Dedicated Multi-GPU Octane Servers for Cinema 4D and Blender
iRender is an IaaS Octane render farm. Rent a whole server with 2, 4 or 8 NVIDIA RTX 5090 or RTX 4090 GPUs, sign in with your own OTOY account and render your Cinema 4D, Blender or Standalone scenes exactly as on your workstation. Every server has up to 32 GB VRAM per GPU, 256 GB ECC RAM and a 2 TB NVMe SSD, and you pay only for the minutes the server runs.
OctaneRender and Cinema 4D are pre-installed. Install any other Octane plugin build and your own plugins such as X-Particles, Greyscalegorilla Plus or Forester, so the scene opens exactly as it did on your machine.
Why studios choose iRender as their Octane render farm
- A whole multi-GPU workstation, not a slot in a queue. Rent up to 8x RTX 5090 with 32 GB VRAM each. Every server has 256 GB ECC RAM and a 2 TB NVMe SSD, and the 4x and 8x servers run an AMD Threadripper PRO 5975WX with 128 PCIe lanes. Octane renders each frame on all GPUs in the machine.
- Your pipeline, unchanged. OctaneRender and Cinema 4D are pre-installed. Sign in with your OTOY account, install the exact Octane build your scene was made with, add your plugins, and check the scene in the Live Viewer before the batch.
- You pay for render time, not for setup. Upload to iRender Drive for free before the server starts. Your first top-up of $50 or more is doubled, which covers setup and test frames. The 2x, 4x and 8x plans bill per minute, and sessions of 3 hours or more get 10% off the whole bill.
- Real numbers before you rent. In our test, a 300-frame Cinema 4D animation rendered with Octane on 4x RTX 5090 in 1 hour 18 minutes, about $50 at list price.
- Infrastructure you can show your client. An Uptime Institute Tier III data center, ISO 27001:2013 information security, single-tenant servers wiped after every session, and Elite Support 7 days a week.
IaaS vs. SaaS: which Octane render farm model fits your work?
Most Octane render farms are submission farms: you upload the scene through a plugin and get frames back. iRender works differently. You rent the whole server and drive it yourself, so nothing about your scene has to change.
IaaS render farm vs. submission (SaaS) render farm
What changes when you rent a whole server instead of sending frames to a job queue.
| Parameter | Typical submission (SaaS) render farm | iRender IaaS render farm |
|---|---|---|
| What you getHardware access | A job slot on shared render nodes. | A whole bare-metal multi-GPU server with full admin remote desktop. |
| Octane build and pluginsVersions, hosts, scripts | The Octane builds and plugins the farm supports. | Any Octane build and host plugin, plus any Cinema 4D plugin you install. |
| How you renderWorkflow | Export or upload through a plugin, then wait in a queue. | Your own scene and settings, checked live in the Octane Live Viewer. |
| BillingWhat you pay for | Usually per frame or per GPU-hour. | Per minute for the server on 2x, 4x and 8x plans. |
| Long animationsSpeeding up a sequence | The farm splits frames across many nodes automatically. | Rent several 2x, 4x or 8x servers and give each a frame range. |
| Data on the machineSecurity | Shared render nodes process many customers' jobs. | Single-tenant server, wiped at the end of every session. |
| Octane licenseOTOY account | Supplied by the farm. | Your own OTOY license, signed in on the server. |
Built for heavy Cinema 4D + Octane scenes
Octane is fast, but it is strict about memory: geometry has to fit on every card, and a missing plugin or texture path shows up as a crash or a pink frame. The table matches the usual failure points of heavy Octane jobs to what an iRender server gives you.
The figure gives the short version. The table below goes row by row: how each heavy-scene problem shows up in production, and the exact hardware or access that handles it. If your scene hits more than one row, a 4x or 8x RTX 5090 server (plan 5i or 9i) covers all of them on one machine.
What a heavy Octane scene needs, and how iRender covers it
Each row is a common reason big Octane jobs fail or crawl, matched to the hardware and access on iRender servers.
| Scene challenge | What the scene demands | How an iRender server handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Scenes over 24 GBVRAM per GPU | Dense scatter, 8K texture sets, hair and VDB volumes. Each GPU must hold the scene; Octane does not add VRAM across cards. | 32 GB per GPU on RTX 5090 plans, plus 256 GB ECC RAM for out-of-core textures and geometry. |
| Huge cachesAlembic, VDB, particles | Simulation and particle caches that run to tens or hundreds of gigabytes per shot. | 2 TB local NVMe SSD on every server. Upload to iRender Drive for free, before the server starts. |
| Exact Octane buildVersion matching | Scenes saved in one Octane build can render differently in another. | Full administrator access. Install the exact Octane plugin build your scene uses and keep it until the project ships. |
| Plugin-heavy scenesCinema 4D tools | X-Particles, Greyscalegorilla Plus, Forester and custom scripts. | Install any Cinema 4D plugin with your own license, exactly as on your workstation. |
| CPU-bound stepsScene export, baking | Scene evaluation, geometry export to Octane and cache writing run on the CPU. | AMD Threadripper PRO 5975WX (32 cores) with 128 PCIe lanes on every 4x and 8x server. |
| All GPUs on one licenseOTOY licensing | Octane only renders on as many GPUs as the license allows. | An Octane Studio+ subscription has no GPU limit, so it uses every card on 2x, 4x and 8x servers. |
Octane render farm pricing: choose your server
Every plan is a whole server. Pick the GPU count for your deadline and the card for your scene size: RTX 5090 when the scene needs more than 24 GB, RTX 4090 when it fits.
Choose your Octane server
Every server: 256 GB ECC RAM, 2 TB NVMe SSD, Windows or Ubuntu, OctaneRender and Cinema 4D pre-installed.
| Plan & GPUs | VRAM & CPU | Price per hour | 3h+ sessions (-10%) | Good fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Cloud Workstation 4S2x RTX 4090 | 24 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 3955WX | $15 / hour | $13.50 / hour | Lookdev, stills, short spots |
| GPU Cloud Workstation 4i2x RTX 5090 | 32 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 3955WX | $20 / hour | $18 / hour | Heavier lookdev, short animations |
| GPU Cloud Workstation 5S4x RTX 4090 | 24 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 5975WX | $30 / hour | $27 / hour | Animations that fit in 24 GB |
| GPU Cloud Workstation 5i4x RTX 5090 | 32 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 5975WX | $38 / hour | $34.20 / hour | Heavy animations, dense scatter, volumes |
| GPU Cloud Workstation 9S8x RTX 4090 | 24 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 5975WX | $52 / hour | $46.80 / hour | Long sequences on a deadline |
| GPU Cloud Workstation 9i8x RTX 5090 | 32 GB per GPUThreadripper PRO 5975WX | $62 / hour | $55.80 / hour | The heaviest scenes on a deadline |
How much VRAM does your Octane scene need on a render farm?
Octane does not combine VRAM across GPUs. Each card holds the whole scene, so the limit is 24 GB on RTX 4090 plans and 32 GB on RTX 5090 plans, however many GPUs the server has. More GPUs make each frame faster; they do not make room for a bigger scene.
When a scene is larger than one card, Octane’s out-of-core feature can keep textures and geometry in system RAM instead of VRAM. It is slower than rendering fully in VRAM, and the out-of-core memory is shared by all GPUs, so leave it switched on for the whole render. Every iRender server has 256 GB ECC RAM for this. If the scene is close to 24 GB, choose an RTX 5090 plan.
Octane render farm benchmarks: real tests and costs
These are iRender tests recorded on video, with the server, frame count and render time shown on screen. Costs are worked out at list price. Each test uses its own scene, so compare rows by cost and time, not by GPU count.
What real Cinema 4D + Octane jobs cost on iRender
Times come from the iRender videos below. Cost = billed time × list price per hour; the 5S row is estimated from its per-frame time.
| Server | Scene | Frames | Render time | Cost at list price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5i4x RTX 5090 | Car drift scene, 1080p, 800 max samples | 300 frames | 1h 18m 24s · 15.6 s/frame | about $49.65 |
| 5S4x RTX 4090 | Same car drift scene and settings | 300 frames | 18.8 s/frame (about 1h 34m) | about $47, estimated |
| 9S8x RTX 4090 | Cinema 4D animation, 1080p | 320 frames | 1h 02m render · 1h 16m session billed | about $65.87 |
| 5i4x RTX 5090 | Sailboat animation, 1080p | 120 frames | 2h 01m | about $76.63 |
| 5i4x RTX 5090 | Cinema 4D still sequence, 1080p | one test scene | 18m 13s | about $11.54 |
Watch the 4x RTX 5090 vs. 4x RTX 4090 test on the same Octane scene, from opening the project to the final frame.
Octane vs. Redshift on the same render farm server
Cinema 4D artists often ask which engine renders faster on rented GPUs. We rendered the same scenes with both engines on one 4x RTX 5090 server. In a 120-frame sailboat animation, Octane finished in 2 hours 1 minute and Redshift in 3 hours 19 minutes. In a second scene, Octane took 18 minutes 13 seconds and Redshift 27 minutes 57 seconds.
Each engine had its own materials and settings, so this is a speed test under specific conditions, not a ranking. On iRender you can run both engines on the same server and decide with your own scene. If your studio works in Redshift, see the Redshift render farm for Cinema 4D.
Long animation on a deadline? Render it on several servers at once
Submission farms are popular for animation because they split frames across many nodes. You can do the same on iRender: rent two, three or more servers, open the same project from iRender Drive on each, and give each server its own frame range in the Octane render settings. Billing is per minute per server, so the total cost stays close to rendering on one server, plus a few minutes of setup on each.
Each server opens the same project from iRender Drive and renders its own frame range, set in the Octane render settings or the Cinema 4D render settings. Here is what that looks like with the real 300-frame test from the benchmark table.
One 4x RTX 5090 server vs. three for the same animation
The single-server row is measured. The three-server row is an estimate that adds about 5 minutes of setup to each server.
| Setup | Time until all frames are done | Machine time billed | Cost at list price ($38/hour per 5i) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x 5i serverMeasured | about 78 min | 78 min | about $49.65 |
| 3x 5i servers, 100 frames eachEstimate | about 31 min | about 3 x 31 min | about $59 |
Octane licensing on iRender
- Bring your own OTOY license. OctaneRender is pre-installed. Sign in with your OTOY account on the server, and sign out when the session ends so the license is free for your workstation again.
- Use Octane Studio+ for multi-GPU servers. OTOY states that a Studio+ subscription has no limit on the number of GPUs, so Octane uses every card on 2x, 4x and 8x servers.
- Cinema 4D licenses. Cinema 4D is pre-installed. Sign in to the Maxon App with your own license; Prime accounts (total top-ups above $3,000) get pre-activated Cinema 4D licenses.
How to use the Octane render farm in 4 steps
- Register and top up. Your first top-up of $50 or more is doubled, so setup time is covered.
- Upload your project to iRender Drive. Transfer and storage are free, and you can upload before the server starts.
- Start a 2x, 4x or 8x server and connect over remote desktop. OctaneRender and Cinema 4D are already installed; sign in with your OTOY account.
- Render in the Octane Live Viewer or the Picture Viewer, download the frames and shut the server down; billing stops.
Connect to your server from whatever machine you work on. The iRender GPU app runs on Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Ubuntu/Debian, and the web app opens in any modern browser with nothing to install, so a Mac user can drive an 8x RTX 5090 Windows server.
iRender GPU Application & Web Console
iRender offers you a much simpler and convenient way of working with the iRender render farm. Download native desktop clients or launch directly in your browser.
| Platform & OS | Compatibility & Specs | Format | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Windows64-bit Edition
|
• OS: Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
• Arch: Intel / AMD x86_64
|
.exe | Download for Windows↓ |
|
LinuxDebian / Ubuntu
|
• OS: Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04, Debian
• Install: App Center, GDebi or Terminal
|
.deb | Download for Linux (.deb)↓ |
|
macOSUniversal DMG
|
• Apple Silicon: M1, M2, M3, M4 & later
• Intel Mac: Core i5, i7, i9 (x64 architecture)
|
.dmg | |
|
Web ApplicationUniversal Browser Access
|
• Compatibility: All OS (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPadOS, Mobile)
• Requirement: Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox (No installation needed)
|
Web Portal | Launch Web App→ |
Once connected, the server behaves like a local workstation. The quickstart below shows the full Cinema 4D + Octane flow, from uploading the project to shutting the server down.
Octane in Blender, Houdini and Standalone
The same servers run Octane in other hosts. With full administrator access you install the Octane plugin for Blender or Houdini, or Octane Standalone for ORBX files, and render exactly as at your desk. For Houdini pipelines, see the Houdini render farm. For Cycles work, see the Blender render farm.
Tier III data center and ISO-certified security for long renders
A multi-hour 8x GPU render needs the building around it to stay up, and studio work under NDA needs a provider that can show its security controls. iRender servers run in an Uptime Institute Tier III data center with ISO-certified operations.
What each standard means for your Octane render
The standards iRender's data center and operations are certified to, in plain terms.
| Standard | What it means | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Uptime Institute Tier IIIData center design | Concurrently maintainable: power and cooling equipment can be serviced or replaced without shutting down the servers. | Planned facility maintenance does not stop an overnight 8x GPU render. |
| ISO 27001:2013Information security | A certified information security management system with audited controls. | Client work under NDA runs inside a certified security framework you can point your client to. |
| ITIL and ISO 9001:2008Operations and quality | IT service management practices and a certified quality management system. | Servers are provisioned and supported the same documented way every time. |
| ISO 50001:2011Energy management | A certified system for managing energy use in the facility. | Dense 8-GPU servers run on power managed under a certified energy process. |
| Single-tenant, wiped after useiRender process | One customer per server, and every server is wiped at the end of each session. | The next user never sees your scenes, caches or frames. |
Support is available 24/7 on weekdays and from 6:00 AM to 11:59 PM (UTC+7) on weekends, by hotline, Skype and email.
Frequently asked questions
Is iRender an Octane render farm or a remote workstation?
Both. You rent a whole multi-GPU machine and drive it over remote desktop, so you render your Octane scenes the way you do locally, with no submission plugin or queue.
Do I need my own Octane license?
Yes. OctaneRender is pre-installed, and you sign in with your own OTOY account. An Octane Studio+ subscription has no GPU limit, so it can use every GPU on 2x, 4x and 8x servers.
Does Octane combine VRAM across the GPUs?
No. Each GPU holds the full scene, so the limit is 24 GB on RTX 4090 plans and 32 GB on RTX 5090 plans. Out-of-core can move textures and geometry to the 256 GB of system RAM, at some cost in speed.
How am I billed?
The 2x, 4x and 8x plans are billed per minute from the first minute, at the hourly price divided by 60. Sessions of 3 hours or more get 10% off the whole bill. Single-GPU plans have a 1-hour minimum, then per minute.
Do I pay for uploading files?
No. Transfer and storage on iRender Drive are free, and you can upload before you start a server.
Which Octane hosts can I use?
Cinema 4D and OctaneRender come pre-installed. You can also install the Octane plugin for Blender or Houdini, or Octane Standalone, with full administrator access.
Can I use X-Particles, Greyscalegorilla Plus or Forester?
Yes. Install any Cinema 4D plugin and version with your own license, just as on your own workstation.
Can I rent several servers at once for one animation?
Yes. Rent as many 2x, 4x or 8x servers as the deadline needs and give each its own frame range. Billing is per minute per server. Each server needs its own signed-in Octane license.
What happens to my files when the session ends?
Each server is wiped at the end of the session, as part of iRender’s standard process, so no project files stay on the machine for the next user. Keep files you still need on iRender Drive.
What happens if I stop a render halfway?
You pay only for the minutes the server ran. For special cases, contact support and the team will review them case by case.
Cinema 4D + Octane render farm guides
Hand-picked guides from the iRender blog for the problems Octane artists ask us about most: preparing scenes, volumes and choosing hardware.
Render your next Octane project on 4x or 8x RTX 5090
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