Test render a low-res animation
 
 
 

If you want to get a feel for the final rendered look quickly, you can render of an entire animation (or a few selected frames) at a lower resolution.

Typically, a resolution half to a quarter of the size lets you get a good feel for the software rendered look. (As you get closer to achieving the final look during an animation, test render a few specific frames at the final resolution too.)

To test render an animation with command line rendering

  1. From a shell or command line, type:
    Render -r <renderer> <options> <scene>

    using the following options:

    -s <start_frame> The first frame of the animation to render.
    -e <end_frame> The last frame of the animation to render.
    -b <by_frame> The increment between frames to render.
    -x <image_x_resolution> The horizontal resolution of the rendered images.
    -y <image_y_resolution> The vertical resolution of the rendered images.

    For example, if an animation begins at frame 1 and ends at frame 100, and the final image resolution is 640 x 480, and you want to test render with Maya software the animation by rendering every ten frames, type:

    Render -r sw -s 1 -e 100 -b 10

    If you want to test render the animation by rendering with mental ray for Maya every frame at half the final resolution, type:

    Render -r mr -s 1 -e 100 -b 1 -x 320 -y 240

    For a complete list of Render options, in a shell or command line, type:

    Render -r <renderer> -help