What are the key differences between the existing licensing and an unlimited threads license?
An existing RenderMan license (RPS v14.0, RMS v2.0, RfM v3.0) can use up to 4 threads per license, with thread-sharing possible between license invocations in some cases. On a four-core processor you might allocate these four threads in several ways: rendering one frame using 4 threads, 2 frames simultaneously using 2 threads each, or 4 frames at the same time using 1 thread. (Memory permitting) The simpler new unlimited threading model (RPS v15.0, RMS v3.0, RfM v4.0) will allow each license to use any number of threads. For example, if you have a dual quad machine, then RenderMan can automatically allocate a full rendering thread to each of the 8 processors to render your frame. This model scales simply to upcoming hardware and the entire compute capacity of machines with 16 cores or more can if desired be assigned to a singe rendering session. It should be noted that unlimited threading applies to each license invocation, reflecting the simplified model and current industry trends in
