RPManager Major Features

RPManager's extensive feature list is the result of being developed in a production environment, and has a production-user-driven development path.

• Interactive and Integrated Pass Management system - single click restoration of complete pass setup.

1. Unlimited Render Output setups (passes) per 3dsmax scene:
   Each pass supports individual
   · Output Path, Frame Range, Resolution, Options, etc.
   · Camera Assignment
   · Multipass Camera Effect settings
   · Renderer Parameters (including 3rd party renderers)
   · Network submission priorities
   · Render Effects
   · Atmospherics
   · Background Color, Background Map and enabled state, Ambient Light
   · Network Submission Priorities

1. Visibility Set System - build and manage object visibility sets for use with RPManager, assigned on a per pass basis, with tools for quickly adding/removing/redefining visibility sets. Objects can be members of multiple sets.

1. Object properties per pass, includes Capture Sets with Material Override per pass. Properties include all standard object/light/camera properties ie material, visible to camera, light multiplier, etc (82 default properties supported). as well as support for 3rd party object properties if maxscript access exists. Ability to enter manual properties to support advanced features like Custom Attribute values per pass (value and color supported - baseobject custom attributes).

1. Render Parameter Warning System - Configurable, warns for:
   missing output path, duplicate output path, unusual frame ranges (Nth frame, single frames, <5 frames, skip existing on), mixed frame ranges, non-black or almost black background, animated background/ambient color, mixed output sizes, Visibility Set assignment potential problems, pass suspended, among others.

1. 3rd-Party Renderer support - tested and has specific support for Brazil, Vray, MentalRay and FinalRender Stage1. Other renderers should work fine, but with no custom RPM renderer rollout (uses the main max render dialog for parameter editing).

• 3rd-Party Renderer, multiple pass parameter editing - where MXS access is available, this is a custom rollout exposing a number of the renderer's parameters to allow editing multiple passes renderer parameters simultaneously. Parameters not in this rollout can be edited in the standard rendering dialog on a pass by pass basis

• 3rd-Party Network Rendering Manager support - in addtion to Discreets Backburner you can submit jobs to Deadline (Frantic Films software), Rush (Seriss), or Smedge2 (Uberware).

• Before/After pass scripts - to take care of any custom or special parameters on a per-pass basis, or to perform any scripted function.

• Xrefs Scene settings per pass - includes material override for xref scenes and alternate paths per pass. Material override has proved to be extremely useful in production.
  
• Xrefs Scene Deferred Loading - xrefs are disabled in the working scene to speed opening and interactivity, and are enabled only by the netrendering server when the scene is opened to render, so the user need never wait for heavy xrefs to load.

• Preview override system for efficient preview renders with select rendering options disabled, ie camera multipass effect off, lower resolution frame, advanced lighting off, shadows off, AntiAliasing off, (optional) visual indicator of preview mode rendered in the image. Overrides for 3rd Party Renderers such as Brazil and Vray include GI disable, reduced GI rate, DOF disable, motionblur disable, AA rate, shadows disable, among others. Network or local render output can optionally use these settings for rendering preview sequences.

• Preview History: user configurable number of history items (rendered preview frames) and location for preview history. Preview frames can include optional info stamp - scene name, time/date, render time.

Additional Features

· Render Elements Per Pass. The full RE setup is stored and restored, and can be saved/restored for reusing setups. Includes a render element output path inspector. WHERE SUPPORTED BY RENDERER. If the renderer you are using does not support render elements, then RPM cannot make this available.

· Streamlined network submission of all passes - can be a single click for all passes.

· Auto Output Path generation with customisable output path construction.

· Optionally sets active time range to the passes output frame range for improved visual feedback.

· Output path inspector for viewing all output paths simultaneously, and editing of paths.

· RLA/RPF channels and output parameters storing/restoring per pass (recompiled rla.bmi, R5)

· Viewport/Render Scene Parameters restoration independant for streamlined workflow.

· External Ascii Data for editing output and some scene parameters external to 3dsmax and your scene, can be auto loaded on scene open.

· Network Manager controls for submitting to selected servers on a per pass basis, custom local server groups and the ability to import and use the Managers Global Groups.

· Scanline Radiosity setup per pass (ie lighttracer or radiosity state and settings)
· Default Raytracer settings per pass.

· Global Notes/Notes per pass for recording and describing setup - auto creation time stamped.

· Interface driven by tab system which allows multiple tab selections, tab presets, tab preset management tools, and the abiliity to lock the tab selection.

· Export/Import partial setup parameters (common parameters, pass names, render effects/atmospherics, some renderer parameters)

· Ramplay a rendered sequence or view current times rendered frame from an easily accessible RC menu.

· Basic integration with Iridas FrameCycler for loading rendered sequences from a RC menu.

· Copy rendered frames to a specified directory from within the interface, or easily 'Explore' the directory containing your frames from a RC menu saving directory navigation time.

· Always warns if non-full frame rendering is specified on render submit - region, selected etc - avoiding incorrect rendered images.

· Auto creation of directories as needed when paths manually typed in rather than using the image browser.

· Callback Script control to automatically add callbacks to network submissions on a per pass basis
- ie to do operations that only needs to be performed before a render by the render slave, such as having high resolution xref scenes swapped into the scene.

· Network Managers per pass, with stored list of managers for quick retrieval for studios with multiple or moving managers.

· Automatically build Digital Fusion/Combustion/AfterEffects 'seed' flows based on your passes.
· Quick Compositor for previewing your passes composited together and save time jumping from app to app.

· Integration with max Layers - use them as visibility or capture sets.

· Tabbed interface which allows multiple tabs to be selected an once, tab selection presets can be saved.

· Dockable.

See the Screenshots section for some examples of RPManager in use.

Click here for a list of RPManagerLite feature limitations