When dealing with scenes with multiple layers where each layer
has its own frame range, or frame ranges that perhaps don't overlap,
most folks have been submitting separate jobs for each layer.
I have a version of submit-maya that lets you specify multiple layers
with frame ranges for each, so that a /single/ job is constructed
and that single job handles rendering the different layers and
frame ranges, being sure not to render any layer beyond its specified
frame range.
EXAMPLE
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So for instance, instead of submitting a job with a fixed frame range:
Frames: 1-150
Batch Frames: 5
Maya Flags: -rl fg,bg,tail
You can specify your layer names and frame ranges for each, eg:
Frames: (leave blank)
Batch Frames: 5
Layers And Frames: fg 20-80
bg 1-100
tail 100-150
When that job runs:
o The 'fg' pass only renders during frames 20 thru 80
o The 'bg' pass only renders during frames 1 thru 100
o The 'tail' pass only renders during frames 100 thru 150
The frame ranges can overlap, or be far apart. The script will
create a frame range that covers them all without spending time
rendering layers that don't have frames to be done outside their range.
Batching can be used as well
DOWNLOAD
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You can download and use this script if you're running 102.42a9c or higher.
The download link is:
http://www.seriss.com/rush/releases/beta/submit-maya-with-layers-and-frames--03-18-2011.zip
Use your /beta testing/ download login/password.
If you don't have a beta login, contact me directly from your business email account
and I'll set you up with a free beta login. (You just have to be up to date on support)
INSTALL
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To install, just unzip it to an empty directory on your file server.
I'd suggest copying in your own .common.pl file (to replace the one
that's in the zip file), or modify the .common.pl file to taste (eg. the FixPath() function).
One thing you should modify though (or at least check) is the
environment variable settings at the top of the submit-maya.pl
to make sure they're appropriate for the version of Maya you're running.
What's new will be under the 'Maya' tab of the submit form; there is a new field
called "Layers And Frames" where you can specify layer names and frame ranges.
Click the "?" for that field to see how it works.
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