Render window settings

Render File Output

The file output settings enable you to choose the output format for your rendered scenes.

Render File Output settings

The following rendering output file formats are supported.

Supported rendered output formats

File Output Format	Description
AVI	Renders the specified frames to an .avi file format. The AVI output format enables you to select a compressor from the list of compressors in the Video Compression dialog after you click Render. See Video Compression window.
MOV	Renders the specified frames to a .mov file format. The MOV output format enables you to select compression settings (based on the compression type) in the Compression Settings dialog after you click Render. See Compression Settings window
MP4	Renders the specified frame(s) to an MP4 file format.
JPG	Renders the specified frame(s) to a .jpg file format. The file name of the first frame is <name>0000.jpg (where <name> is specified in the Output File Name field). The next frame is saved to <name>0001.jpg, then to <name>0002.jpg, and so on.
TGA	Renders the specified frame(s) to a .tga file format. The file name of the first frame is <name>0000.tga (where <name> is specified in the Output File Name field). The next frame is saved to <name>0001.tga, then to <name>0002.tga, and so on.
TIF or TIFF	Renders the specified frame(s) to a .tif file format. The file name of the first frame is <name>0000.tif (where <name> is specified in the Output File Name field). The next frame is saved to <name>0001.tif, then to <name>0002.tif, and so on.
YUV	Renders the take in YUV color format, ideal for television output.

Use the Output File field to enter the path and name of the output file. Click Browse to navigate your file system, and select where to save the rendered file. If you type in the path and file name, remember to name your file using the proper extension so the rendered file can be loaded by other software.

Click () to open a file browser to let you locate the directory where you can save your rendered file.

Audio

Activate the Audio Enable option so you can render the audio in your scenes.

Note: The Audio option is available only when creating .avi and .mov and .swf renders.

The Rate menu lets you set a sampling rate for your computer’s audio hardware.

The Channels menu lets you choose whether the render is a stereo or mono file. You have two choices:

Option	Description
2 (Stereo)	Stereo audio sources contain separate left and right channels and display two waveforms.
1 (Mono)	Mono audio sources contain a single channel and display one waveform.

The Bit Depth menu lets you select the number of bits used by your computer’s audio hardware. You have the choice between 8, 16, and 24-bits.

You can select whether your output location is Embedded in Video, Standalone on Disk, or Embedded and Standalone. If you select the Standalone options, you can specify a Custom Standalone path or the file name can be Based on Images/Video File Names.

Frame Range

Use the Start Time field to set the starting frame or timecode. All animation before the start frame or timecode is not included in the rendered file.

The Start Time, Stop Time, and Step Time appear in frames per second or timecode format depending on the settings in the Transport Controls window.

Render Frame Range

Use the Stop Time field to set the end frame or timecode. All animation after the stop timecode is not included in the rendered file. When you click Render Movie, the scene is rendered from the Start Time until the Stop Time.

Use the Step Time field to set the increment used when rendering between the Start and Stop Times. By default, the increment is set to one frame.

Render Source

Use the Picture Format menu to select the resolution of the image to be rendered.

Render Source and Display Options

Changing the image size also changes the size of the preview window. MotionBuilder supports many resolutions from D1 NTSC (720 x 486) to full screen (1280 x 1024).

You can also set the image format by selecting the From Camera option and configuring the Current Camera’s settings. See Camera settings for more information on configuring camera settings.

Depending on the format you choose in the output format, you may also want to select a field rendering mode from the Field Mode menu.

Note: Field Mode is not available when rendering .swf files.

Use the Pixel Format menu to select the color depth of your image. Selecting the color depth may change the Hardware acceleration shown in the Render window Statistics section. MotionBuilder supports standard color depths.

Display Options

The Display Options include options concerning what information you want to appear on the rendered take.

Select the appropriate render type from the Display Options menu. The following options let you choose what is visible in the final render.

Option	Description
Current Viewing Mode	Select Current Viewing Mode to make the final render show whatever is currently shown in the Viewer window, including skeletons, markers, selected items and so on.
Normal	Select Normal to make the final render with only the model, without skeletons or markers.
Models Only	Activate Models Only to hide all markers, Nulls, skeletons, cameras, and other objects that are related to the MotionBuilder interface.
X-Ray	Select X-Ray to have the final render show everything that is shown in the Viewer window’s X-Ray mode.

The Stereo Display menu options enable you to select a Stereo Display mode before you render your scene. You must be looking through the Stereo camera in your scene for your selection to appear in the final render.

Render Display options mode

Choose from the following Stereo modes:

Option	Description
Center Eye	Look through the center stereo camera.
Left Eye	Look through the left stereo camera.
Right Eye	Look through the right stereo camera.
Active	Use your graphics card for stereo viewing. If you are using the NVidia Quadro line graphics cards, and you have turned on stereo mode, the Active menu item becomes live. The CRT monitor uses the page flipping method of stereo imaging. The settings that you have chosen for your stereo mode in your graphics card are respected; for example, the DIN connector will send signal to your 3D glasses. Note: Active mode requires a monitor with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
Horizontal Interlace	This viewing mode interlaces one row of pixels from the left camera with one row of pixels from the right camera and so forth. You obtain half the vertical resolution through this mode. Select this mode for polarized LCD monitors.
Checkerboard	This viewing mode alternates between one pixel from the left camera with one pixel from the right camera, forming a checkerboard pattern. You obtain half the vertical resolution and half the horizontal resolution through this mode. Select this mode for Samsung DLP 3D displays.
Anaglyph	MotionBuilder supports the red/cyan anaglyph mode. MotionBuilder composites the color output from the left camera with the color output from the right camera.
Luminance Anaglyph	The Luminance Anaglyph mode is similar to the Anaglyph mode, but the color output from the left and right cameras are first converted to grayscale before being composited on top of each other.
Freeview Parallel	Select this mode to see the left and right camera output side by side in the same window.
Freeview Crossed	This mode is similar to Freeview (Parallel), but the left camera output is displayed on the right while the right camera output is displayed on the left.
Current Stereo Mode	This mode makes your current selection in the Viewer > Display >Stereo Display menu active.

Activate Show Time Code to have the timecode appear on the rendered take.

Activate Show Safe Area to have the Safe areas display in the rendered take.

Activate Show Camera Label to have the Camera label (the white text in the bottom left corner of the Viewer window) display in the rendered take.

Activate Enable Antialiasing to add a slight blur when rendering. See Using Anti-aliasing with cameras for more information.

Pixel Format, Antialiasing, Show Time Code and Safe Area are not available when rendering .swf files.

Statistics

The Render window Statistics display the render status as your scene is being rendered. The Statistics area displays the render status while your scene plays in the Render window.

The Render window settings include the rendering Statistics and the option to enable or disable Offscreen Render.

Render Statistics pane

The Statistics area is only provided as a reference. You can modify the Statistics fields using the options in the Render Settings pane.

Field	Description
Total Frames to Render	Gives the total number of frames between the Start and Stop times.
Frames to Render	While rendering, acts as a counter showing how many frames remain to render.
Render Time	Indicates the elapsed rendering time, measured in seconds.
Time Estimated	Estimates the amount of time remaining to render the rest of your take.
Render Time Per Frame(s)	Shows the amount of time it takes to render each frame.
Hardware Acceleration	Displays the hardware accelerator used to render. The accelerator shown depends on your computer system.

Click Offscreen Render to render your scene to the selected Output File, using the selected Output Format.

Depending on what type of Output Format you have selected in the Render Settings pane, additional dialog boxes may appear first to let you define other settings. For example, when you select AVI as the Output Format, the Video Compression dialog box appears.

Refer to the descriptions of each format under the Render File Output section for more information on the additional dialog boxes.