Script to write individual-frame batch files?

[MCronin]

Are you using Windows? If so, I'd be happy to write a little application for you that would spit out a script file for you. It shouldn't take too long. Just post an example of what the script should look like and I'll give it a go.

[bentllama]

Now I am no MEL guru by any means...but couldn't you just query the timerange and use that number [the framecount] to successively render each frame?

BigFatMelon might be the guy to ask about this...

Or another way you could do it is to write a batch file that has every frame specified in the file.

[Stahlberg]

bentllama, I'm no MEL guru either, quite the opposite in fact. :) My problem is this file is too heavy to render from Maya, so I close it to run a batch file. But even then it's too heavy on this one machine, it will start executing one line in the batch file, then after a couple frames either freeze up or crash and go to the next line. I'm hoping - by keeping each batch real short - that it won't get to the freezing-up point, so ideally I want to write out one batch for each frame, or maybe every second frame. That should do it I think.

Thanks MCronin, that would be great, save me from carpal tunnel! :) I'm using WindowsXP on that machine.

[ACFred]

Try downloading and installing Smedge on that one computer. Smedge allows you to set a frame range, say 1-150, and then set a packet size. A packet is the number of frames that will be rendered for the individual mayabatch instance. If you set packet size to 2, it'll do 2 frames, mayabatch will stop and the next instance of mayabatch will start, etc.

Smedge is available at:
www.uberware.net/smedge2/ (http://www.uberware.net/smedge2/)

Hope that helps.....

[MCronin]

Arghh, and I really wanted to write this stupid little program:)

Anyway, it's a general purpose script/batch generator, and it's almost done. Right now it's a console app, if Win XP has a console, you should be able to use it. If people like it I'll put a GUI on it. Check back here in a bit and I'll post it.

[MCronin]

http://home.earthlink.net/~mdcronin1/images/batchmonkey.exe

Here's the program.

It's pretty simple.

It asks for two strings of text a range and an increment vaule.

So, if you say,

string1: "render blahblah"
start: "1"
end: "2000"
increment: "1"
string2: ".tif"

it's going to output a file

render blahblah1.tif
render blahblah2.tif
render blahblah3.tif
.
.
.
render blahblah2000.tif

It'll use floating points if you want half values or whatever in the range, but it doesn't do padding (0001, 0002, etc)

If you need padded numbers let me know. If you'd rather have a littel GUI let me know. If you need a different format for the text let me know.

[MCronin]

There was something severly wrong with that last version. I just posted a new one. It should work fine now.

http://home.earthlink.net/~mdcronin1/images/batchmonkey.exe

[Stahlberg]

Wow thanks, what a great forum! I'll try both Smedge and yours MCronin - man I'm jealous! Wouldn't it be great to be able to say "I'm going to write some software now..." :)

[MCronin]

Here's a new that outputs scripts like this:

<USER TEXT> -s 0 -e 0 <MORE USER TEXT>
<USER TEXT> -s 1 -e 1 <MORE USER TEXT>
etc.

as per Mr. Stahlberg's request. Hope you guys find it useful. Again, if anyone is using it, and want's it to do other things like padding or have a GUI or whatever just PM me.

http://home.earthlink.net/~mdcronin1/images/SSmayabatch.exe

[alexx]

hey steven,

if you use NT you can open a command shell and type in the following line:

for /L %a in (10,1,100) do render -s %a -e %a myScene.mb

that will render the frames 10-100 with a stepping of 1, meaning one by one which is what i guess you need

have fun

cheers

alexx

[Stahlberg]

Thanks alexx, that's very useful to know. Is there an 'NT manual for dummies' or something, where would I find out more stuff like this?

Thanks, MCronin, script works great!

[alexx]

i am quite sure there is something like that but i dont know one.
sorry..

[DimitrisLiatsos]

Hi Mr. Stahlberg !!!

when my renders crach(mainly 'cuase of memory) i just write a simple Batch file " render.bat" which i put in the project


The file inside has a simple mel structure with many lines like these below ( example..not the correct mel)

Render -filename from frame 1 to 10
Render -filename from frame 11 to 20
Render -filename from frame 21 to 30
Render -filename from frame 31 to 40
..
..

Render -filename from frame 91 to 100


Just an easy way to leave the render and get some sleep!!!

:)

[playmesumch00ns]

get perl installed on your machine, then just make a perl script to do this for you, piece of piddle. It's definitely worth having in the long run too

[playmesumch00ns]

It would be even easier if windows had a proper shell *sigh*

[MCronin]

psst..Maya runs on Linux, OSX and Irix. Don't tell anyone.

[Stahlberg]

Perl... heard of that, but couldn't tell the difference between a perl script and any other scripting language (except maybe html and mel) if you held a gun to my head. And at 43 I think I'm probably too old to learn (and too busy anyway). I'm not stupid, I'm good at reading, but... I don't know...

If I could, and did have time, where should I start? And how? Books from Amazon.com? Just curious. and a bit jealous... :)

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