Render Comp

render-comp

Purpose

Compute images (Cycles/EEVEE/Workbench), split them into controllable passes, assemble them into film, correct then grade. Render once, grade twice.

Scope

D112–D119, D136 farms, Depth 36, S-13 cheat sheet, farm notes in Depth 24.5. Final encode/delivery is production-finishing but this skill produces EXR masters.

Activation Conditions

• Samples, denoise, Cycles, EEVEE, EXR, passes, Cryptomatte, compositor, grade, LUT, AgX, render farm
• Use render-comp

Non-Activation Conditions

• Designing lights (→ lighting)
• Designing materials (→ lookdev)
• Final codec for YouTube (→ production-finishing) after grade

Instructions

1. Engine already committed (5.2). If not, resolve it.
2. Color management: AgX default. Exposure per scene. Don't "fix" with RGB curves on the raw combined only — use passes.
3. Output: EXR multilayer frames, never final-to-compressed-video from the 3D file (D128).
4. Iterate at 25–50% res, low samples + denoise; final 100% after approval. Never iterate at final settings (S-13).
5. Cycles: 32–128 samples + OIDN/OptiX denoise; adaptive sampling ON; bounces 4–8; caustics OFF unless needed; GPU.
6. EEVEE Next (4.2+): raytracing options in Ch 25; still commit look.
7. Optimization order (D114): denoise → lights/samples → bounces → shader complexity → volumes → geometry.
8. Passes (D115): Combined, Diffuse, Glossy, Transmission, Volume, Emit, Env, AO, Mist, Shadow, Cryptomatte. Enable what comp will use.
9. AOVs (D116): wetness, magic, custom. Cryptomatte for isolations.
10. Compositor cookbook (36.1): Render Layers → premult → grade tree → glows → DoF/MB if not rendered → grain → output.
11. Pass-based relighting (36.2) instead of re-render when possible.
12. Color correction (D118) first (exposure, WB, contrast) then grading (D119) look. Scopes (36.3). Shot → sequence → film (36.4).
13. Film looks/LUTs (36.5). Stylized grading matches shading (36.6 / Ch 18).
14. Farms (D136): Flamenco; crash-safe frames; re-render failed only.
15. Motion blur 2–8% shutter if rendered; else vector blur (5.7).

Procedures

Cheat sheet (S-13)

Samples 32–128 + denoise; AgX; EXR multilayer; WIP 25–50%; GPU on.

Comp integration of VFX

Additive/screen glows on emission/AOV; grain after; match plate if D132.

When image is wrong

If noise/fireflies: samples/clamp/shader. If mood wrong: lighting. If color wrong: this skill. If albedo wrong: lookdev. Don't re-render to warm a shot 200K.

Decision Logic

5.2 engine, 5.7 DoF/MB, 5.8 format, 5.15 offline vs realtime. PBR-pure materials allow hybrid EEVEE iterate / Cycles hero.

Inputs

• Lit scene, style, shot camera, required passes, farm or local, budgets

Outputs

• EXR sequences
• Comp .blend or node tree
• Grade notes / LUT
• Test frames approved
• Shared state: shot rendered/comped; locks.render

Tools

Cycles, EEVEE, Workbench, Compositor, Cryptomatte, OIDN/OptiX, Flamenco, FFmpeg later. S-13, Ch 36, Ch 25 for EEVEE.

Constraints

Never ship JPEG as master. Never skip denoise strategy. Never grade before correct. Never change AgX mid-film without a reason.

Edge Cases

• Toon: separate character/world ramps; grade together (18.7).
• Volumes + crystals: Cycles, cap transmission/volume bounces.
• Realtime film: EEVEE settings from Ch 25.

Failure Modes & Fixes

Dependencies

• Needs lighting + lookdev
• Consumes vfx layers
• Drives production-finishing edit
• Feedback to lighting/lookdev

Related Skills

lighting, lookdev, vfx, production-finishing, cinematography, decision-engine

Delegation Rules

• Mood not working → lighting
• Plastic skin in render → lookdev
• Encode/loudness/delivery → production-finishing
• Python batch render → production-finishing Ch 24

Examples

• Short film: Cycles 64 adaptive + OIDN, EXR multilayer, mist+crypto, comp grain + mild LUT, ProRes from VSE later.
• Stylized: EEVEE, Shader-to-RGB already in lookdev, comp outlines if line-art, punchy grade.

Required Knowledge / Context

• knowledge/domains/ch14-render-comp.md
• knowledge/depth/ch36-compositing-color.md
• S-13 cheat sheet
• knowledge/depth/ch24-pipeline-automation.md (farms)
• knowledge/depth/ch25-realtime.md (EEVEE)

References to Shared Resources

• decision-engine 5.2 5.7 5.8 5.15
• workflows/shot-pipeline.md