Documentation, test files, sample config

README.md

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+# Archenland
+
+### A distributed Blender network renderfarm and web interface
+
+Archenland is comprised of two major parts: the central server which manages distributed rendering, and any number of worker clients which individually render frames of the animation.
+
+Archenland strives to be as dynamic as possible, but is targeted at smaller-size operations, and is not designed for use as a commercial renderfarm. It currently dynamically balances rendering load equally across all workers for a single job, and does not support running jobs in parallel, featuring a queue system instead.
+
+## Initial Setup
+
+To use Archenland, you will need the following installed:
+
+- Blender (Required on worker processes only)
+- Python
+- `aiohttp` and `websockets` for Python
+- ffmpeg (Required on central server only)
+
+### **For Central Server Setup:**
+
+In `settings.conf`:
+- Set `ffmpeg_path` properly to ffmpeg executable; if using a system-wide installation of ffmpeg, setting it to simply `"ffmpeg"` will work.
+- Set `port` (used as the websocket port to communicate data with the worker processes and exchange updates with web interface users)
+- Set `web_port` (used as the HTTP server port, to serve `.blend` files to workers, recieve completed frames, and handle web interface requests.)
+
+**Example Central Server `settings.conf`**:
+```
+ffmpeg_path = "ffmpeg"
+port = 7411
+web_port = 8080
+```
+
+### **For Worker Process Setup:**
+
+In `settings.conf`:
+- Set `blender_path` properly to the Blender executable; if using a system-wide installation of Blender, setting it to simply `"blender"` will work.
+- Set `threads` to the number of threads you wish Blender to use for rendering on this worker process. Setting this value to `0` will let Blender itself decide (likely resulting in the use of all available threads.)
+- Set `address` to the address of the central server. For example, if the worker is running on the same computer as the central server, the address will be `"127.0.0.1"`.
+- Set `port` to the same value as it was set on the central server.
+- Set `web_port` to the same value set on the central server.
+
+**Example Worker Process `settings.conf`**:
+```
+blender_path = "blender"
+threads = 2
+address = "127.0.0.1"
+port = 7411
+web_port = 8080
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+To set up renderfarm control, start a single central server process:
+```
+python server.py
+```
+
+Then, for each worker process, run:
+```
+python worker.py
+```
+
+You may then access the web interface at `<central server address>:<web_port>` in your browser, replacing `<central server address>` with the address to the central server, and `<web_port>` with the `web_port` you set in `settings.conf`.
+
+Once at the web interface, you may upload a `.blend` file to begin a rendering job. Archenland will automatically balance rendering load across all worker clients, to deliver the finished render in the least time possible.
+
+#
+
+## Implementation Notes
+
+For those curious as to how Archenland functions, or those interested in contributing (thank you!), a rough sketch of Archenland's inner workings is given below.

settings.conf

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+blender_path = "blender"
+ffmpeg_path = "ffmpeg"
+threads = 2
+address = "127.0.0.1"
+port = 7411
+web_port = 8080