Batch rending multiple scenes?

[Doogie]

bat files are "batch" files. It's just a text file with a list of DOS commands. (change the .txt to .bat)

so, for example:

Render scene1.mb
Render scene2.mb
Render scene3.mb


that simple text will render all three of your scenes just by running the bat file.


note: Ctrl-C will exit the bat file, if needed.

Google will show you more about bat files (theres other cool stuff like pause or echo as well as flow control stuff). Or Render -h (or help docs) will show you flags for the Render command line.

[Mananetwork]

Alright so I made a .bat file and put it into my scene dir. I put in what you put:

Render scene_name.mb
Render scene_name2.mb

When i went into cmd and executed it it said:
'Render' is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

[lazzhar]

You should add the Aliaswaveront folders in the envirement variables so you.
If so, just select your scenes and right click then select render, it would start rendering every scene selected.

[Mananetwork]

sorry lazzhar, I didn't understand that

[Doogie]

Well... back when you installed Maya it asked "would you like me to set environment variables?" What that would have done is you could type stuff like "fcheck" "maya" or "Render" from any directory, and it would launch the proper app. Now, you have 2 choices... you can either type the entire path everytime (C:\Program Files\AliasWavefront\Maya5.0\bin\Render.exe) or set up the environment variables.

To access environment variables in WinXP, right-click on My Computer and select properties. From there, click on the Advanced tab. At the bottom of the window there should be a button saying "environment variables"

make a new System Variable. Mine, for example is
Variable Name: Path
Variable Value: C:\Program Files\AliasWavefront\Maya5.0\bin;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem


I dunno if you have to restart or not..

-Paul

PS: lazzhar was saying if you right-click on your scenefile, you can click render from there. This, of course, is only avaliable if you did a proper install.

[Mananetwork]

Tried that, but still not rendering.
Can I also plug that same expression into my C:\Documents and Settings\USE_NAME\My Documents\maya\5.0\Maya.env ?

[Doogie]

hmm... It wouldnt be the env, because Maya doesnt really load.

Methinks (windows) environment veriables are your problem.... did you restart? at the Console, try typing echo %path%. Or even try:
%path%/Render.exe scenefile01.mb
%path%/Render.exe scenefile02.mb
%path%/Render.exe scenefile03.mb


(if this doesnt work... hopefully someone else has a better answer)
At least you know how to author a bat file though =P

[Mananetwork]

Doesn't seem to work :S
This time it gives me an error of 'C:/Program' is not a va..

[Doogie]

haha... thats because of the space in the path. If you were to put it in quotes (like you would usually do for this) it would take it as literal and not a variable.

You got any friends that are good with configuring and setting up Windows (or a forum)?

I'm out of ideas unless I can sit down infront of the computer and just randomly play with things.

[Mananetwork]

So I put quotations in and it started rendering. Once it got to the end of the scenes I set it to render it started rendering the set project I had left maya :S

[Doogie]

Your computer is possessed by the devil

[Mananetwork]

Do you by any chance might be an exorcist? LOL
Well thanks for your help. I might reinstall maya sometime soon and check what picking a variable means

[WhiteRabbitObj]

Sorry to be OT here, but does anyone know if there is a script on the net anywhere to set up render batches? It seems like it would be an easy thing to write and it could just output a .bat for you. Definitely would be handy if anyone knows of something. Thanks.

[Mananetwork]

Try highend3d.com

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