How to use Render Layers in Maya 7?

[bjoern]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2543983&postcount=5

[nemesis_256]

So do you always have to have all the objects on all layers but hidden? And when you render the masterlayer, does it actually render all the layers like it's supposed to? Like lets say you have some geometry you render in software and some particles you render in the hardware render. Would all those get rendered correctly when you render the master layer?

[benwatt]

So do you always have to have all the objects on all layers but hidden? And when you render the masterlayer, does it actually render all the layers like it's supposed to? Like lets say you have some geometry you render in software and some particles you render in the hardware render. Would all those get rendered correctly when you render the master layer?

No, you don't need to have all objects on all layers. Rather than go the way suggested in that other thread, a better method is to just not add these objects to your layer - that way they won't be visible anyway, there's no need to add an object to a layer, only to then make it hidden.

It's also very easy to remove objects from a layer if you change your mind (just right-click on the Layer and choose 'Remove Select Objects' from the Layers menu).

As for your second question - the masterlayer is just there to allow you to set different settings that apply to all layers (unless there is an override on another layer for a value changed). You can set all your layers to render, and then do a render and it'll put each layer on top of each other to make up your final image, but I've yet to get this to work with a Batch Render (it'll render out each layer as a seperate image meaning you'd still need a compositor).

[nemesis_256]

alright so I got that working...but there's another problem. I'm testing this out with a sphere and some particles going around it (by being attached to a motion path). Now I have the particles as the top layer with screen for the blend mode, and the sphere on the bottom with normal blending mode. The particles show up in front of the sphere in the render even when they're behind. Isn't there a way you can render them so the sphere covers them up when they're behind the sphere?

[oodle]

turn on geometry mask :thumbsup:

[nemesis_256]

I did (in the hardware renderer options) but it doesn't seem to do a difference...

[oodle]

works with me everytime,
maybe u could post the scene so one can see whats wrong

[Bernard397]

Hello,


I made a sphere and put it in render layer1. Then I made a cube and put it in render layer2.
How can I render both objects at the same time (cube+ sphere)? Which settings ?



OK, I found it...



many thanks



bernard

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