3D Compositing with Action > Action: Basics > Processing Multiple Outputs >
Selecting Objects to Output

You can select objects to include in your output by using the Object Options and List or the Edit Output mode. Objects that are part of an output are displayed in the Object List. For each selected object, you can decide if you want it to be visible in the final render or not. Non-renderable objects, such as lights and cameras, are always included in outputs.

TipWhen you create a new output in the Outputs list, it is empty by default. Enable All Objects to display all objects in the scene.

(a) Visibility box

To select an object:

1. In the Object List, click an object.

   Selected objects are highlighted in the Object List, schematic, and image window.

2. To select additional objects, Ctrl-click another object.
   NoteWhen you select multiple objects with different visibility settings (Visible or Occluded), Mixed is indicated in the Visibility box.

To output all objects:

1. In the Object Options, enable All Objects.

   All objects in the scene, as well as any object you subsequently create, are included in the selected output.

To set the visibility of an object:

1. Select an object from the Object List.
2. From the Visibility box, select one of the following:
   Occlude Only
     Renders the object as black, excluding it from the shading effect. The result is a perceptual hole where the object was originally located.

     The object is indicated by “(Occlude)” in the Object List.

   Visible
     Renders the object in the final render.

     The object is indicated by “(Visible)” in the Object List.

   NoteWhen the Output type is set to Normal or Z-Depth, the objects in Occlude Only mode are rendered normally; it will be part of the Normal or Z-Depth output. The Visibility mode is ignored.

To add or remove an object from the Object List:

1. From the Edit Mode box, select Edit Output or press Alt+E.
   NoteIn Edit Output mode, All Objects in the Object Options is disabled when you remove objects from the selected output.
2. Add or remove objects from the output by doing one of the following in the schematic:
   - Click an object. The complete tree of the object in the schematic must either be selected or grayed out for it to be included or excluded from the output.
   - Press Ctrl and drag in the schematic to add or remove multiple objects (or trees) from the output. This acts as a toggle between selected or greyed out (included or excluded from the output).

To set all objects to Visible mode:

1. Click Reset All.

   All objects in the selected output are set to the Visible mode.