CompuServe Thread

#Command Line Rendering

7 messages in this thread
#133731From: Jim MaxeyNov 5, 1994 1:49 PM
ok, one more question. When rendering from a batch file, is there a way to specify the viewport to use in the command line? Would be nice for those late evenings when I forget to have the camera viewport active when I save a PRJ file. Would be nice to just have "/PCamera01" sitting in my RENDER.BAT file… -Jeff B.
#133749From: Yost GroupNov 5, 1994 3:23 PM
As the docs state, the active viewport is the one that's rendered in batch mode. – G
#134057From: Gayle G de N, SAVANTESNov 7, 1994 1:01 PM
PMJI, Gary, RE: "the active viewport is the one that's rendered in batch rendering" I put an R5 request in a few weeks ago re: this, and also offered $ <g> if anyone would be interested in developing as a utility, a new batch switch that would allow rendering of any of the 4 viewports displayed when the file was saved, instead of just the active one. I don't want to resort to vue files, because all my other needs are served well by the vastly simpler form of batch rendering. If this is something Yost group is not likely to do – but you know of someone who might be interested, would you be kind enough to forward this. Thanks very much … I know this far from being the kind of cutting edge new feature y'all really enjoy … but it would be useful to a number of us. Gayle G de N, SAVANTES
#134111From: MARTIN G FOSTERNov 7, 1994 3:26 PM
>> a new batch switch that would allow rendering of any of the 4 viewports displayed when the file was saved, instead of just the active one. << I may be missing something here, but why don't you simply network render 4 viewports to the queue? You don't need a network to do network rendering. It works just as well on one machine for "batch" rendering. In fact, I haven't used the original batch rendering capability since network rendering came along. It's far superior and less accident-prone than batch rendering.
#134614From: Gayle G de N, SAVANTESNov 9, 1994 10:13 AM
<<why don't you simply render 4 viewports to the queue?>> Lots of reasons, none compelling, perhaps, but you asked. – I don't like to move the dongle around to different systems (to set up an independent render queue), and I don't do most renders on the modelling system. (I did read here once something about setting up a queue on each system using the dongle, then taking the dongle off an putting it on the next system to repeat the process). – I find it a little annoying, and pretty pointless to have to keep saving project files for network rendering when the only thing being changed is shading mode, or resolution, or output file type. I can write a batch file for that much faster than I can create a network queue, having to wait for the save of the project file each time I change a rendering option. – If I batch/command-line render, I can be varying options on the fly and rendering on one sys, and be working on different project files on the main sys … if I use the network, and decide I want to add something to the queue that doesn't happen to be the project I'm currently working on, I have to save, load the other project, save it for the net queue, reload the first project …. – I have a network, but don't like to be obliged to use it (Lantastic), and especially don't like to have to keep the main system on if I have started network rendering with the other systems as slaves. – I can see that the network rendering option, with it's detailed activity report as being invaluable, even on a single system, for "final" rendering, tracking missed frames, exact rendering times, etc., but for a fast, flexible way to compare renders on independent systems by changing those parameters available through switches, batch "when it works" (!), is great. – Also I'm a little bit stubborn ,:)
#134670From: MARTIN G FOSTERNov 9, 1994 12:42 PM
Gayle, points taken, but I think I'll live with those "shortcomings" of network rendering for what I gain in productivity. Also, with the 4 viewport problem you'd have to save 4 versions even with batch rendering so you save nothing in disk space, right?
#135147From: Gayle G de N, SAVANTESNov 11, 1994 9:20 AM
Martin – <<Also, with the 4 viewport problem you'd have to save 4 versions even with batch rendering so you save nothing in disk space, right?>> Yeeees…. unless I can persuade someone to write a new switch for the CL rendering that would allow one to choose any of the 4 onscreen at the last project save. (sigh). Jonas wrote earlier in this thread "it would be very easy" for anyone who had the "3DS File Toolkit." While they're at it, maybe they would write one for changing pixel size …. (hint, hint) BTW – it's not so much the disk space as the WAITING.