Resolved Rendering using the 64 bit version

[Pitcher]

I started using the 64 bit version of A:M and loved the way it operated. Then I tried to render. Then I looked online for a solution as to why it would not render. I discovered an answer that indicated we were to look for a license file and transfer that to a 32 bit version when we wanted to render because we were licensed for both versions. I went back to the 32 bit version of Version 15i which I had before because I did not want to change versions every time I wanted to render.

 

My question is whether the 64 bit version of version 18 will render soon (it's been a while since I tried it the first time and maybe the current build already renders. I don't know.)? If it doesn't render, am I supposed to install the 64 bit and 32 bit versions on my computer and move the license file back and forth as I render and work? Is there an easy way to do this? I did not stop to investigate all of this at the time because I was working on a project and wanted to move along with it, rather than figuring out how to make this work around go smoothly. Has anyone been using the 64 bit version, and is it a big hassle to change back and forth, or is there a good way to do it that is not too time consuming? Thanks for your help. (I really hope the 64 bit version now renders. Working in it is wonderful. Rendering is the only problem I noticed.)

[Fuchur]

just does not render to video file formats but to image sequences or what do you mean by "does not render"?

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[Rodney]

Yes, the 64bit version does render so we need a little more information here.

[Pitcher]

You are right Fuchur. I overstated. I remember now that it does render for image sequences. I usually render to .avi. I've not made any movies by rendering image sequences and then compressing them in another piece of software. Maybe I need to learn how to do that. Sometimes I go eagerly into the future, but other times, I am dragged kicking and screaming. Does rendering an image sequence and then compressing it into an .avi later require expensive additional software, or is it something I could download for free? I really like the convenience of getting an .avi out of A:M, but this could be the time to learn something new. I use Windows. I have various movie editing software like Pinnacle, Sony Movie Studio, or Camtasia, but I have always started the edit with a movie (avi or mpg-2) rather than an image sequence. Actually, I thought about it a minute and realize that I could import the images into the editing program (if the format is compatible) and put them on the timeline and edit them just like a video, but it's something new. I'll have to take a few more minutes to think about it and make it part of my normal routine.

[Rodney]

There are many advantages to rendering to images sequences rather than movie formats.

 

As for free solutions... you can launch the 32bit version of A:M side by side with the 64 bit version and use a number of methods to transfer sequential images to movie files.

The easiest of which is to use the 'Save As Animation' option to quickly make the transfer.

 

A few of the benefits to rendering to image sequences:

- Saves memory

- Prevents losing the entire render should something go wrong (if something does interupt the render all we have to do is pick up where the last image in the sequence left off).

- Better compositing

- Use of the individual images for things other than the final movie

And more that I'm not currently thinking of...

 

I've been using the free (and very powerful) Black Magic Fusion which makes short work of image sequences.

It has a number of useful feature related to that such as supplying the number of image in the sequence right from the opening dialogue.

Fusion is a node based compositor but with two nodes (an input and an output) you've just added another renderer to A:M. Make the output just about any format you want. Need a Quicktime movie? No problem.

 

Perhaps even better, Fusion has a render manager so that you can set up and rerender on the fly in the background.

This might not seem to handy until you realize that all you have to do in A:M is replace an image anywhere in a sequence and then launch Fusion to update the final product.

Of course the power of Fusion goes way beyond that but for easily cropping images, adding text and effects... it's hard to beat tools used by Hollywood.

I'm not trying to promote Fusion though but I am trying to promote rendering to image sequences.

I often switch back and forth between 32bit and 64bit versions of A:M because while one is rendering I can work in the other.

 

One thing you don't want to do if you can help it is renderer the same frames from A:M unnecessrily as that will slow down production considerably.

Rendering to image sequences is the first and best means of leveraging your renders and outputting them to anything you want.

[Pitcher]

Thanks for the detail. This will help a lot. I appreciate knowing the advantages also.

[robcat2075]

64-bit A:M does render to AVI

 

Under Format>Save Options>Set you must choose "Full frames (uncompressed)" or "Microsoft Video 1" as your compression.

 

However, "Full frames" will make huge files and Microsoft Video" is a poor codec, but they do work for those instances when you HAVE to have an AVI.

 

Quicktime is not available yet for 64-bit programs in Windows.

[Fuchur]

Actually you can even render to AVIs with Codecs, but the codecs have to be 64bit codecs... the default once on windows are most often 32bit once for encoding...

 

I found a few of those which worked, but in the end it really is not worth the work and trial and error you are going through since it really is better to render to images in all known situations anyway...

You can even render to images and recompress these to a movie file afterwards using A:M. Since the images are already rendered and you are just putting them together this is very fast anyway.

 

This is how that can be done:

1.) Render to imagesseuqence from A:M (for instance TGAs)

2.) In A:M go to the PWS and right-click on the "Images"-folder >"import image-sequence". (be sure that the checkbox below the explorerbox is checked)

3.) The new entry should look like a nivue strup in the Image-folder now. Rightclick on it an choose "Saves as Animation".

4.) Choose the codec you want to work with and hit save as. Depending on the movie length and codec it may take from a few minutes to seconds to compress them into a movie file.

 

There are two diferent options here:

Go the uncompressed rroute... this is a very easy one but you need quite a lot of harddisc space inbetween. (the uncompresses movie can however be recompressed to any other format by most converts... I for instance recommend Miro Video Converter, which will render it to MP4 and many more for free and makes the movie automatically web- and mobile-friendly...

 

Get a codec with 64bit support for encoding...

 

However what I do is to use my editing software (Sony Vegas here) to import the image squences and to put sound and music under my animations and render it from there...

I think this is a common way... the other one would be to first use a Postproduct-software like AfterEffects, Nuke or Fusion... but this is a more expensive route and is only useful if you need special effects or live-action-compositing with your 3d output.

See you

*Fuchur*

[robcat2075]

Quicktime Pro is not free ($29.99) but that is what i use to compress my image sequences and re-compress my AVIs from screen cam movies.

 

I like it because has control over both video and audio compression.

[Pitcher]

Thanks for all of the information. I really enjoy the way the 64 bit version works. The rendering was my great issue, but you have resolved it. I think this is a great step forward for me.