If you use depth map shadows,
by default Maya calculates at least one depth map for each depth-map
enabled light source and for each frame of the animation during
rendering.
In some cases, you can
reduce rendering times by saving and reusing a light’s depth map.
See the following table to determine if reusing a depth map is advantageous
for your particular circumstance.
Maya saves depth map
files in the renderDate/depth directory
of the current project, by default.
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Do this... |
Rendering a single frame
several times, each time making adjustments to object or light properties,
but not moving lights or objects, the depth map does not change and
can be reused.
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Set Disk
Based Dmaps to Reuse Existing Dmap(s).
Maya calculates the depth map the first time you render and save
it to disk. During each subsequent render, Maya reads the depth
map from disk.
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Rendering an animation
in which the light or the objects it illuminates do not move (for
example, a camera fly-through), the depth map does not change from
frame to frame and can be reused.
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Set Disk
Based Dmaps to Reuse Existing Dmap(s) and
turn off Dmap Frame Ext. Maya calculates
the depth map when it renders the first frame and save it to disk. During
each subsequent frame render, Maya reads the depth map from disk.
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| Rendering an animation in which lights and, or the objects
they illuminate do move, the depth map changes from frame to frame.
If you are rendering the entire animation several times, each time
making adjustments to object or light properties, but not changing
the way lights or objects move, the depth maps for each frame is
the same as in the initial render and can be reused.
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Set Disk
Based Dmaps to Reuse Existing Dmap(s) and
turn on Dmap Frame Ext. Maya calculates
the depth maps for each frame the first time you render the animation
and save them to disk. During each subsequent render, Maya reads
the depth maps from disk.
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| Rendering a single frame or an animation, have previously
saved depth maps to disk, and have moved lights and, or the objects it
illuminates, the depth maps are now different, and you cannot reuse
the depth masks on disk.
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Set Disk Based Dmaps to Overwrite Existing
Dmap(s). Render the frame or animation once. Maya calculates
the depth map(s) and save them disk, overwriting any depth map(s)
that already exist on disk.If you want to continue adjusting object
or light properties, but not move lights or objects, set Disk
Based Dmaps to Reuse Existing Dmap(s).
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| Rendering a single frame or an animation, have previously
saved depth maps to disk, but do not want to use the depth maps that
are on disk.
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Set Disk Based Dmaps to Off.
Maya calculates the depth map(s) every time you render. Maya does
not read depth maps from disk. Maya does not save depth maps to
disk.
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