Scanline exe

[nomads]

Hi

I am doing my compositing in Nuke.

Ive read Nuke and and various other compositors render quicker if the exr file is in scan line format. Is there a way in the Vray to render t exrs in scan line format directly from the vray frame buffer?

If I go through the extra process of converting the .vrimg file to a .exe with the vrimg2exr that will take time and use up more disk space?

Also can some one give me an example of how to use the vrimg2exe.

Thanks

[joconnell]

Yep, it makes a huge difference. It'd be something like:

C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3dsmax 2012 for x64\tools\vrimg2exr.exe yourFileName.vrimg -compression zips -datawindow -bufsize 500

The two really important parts are "-compression zips" which makes scanline exr files and even more importantly "-datawindow" which will make nuke only draw pixels in your image that have information in them, and skip over empty sections. This make a bigger speed difference than zips does I've found. -Bufsize is how much memory you're allocating to the conversion, the more the faster it'll go.

You're right about disk space - you'll end up with your VRIMG and an EXR so you're doubling the storage space. Bear in mine on big multichannel images it may be a bit slow to convert too - perhaps 30 seconds a frame on an 80 meg vrimg file with maybe 10 channels.

At the minute vray does actually write out scanline EXR's but it's missing the data window which is another big speed increase. Vlado has it planned for the next release.

[nomads]

Hi J

Thanks for getting back.

This is exactly as I thought.

I am still having problems with vrimg2exr. I assume you use it in the command prompt? If so Im having syntax issues.

Whats the exact thing you type in. My file is in J:/test/test.vrimg

[nomads]

figgured it out quotes "C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3dsmax 2012 for x64\tools\vrimg2exr.exe" yourFileName.vrimg -compression zips -datawindow -bufsize 500

Thanks for your help

D

[joconnell]

Here's a utility that'll run through a folder and make a bat file to convert all of your files - handy for image sequences. If you run it it'll do nothing but if you go into customize UI you'll get a new category for your toolbars called "john's bits (snigger)" (I'm such a juvenile). If you drag and drop that, it'll give you a button that launches a tool where you can browse to a folder with all of your vrimg files, and it'll make them into a list and automate all the command prompt nonsense. It makes a file called convert_vrimg_files.bat at the root of your C drive. Down towards the bottom of the code you'll see the "crogram fi....\tools\vrimg2exr" bits - make sure that this path is the same as your own (it's the default for max 2012 64) and then the only other useful thing is the bufsize option later on. You might find that you can't convert big files unless you up this - I think for frames that were around 130 megs as HD res vrimg files I had this set to 500 and never got any issues. Again you might not need this but it's good for long image sequences.

macroScript VRimgBat_0_05 category:"Johns bits (snigger)" tooltip:"VRimgBat_0_05: Make a bat file to convert vrimg to exr files"
(
local theFileList = #()
local TheVrimgPath
local TheVrimg2exrpath
Local OutFile

rollout ConvertVRimgBatFile "VRimgBat_0_04: Make a bat file to convert vrimg to exr files"
(
button ImageFileFolder "Rendered file folder" width:300 Align:#right

on ImageFileFolder pressed do
(
TheVrimgPath = getOpenFileName types:"Vrimg(*.vrimg)" caption:"Pick the folder with your renders"
ImageFileFolder.text = getFilenamePath TheVrimgPath
theFileList = (getFiles ((getFilenamePath TheVrimgPath) + "*.vrimg"))
print ("the files are " + theFileList as string)
print ("There are " + (theFileList.count as string) + " vrimg files in the folder")

if theFileList.count != 0 then
(
MyOutFile = "c:\\convert_vrimg_files.bat"
TheBatFile = CreateFile MyOutFile
for i in 1 to theFileList.count do
(
format ("\"" + "C:\\Program Files\\Chaos Group\\V-Ray\\3dsmax 2012 for x64\\tools\\vrimg2exr.exe" + "\"" + " " + "\"" + theFileList[i] as string + "\"" + " -compression zips -datawindow -bufsize 100" + "\n") to:TheBatfile
format ("\n") to:TheBatFile
)

Close TheBatFile
ShellLaunch (MyOutFile as string) ""

messagebox "Your bat file has been created at c:\convert_vrimg_files.bat - Happy now Vadim?"
) else (
messagebox "There are no vrimg files in that folder"
)
)
)

CreateDialog ConvertVRimgBatFile width:450

)