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Custom Host Requirements Guide

This guide describes how to create and use custom host requirements for Deadline Cloud rendering in Unreal Engine.

Overview

Host Requirements define which fleet are eligible to run a particular render step. They are stored inside a UDeadlineCloudHostRequirements asset, which is then referenced by a DeadlineCloudRenderStep asset.

Requirement Type Configuration Location Use Case
Base System Requirements CPU / RAM / GPU fields Restrict rendering to machines with specific hardware
Custom Amount Requirements Name + Min/Max values Require numeric resource levels (licenses, tokens, quotas)
Custom Attribute Requirements Attribute + value list Required custom attributes on fleets to run the step

Hiding a requirement using the eye icon only hides it in the MRQ Submit UI.
The requirement still applies when submitting the job.

Important: The Name and Attribute values used for Custom Amount Requirements and
Custom Attribute Requirements must strictly match the valid identifiers
defined in the official Open Job Description documentation: Open Job Specifications

Step 1: Create the Host Requirements Asset

  1. Open Content Browser in Unreal Engine.
  2. Create a new asset: Add → Miscellaneous → Data Asset → DeadlineCloudHostRequirements
  3. Name the asset, e.g. MyHostRequirements.

Step 2: Load the Default YAML Template

  1. In the asset details panel, locate the field Path to Template.
  2. Select the default template: Plugins/UnrealDeadlineCloudService/Content/Python/openjd_templates/host_requirements.yml

This loads base requirements such as CPU, Memory, GPU, OS, and architecture.

Base requirements cannot be removed; only their values may be changed.

Step 3: Configure Base (System) Requirements

Setting Example
Operating System windows
CPU Architecture x86_64
vCPUs (Min) 16
GPUs (Min) 1

If Max = 0, then there is no upper limit for that requirement.

Step 4: Add Custom Amount Requirements

Used when the requirement is numeric (e.g., number of licenses, concurrency limits).

  1. Find the section Custom Amount Requirements.
  2. Add a new entry and set a name, for example: amount.custom.license
  3. Set Min and Max values:
  4. Min: 1
  5. Max: 0 (0 means unlimited)

Step 5: Add Custom Attribute Requirements

Used to filter workers based on tags and labels.

  1. Find the section Custom Attributes Requirements.
  2. Add a new attribute name, for example: attr.custom.gpu.vendor
  3. Choose the matching rule:
  4. AllOf — all values must match
  5. AnyOf — at least one must match
  6. Enter attribute values separated by spaces, for example: nvidia amd

Step 6: Visibility in MRQ (Optional)

Each requirement entry has an eye icon.

Eye Behavior
Visible The requirement is shown in MRQ Submit UI
Hidden The requirement is hidden but still included when submitting the job

This is useful for simplifying UI for artists while preserving technical constraints.

Step 7: Attach the Requirements to a Render Step

  1. Open the relevant DeadlineCloudRenderStep asset.
  2. Find the Host Requirements field.
  3. Assign your created asset (e.g., MyHostRequirements).

All MRQ submissions using this step will now enforce your host selection logic.

Summary

Using the Host Requirements asset, you can:

  • Control which worker machines execute your render jobs
  • Specify minimum resource levels
  • Target specific worker pools via attribute matching
  • Simplify UI while keeping technical rules intact
  • Reuse settings across multiple MRQ steps

This improves job routing consistency and ensures rendering happens on the correct hardware.