3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [499]
FIGURE 48.1
The Batch Render window lets you define render tasks to be run as a batch process.
For each task, you can set the task's Name, Output Path, Camera, and render Preset. The Scene State drop-down list lets you select any scene states that are defined using the Tools⇒Manage Scene States command.
Each new task added to the Batch Render window uses the default render parameters for its frame range, dimensions, and pixel aspect, but if you enable the Override Preset option, then you can customize each of these parameters for the selected task.
The Batch Render queue can be rendered over the network by enabling the Net Render option at the bottom of the Batch Render window.
Managing scene states
A single scene file may have many different settings that you'd like to try as different renderings. For example, you can set up a scene with different light settings, with different camera properties, or with unique materials. Scene states let you define different sets of properties that can be recalled prior to a batch rendering. Each of these scene states can be part of a single Max file.
When the Tools⇒Manage Scene States menu command is selected, the Manage Scene States dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 48.2, which lets you Save, Restore, Rename, and Delete the existing list of scene states. Clicking the Save button opens the Save Scene State dialog box, also shown in Figure 48.2. In the Save Scene State dialog box, you can enter the name for the scene state and select which group of settings to use. The options include Light Properties, Light Transforms, Object Properties, Camera Transforms, Camera Properties, Layer Properties, Layer Assignment, Materials, Environment, and Anim Layer Properties.
FIGURE 48.2
The Manage Scene States and Save Scene State dialog boxes let you define which properties to save as a state that can be recalled for a batch render task.
Creating a stand-alone executable
After a batch render queue is established, you can click the Export to .bat button to open the Batch Render Export to Batch File dialog box, where you can save the batch file as a .bat file. This saved file can be executed from the command line or by using an agent.
Understanding Network Rendering
When you use network rendering to render your animation, Max divides the work among several machines connected via a network, with each machine rendering some of the frames. The increase in speed depends on how many machines you can devote to rendering frames: Add just one computer, and you double the rate at which you can render. Add seven or eight machines, and instead of missing that important deadline by a week, you can get done early and take an extra day off.
Machines connected to handle network rendering are often referred to collectively as a rendering farm. The basic process during a network rendering goes like this: One machine manages the entire process and distributes the work among all the computers in the farm. Each machine signals the managing computer when it is ready to work on another frame. The manager then sends or “farms out” a new frame, which gets worked on by a computer in the rendering farm, and the finished frame gets saved in whatever format you've chosen.
The software in Max that makes network rendering possible is called Backburner. You may have noticed that it was installed when Max was installed. Max has several features to make the network rendering process easier. If one of the computers in your rendering farm crashes or loses its connection with the manager, the manager reclaims the frame that was assigned to the down computer and farms it out to a different machine. You can monitor the status of any rendering job you have running, and you can even have Max e-mail you when a job is complete.
Note
One additional caveat to using network rendering is that you have no guarantee that the frames of your animation