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

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
jwscott's picture

exposure/curves settings

Sergo,

When I adjust curves and exposure settings in the frame buffer, those settings are not baked into the output files from Batchcam (the changes are visible in frame buffer, though). I want what I'm seeing in the frame buffer to be what's saved to disk.

If I save the file manually, it looks right. Is there a setting I'm missing? I'm using version 1.9.8.1 with vray 2.20.0, 64bit, Windows 7.

Thanks,

Scott

sergo's picture

I've just thought that Custom

I've just thought that Custom Keywords may be helpfull when you want to switch the paths based on some criteria.

Here's an example:

var1 variable is set to name of box1.material

var2 is the conditional operation: if box1.material.name == something then var2 will be set to "test1"

So you can use any maxscript properties in Value field and then use variable name in paths.

k2000's picture

One more question just poped

One more question just poped out...

How the syntax works with "Custom Keywords and Names" ?
Can I use it in filename?
Example please.

Thanks

sergo's picture

>Realized I was using 1.9.7

>Realized I was using 1.9.7 instead of 1.9.8 couple of days ago...
>Tried to switch to 1.9.8. But when I press "RENDER" button I got error message window
> -- Unknown property: "SetElementsActive" in undefined
>any ideas?

Send me your scene if you can.

UPDATE - bug fixed in version 1.9.8.1

k2000's picture

New featureIs it possible to

New feature

Is it possible to add second OUTPUT PATH? And check boxes for each path.
During the work process I save files locally and then copy to the server.
When rendering overnight I normally save to the server.
So I need to change save path many times back&forth.
Maybe it's not very usefull for someone. But for me this could be very usefull.

Thanks

k2000's picture

Realized I was using 1.9.7

Realized I was using 1.9.7 instead of 1.9.8 couple of days ago...
Tried to switch to 1.9.8. But when I press "RENDER" button I got error message window

-- Unknown property: "SetElementsActive" in undefined

any ideas?

for the new scene script works fine.

Thanks

k2000's picture

...

oh, I see
just misunderstood the comparison description
surely will go for v2

THX !

sergo's picture

as far as I remember I didn't

as far as I remember I didn't change anything in render elements section in later version, except custom element naming. Ok, thank you, I'll make tests and see what's going on there.

P.S. But scene state works in v2. Do you mean lighting state?

k2000's picture

render elements windows

Hi,
I upgraded to 1.9.7.2 recently.
In 1.9.5 Render Elements windows automatically close after render is done.
Now all the windows are open and you have to close all of them manually. Not a big deal but... (this was a nice feature if compare to standard render window, if you need 10-15 render elements and then close then one by one)

Thx

P.S. didn't go for v2 yet as I need "scene state" feature for my current project.

sergo's picture

Thank you :)

Thank you :)

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.