Render pass Attribute Editor

User Guide > Rendering and Render Setup > Rendering > Rendering nodes > Render pass nodes >

Render pass Attribute Editor

Use this node to set your options for your render pass.

Render Pass Options

Renderable: Select this option to set the render pass as renderable. When set as renderable, the render pass (frame buffer) is defined in mental ray and written to disk upon rendering completion.
Type: Select the desired render pass type from the drop-down list.
Numbers of Channels: Set the number of channels for your render pass output. Some render passes support all types of channels, while some others only support a limited number of channels.
Frame Buffer Type: Select the framebuffer type from the drop-down list.
Filtering: Enable this option to use the same filter settings as selected in the Render Settings window. This option should be enabled in most cases.
Pass Group Name: Use this attribute to sort your render passes into logical file groups. The pass group name that you enter in this field is appended to the image file name when you include the <RenderPassFileGroup> render token in your File name prefix attribute in the File Output section in the Render Settings: Common tab.

For example, group your diffuse, specular and shadow passes into a pass group called Illumination. When rendering with openEXR, add the <RenderPassFileGroup> render token to your File name prefix attribute. All passes with Pass Group Name set to Illumination are concatenated under the Illumination exr file.

A render pass node may also have several of the following attributes, depending on the pass type:

NoteThe terms hidden and visible refer to whether or not an object is associated with the pass through one or more pass contribution maps.

Use Transparency: When this option is disabled, all objects in the scene turn opaque.
Holdout: Allows hidden objects to occlude. This option is useful for some compositing workflows.
Hidden Geometries Visible in Reflections: Enable this option to make hidden objects appear through visible reflective objects.
Hidden Geometries Visible in Refractions: Enable this option to make hidden objects appear through visible refractive objects.
Hidden Geometries Produce Reflections: Renders the reflections of visible objects through hidden objects.
Hidden Geometries Produce Refractions: Renders the refractions of visible objects through hidden objects.
Attenuate According to Transparency: Framebuffer values are modulated by material transparency. Only available for render pass types where it is pertinent. For example, if you render a 50% transparent surface and the object behind it is opaque, the diffuse for the opaque object is dimmed by 50% and written as is, since the object is being seen through a transparent surface.
Min Reflection Level / Max Reflection Level: The minimum and maximum number of times a light ray can be reflected. The maximum value is clamped by the Max Trace Depth value set in the Render Settings window, Quality tab.
Min Refraction Level / Max Refraction Level: The minimum and maximum number of times a light ray can be refracted. The maximum value is clamped by the Max Trace Depth value set in the Render Settings window, Quality tab.

Normalized 2D Motion Vector render pass attributes

The Normalized 2D Motion Vector pass node also includes these attributes:

Automatic Max Pixel Disp. / Max Pixel Disp.: If the Automatic Max Pixel Disp. option is selected, Maya calculates the maximum image resolution. For example, if the image resolution is 640x480, the biggest axis of the image, 640, is used.

Otherwise, if the Automatic Max Pixel Disp. option is disabled, Maya uses the value specified in Max Pixel Disp.
Min. Disp. Range / Max. Disp. Range: Specify how the motion vector should be remapped. For example, the default is 0 for the minimum and 1 for the maximum, with a maximum displacement of 256. Therefore, any value less than 0 is remapped to 0. Any value greater than 256 is remapped to 1, and a displacement of 128 is remapped to 0.5.
Extract Magnitude: If enabled, the length of the 2D vector is placed in the z-component. The length is also normalized; so, if the length is 256, the value written in blue channel would be 1 (assuming that the displacement value is 256).

Camera Depth render pass attributes

The Camera Depth pass node also includes these attributes: Near clipping plane / Far clipping plane, and Minimum buffer value and Maximum buffer value.

Use the attributes to normalize the camera depth value. For example, using the default values, any value less than 0 is normalized to 0 and any value greater than 1000 is normalized to 1. Alternatively, you can also use these attributes to clip objects out of the scene. You must enable the Remap Depth Values option in order for the near and far clipping planes and minimum and maximum buffer values to take effect.