[Darby Edelen]

The Output Module makes very little difference in render time.

You should try changing the Render Settings. This is located just above the Output Module in the Render Queue. The ‘Draft Settings’ preset may reduce render times significantly, it disables motion blur, turns off bilinear smoothing and reduces render resolution to half (this is different then setting size in Output Module or Composition Settings).

Very often though I’ll simply use the ‘Best Settings’ and change the Resolution to Half in the settings (click on the text ‘Best Settings’ to edit the settings). Half resolution can improve render times up to 4x alone.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

I haven’t. I’m planning on taking the question directly to the Maxon managed Cineversity forums but I’ve been so busy with work that it’s slid to the back burner.

I’ll post again if I find anything.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

I never use the MPEG-4 encoder. H.264 is what I’d recommend using in almost every case.

Also you may want to check out the Multiplexer tab in the Format Options of the Output Module. There should be a Stream Compatibility drop down and one of the options is iPod which generally should improve compatibility with most mobile devices.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

Here’s the slightly easier but less robust way, applied to Particles/sec:


max = 1000;
min = 0;
l = thisComp.layer("MyNullsName");
s = l.transform.position.speedAtTime(time - thisComp.frameDuration);
linear(s, min, max, 0, value);


‘max’ is the speed at which the emitter emits at its keyframed value and ‘min’ is the speed at which the emitter stops emitting (0 is stopped).

Here’s a more robust way that will allow for parenting of the Null that controls the emission:


max = 1000;
min = 0;
l = thisComp.layer("MyNullsName");
s = length(l.toWorld(l.anchorPoint) - l.toWorld(l.anchorPoint, time - thisComp.frameDuration)) / thisComp.frameDuration;
linear(s, min, max, 0, value);


Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

What I’d usually do in this situation is set the background 2D and position it as you like.

Then you can use a 3D white solid (or several) with Accepts Lights: Off and Accepts Shadows: On set to the Multiply blend mode above your 2D background. You can position the 3D white solids as you see fit to get the best shadows possible.

This separates the shadowing and the color/transform properties of your background.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

[Brian Jones] “it’s possible to see the images when someone forgets to copy and paste the link by clicking on the poster’s name.”

Thanks for the tip Brian 🙂

It looks like you’re using Global Illumination. Depending on the settings that can increase render times significantly. Is GI the only way to achieve the look you want in this case? Perhaps some well placed lights would achieve a similar result without the overhead that GI adds.

I’m not necessarily saying that you shouldn’t be using GI, sometimes it makes the most sense, but have you considered alternatives for this scene?

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

I agree with Brian.

I might recommend keeping the original geometry and a copy of the orange after being split so that you have the option of transitioning from a whole orange to the split orange. That may prove useful if you run into phong angle issues down the road.

I like using Reflection instead of Specular if I have the time. Specular is an approximation of light reflections the upside being that it’s inexpensive to render. However, with true reflections you can actually see the shape of the object (light) being reflected. Of course having lights appear in reflections either requires Area Lights with “Visible in Reflections” enabled or geometry with luminance. Sometimes if I want some fast lighting but nice reflections I will make some luminous geometry a child of a point light and set it to be Excluded by the light.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

I have to be honest, I’m not the best UV mapper.

If I were in your situation I might try manually scaling the vertices of the UVs inward row by row with a checkerboard pattern on the bottle. Keep an eye on the render viewport for any problems as you do so and tweak the UVs until they look correct.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

The images didn’t come through on your post. If you used the image upload feature here on the COW you need to select the image in the window that pops up and copy the embed code and paste it into your post.

The thing I’m most curious about in your posting is when you say you have the “render setting to best quality.” Is that referring to the anti-aliasing section of the render settings? Depending on your scene that can have a huge impact on render times. It’s also important to consider that the resolution of the images you’re rendering has a big impact on render times as well as any features that may require lots of sampling such as: Ambient Occlusion, Subsurface Scattering, Area Lights, Blurry Reflections, Global Illumination, etc.

However, 276 frames in about 18 hours on one 4-core computer isn’t that slow. That translates to a little less than 4 minutes per frame. Depending on your render settings and the scene that should be expected.

Darby Edelen

[Darby Edelen]

Seeing the light in the timeline and it’s settings would help as well. One thought off the top of my head, does the light have a fall off? If so, remove it and see if that helps.

Darby Edelen