Why does my dynamics and/or MoGraph simulation appear to stutter or look jittery when using Team Render?

Problem:

When using a render farming tool such as Team Render, the dynamics and/or MoGraph simulations included in the project may appear to jump back and forth or display incorrect positions in certain frames.

Solution:

This issue arises because different hardware configurations can calculate simulations like Dynamics, MoGraph, Volumes, Global Illumination, and Ambient Occlusion differently than the machine where the project was created. Using a mixed environment (PC, Mac, Linux) can exacerbate this issue, even with identical hardware.

Fix:

Cache the following effects to use the simulation data from a single machine instead of allowing each render node to run the simulation itself.

1. Cache Bullet Dynamics Simulations:

   • Go to the "Cache" tab on your Bullet Dynamics tag.
   • Click "Bake Object" to cache the dynamics for the object the tag is assigned to, or "Bake All" to cache the simulation for all dynamic objects in the scene.
   • Alternatively, go to the Dynamics tab of your Project settings (press CTRL/CMD + D) and under the "Cache" tab, click "Bake".

2. Cache Unified Dynamic Simulations:

   • Select the Dynamics tag you wish to cache
   • Select the 'Cache' tab in the attributes manager
   • Click 'Cache Object' or 'Cache Scene'
     Cache Object: will only cache the selected dynamics tag
     Cache Scene: will cache all Unified Dynamic Simulations in the scene

3. Cache MoGraph Simulations:

   • Right-click on your MoGraph object (e.g., Cloner).
   • Under the MoGraph Tags menu, select "MoGraph Cache".
   • Click "Bake" to cache the MoGraph animation for that object.
   • For multiple MoGraph objects, apply a cache tag to each one.
   • In R20 and higher, create an external cache to keep the project file size smaller.

4. Cache Thinking Particles:

   • Instead of using a Particle Geometry object, use a Cloner.
   • Set the Cloner to Object mode and drag your Particle Group into the Object field.
   • Place an object as a child of the Cloner, and cache this as a MoGraph simulation (refer to section 3)

5. Cache Volumes (R21 and higher):

   • Click the green microchip button below the Objects list in your Volume Builder.
   • This creates a Cache layer for easier volume modeling and predictable rendering.

6. Bake to Alembic (R20 and higher):

   • Right-click on the object you want to bake.
   • From the context menu, choose "Bake as Alembic" or "Bake as Alembic + Delete".
   • This is especially useful for standard particle simulations made with the Emitter object.
7. Bake New Cinema 4D Particles (2024.4 and higher):
   
   • Select the Particle Group object
   • Select the "Cache" tab in the Particle Group's attributes manager
   • Click the "Cache Object" button

Additional Notes:

• Many plugins, such as X-Particles and RealFlow, have methods for caching their simulations. Check their documentation for specific instructions.

By caching your simulations, you ensure that all render nodes use the same data, resulting in consistent and accurate renders.