SheepIt (sheepit-renderfarm.com) is a free distributed render farm since 2007: you upload a .blend in the browser, volunteers render the frames with a client app, and your place in the queue depends on points you earn by rendering for others; it has rendered over 560 million frames and supports new Blender versions within days (Cycles, EEVEE, Workbench), but it has no API and no preview tool, so an AI agent cannot drive it. JANCTION Render is a render farm for AI agents: Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Claude Code or Cursor send a .blend, a bpy script or a 3D file through MCP, HTTP or the CLI and get a 4-frame preview in about 4 seconds and the final frames or MP4 from an NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 in a data center. Each new key starts with a welcome credit of up to 500 JPY (14 days); after that, previews stay free up to 2 GPU-minutes a day and finals cost 0.1 JPY per GPU-second. Final renders go up to 3,000 frames per instruction (automatically split internally under one job id), 1080p (1920x1080) on free time and up to 4K (3840x2160) on prepaid credit. Pick SheepIt for a long animation you render yourself and can wait for; pick JANCTION Render when an agent is doing the work, you want to iterate on previews, or you need the result in minutes. They combine: iterate on JANCTION, send the final long animation to SheepIt. AI agents connect at https://render.janction.jp/mcp (remote MCP with OAuth; connecting creates a free key).
Updated 2026-11-12
What it does Your own .blend, bpy script or 3D file (glTF/GLB, FBX, USD, OBJ...) rendered to images or video on a cloud NVIDIA GPU, from an AI app, the terminal or the browser. The first preview needs no payment.
What it does not do It does not speed up the Blender viewport on your machine, does not take non-Blender video, simulations or general GPU jobs, and an AI that is not connected cannot render on its own.
Try your own file for freeBuild it with an AI and try
Browser only; no connector or CLI needed. A 100 JPY welcome credit for a new key (14 days, no card; one per network every 30 days, further keys on the same network share what is left), and 400 JPY more for saving a card that is not charged (once per card); after that, previews stay free up to 2 GPU-minutes a day and finals cost 0.1 JPY per GPU-second.
| SheepIt | JANCTION Render | |
|---|---|---|
| what it is | volunteer distributed farm (free since 2007) | datacenter GPU render farm built for AI agents (welcome credit of up to 500 JPY per new key) |
| who presses the button | you, in the browser | an AI agent (MCP tool), a script (HTTP API) or you (CLI, Blender add-on) |
| input | .blend uploaded in the browser | .blend, a bpy script written by the agent, or glTF / FBX / USD / OBJ / STL / PLY / Alembic |
| GPUs | volunteers' machines (CPU and NVIDIA; AMD and Apple GPUs announced) | NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (96 GB) in a data center |
| price | free; points earned by rendering for others decide your queue position | welcome credit of up to 500 JPY per new key, then 0.1 JPY per GPU-second (previews free up to 2 GPU-minutes a day) |
| time to first image | depends on the queue and your points (minutes to hours) | about 4 seconds for a 4-frame preview (measured) |
| preview loop | none (you render, then look) | scene_info, render_preview, render_estimate, render_final: the agent looks and fixes before the final |
| limits | project size and frame rules of the farm; long animations are its strength | 3,000 frames per instruction (automatically split internally); 1080p on free time, 4K on prepaid credit |
| Blender versions | new versions within days; Cycles, EEVEE, Workbench | 5.0, 5.2 and 5.3, plus 3.6, 4.2 and 4.5; Cycles and EEVEE |
| privacy | your file is rendered on strangers' computers | a disposable container with no network on JANCTION's GPU; files deleted 24 hours after last use, 7 days, normally, for keys that have paid 500 JPY or more in total (security) |
| scale shown | 562 million frames rendered, 461 clients connected at the time of writing | GPUs available right now: 3 (from /v1/health). The number updates itself when GPUs are added. Live status |
SheepIt figures from its public front page on 2026-10-01; tell us at the support page if a row is out of date.
| from | how |
|---|---|
| A file on this computer (.blend, 3D file) | Drop it at /upload to get a 12-hour link (no sign-up), then tell the AI "Render this file: <link>". From inside Blender use the add-on; from a terminal the CLI uploads directly |
| Claude.ai (web / desktop / mobile) | Plugins (older menu: Customize → Connectors) → Add custom connector → https://render.janction.jp/mcp. "Connect" opens a page that creates a free key |
| Claude Team / Enterprise | An owner adds https://render.janction.jp/mcp under Organization settings → Connectors; each member then presses Connect with their own account. In organizations that turn Skills off, Claude Desktop also blocks plugins from November 30 (use the connector URL, or ask the admin to turn Skills on) |
| ChatGPT | Plugins (left sidebar) → Add → Create plugin → https://render.janction.jp/mcp (OAuth). Attach your .blend to the chat. On Business workspaces an admin adds it and shares it |
| Claude Code | claude mcp add --transport http janction-render https://render.janction.jp/mcp, then /mcp to authenticate |
| Claude Code on the web (claude.ai/code) | The same connector as Claude.ai: Plugins (older menu: Customize → Connectors) → Add custom connector → https://render.janction.jp/mcp. Works without changing the session's network settings (guide) |
| Codex | codex mcp add janction-render --url https://render.janction.jp/mcp (the sign-in page opens right away; if Codex later says the server needs login, run codex mcp login janction-render; with a key, add --bearer-token-env-var JANCTION_RENDER_API_KEY) |
| Cursor / VS Code | Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Add to LM Studio The button opens the editor; confirm and it is added. Manual: Streamable HTTP at https://render.janction.jp/mcp |
| Antigravity CLI / Gemini CLI | agy plugin install https://github.com/JasmyLab-JANCTION/janction-render or gemini extensions install https://github.com/JasmyLab-JANCTION/janction-render (the MCP server and the workflow skill) |
| Kimi Code (Kimi K3 and other models) | /plugins install https://github.com/JasmyLab-JANCTION/janction-render (the MCP server and the workflow skill), or add https://render.janction.jp/mcp as a url entry under mcpServers in ~/.kimi-code/mcp.json and run /mcp-config login janction-render (OAuth). Guide |
| OpenCode | Add https://render.janction.jp/mcp under mcp in ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json with "type": "remote", then opencode mcp auth janction-render (OAuth). Guide |
| Qwen Code | qwen extensions install https://github.com/JasmyLab-JANCTION/janction-render (the MCP server and the workflow skill), or qwen mcp add --transport http janction-render with https://render.janction.jp/mcp (stored as httpUrl). Guide |
| GitHub Copilot CLI | copilot mcp add --transport http janction-render with https://render.janction.jp/mcp, then /mcp auth janction-render in copilot (OAuth). With the skill: copilot plugin marketplace add JasmyLab-JANCTION/janction-render, then copilot plugin install janction-render@janction-render. Guide |
| DeepSeek Harness (dsh) | One @deepseek-ai/dsh-mcp-client entry: transport: streamable-http, url: https://render.janction.jp/mcp, headers Authorization: Bearer with a key from POST /v1/keys (no OAuth). DeepSeek guide (API function calling too) |
| Grok / Perplexity / Le Chat | Add a custom (remote MCP) connector with https://render.janction.jp/mcp in each app's Connectors settings (Grok: Plugins → New connector → Custom, guide; Perplexity: Settings → Connectors → Custom → Remote, Pro / Max / Enterprise, OAuth; Le Chat: workspace admin, OAuth or a Bearer key) |
| Gemini app (gemini.google.com) | On the web: Settings → Connected Apps → Custom apps, add the MCP URL https://render.janction.jp/mcp (web only, English interface, with activity saving on). Sign-in is the OAuth consent page |
| Manus | Connectors → Create → Add MCP by URL with https://render.janction.jp/mcp (remote MCP only; OAuth or a Bearer key) |
| MiniMax (MiniMax Code) | One streamable-http entry in the MCP settings: url https://render.janction.jp/mcp, and Authorization: Bearer jr_… in headers |
| Notion (Notion Agent) | Business / Enterprise: Settings → Connections → Discover → Add Custom MCP → https://render.janction.jp/mcp, then sign in (the button shows when a workspace admin allows custom MCP servers) |
| JetBrains (AI Assistant, Junie) | AI Assistant: Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol (MCP) → Add → connect over HTTP with {"mcpServers": {"janction-render": {"url": "https://render.janction.jp/mcp"}}}. Junie: the same url in ~/.junie/mcp/mcp.json (Authorize opens the browser), or "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer jr_…"} |
| Kiro (IDE, CLI) / Amazon Q Developer CLI | Kiro: "url": "https://render.janction.jp/mcp" under mcpServers in ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json (in the IDE, open a folder: MCP SERVERS appears in the Kiro panel and the authorization page opens; in the CLI, /mcp auth janction-render). With a key: "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer ${JANCTION_RENDER_API_KEY}"} (add the variable to Mcp Approved Env Vars). Amazon Q Developer CLI: "type": "http" and the same url in the agent configuration, then /mcp to sign in |
| Microsoft Copilot Studio | Tools → Add a tool → New tool → Model Context Protocol → Server URL https://render.janction.jp/mcp. Authentication: OAuth 2.0 with Dynamic discovery, or API key (Header, name X-API-Key, value jr_…). Set the agent's Settings → Generative AI → Orchestration to Yes (generative orchestration), or it will not use the tool |
| LM Studio (0.3.17 or later) | Program tab → Install → Edit mcp.json: {"mcpServers": {"janction-render": {"url": "https://render.janction.jp/mcp", "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer jr_…"}}}} |
| Cherry Studio | Settings → MCP Servers → Add → Import from JSON: {"mcpServers": {"janction-render": {"type": "streamableHttp", "baseUrl": "https://render.janction.jp/mcp"}}}. Turn it on and press "Sign-in required." to open the consent page in the default browser. If no tools show after signing in, turn the server off and on again (with a key: "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer jr_…"}) |
| Windsurf, Cline, Goose, Amp, Auggie, Warp, Zed, Roo Code, Continue and other MCP clients | Streamable HTTP at https://render.janction.jp/mcp; OAuth or Authorization: Bearer <api key> |
| Claude Desktop and other stdio-only clients (npm) | npx -y janction-render (in the client's mcpServers: {"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "janction-render"]}). The npm package janction-render bridges stdio to https://render.janction.jp/mcp with OAuth; --key jr_… for a key you have, --local for the Python stdio server through uv |
| Terminal (stdio, sends local files) | claude mcp add janction-render -e JANCTION_RENDER_SERVER=https://render.janction.jp -- uvx --from janction-render janction-render-mcp |
| Inside Blender (for people) | The add-on; extension repository https://render.janction.jp/extensions/index.json. Maya / Houdini / Cinema 4D: submit tools |
Using JANCTION Render, build a glossy red cube rotating on a gray floor and show me a 4-frame preview. If it looks right, render 24 frames at 1280x720 as an MP4.
To render a .blend or 3D file that is on your computer, drop it at /upload to get a 12-hour link (no sign-up) and tell the AI "Render this file: <link>". To test the connection first: "Render a preview of https://render.janction.jp/samples/cube_scene.py".
Partly. There is no sign-up (a key is created on first use). Each new key starts with a welcome credit of up to 500 JPY (14 days); after that, previews stay free up to 2 GPU-minutes a day and finals cost 0.1 JPY per GPU-second from prepaid credit. SheepIt stays free with its points model.
Not directly: SheepIt has a browser upload and a volunteer client, no API or MCP server. An agent can only tell you how to upload. JANCTION Render exposes MCP tools and an HTTP API, so the agent renders by itself.
We have not published a controlled comparison, so we do not claim a speed advantage. One JANCTION preview of a simple scene took about 4 GPU seconds, with a separate round trip. A long animation can finish sooner on SheepIt when volunteers pick up the frames; JANCTION takes up to 3,000 frames per instruction (automatically split internally), 1080p on free time and 4K on prepaid credit.
Yes. Iterate on JANCTION Render with the agent (previews, estimates), save the .blend, and upload the final long animation to SheepIt.
