data transfer costs and reducing render startup times from 30+ minutes to under 5 minutes.
We deployed an S3 bucket with CloudFront distribution for fast global access to common textures and models. Assets were organized with a content-addressable system to eliminate redundancy.
Amazon EFS was configured in performance mode for simulations and project files, mounted to both on-premise and cloud render nodes via Direct Connect and Transit Gateway.
We deployed a custom Python-based asset dependency analyzer that pre-cached required textures to instance-store volumes before render start, eliminating on-demand downloading.
Created differential transfer system using file hashing and manifest comparison, reducing typical data transfer by 85% compared to their previous full-sync approach.
We implemented strict budget controls with real-time monitoring and alerts to prevent unexpected cloud spending. A custom dashboard provided visibility into render farm performance, costs, and utilization across both on-premise and cloud resources.
10x
Peak rendering capacity
30%
Shorter project timelines
€0
Capital expenses
| Cost Category | Before (Monthly) | After (Monthly) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC2 Compute (Peak Period) | €15,400 | €5,320 | -65% |
| Data Transfer Costs | €3,200 | €560 | -83% |
| Storage (S3 & EFS) | €2,100 | €940 | -55% |
| On-Premise Power & Cooling | €1,800 | €1,260 | -30% |
| Total Monthly Costs | €22,500 | €8,080 | -64% |
Our hybrid optimization approach resulted in significant EC2 cost reductions:
Our tiered storage strategy and intelligent synchronization dramatically reduced costs:
Before Implementation:
After Implementation:
Total savings across compute, storage, and operational costs, representing a 64% overall reduction in rendering infrastructure expenses.
Complete return on implementation investment achieved in under 3 months through direct cost savings.
Projected yearly savings without any compromise in rendering capacity or quality.
"The hybrid solution from TraynMe gave us the best of both worlds - reliable on-premise rendering for baseline needs and limitless cloud capacity for crunch times. We've been able to take on larger projects with confidence in our ability to deliver on schedule."
— Technical Director, VFX Studio
In the competitive world of video production, every second counts. From tight deadlines to rendering complex visual effects, your team's focus should be on creativity and delivering high-quality content — not wrestling with server setups and infrastructure challenges.
