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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sergo's picture

1.16 works on 2020

Hi @HarryPlotter,
I checked the script on max 2020 and it works fine. I didn't check vray because I don't have it.

Edited the title: 1.9.16 -> 1.16.

dead_lyric's picture

sergo

I'm a fool! I thought it was a gamma! thank

sergo's picture

Hi, @dead_lyric - note the

Hi,

@dead_lyric - note the Vray Multiplier setting in your screenshot shows 2.2, that's why vray buffer is 2200.

@HarryPlotter - I don't have access to 3ds max right now, so I won't be able to fix it now. Could you post the error message? Hopefully next week I'll be able to check.

dead_lyric's picture

resolution problem

why this happen?
all default settings

AttachmentSize
screenshot_1.jpg 108.39 KB
HarryPlotter's picture

BatchCamerRender 3DS Max 2020

Hello Sergo!
I am using your script for years now and really do not want to miss it a single day.
But since we moved from 2019 to 2020, it does not work anymore.
Some years ago, you tweaked the script for my workflow. Is it possible to send you the script, so that you can compile it for 2020?
Thank you, Harald

sergo's picture

Need a test case

Hi,
if you have troubles with the script in certain circumstances I will need to reproduce those on my machine. You will need to prepare a minimal scene where the problem is reproducible and email it to me.

Thanks,
Sergo.

Kheng's picture

Error

I am having error with my batchcam after one render it will give the error:

-- runtime error: isGroupHead requires a node

Theobarbosa's picture

Please, make it Corona-based!

Please, make it Corona-based!

TSchmiesing's picture

This continues to be hands

This continues to be hands down the best batch script out there. I love that it works with State Sets. Very happy to see it continuing to be developed, you should definitely make a donate button at the minimum, or just charge a nominal fee.

arcadio's picture

Disable warning of overwriting files

Amazing script. Im use it everyday. But there is one small thing which bother me a lot. When you render one set and after some corrections rerender again there is warning that files will be overwrited. when I render during whole night and in the middle there is this warning, half of my job wasnt finished.
I can disable it when warning pop up, but when I restart max, I have to disable it again.
So would be nice to have option to disable this warning or have some automatic renaming.
Anyway this sript is perfect. Perfect work. I can donnate if it would help to the developement.

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