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Synopsis

hwRender([acceleratedMultiSampleSupport=boolean], [activeTextureCount=boolean], [camera=string], [currentFrame=boolean], [currentView=boolean], [edgeAntiAliasing=[uint, uint]], [fixFileNameNumberPattern=boolean], [frame=float], [fullRenderSupport=boolean], [height=uint], [imageFileName=boolean], [layer=name], [limitedRenderSupport=boolean], [lowQualityLighting=boolean], [noRenderView=boolean], [notWriteToFile=boolean], [printGeometry=boolean], [renderHardwareName=boolean], [renderRegion=[uint, uint, uint, uint]], [renderSelected=boolean], [textureResolution=uint], [width=uint], [writeAlpha=boolean], [writeDepth=boolean])

Note: Strings representing object names and arguments must be separated by commas. This is not depicted in the synopsis.

hwRender is NOT undoable, queryable, and NOT editable.

Renders an image or a sequence using the hardware rendering engine

Return value

boolean

In query mode, return type is based on queried flag.

Keywords

hardware, rendering

Related

hwRenderLoad

Flags

acceleratedMultiSampleSupport, activeTextureCount, camera, currentFrame, currentView, edgeAntiAliasing, fixFileNameNumberPattern, frame, fullRenderSupport, height, imageFileName, layer, limitedRenderSupport, lowQualityLighting, noRenderView, notWriteToFile, printGeometry, renderHardwareName, renderRegion, renderSelected, textureResolution, width, writeAlpha, writeDepth
Long name (short name) Argument types Properties
printGeometry(pg) boolean createquery
Print the geomety objects as they get translated.
lowQualityLighting(lql) boolean createquery
Disable lighting evaluation per pixel (fragment). Note: The values passed via the command will override settings stored in the hardware render globals node.
renderSelected(rs) boolean createquery
Only renders the selected objects.
textureResolution(res) uint createquery
Specify the desired resolution of baked textures.
frame(f) float create
Specify the frame to render.
currentFrame(cf) boolean createquery
Render the current frame.
noRenderView(nrv) boolean createquery
When turned on, the render view is not updated after image computation
camera(cam) string createquery
Specify the camera to use. Use the first available camera if the camera given is not found.
currentView(cv) boolean createquery
When turned on, only the current view will be rendered.
edgeAntiAliasing(eaa) [uint, uint] createquery
Enables multipass rendering. Controls for the number of exposures rendered per frame are provided in the form of two associated flag arguments. The first specifies the sampling algorithm:
  • 0 - Uniform Weighted Grid Sampling
  • 1 - Rotated Grid Super Sampling (RGSS)
  • 2 - Gaussian Weighted Sampling
Use of a sampling method other than the others listed above, will result in use of the default sample method of Uniform Weighted Grid Sampling. The second argument specifies a number of samples to use. For each sampling algorithm there is a fixed set of sample counts available:
  • 0 - Uniform Weighted Grid Sampling
    • 1 Sample
    • 3 Samples
    • 4 Samples
    • 5 Samples
    • 7 Samples
    • 9 Samples
    • 16 Samples
    • 25 Samples
    • 36 Samples
  • 1 - Rotated Grid Super Sampling (RGSS)
    • 1 Sample
    • 4 Samples
    • 5 Samples
  • 2 - Gaussian Weighted Sampling
    • 1 Sample
    • 3 Samples
    • 4 Samples
    • 5 Samples
    • 7 Samples
    • 9 Samples
    • 16 Samples
    • 25 Samples
    • 36 Samples
Using a sampling count other than the allowable options for the given sampling method will result in using the default sample count of 5. The values passed via the command will override settings stored in the hardwareRenderGlobals node.
writeAlpha(a) boolean createquery
Read the alpha channel of color buffer and return as tif file.
writeDepth(d) boolean createquery
Read the depth buffer and return as tif file.
renderRegion(reg) [uint, uint, uint, uint] createquery
The renderRegion flag pass the render region to the hwRender command. The parameters are 4 integers, indicating left right bottom top of the region.
width(w) uint createquery
The width flag pass the width to the hwRender command. If not used, the width is taken from the render globals settings.
height(h) uint createquery
The height flag pass the height to the hwRender command. If not used, the height is taken from the render globals settings.
notWriteToFile(nwf) boolean createquery
This flag is set to true if the user does not want to write the image to a file. It is set to false, otherwise. The default value of the flag is "false".
limitedRenderSupport(lrs) boolean query
This flag when used with query will return whether limited rendering is supported on the current graphics system. Please see the graphics card qualification charts for the current definition of limited support.
fullRenderSupport(frs) boolean createquery
This flag may be used in the create or query context. In the create context, it will force the renderer to abort and not render any frames if the hardware is not fully supported. In the query context, it will return whether full quality rendering is supported on the current graphics system. Please see the graphics card qualification charts for an explanation of limited support.
acceleratedMultiSampleSupport(ams) boolean query
This flag when used with query will return whether the graphics supports hardware accelerated multi-sampling.
renderHardwareName(rhw) boolean query
This flag will create a graphics context and return the name of the graphics hardware being used. The graphics hardware is determined by creating an off screen buffer and querying the GL_RENDERER string from OpenGL. If the off screen buffer cannot be created an empty string is returned.
imageFileName(ifn) boolean createquery
This flag let people query the image name for a specified frame. The frame can be specified using the "-frame" flag. When no "-frame" is used, the current frame number is used.
fixFileNameNumberPattern(fnp) boolean createquery
This flag allows the user to take the hardwareRenderGlobals filename as the initial filename pattern, fix the frame number pattern in the filename in a unique way, returns the new filename pattern. This does not change the hardwareRenderGlobals's filename.
activeTextureCount(atc) boolean query
This flag when used with query will return the number of textures that have been bound to the graphics by the hardware renderer.
layer(l) name createquery
Render the specified render layer. Only this render layer will be rendered, regardless of the renderable attribute value of the render layer. The layer name will be appended to the output image file name. The specified render layer becomes the current render layer before rendering, and remains as current render layer after the rendering.
Flag can appear in Create mode of command Flag can appear in Edit mode of command
Flag can appear in Query mode of command Flag can have multiple arguments, passed either as a tuple or a list.

Python examples

import maya.cmds as cmds

# Create a poly sphere.
cmds.polySphere()
# Render it
cmds.hwRender()
# Render the region where left=20, right=50, bottom=30, top=60.
# And do not write the output to a file.
#
cmds.hwRender( renderRegion=(20, 50, 30, 60), notWriteToFile=True )
# Render with the specified width and height.
#
cmds.hwRender( width=100, height=200 )
# Returns the imageFileName for image frame 11.
#
cmds.hwRender( imageFileName=True, frame=11 )
# Returns the imageFileName for current frame.
#
cmds.hwRender( imageFileName=True )
# Returns a version of the image file name after its number pattern
# being represented in a unique way.
#
cmds.hwRender( query=True, fixFileNameNumberPattern=True )
# Render the specified render layer.
cmds.hwRender( layer='layer1' )