Batch Camera Render

272 votes
Version: 
1.18
Date Updated: 
08/03/2022
Author Name: 
Sergo Pogosyan

This script aims to replace standard 3dsmax's Batch Render and imitates Houdini Output Node workflow. Using it you can specify rendering parameters - frame size, frame number, output path - directly to camera object, so every camera in scene 'knows' what it intended to render. Additional functionality is Lighting Assignment - you can specify which light will be turn on or off for selected camera during the rendering.

1.18:

  • Support for 3ds max 2023 Update fixed

1.17:

  • Corona and Vray Sun inside Daylight System fixed (thanks to busseynova for reporting)

1.16:

  • CoronaSun supported inside Daylight System

1.15:

  • Don't Save Render Elements Checkbox (Thanks to antomor)
  • Limited support for camera objects in xref scene files (Only root objects in first level xrefs. Cameras in nested xrefs not supported)

1.13 Bugfix:

  • Deadline submission should work now

1.12 New Feature:

  • Deadline support.
    Very basic imlementation, it allows you to submit your jobs on a deadline server. Enter deadline repository address and check "Use Deadline" checkbox. Other checkbox doesn't matter in this case ("Net render", "Show Submit Dialog").
    Probably it requires Deadline 3ds max Submitter installed. I didn't have a chance to check it on a clean machine.

1.11 Features and fixes:

  • State sets support added
  • "projectname" keyword added which resolves to project's folder name
  • other fixes and improvements

1.10.3b Fixes:

  • Crash when vray ir/lcache maps are set to auto-save
  • Region render was not set properly during the rendering

This is major update of the script, so it may not be as stable as before. Backup scenes or cameras at least before running this version. More information can be found here - 1.10b Multiple presets for each camera

Previous updates:

1.10.2b Fixes:

  • Problems with render elements paths
  • Copy/paste of render region settings
  • Properly convert render region values when change resolution

New features:

  • Multiple presets for each camera
  • New keyword %presetname% to support multiple presets
  • Distributed rendering checkbox added to vray common settings
  • Bugfix - Net render not starting after cancelling during local rendering.
  • Improved performance with scenes with lots of cameras
  • Added support of Vray RT as a production renderer
  • Added support of using MFRender script to render scenes through BatchCamera script.
  • Bugfix - Error was popping up sometimes during drag-n-drop
  • Bugfix - Render elements didn't render in certain conditions
  • Bugfix - Pre-render/post-render scripts didn't work on network rendering
  • Bugfix - Select All and Toggle All buttons didn't work properly

Here are some details: http://usakhelo.github.io/batchcam/batchcam-1.9.20.html

Script's website - http://usakhelo.github.io/batchcam/

Github - https://github.com/usakhelo/batchcam

2015 Updates

  • Region render parameter can be specified for each camera
  • Set Viewport button sets viewport camera and resolution and aspect as well
  • It is possible now to specify backburner servers and server groups for silent rendering submit (code editing required)
  • Vray Elements fixed for Vray 3 and Vray output saving with VFB color correction
  • Cancelling of rendering of multiple cameras at once,
  • Hierarchical ini files

2013 Updates

  • Drag-n-drop of cameras in list
  • Camera list window size can be changed (script restart required)
  • When committing region render it is possible to switch to view render without restarting the render
  • Keyword syntax can be used in Scene State names - thanks to Stefan Runevik for suggestion

2011 Updates

  • Preview button added - renders only current frame without saving anything - no images, no vray maps, no scripts running, no elements.
  • Ortho mode added to Vray rollout - it turns any camera to orthographic, including Vray Physical camera.
  • Copy/Paste from one camera to one/several cameras - use new buttons at the top of the window.
  • Submit Scripts section - you can assign script files that will run on each render submit. Per Submit script runs once per render submit and Per Camera script runs for each camera before submit. All these scripts run on local machine, not on render server.
  • Last Rendered Location field - here is stored last render file location. Very useful for locating last-time rendered images.
Additional Info: 

Installation:

Run this script with Maxscript -> Run Script command from any folder on your hard drive, then go to the *'Customize User Interface' -> 'Toolbars'*, browse to category 'Sergo Pogosyan' and add 'Render scene cameras...' button to the toolbar or to the menu.

Usage:

When you start this script it iterate over all cameras in scene and list them in the dialog box. To each of these cameras you can assign frame resolution, number of frames to render including nonsequential frames, output file location and lighting setup. All these properties can be changed for one or several selected cameras. Output file location is split to folder path and file name, so you can specify new folder for all selected cameras in scene. 'Lighting assignement' section contains three list: Solo light list contains lights that will be only lights turned on during the rendering, 'Forced On' and 'Forced Off' lights are turned on or off respectively during the rendering. After all these setting will be set up (if some properties is not set value from the Render Setup will be used), check the camera(s) in the list and hit Render button. Check Net Render checkbox to submit network render job.

Supported lights: All bundled 3ds max lights, all Vray Lights
Supported cameras: All bundled 3ds max cameras, Vray PhysicalCamera

Version Requirement: 
3ds max 2008-202x
AttachmentSize
batchcamerarender_1.17.ms245.88 KB
batchcamerarender_1.18.ms245.92 KB

Comments

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mali's picture

render elements in vray3

There are scene states, I put my shortcuts back on the quad menu.
Sergo, any news on the update? I noticed now when I switched to vray 3 and max 2015 that render elements are not saved. Thank you for your scripts!
EDIT: Now I see that when I disable VFB in the script, it renders out all the passes, but it saves them double as tga and without AA. I can't see where I would change this setting...

tomaszzero's picture

Gamma

Hey Sergo, thanx for this great script. I have one problem with both Camera Batch render and Camera Batch Render 2. When i render the pic with vray frame buffer enabled it is much darker than it should be, and when i render it without vfb it is brighter. I think it is some gamma problem. I found your advice to save renders as exr with gamma set to 1 and also your workaround method in Camera Batch Render 2 thread, but nothing worked for me... Help please, because this is the best batch camera script so far...

Edit:
I've just noticed, that when max is computing irr map and light cache it looks similar (i mean brightness) for renders with script and without it - so there is problem probably with only final render's brightnes. When i enable vfb in script also IRRmap and LC looks darker when processing... Weird

Edit2:
The problem occurs only in frame window while computing rendering. Saved file has gamma = 1 while i need it to be gamma 2.2.

Edit 3:
I figured out what about your workaround method and it worked but image was saved with gamma 2.2 and this gamma is the same as in frame buffer - too bright (normally, rendering without script is darker - this is proper brightness)

sergo's picture

No scenestates in max2014? What the ...!!!

Sorry guys, but I'm still using 2012, so I have no idea what's going on newer verions.
There are scenestate commands in Customize->Toolbars but they don't seem to work. Why they kept toolbar commands then?!

jnknll's picture

Thinkbox Deadline Support?

Since we had troubles with backburner, we switched to thinkbox deadline. Are you considering doing a support for that too?

@asymptote: Scene States do not open in 3dsmax2014 any more, the only way to get working states is starting your scene with at least one state in 2012 or 2013 and then open the (empty) scene in 2014. (but I didn't try 2015)

asymptote's picture

"so I'll start to update my

"so I'll start to update my script soon."

This is good news indeed!

Is it just me or do Scene States not work with Max 2014 ? I never get any in the drop down, no matter how many I set up in the scene.

sergo's picture

I've never came across that kind of bug

Let me check on my machine.

The other thing - I've got Vray 3.0 now, so I'll start to update my script soon.

Managing Scene States.'s picture

you are rendering with no assigned file ..how can i avoid that.

each camera have embedded exr channels....and they render fine on use current frame but when i change it to frame 2 i get (you are rendering with no assigned file) 

fajar's picture

also theres no element saved

also theres no element saved in vray 2.4 ! I try v2 and its perfectly save my element.

niighthawk's picture

you should add an option to

you should add an option to only render element in the memory without save, like that when the render is over it would save everything in the same .exr ( all layers + elements ) like the original VFB already does

niighthawk's picture

EXR

Hi any update on the EXR multilayer elements ?

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