User Manual

Override Composition Settings
Enable this option to use the Render Node’s local settings to render any incoming
compositions. Disable it to use the default settings that are saved into the composition.
Render Several Frames at Once
Fusion has the ability to render multiple frames at once for increased render throughput. This
slider controls how many frames are rendered simultaneously. The value displayed multiplies
the memory usage (a setting of 3 requires three times as much memory as a setting of 1).
Normal values are 2 or 3, although machines with a lot of memory may benefit from higher
values, whereas machines with less memory may require the value to be 1.
Simultaneous Branching
Enable this option to render every layer in parallel. This can offer substantial gains in throughput
but may also use considerably more memory, especially if many layers are used in the
composition. Machines with limited memory may need to have Simultaneous Branching
disabled when rendering compositions with many layers.
Limitations of Render Nodes
There are a few important limitations to remember while setting up compositions and rendering
over a network.
Time Stretching
Compositions using the Time Stretcher and Time Speed tools may encounter difficulties when
rendered over the network. Speeding up or slowing down compositions and clips requires
fetching multiple frames before and after the current frame that is being rendered, resulting in
increased I/O to the file server. This may worsen bottlenecks over the network and lead to
inefficient rendering. If the composition uses the Time Stretcher or Time Speed tools, make
certain that the network is up to the load or pre-render that part of the composition before
network rendering.
Linear Tools
Certain tools cannot be network rendered properly. Particle systems from third-party vendors,
such as Genarts’s Smoke and Rain, and the Fusion Trails node cannot render properly over the
network. These tools generally store the previously rendered result and use it as part of the
next frame’s render, so every frame is dependent on the one rendered before it. This data is
local to the tool, so these tools do not render correctly over a network.
Saving to Multi-Frame Formats
Multiple machines cannot render a single QuickTime file. Always render to separate sequential
file formats like EXR, DPX, JPEG, and so on. Once the render is complete, a single workstation
can load the image sequence in order and save to the desired compiled format.
Chapter – 55 Rendering Using Saver Nodes 1061