This has been a bit of a frustration of mine off and on.  I'm needing to render things at larger sizes, for art purposes and am thinking I'm missing something in how this works.  Sometimes I render out what I want, and sometimes it renders only part of the scene.. say upper left corner.

So, set up the scene, position camera.. go to render size and set it to render 5000 X 5000 say.. using the redner to exact dimensions.   Sometimes this works and I get the whole scene and sometimes it doesn't - I only get part of the picture.  Since my computer screen is smaller than this, it's difficult to see exactly what is being rendered until it finishes, and then it's too late.  

I'm wondering, because I know it's possible to know exactly what you are rendering and have more control what is the better way of doing it, because I know there has to be a better way.

Using PoserPro 2010 - Firefly.

Thank all you gurus for any insights.  

Delaney

Sounds like the renderer is crashing without finishing - which is not unusual at 25 megapixels.

Are you using x64 version? How much RAM do you have?

And please do not be offended, but what makes you think your render has to be 25 megapixels? $3000 professional cameras don't even produce that much resolution. Are you printing a 12 foot mural that will be observed from 5 feet or less?

No, the render finishes.. doing 300 dpi, so the final piece is  about 16 inches.  5000 was a random number, usually I do about 3300 - which is 10.  I'm trying to do stuff that would be able to be printed for a poster - high resolution.  It also makes it easier to do postwork on it and have that look nice.

I'm not a math brain, however so perhaps I'm off on what I do need, but I was reading on deviant that things have to be a huge resolution in order to get a print of lik 24" X 24" or so.  

I am running 64 bit  PoserPro 2010, and have 8 GB ram with a Quad core ADM processor.   

Bagginsbill, I really respect your opinions, and appreciate your guidance.

Is it possible for it to crash but still appear to have finshed?

"300 dpi" is a number that someone, somewhere pulled out of their behind and everyone started repeating without questioning or understanding it.

First of all, you're rendering in ppi not dpi. Unless you're a printer, and by that I mean the device (not the profession) you will never get to see an image that's in dots instead of pixels. In traditional printing, you worry about lpi. Magazines like Playboy are printed at 150 lpi, magazines oriented less at photography have an even lower resolution. If your 24" by 24" prints are being looked as closely as the centerfolds and are supposed to be in higher quality, then 300ppi are what you want.

I have several high quality prints in my living room as decoration, from photos friends have taken. The prints are 29 inches wide, from photos at ~3000 pixels wide (= 100 dpi). You have to get really close to them to notice the pixels, in regular viewing distance they look perfectly fine.

Coming back to the topic of large renders:

You're using Pro 2010, so I would recommend you use "render in background". One advantage is that a background render runs in a separate process. The second advantage is that you can pan in the render window while a background render is in progress, so you don't have to wait for the render to finish in order to detect any problems halfway through.

I have encountered this as well in Poser 8.  It seems to occur more often when I am using IDL than not.

No rhyme nor reason to it that I can find, just sometimes it only renders what is visible in the window at the time sometimes it grinds its way through the whole image.

Also, it appears to happen more frequently if I start the render through the RenderFirefly script rather than just clicking the render button. 

Quote - Coming back to the topic of large renders:

You're using Pro 2010, so I would recommend you use "render in background". One advantage is that a background render runs in a separate process. The second advantage is that you can pan in the render window while a background render is in progress, so you don't have to wait for the render to finish in order to detect any problems halfway through.

Oh, that is a good idea.  I've tried working on other pieces when using that, but the render always appears to stop.  lol, it doesn't like multitasking, I guess.

I didn't remember about the pan though, and that would definitely help me catch this early.  Thank you for a great pointer.  :)

Delaney

Quote - I have encountered this as well in Poser 8.  It seems to occur more often when I am using IDL than not.

No rhyme nor reason to it that I can find, just sometimes it only renders what is visible in the window at the time sometimes it grinds its way through the whole image.

Also, it appears to happen more frequently if I start the render through the RenderFirefly script rather than just clicking the render button. 

Yes, that's the frustrating thing, that there doesn't seem to be anything in particular I've noticed that causes it.  I'll try the render button more, too, along with that render in background. 

Hmmm. So it precisely renders only the part you can see? I would bring this up with SM - maybe one of the support people has encountered this before. It sure sounds wrong.

Regarding the required pixels per inch, the notion of 300 PPI as a goal is only for something you hold in your hand and are looking at closely, within 20 inches from your eyes, such as a magazine. Really, though 300 is overkill even in that situation. 200 is plenty.

A poster on the wall is typically observed from no closer than 4 feet, and 100 PPI is plenty for that situation. I have several 36 inch photos I printed using 8 MP images (vacation photos from a pocket camera) and they look great. For most of them, where they hang, it isn't possible to get closer unless I move furniture out of the way. So something around 3600 by 2400 is a good number for a 36 inch print. Of course if you go nose-to-paper, you'll be able to tell that 5000 is better. I'm not saying "Do Not Render 5000+ or you are frowned upon", and certainly if you have a paying customer, the customer is always right. But killing yourself for days trying to crank out a 20 or 30 MP render with software that doesn't seem to like to do that is counter productive, for me at least.

I do have one very large print of the Eiffel tower in my upstairs hallway, and I wish I had used my high-res DSLR for that one, but people still marvel over it anyway.

One of the things I have been trying to figure out what is causing it so I can report it accurately, or at least what circumstances it creeps up most often during.  That along with, IDL will precalc, then FFRender closes all on its own so it won't render anything.

Fun to set up an image to render while I sleep, come back to my comp doing nothing cause it didn't bother to render anything after the IDL precalculation.  Again, no logic I can find in it, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, and in that case, image size doesn't seem to matter at all.  Happened with a couple 400x400 tests last night not just my big final renders.

Do you have the PPRo 2010 SR 1.1? If not, worth a try.

Note: This is why I suggest everybody put what version they use in their signature so I don't have to ask this question.

No, PP2010 has been out of my price range so far.  Waiting for the stuff I need to do my taxes to get into my hands so I can (hopefully) get it finally.

This is of course providing that the CRA doesn't decide I need to prove I am not in a commonlaw relationship anymore again.  Or that I need to be audited again for the same reason...  You would think after five years, and five change of marital status forms, and a MP here being over all this they would get it straight finally.

Maybe I'll see my tax return in time for the next big sale on it.  Oh I can hope.

Til then, it is Poser 8 for me.  Just thought I would mention that this seems to be creeping up there as well.

Quote - One of the things I have been trying to figure out what is causing it so I can report it accurately, or at least what circumstances it creeps up most often during.  That along with, IDL will precalc, then FFRender closes all on its own so it won't render anything.

Fun to set up an image to render while I sleep, come back to my comp doing nothing cause it didn't bother to render anything after the IDL precalculation.  Again, no logic I can find in it, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, and in that case, image size doesn't seem to matter at all.  Happened with a couple 400x400 tests last night not just my big final renders.

Yes, I've had similar things happen, or it just renders part.  Very frustrating, and slows me down.  I'm already slow enough .

I don't know if I have the service pack, I'll check and download, certainly can't hurt.

Bagginsbill, Deviant art suggests 9000x12000px for their largest prints, which is 30x40 inches.   Not sure I want something that big, (and I'm sure my computer would just die if i tried it)  but if you have a lower res than what they recommend for the size you wish (whatever that may be) , then they may not allow it.  So that is what I was basing it on.  I think they are going 300 dpi by that.   They probably would allow 200, though, I may lower it a bit and see how it looks.

Thank you,

Delaney

Many printing companies will do poster size prints at 100 dpi , for viewing from several feet away. If you want a lot of fine detail for viewing from say a foor then you go 200 or 300 dpi.

My quick calculator for images in memory say 324 meg for a 9 x 12 thousand pixel at 24 bit color depth. At those sizes the size of any image map comes into play, like your figure skin textures. 

Quote - Many printing companies will do poster size prints at 100 dpi , for viewing from several feet away. If you want a lot of fine detail for viewing from say a foor then you go 200 or 300 dpi.

My quick calculator for images in memory say 324 meg for a 9 x 12 thousand pixel at 24 bit color depth. At those sizes the size of any image map comes into play, like your figure skin textures. 

So, in other words, if your image map for your figure isn't that high resolution, the higher res render will show it?  Makes sense, indeed.

Resolution is also somewhat related to the subject matter.  If you are doing a group scene with a whole lot of figures, a higher resolution would capture the detail better. A medium shot of one figure does not require as much resolution.  Also a close-up of a face will capture more detail if it is at a higher resolution.