Changing render settings / gbuffers / folders per camera?

[cgrant3d]

Lately its been driving me crazy all the little details that I have to change back and forth when changing cameras... For instance, camera1 lets say is rendering to a 64bit PNG, gbuffers are being output, IR/LC maps are being saved as well... Now I change the camera and want to do a test render. I have to go and disable all the save options for the prior camera...

I've tried using render presets for this but it's not the best solution IMO... There's no way to easily change settings and they stack up so fast since they're global instead of scene specific... What do some of you all do to address this problem?

Custom scripts? If so what's the best approach, do you store the pertinent settings as custom attributes in every camera? Or would it be better to integrate the 3ds render presets with a script which watches which camera is selected and automatically loaded the correct preset... Hmmm... That might work... .... ... I'm curious as to what your workflow is because that has to be a better way than what I'm doing now! Life is too short to spend clicking the same buttons and toggling the same file paths back and forth! LOL!

[Dynedain]

Look at Scene States which showed up in Max 7.5. That, plus render settings should cover just about everything you need.

[cgrant3d]

Yeah, I've used scene states quite effectively already... But it still seems so disjointed - it relies on me to remember to change the scene state and change the render presets... It seems to me that there would have to be more automated / idiot proof ways to do this kind of stuff... I mean, I'm working solo at a large Arch. firm so it's not like someone else is going to mess up my shot but what about you guys who work at large anim firms? It seems like with so many people there would be all kinds of mistakes like -

Animator1: "Oops, sorry I did a test render and saved over your IR map you rendered all last weekend... You didn't need that still did you?"

Animator2: "Arrggghhh!!!! Now the project is ruined... blah blah blah"

...

I think the older I get and the longer I do this stuff the more I'm looking at my workflow to see where it can be improved. It seems to me there are just waaaay too many ways to screw something up right now because we have all these different options, different tools to fix / set the options but everything is separate and relies on the artist to remember... Sometimes when there is someone screaming about their deadline that's not the time when one is most likely to remember all these things... So, like I said, I'm really just interested in finding out whether there is a "better" way...

[Dynedain]

Yeah, I've used scene states quite effectively already... But it still seems so disjointed - it relies on me to remember to change the scene state and change the render presets... It seems to me that there would have to be more automated / idiot proof ways to do this kind of stuff... I mean, I'm working solo at a large Arch. firm so it's not like someone else is going to mess up my shot but what about you guys who work at large anim firms? It seems like with so many people there would be all kinds of mistakes like -

Animator1: "Oops, sorry I did a test render and saved over your IR map you rendered all last weekend... You didn't need that still did you?"

Animator2: "Arrggghhh!!!! Now the project is ruined... blah blah blah"

...

I think the older I get and the longer I do this stuff the more I'm looking at my workflow to see where it can be improved. It seems to me there are just waaaay too many ways to screw something up right now because we have all these different options, different tools to fix / set the options but everything is separate and relies on the artist to remember... Sometimes when there is someone screaming about their deadline that's not the time when one is most likely to remember all these things... So, like I said, I'm really just interested in finding out whether there is a "better" way...

Probably the best way, and I think the way the pipeline works in most big houses, is that instead of having one scene that you're trying to get multiple iterations out of, saving that scene as two different versions.

[Da_elf]

or you could x-ref the scene into an empty scene which you would use for different render settings. then everyone can use the same scene however the scene wont be copied multiple times. and if the scene is changes then everyone gets a changed scene. makes for good continuity

[dbuchhofer]

I'd rigged up a script to dump various settings to a maxscript file: (lights; object on/off; vray matte properties; renderer tab; common tab)

And just abused that to create a '1 maxscript per schema' thing.. and just use a batchfile of the 3dsmaxcmd.exe to send jobs to the renderfarm..

c:\3dsmax6\3dsmaxcmd 10_05_04_Benham_semifinal.max -submit -netmask:255.255.0.0 -jobname:"Benham_o3_p1" -script:Behnam_Option3_Phase1.ms -outputName://server/job/o3_phase_1.jpg -bitmappath://server/job/textures

on second thought, thats fuckin messy, and i'm insane

But i can still re-render the 24 scheme job by double clicking a .bat a year later without going insane.

[dejaVu]

RPManager is the way to go.
We use it all the time and it's perfect for what you need. Unfortunately, it's not free. But there is a demo version which allows you 2 passes.

www.rpmanager.com

[zoranm]

I remember when I started doing 3D it was on Renderman for DOS. They have sceene definitions that you can save.
You set up your lights, cameras, image resolution and save that as a Scene1. In the meantime you do all the changes to geometry, materials and so on and just click on Scene1 and you are immediatelly back where you want to be. I wish we have something like that in Max now.

I guess, we are in the mercy of someone who knows maxscipt.

Zoran

[rpc212]

Would Vray Preset Manager do the job?

Here's the link: http://plugins.angstraum.at/vraypm/index.htm

Sorry if this is not what you are looking for. I am interested in a solution for your problem too Christopher. It wouild be nice to have a tool that does what you describe.