Changes in this update
v1.3.0.65:
- added option to render Redshift scene description files on Deadline for jobs submitted from Houdini
- added cleanup job for Houdini 3Delight Deadline submissions when using .nsi files for rendering
- preset scenes are not limited to supported application formats any more (e.g. you can create After Effects preset scenes now)
Redshift scene description rendering
This update adds an important features for Houdini users, which are rendering with Redshift on Deadline. Instead of a normal Houdini renderjob Prism can now export jobs to Deadline, which will be rendered by Redshift standalone. This is cutting down your license costs and it’s the standard rendering workflow in most bigger studios.
In the settings of an ImageRender state in Houdini there is a new setting called “Render .rs files” in the job submission group when a Redshift ROP is connected to the State.
If this setting is disabled Prism will submit one job to Deadline as before. This job will render with Redshift inside Houdini, which means it consumes one Redshift and one Houdini license while the job is running.
If this setting is enabled (default) then Prism will submit a group of 3 jobs to Deadline, which are frame dependent on each other.
The first job is a Houdini job, which exports your Houdini scene into a Redshift scene description file (.rs). Exporting these files happens a lot faster than rendering all the frames in Houdini, which means the Houdini license is used for a much shorter period of time.
The second job is a Redshift standalone job, which renders the .rs files, which got exported from the first job. This job consumes only one Redshift license and no Houdini license.
The third job is a Python cleanup job, which will delete all the .rs files after the rendering is done. The submission of the cleanup job can be disabled by setting the “render” – “RedshiftCleanupJob” setting in the project config to “false”.
For 3Delight Houdini job submissions this workflow was already supported (using .nsi files instead of .rs files). It has been updated and the cleanup job was added for 3Delight submissions as well. It can be disabled using the “3DelightCleanupJob” setting in the project config.
Preset scenes
Another change in this update is that you can create presetscenes now with any file extension. This allows you to create presets for apps, which are not supported in Prism. For example you can create a After Effects preset by creating a file with this path in your project: \00_Pipeline\EmptyScenes\motion_graphics.aep. Next time you right click in the file list in the Project Browser you will see the “motion_graphics” preset. You can use the preset to save and view your After Effects scenes in the Project Browser.
Prism v1.3.0.65 is available for download now from the Prism Settings window.