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vvvv Boygrouping Guide

Boygrouping allows controlling multiple "client" computers from a single "server" computer running vvvv. The clients receive patching instructions from the server over the network. To set up boygrouping, the server and clients must have identical directory structures and resources. The clients are started with the "/client" parameter pointing to the server IP. On the server, a Boygroup node configures the connected clients. Nodes can be "boygrouped" blue to run on the clients, while connections between blue and gray nodes transmit data over the network each frame. Boygrouping provides synchronized rendering and playback across multiple computers.

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Yungaro David Santalla Aquim
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253 views5 pages

vvvv Boygrouping Guide

Boygrouping allows controlling multiple "client" computers from a single "server" computer running vvvv. The clients receive patching instructions from the server over the network. To set up boygrouping, the server and clients must have identical directory structures and resources. The clients are started with the "/client" parameter pointing to the server IP. On the server, a Boygroup node configures the connected clients. Nodes can be "boygrouped" blue to run on the clients, while connections between blue and gray nodes transmit data over the network each frame. Boygrouping provides synchronized rendering and playback across multiple computers.

Uploaded by

Yungaro David Santalla Aquim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

20/12/2015

BoygroupingBasics|vvvv

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BoygroupingBasics
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HardwareSetup
DirectoryStructure
PreparationsontheClients
PreparationsontheServer
BoygroupPatching

Shoutbox

Thebluenodes
Bridges
Warnings

~2dago

ClientID

tekcor:Monome
Compilationwithhighend
VVVVmusicvideo
[Link]
compilation/

FullscreenonClients
SynchronizedVideoPlayback
RemotingClients
FAQ
WhydoesCTRLBnotwork?

~2dago

Itseemsthatbangsarenotarrivingonclientsrandomly?!

bjoern:
[Link]
v=KTrgRYa2wbI

WhichnetworkportsdoesBoygroupinguse?
[Link]

~2dago

computers([Link])[Link]

sunep:Can'twait,itfeels
likeChristmasiscoming
soon.

ofalltheconnectedclientstorun

n'[Link]

seamlessmultiprojectionsetups.

~2dago

joreg:relatestalpha:
blogpostwithexplanations
imminent..
~2dago

sunep:whyisthelatest
alpha230MB?
~2dago

skyliner:
[Link]
~2dago

microdee:@joreg:itis
beautiful...
~3dago

joreg:don'tyoutouch
'em
~3dago

Inadvancedsetupsitmaybenecessarythataclientlistenstomultipleserverswhichcanbeachievedusing
[Link]:

HardwareSetup
Aboygrouptypicallyconsistsofadedicatedserverpcandanynumberofclientpcsconnectedviaethernet.
Gigabitconnectionsareofcourserecommendedthesedaysbutwe'vebeenusingboygroupingwithvvvvalso
[Link]

u7angel:thepacksfolder
ispackedwithgoodies:)
~3dago

guest:Somethinggoing
oninthenewAlpha...
readmore
followontwitter

considerable
[Link]
[Link],dependingonyourpatchespower
consumptions(sotospeak),[Link]
clients,asithassomemoreworktodo.

DirectoryStructure
Itisgenerallygoodpracticetocreatedirectorystructurelikethefollowingwhenworkingonaspecificproject
withvvvv:
C:\MYPROJECT\patches
C:\MYPROJECT\resources
C:\MYPROJECT\vvvv

[Link]

1/5

20/12/2015

BoygroupingBasics|vvvv
Inaboygroupsetupspecificallyitisnecessarytocreateanidenticaldirectorystructureontheserverand
[Link],thattheclientswon'tneedthe.v4pfilesinthe\patchesdirectory,astheywillreceive
alltheirnodesmagicallyfromtheserver![Link]
clients,[Link].v4pfiles
mirroredaslongasyouunderstandthattheywillnotbeused.
Boygroupingdoesn'ttransmitanyresources(textures,videos,effectfiles,..)[Link]
data(values,strings,colors,enums)[Link]
[Link]
[Link] kalles
filemodules.

PreparationsontheClients
[Link]
[Link]/client[ServerIP]commandlineparameterlikethis:
[Link]/client192.168.0.100
[Link]'llseethatvvvvisindeedinclientmodeas
itpopsupadefaultpatchwiththetitle//CLIENTof192.168.0.100

PreparationsontheServer
Ontheserverstartvvvvwiththe/servercommandlineparameterandnotethatvvvvsbuttoninthetaskbar
nowdisplaysSERVER!toindicateitsmode.
IfyourserverPChasmorethanonenetworkadapterthatareassignedtodifferentnetworksyouneedto
[Link](hidden)BroadcastIP
Boygroup(VVVVServer)

onthe

byspecifyingabroadcastaddressonthesubnetyouwanttheboygrouptooperate

on,like:[Link](ie.withthelastbytesetto255).
Totelltheserverwhichclientsithastodealwith,createaBoygroup(VVVVServer)

[Link]

of

[Link]'llenduphavingapatchsimilarto
this:

NotethattheBoygroupnodes'outputcarriesaspreadofbooleansindicatingtheconnectedstateofthe
[Link](<10)afterstartingtheclientstheyshould
showupasbeingconnected.
Ifyoudon'tgetaconnectionthefirstthingyoushouldtryistodisablethefirewallonthe
server/clientsordefinearuletoallowvvvvand/ortheportsitusesforboygroupingthroughthe
firewall.

BoygroupPatching
Thebluenodes
OnavvvvinstancerunninginservermodethekeyboardshortcutCTRL+Ballowsyoutoboygroupindividual
[Link](even
ifyoucan'tseethemthere)andarenowbeingcalculatedoverthere.
[Link]
[Link](liketransforms,textures,audio,
video,layers,...)[Link],itsautomatic
anywayandhardlyneedsanyfurtherthought.
Howeverwhatneedssomemoreunderstandingiswhichnodesapartfromthoseautomaticallyboygroupedyou
[Link]"boygroupasmuchyoucan"or"less
boygroupisgoodboygroup".
Insteadbeawarethatalldatarunningonconnectionsbetweenboygrouped(blue)andnormal(gray)nodesis
beingtransferredoverthenetworkeveryframe(onlyiftheyarechanged,ofcourse).Thereforeyoushould
takecareofthoseconnectionsnottocarrytoohighspreadcountsandratherboygroupnodesthatcreate
spreadcounts.

[Link]

2/5

20/12/2015

BoygroupingBasics|vvvv
Letshavealookat3differentboygroupingscenariosyou'llbeconfrontedwithwhilepatching:

Thesendingnode(gray)existsonlyontheserverwhilethereceivingnode(blue)[Link]
[Link]
latency,[Link]
parametersbeingtransmittedfromservertoclientsitisthereforegoodpracticetohaveaboygrouped
Damper(Animation)

asthefirstnodeonaclient.

[Link]
(ontheclients)[Link].

Thesendingnode(blue)isboygroupedwhilethereceivingnode(gray)[Link].
[Link]
valuesfromtheclients.
Findingthebestnodestoboygrouptakesabitofpracticebutingeneralyoucan'[Link]
resultsaresloworjerkytryboygroupingdifferentnodesorspendyouranimationsablue
Damper(Animation)

node.

Bridges
Bridgesareconnectionsbetweengrayandbluenodes,[Link].
TheBoyGroup(VVVVServer)

nodehastwooutputsthatgiveyouinformationsaboutBridges

BridgeCount
ActiveBridges
Activebridgesarethosetransmittingdatainexactlythisframe.

[Link]
[Link].

Warnings
IftheBoyGroup(VVVVServer)

'sWarningpinoutputssomethinglike

msgtoobigforUDP;wassentviaTCP:/4/14/139/ScaleXYZ
means:
/4/14/139
isthepathtothepin
ScaleXYZ
giveninnodeidsasseenfromtheROOT.
LikethisyoucanidentifythelocationinyourpatchwherethistoobigmessagehadtobesentviaTCPand
checkifitisreallynecessarylikethisorifyoucanimproveyourpatch.
Thereasonforthiswarningisthatvvvvbydefaultwon'trisktofragmentUDPpackagesandthuskeepsthem
underthe

MTUsizewhichseemstodefaultto1472bytesbutmayvaryondifferentnetwork/hardware

[Link]

3/5

20/12/2015

BoygroupingBasics|vvvv
[Link]
so:
ping192.168.2.104l1472f
Thisshouldnotreturnanyerror.Nowincreasethat1472numberandseewhenyougetanerrormentioning
fragmentation.Ifyoufindanumberdifferentto1472thatworksforyouyoucansavelysetthatviathe
MaximumUDPPacketSize

onBoygroup(VVVVServer)

andvvvvwillonlyswitchtotcpformessages

largerthanthat.
NowyoucanevenincreasetheMaximumUDPPacketSize

[Link]

awarethatthisincreasesthechancesforpacketlosswhichmaydependingontheneedsofyourprojectnotbe
aproblematallandgainyoursomeperformance.

ClientID
Sofarallclientswouldreallyalwaysdoeverythingincompletesyncwhichisn'[Link],
Lance,JC,[Link]
wouldcauseinterestingartefactsitjustwouldn'[Link]
introducesaClientIDwhichistheonlyfeaturethatletsyoudistinguishbetweentheclients(andindeedthe
server)fromapatchsview.
TheBoygroup(VVVVClient)

[Link]

orderdependsonthespreadofIPaddressesyouenteredontheBoygroup(VVVVServer)

node.IPinslice0

willbeClientID0,[Link](VVVVClient)
returnswhatevervalueyousetonitsServerIDinputandwhatevervalueyouchoosefortheServerIDhasno
[Link].
Forasimpletestpatchsee
girlpower\takethat.v4p.
ThereyouseetheBoygroup(VVVVClient)

[Link]

differentoffsetoneachclient.

FullscreenonClients
Thestandardboygroupingscenarioisthatyoustillwanttobepatchingontheserverwhileyourclientsalready
[Link]'llwanttheRenderersFullscreen

besetto1ontheclientsbut0onthe

[Link](andtheclientsfromeach
other)[Link]
serverinwindowedmodewhileitisfullscreenonallclients.

SynchronizedVideoPlayback
seevideosynchronization

RemotingClients
Whenhavingtodealwithalargenumberofclientsitisoftenusefultostart/[Link]
[Link]/shutdown/WakeOnLAN
[Link]
convenientlybedonewithourseparatetool:RemoterSA.
AlternativelysomeofthosefeaturescouldbeevenpatchedusingtheRemoteShellnodeRSh(Network)

AlsoseeRSHHowTo.

FAQ
WhydoesCTRLBnotwork?
[Link]/serverflagtoenableboygrouping.

Itseemsthatbangsarenotarrivingonclients
randomly?!
Yep,[Link]:Insteadofhavingabangbetweenablueand
agraynodepatchitsoyouhaveonlyachangingvalue([Link])beingtransmittedviathe
[Link](Animation)

toconvertthevaluechangetoyourdesiredbang.

Foranexplanationreadon:[Link]
theserver,[Link]
mayjustarriveonclientsinbetweenframesandbediscarded.Abangisessentiallyachangeto1followedby
[Link]
lastmessageistakenresultinginalossofthebang.

WhichnetworkportsdoesBoygroupinguse?
[Link]

4/5

20/12/2015

BoygroupingBasics|vvvv

WhichnetworkportsdoesBoygroupinguse?
PerdefaultvvvvestablishesaTCPconnectiononport3333toeveryclientfortransmittingallgraphchanges.
[Link]
Boygroup(VVVVServer)

nodesNetworkPort

.Notethough,thatifyoudosoyoualsohavetostartyour

clientswithamodifiedstartupcommandlikethis:
/client192.168.0.100:4444

impressum|Pagecreatedby

joreg,lastmodificationby

[Link]

joregon29.08.14[16:32UTC],read40619times

5/5

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