User Guide > Rendering > Mantra   

Test Rendering


As you create, animate, light and texture 3D scenes, you are working towards a final rendered sequence of images. Along the way, you will want to test render. This can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Topics covered:
Launch Render
Render Tool
Render Output Operators


Launch Render

At the bottom of the Viewer pane is the Launch Render button that lets you launch a rendering in mplay that matches the proportions of the Viewer pane. If a camera is active then this will match your output aspect ratio. This rendering is the same as going to the Viewer pane menu and selecting View > Launch Render.

The renderer used by default is View Mantra which is a Mantra renderer which has low quality settings. You can RMB-click on the Render button to get a menu of Render output operators that will offer you better quality. If there are not any available then you can create them as discussed below.

Note: After launching a rendering, closing mplay does not stop the rendering process. You need to press the Kill Renders (Alt-k) button or go to the Render Output Viewer pane and click Kill.


The Render Tool

You can also invoke a rendering directly in the Viewer pane. Press tab > Generic > Render then click drag a region over your objects in the Viewer. Again the quality of the rendering is determined by the renderer chosen from the Launch Render button menu. If you want to test out a different part of the view then simply draw out another region.

The rendered region will continue to update as long as you keep the Render tool active. If you change parameters, use the spacebar to make a view change or otherwise adjust your scene, the rendering will update. To quickly remove the rendered region, press the escape key which puts you in the View tool.

Note: If you are at the Geometry (SOPS) level working on a model and you invoke the Render tool, shaders you have applied at the Object level will not be recognized. You either have to assign the shader using a Shader SOP or go back up to the Object level.


Render Output Operators

In the Rendering an Image Sequence lesson, you can learn how to create Render Output Operators. You can use these to test render directly or to control the quality settings for the other techniques. This is the only way of creating test renderings of animated sequences.