When configuring a render farm or a personal workstation, understanding how Redshift licensing applies to your hardware is important for budget planning.
The Core Rule: One License Per Machine
No, you do not need a license for every GPU.
Redshift uses a per-machine licensing model. This means a single Redshift license authorizes one physical computer (or virtual machine) to render using Redshift, regardless of how many GPUs are installed in that computer.
| Hardware Setup | Licenses Required |
|---|---|
|
Single Workstation (1 GPU) |
1 License |
|
Single Workstation (4 GPUs) |
1 License |
|
Render Farm (5 Computers, each with 2 GPUs) |
5 Licenses (One for each computer node) |
Technical Details & Limits
GPU Limits per Session
While your Redshift license covers all GPUs, Redshift software currently utilizes a maximum of 8 GPUs per rendering session. If you have a machine with more than 8 GPUs, a single instance of Redshift will only use 8 of them simultaneously.
Concurrent Sessions on One Machine
Because the license is tied to the machine, you can run multiple concurrent instances of Redshift on that single machine without needing extra licenses.
- Example: On a machine with 4 GPUs, you could run two separate render jobs at the same time, assigning 2 GPUs to Job A and 2 GPUs to Job B. This is covered by the single license for that machine.
System Memory (RAM) Warning
Running multiple concurrent render sessions puts significant strain on your System RAM (not just VRAM). Each active instance of Redshift requires its own overhead in system memory to prepare and manage the scene.
If you plan to run concurrent sessions, ensure your machine has ample RAM; typically recommended to be at least twice the VRAM of your GPUs multiplied by the number of concurrent sessions.
Mixing GPU Models
Redshift supports mixing different GPU models and VRAM sizes within a single machine (e.g., a GeForce RTX 4090 and an RTX 3080). One license covers this mixed environment.
For more detailed specifications, please refer to the Maxon Product System Requirements.
Render Farms & Team Render
For network rendering with Redshift GPU, the rule remains strictly one license "per node."
Note for Cinema 4D Users: Your Cinema 4D subscription already includes one Redshift GPU license for your primary workstation. While you can transfer this license between computers, the bundle cannot be split. You cannot run Cinema 4D on one machine and use the included Redshift GPU license on a different machine simultaneously.
Any extra machine running Team Render Client or the Commandline Renderer requires its own separate Redshift license to use Redshift GPU. Redshift CPU is included with Team Render Client and Commandline Renderer and does not require an additional license.
Important for Team Render Users
Cinema 4D's Team Render Client does not include a Redshift GPU license for the render nodes. Even if your main workstation has a Redshift license, every Team Render Client node that will contribute to a Redshift GPU render must have its own valid Redshift license.
Without a GPU license, nodes attempting to render with Redshift GPU will either fail or fall back to using Redshift CPU.
Choosing the Right License Type
It is important to understand which licenses include Redshift GPU versus Redshift CPU, especially for render nodes. While you can render with Redshift CPU without additional cost on farm nodes, unlocking GPU acceleration requires specific licenses.
| License / Product | Includes Redshift GPU? | Includes Redshift CPU? |
|---|---|---|
| Redshift Standalone | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cinema 4D | ✅ | ✅ |
| Maxon One | ✅ | ✅ |
|
Commandline Renderer (Cinema 4D or C4D + Redshift Subscription) |
❌ (Requires separate GPU license) |
✅ |
|
Team Render Client (Cinema 4D or C4D + Redshift Subscription) |
❌ (Requires separate GPU license) |
✅ |
Key Takeaway: If you only want to render with the CPU on your render farm (Team Render Client or Commandline), you do not need to purchase additional licenses. However, if you want to utilize the GPU for faster rendering on those nodes, you must purchase a standalone Redshift license (or Maxon One / Cinema 4D license) for each node.
Transferring Licenses
If you need to move your Redshift GPU license from one machine to another (for example, from a workstation to a render node), you can do so easily within the Maxon App.
- Open the Maxon App on the machine currently holding the license.
- Go to the Licenses tab.
- Click the Transfer button for Redshift (or whichever app you wish to use on another system)
- Log in to the Maxon App on the destination machine and activate the license.
For step-by-step instructions, please see: How do I move my subscription between computers?
Need an older or different version of Redshift? You can download current and previously released versions of Redshift here:
Where can I download current and previously released versions of Redshift?
If you have further questions regarding licensing configurations or need assistance setting up your render farm, please submit a support ticket.
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