Octane not saving rendered images Tweet

[3dreamstudios]

We use BNR to control our network rendering. It uses LWSN. We have been using 11.6.3 and previous build of Octane. Moving over to 2018.0.3 and Octane 3.08.0.10 build.

Not having luck getting my normal rendered file to save. Is there somewhere new I need to setup the render properties/path for saved files? I know 2018 has included lot's more options for buffers and such. It use to be that Render Globals and Output tab would be where we setup the SAVE PATH for rendered files from Octane. We don't use buffers much, but when we needed them we would use the Octane Render Passes....

What gives? I'm sure I just don't know how things have changed...please help!

[juanjgon]

Hi,

LightWave 2018.0 had a limitation for the 3rd party renderers related to its native image saving functions, that didn't work like in LW2015 to save the Octane beauty pass, so you always needed to configure the Octane passes node to save the rendered images, even if you only need the beauty pass.

This limitation was fixed in LW 2018.0.3, as far as I know, at least while rendering sequences from the Layout with F10. Can you please confirm if while rendering using F10 the Octane beauty pass is saved if you activate the native LW image saving functions? If it works, perhaps the problem is related to LWSN only ... in any case I'm afraid that in this case, the only solution will be to save the images configuring the passes node.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[3dreamstudios]

Fair enough and I'll do some testing. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. I'll post with results...

[3dreamstudios]

Hi,

LightWave 2018.0 had a limitation for the 3rd party renderers related to its native image saving functions, that didn't work like in LW2015 to save the Octane beauty pass, so you always needed to configure the Octane passes node to save the rendered images, even if you only need the beauty pass.

This limitation was fixed in LW 2018.0.3, as far as I know, at least while rendering sequences from the Layout with F10. Can you please confirm if while rendering using F10 the Octane beauty pass is saved if you activate the native LW image saving functions? If it works, perhaps the problem is related to LWSN only ... in any case I'm afraid that in this case, the only solution will be to save the images configuring the passes node.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

Ok just tried the F10 with my setup and Octane is saving the files correctly. However when run with a network manager using LWSN.exe it does not.

Can you confirm this would be an issue with LWSN.exe and not the implementation/limiation of the Octane plugin? If so I'll bring it up with LW3DG. Thanks!

[juanjgon]

Ok just tried the F10 with my setup and Octane is saving the files correctly. However when run with a network manager using LWSN.exe it does not.
Can you confirm this would be an issue with LWSN.exe and not the implementation/limiation of the Octane plugin? If so I'll bring it up with LW3DG. Thanks!

Do you know if using this same scene configuration, LWSN can save the images rendered with the LW native engine? Switch the render to LightWave and try to render it to see if something is saved.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[3dreamstudios]

Ok just tried the F10 with my setup and Octane is saving the files correctly. However when run with a network manager using LWSN.exe it does not.
Can you confirm this would be an issue with LWSN.exe and not the implementation/limiation of the Octane plugin? If so I'll bring it up with LW3DG. Thanks!

Do you know if using this same scene configuration, LWSN can save the images rendered with the LW native engine? Switch the render to LightWave and try to render it to see if something is saved.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

Oh for sure it will save. So playing with things this morning I'm running into some frustrating problems that either there is a fix or some very unhappy render farm managers!

Let me explain, if we now HAVE to use the Render Pass node in Octane to get anything from LW to save in 2018, then how do we make the NAMES that a render manager is looking for after saving to check that everything is ok, to match?

In Octane all we get is some pre-defined Name_pass_0001 options. In 2018 we get these variables to setup however we want. The trouble comes in when Octane is adding "Main" to the image format name and Lightwave's "Buffer" variable is not the same.

All this and we now have to make sure that in TWO places everything is JUST RIGHT so our renders will SAVE and be verified by render manager! Otherwise render manager thinks hey I sent that file to be rendered NODE said it was done...but I'm looking for it and it's not there..I guess I render it again...and we never get to our next scene!!!!!

There has to be a better solution, I really wanted to move to 2018 from 11.6.3. Please let me know what I'm missing or how this can be better.

Example image is attached below. In a perfect world if there are limitations with the new SDK it would be best to have to "configure" in one place what we want output. But at min, if we have to set them up the same, we will need some more options I guess. So if the PLUGIN incorporated a VARIABLE system like the new LW we could at min, match the naming convention.

[3dreamstudios]

I have a very crude work around working.

We setup a naming convention in LW Native saver.
Tell Octane to use render path from globals.
Make sure name format and file format are same in Octane.
Once pulled into Render Manager, we add the _Main to what it's looking for on save.

If any of this is missed or not done properly the entire weekend of rendering or whatever is bust!
SOOOOO much more trouble than before... I'm hoping there is an easy fix by someone.

We can't be the only ones rendering with a render manager and having this much difficulty...

[juanjgon]

Ok. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to fix the LWSN issue from the plugin side ... it seems a LightWave limitation. Have you reported this problem to the LW team? If not, I can open a bug report for this issue myself.

So, from the plugin side and while saving the images with the passes node, is your problem with the render manager that the beauty pass is saved with the "_Main" suffix in the filename? Removing this suffix (adding an option to the render passes node) should be fairly easy.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

[3dreamstudios]

Ok. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to fix the LWSN issue from the plugin side ... it seems a LightWave limitation. Have you reported this problem to the LW team? If not, I can open a bug report for this issue myself.

So, from the plugin side and while saving the images with the passes node, is your problem with the render manager that the beauty pass is saved with the "_Main" suffix in the filename? Removing this suffix (adding an option to the render passes node) should be fairly easy.

Thanks,
-Juanjo

I did not open a bug report, as I was unsure if it was a bug or limitation on your side. If you could please open one up I'm sure it will get more attention.

As for the naming, it would be great and probably welcome by others to include a similar setup as LW native does with the variable names. Of course the variable names would need to be the same as LW where they can be, and save out the corresponding same name as LW does. As you mention...Main vs Final..etc.

Thanks for your attention to this!