Join the render farm
Contribute computing power from your PC or server to help others render their scenes. Your machine becomes a render node, rendering tasks with Chunky as part of the farm.
This guide covers the basics. For the latest requirements, commands, and configuration options, check the render node README. If anything differs, follow the README.
1. Create a node token
Sign in and create a render node token in your account. This token is the API key your node uses to connect to ChunkyCloud.
Use a separate token for each render node process. Only one process may run per API key. Create another token if you want to run an additional node.
2. Download the render node
Install Java 17 or newer, then download the JAR file from the latest release. Keep your node up to date to stay compatible with the server. If you prefer Docker, see the command below.
3. Start the node
Open a terminal in the folder containing the downloaded JAR. Replace DOWNLOADED_FILE.jar with its filename and YOUR_NODE_TOKEN with your token:
java -jar DOWNLOADED_FILE.jar --api-key YOUR_NODE_TOKEN
The node connects to https://api.chunkycloud.net by default. It polls for tasks, downloads the required scene data and resource packs, renders with Chunky, and uploads the results.
To adjust resource usage, add --thread-count 4 to use four render threads or --cpu-load 50 to set the maximum Chunky CPU load to 50%. The defaults are two threads and 100% CPU load. Use --api URL to connect to another ChunkyCloud server with a token issued by that server.
You can also supply the token through the API_KEY environment variable or --api-key-file. For the full option list and cache settings, see the configuration reference.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Docker?
Yes. Replace YOUR_NODE_TOKEN with your token and run:
docker run --rm -e API_KEY=YOUR_NODE_TOKEN -v chunkycloud-render-node-data:/opt/cc-rendernode/data ghcr.io/chunkycloud/render-node:latest
The volume preserves downloaded resource packs and cached scene data across container restarts. For Docker secrets and further details, see the Docker instructions in the README.