Preparing your Cinema 4D file for the Render Network
A step-by-step guide to preparing your files for upload
Please note: this is an on-going beta and the points raised in this article may change in the future. In this case, the Render Network Team will make sure to keep this article up to date.
For information about any current limitations, please visit this page.
To submit a support request or to report a bug, please visit this page and enter "C4D Beta" in the subject line.
Preparing your Cinema 4D Scene File
For The Render Network to process your scenes correctly, it needs to be prepared first. The two most important points of preparation are:
Caching dynamic simulations
Collecting all assets
Caching Dynamic Simulations
Please note that for a project with dynamic simulations to work on a distributed network it is crucial to cache these objects.
To do this, go into the dynamic object or tag and look for the Cache tab, then make sure to cache the whole animation.
Please note that in Cinema4D, this functionality can be called “Bake All”, “Calculate Cache”, “Cache all” or simply “Calculate” or “Cache”.
Collecting All Assets in One Folder
Once all objects have been cached, the next step is to collect everything into one folder.
To do this go to "File -> Save -> Save Project with Assets" and choose a folder, where to collect everything for your Render Network Scene.
After the project has been saved, it is important to open the Project Asset Inspector under "Window -> Assets -> Project Asset Inspector."
It is important to make sure that all linked assets are represented using a relative path.
For this to be true, you shouldn’t be seeing any absolute paths in the “Path” column (it is fine if they have absolute paths in the “Absolute Path” column).
If you do still see some assets using an absolute path, select them and choose "Asset -> Localize Filenames".
If that doesn’t work, make sure the files were indeed copied to the collected folder. If this is not the case, select the asset and choose "Asset -> Consolidate Assets."
This will move the Assets to the project folder. Choose “Localize Filenames” again, if necessary.
Now save the Project file again by hitting CTRL+S or Option+S on a Mac.
Repeat this process every time you open the scene file again.
Close the project, go to your folder using the Exploder or Finder and inspect it.
If you are importing other .c4d files using XRefs into your scene, make sure your main scene is called exactly the same as the root folder you collected the project into. This is not necessary if you are just uploading a single .c4d with assets.
Finally, select the root folder and choose “Add to ZIP-Archive.”
Uploading to Render Network
After the folder has been zipped, go to the Render Network website, choose “Scenes,” and drag-and-drop the zip archive into the upload field at the top.
Since we are dealing with a C4D Project file, choose Cinema4D (.c4d File) and click on “Confirm”.
Configuring a Job on Render Network
After the file has been uploaded and processed, start a new job by clicking on “Create new job”.
In the job submission window, make sure to type in the correct resolution and check the frame-range. If you click on “Show Advanced Options,” you have the possibility to change the FPS of the scene.
On the next window, select your file-format. Currently you have the options of PNG- and EXR files.
Please note, render passes for the Standard and Physical render engines are currently ONLY supported using EXR files in Multilayer mode.
After you have chosen your filetype click on “Continue to Network Settings”.
Here set your desired tier, payment and approval method. Then choose a minimum VRAM amount for the nodes, depending on the requirements of your project.
The next window lets you get a cost estimate after you enter your machine's Octane Bench score and how long the frames render on your machine.
For additional information on how to deal with specific objects, assets or limitations, please see the following sections.
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