Adding to an existing irradiance map

[geoffc]

I'm scrambling to get an animation file off to a renderfarm with a pre-calc'd IR map.
There are multiple cameras in my file. I'm using "multiframe incremental" with 'dont delete' 'auto save' and 'switch to saved map'.

Once I have finished the longest camera calc, can I simply switch to another camera and leave all the settings and IR map filename and calc it again with the other cameras, so it will just add to the existing map in the folder?
I'm not changing any light sources in the animation.

[geoffc]

...or, do I run an IR map for each camera and do the "merge" function in the viewer (which I've never used)?

[percydaman]

the incremental add to current map is what your looking for. though merging them using the merge tool would work too i presume.

[geoffc]

great, that's what I just started. I have one camera that essentially circles the entire site/building in 20 secs (600 frames), so I ran that one first with multiframe and every 30th frame. I just backed up a copy of it, and then started another camera, and did click the incremental add and auto-save. the original IR map size does seem to be getting larger, so I guess I'm ok? I just dont want to corrupt anything before I send it off.

[geoffc]

I guess what is confusing is the overall concept of the IR map. As long as I dont move a light source or object, is each camera part of the same solution whether from straight down (aerial view) or sideways, or diagonally across the site, etc?

[percydaman]

yup. load your irrad map into the viewer and you'll kinda see how it works. Its like a point cloud of lighting information. Actually thats exactly what it is if memory serves.