Render multiple camera script

This has probably been dealt with before but I couldn’t find the appropriate post. I have two things I am trying to do - I am pre-vizing a live action shoot a musical performance.

There are alot of camera’s and I am looking for a script that will render all the camera’s in the scene at once, one that works with max 7.5 Vray and maybe even - deadline (I know this is unlikely)

The other thing I am trying to do is to render the scene camera’s as an objects so I show the DP my virtual camera locations.

Thanks a million as always.

For the first part, use Video Post in Max (look into the tutorials, does exactly what you are trying to do) - but I would still render each camera individually… but that’s me.

For the second part. Make a layer with some dummy camera objects that are linked and aligned to the cameras… then when you move the camers they’ll move as well and you can just turn off that layer when you don’t want it to render. - For my useage though, I’d just give 'em wireframe or smooth+highlight previews.

Thanks a million

Thanks for the help I’ll give that a shot - I am pretty damn lazy and was hoping there was some magical way to just make a camera an object - you never know unless you ask. I never use Video Post - it sounds interesting.

Thanks again

There is a script for it, hopefully somebody else wil remember it cuz i can’t. maybe try scriptspot.

I’d be interested in this as viz doesn’t have video post :evil:
Could animate camera between the postions you require?

Geoff

You could but that’d cause one really nasty frame if you were using motion blur each time the camera changes position.

the script is a little buggy, the concept is great, but for whatever reason, it does freeze the scene sometimes.

Multiple camera preview:

http://www.scriptspot.com/start.asp?p=main\_scripts&BrowseType=Cameras&Sort=Rev&ST=-1&SearchField=&Page=1

And (I think) it works locally only, so can not use network rendering with it :?

Anyway, hope it helps

you might try the camera anim script of Michiel Quist:

This script creates a new animated camera that animates along the scene cameras. Every position and rotation is stored in an animation key. It lets you render a number of cameras without making numerous network renderjobs or having to set up the video post every time. It also copies the FOV’s. Updated version, the insert button now works.

http://www.3idee.nl/3d/html/layout.php

www.rpmanager.com Render pass manager can for sure do it, I can’t live without it anymore, it cost a bit though.

/Thomas

If you were in max 8 you could just use the batch render dialog…

but for older setups i’ve got a couple messy toys for this that i’ve thrown together over time.. mostly abandoned because of the new stuff, so milage may vary :slight_smile:

if you’re just working with still images on your local system this one’ll work just adjust the list of cameras in the first line :wink:

for sending net renders… you can use the 3dsmaxcmd (more info in the help) but you can do fun stuff like net render, run scripts on start, use custom bitmap paths.. etc..

saved this into a batchfile, it submitted 4 net render jobs from the same maxfile with various settings changed


c:\3dsmax6\3dsmaxcmd 10_05_04_Proj_semifinal.max -submit -netmask:255.255.0.0 -jobname:"Proj_o1_p1" -script:Proj_Option1_Phase1.ms -outputName://Server1/Frames/Proj/o1_phase_1.jpg -bitmappath://Server1/Projects/Proj/textures
c:\3dsmax6\3dsmaxcmd 10_05_04_Proj_semifinal.max -submit -netmask:255.255.0.0 -jobname:"Proj_o1_p2" -script:Proj_Option1_Phase2.ms -outputName://Server1/Frames/Proj/o1_phase_2.jpg -bitmappath://Server1/Projects/Proj/textures
c:\3dsmax6\3dsmaxcmd 10_05_04_Proj_semifinal.max -submit -netmask:255.255.0.0 -jobname:"Proj_o1_p3" -script:Proj_Option1_Phase3.ms -outputName://Server1/Frames/Proj/o1_phase_3.jpg -bitmappath://Server1/Projects/Proj/textures
c:\3dsmax6\3dsmaxcmd 10_05_04_Proj_semifinal.max -submit -netmask:255.255.0.0 -jobname:"Proj_o1_p4" -script:Proj_Option1_Phase4.ms -outputName://Server1/Frames/Proj/o1_phase_4.jpg -bitmappath://Server1/Projects/Proj/textures

the -script: thing can be removed, i just had a script that would turn on/off certain layers to make it be a different phase of construction. thats again doing stills, but you can look up the 3dsmaxcmd in the helpfile to get the -settings to be able to send as animations and with various cameras.

you beat me to it. If you can afford it and can get past the intial shock of all the windows and buttons, it’s great software.

Thanks for bringing RPManager to my attention again -- we’re doing a lot of rendering passes now for our animations and this looks like an incredible tool. I was wondering if you folks have used it with 1.5? The screenshot for the Vray settings window on the RPManager site looks pretty out of date -- do they have an updated version for 1.5 or will it adapt the settings panel layout on its own?

Shaun

Great

Thanks a million for all your help. I am currently using 7.5 - I haven’t really found a reason to go to 8 yet ( I have it on my rig ) - this could be the one and only reason. I was sort of thinking in my mind that I would skip 8 altogether and put all my faith straight in a 64 bit version of 9 - but then again I have always been a bit of a dreamer :lol: I will also check out render pass manager it sounds very interesting. Command line rendering seems to be a great way to do things but I can’t get over the code part of it - I am afraid unless it has buttons it’s hard for me to get my head around it.

Thanks again

A question of RPM

RPM seems like a great tool - as always the compatibillity of it with the latest version of Deadline and Vray is always sticky - but it looks great.
A quick question about workflow - do you normally save an RPM file that records the various options ? - does it automatically save with the Max scene? - render presets can always be problematic if you don’t save and labe l things correctly - I have run fowl of this a few times and it ain’t pretty.

it saves with you max scene, you don’t have to do anything.

But you can load and save the data and use in other scenes and so on, I never had to use it though.

/Thomas

Great

Great - it is quite awhile since I asked for a new plug-in they might even get it for me :slight_smile: