New 3ds Max Script: PLAYSYS | P.S.R.

Let me introduce a plugin I wrote for 3ds Max during our last big-as-size render.
It is called P.S.R. (PlaySys Split Render) and is a great tool to render images with amazing size. The idea behing is really simple and partially used by some renderers like Mental Ray, final Render or V-ray: it splits the entire render in sub-pieces and then processes them as single images (subdivided again by the buckets of the renderer in use).
We had to render some images with a size of 7500×5000 for a total of 37.500.000 pixels (37,5 Megapixels) and this saves the entire production…next script I must write has to convert pixels in €! 🙂

HOW IT WORKS
The script’s user interface will detect automatically the renderer and the size you have to process. The first parameter to setup is the fraction of the image, in the picture it is 3, so it means 3X and 3Y so 9 sub-images.
Automatically, based on the render size and the fractions, the script will calculate the size of the sub-image:213×160.

By default I use a tolerance of 25 percent of the image. This tolerance is a little overlap of the sub-images, and is really important to obtain a seamless connection beetween sub-images.

Always depending on the fraction number, you’ll have a number of buttons called Matrix#, theese buttons can show you a preview of the rendered sub-image and, checking the Auto flag, when you press a Matrix# button, it fires up the renderer.

Like lot of my scripts, this can look a little unuseful, but if you have to manage an entire workflow with human-electronic resources, this can save time and money…expecially because avoid crash of big scenes.
…oh, and it integrates with Maxwell~Render 😉

 I have yet a list of improvements to do:

• First in the image area you see in the middle you will have the entire image, so I will render in a VFB and keep the full quality image in that area. You will have the possibility to reopen it, execute a new sub-image or save the image in a layered PSD Photoshop file;
• I want to add a “Batch” command that executes all the renders in sequence;
• I have to design a new User Interface that let the team use an N fraction, not only 1, 2^2 or 3^2 sub-images (yeah, I have to remove the 1^2 size ;))
• I have to insert instructions and maybe I will append a rollout with a lite version of DMRB, my previous semi-realtime renderer;

We will use this tool internally at PlaySys, but I have not to exclude the idea to share it in future. Before of that, I will speak about it and other pipeline and workflow improvement strategies in my next book.