Create and view depth files

For Maya software renderer only.

The depth channel represents the distance of objects from the camera.

To create a Depth file

  1. Turn on Depth Channel (Z Depth) in the Render Settings window.
  2. Open the renderable camera’s Attribute Editor in which you want to create a depth file.

    Select View > Camera Attribute Editor... from the current view. See Camera Attribute Editor.

  3. In the camera’s Attribute Editor, select a Depth Type from the Output Settings section (Closest or Furthest Visible Depth).

To view depth channels

  1. View the animation file using FCheck.
    Note: As of Maya 2020, FCheck is no longer supported on macOS.
  2. Press z to see the depth channel.

If you are using Arnold for Maya, see Z Depth AOV.