Specify frame or field rendering

Motion picture film and video simulate motion by displaying a continuous sequence of images or frames.

When you render images as frames, Maya generates one image file for each time frame of an animation. By default, Maya renders images as frames.

When you render images as fields, Maya generates two image files for each time frame of an animation, one for each field. Maya renders a frame at time “x” by rendering one field at time “x” and one field at time “x+0.5”.

For information on the differences between film and video systems see Frames vs. Fields.

To properly view a frame or an animation rendered as fields, you must interlace the two fields together.

Tip: The settings you use for rendering images as fields may depend on the video standard you are using for the images, and how fields interlace together (for example, NTSC or PAL).

Before you render an animation as fields, perform a test render and use the test rendered images through your entire post-production process.

To render images as fields for Maya software rendering

1. Choose the Field option from the Maya Render Settings window. Interlacing is automatic.

To render images as fields for anything other Maya software rendering

1. In the Render Settings window, set the By Frame value to 0.5. This results in twice as many frames being rendered.
2. Turn on the Renumber Frames Using option and set Start Number and By Frame values to 1.
3. Interlace the resulting images using a third-party solution.

To interlace two fields together on Linux

1. See interlace for more information.