Handy Save Last Render revelation
barbult
Posts: 26,223
I just figured out a solution to a problem I had. Sometimes I want to save a render that is running, but if I cancel it and select Save in the render window, that closes the render window, and I can't Resume to let it render more for better quality. Now I found that I can cancel the render and do File>Save Last Render.... That saves the current render state to an image file but leaves the render window open so I can Resume. Maybe that was obvious to other people, but it came as a revelation to me today.
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No, I didn't know that! This will come in handy if I'm not sure if I've reached the best visible quality or not. Thank you!
I stumbled across that feature a while ago, but it was a real palm-slap when I did. Never said anything because I thought I was one of the last to know! One thing to remember, though. It has to be a full render. I like to make corrections, if needed, by doing a spot render to a new window. Those renders cannot be saved using Save Last Render. Assuming the spot is smaller than the screen, I use Irfanview to do a screen capture, then copy from Irfanview and paste into a new image in Photoshop. (Irfanview is a freeware image utility for PCs.) Where there's a will, there's a way...
I've always saved renders (except spot renders) via the save last render method; I have a vague feeling that way back it was the only way you could save a render in DS.
Well, it can be a real "life saver" when you accidentally hit "close" instead of "save"... (speaking from personal experience, of course.)
Thanks so much. I almost hit Close instead of Save tonight, and I was thinking that would mean that the render and those hours were wasted. Good lookin' out!
Use File>Save Last Draw... fro spot renders.
I didn't know this either. Thanks for posting!
I've been using that feature for awhile. It is very handy. I also use it to save in two different formats. I usually like to save my renders in either .png or .tiff and the forums work better when uploading ,jpg so, since you can use it multiple times, I save there in the formats I want and I can still leave the render running if needed. Sometimes, it is handy to save out a file, take it into a viewer where I can blow if up if I have a question about a particular spot that looks funny like not actually connecting to the floor or something. I get paranoid about those things.
The problem I have using it is that DS likes to grab memory and I have no idea how to stop it from doing that so, if you stop and start renders too much, DS will cause my whole system to lock up and I can't do anything except reboot the whole thing! I have no idea how to prevent that problem. The only way I know how to clear things out is to close up every so often and restart DS which clears whatever cache or place it uses to grab all of that memory. Which doesn't help if you are in the middle of a render and you want to temporarily stop it for whatever reason. I find that even when setting up and using the nVidia preview pane a lot, there are multiple times I end up wanting to stop a render to check things when it is in the middle of things because my render window is usually much bigger than the preview screen and I catch things that need to be fixed in the bigger render window that I don't see in the preview window.
I tested this in both 4.8 release version and 4.9.3.56 Beta, both Viewport and New Window spot renders, in Iray. In every case, no part of the image created by Save Last Draw was rendered. I did one test in the Beta rendering to New Window in 3Delight. Same results.
Is it different in the 4.9 release? Is it possible you have a plugin or script that makes it possible for your setup? (If so, I'l love to get my hands on that plugin/script!)
Are you on a Windows computer? If so, open the Task Manager, (Right-click the Taskbar, select Task Manager from the pop-up,) and keep an eye on the memory usage in the Performance tab. I've found, using the Task Manager, that closing a render window while another render window is actively rendering will not decrease the memory usage. Pause the active render first, and then close the inactive window, (close or save,) and the memory will be released. How much memory saved will be dependent on whether or not the two windows are rendering the same scene. If you close other programs while rendering, you may still have the same issue.
My theory is DAZ uses all the processors in your CPU, (mine has four,) and when rendering, those processors are all being used at 100%. There just isn't anything left over for other things, like releasing unused memory. You can make a difference by switching to the Processes tab, right-clicking on "DAZStudio.exe" and then clicking on Affinity in the resulting pop-up window. That pops up another window where you can select/deselect one or more of the processors. For example, if deselect one, I still have 3 running at 100%. But the 4th processor is available for other things. When I have at least one processor available for non-DAZ stuff, closing a program or inactive render window releases the system memory.
However, I do not have an Nvidia card so all my renders are CPU only. If you have one or more Nvidia cards, I have no idea if changing Affinity will help.
I usually save everything from the temp file locations (\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio4\temp\render) Especially 'cause I usually render with canvases to get .exrs and you can grab them there rather than having them save in a folder and also have the .png saved.
A thousand hugs for you! I had no idea this option was available. I'm on a very long render and it is close to completion, but with incoming storms and such I was worried about power failures. Already happened once when the render was 50% complete. It's difficult to remember all the little details in DAZ Studio...sometimes I overlook the obvious or completely forget the things we can do with it. I love the program. DAZ has done so much with it since I last used it many years ago (version 2). There's so much that can be done now.
Thank you barbult for sharing this.
No nVidia card. I have a Radeon so Iray doesn't touch the GPU on that card. My processor has 8 cores and DS uses all 8 of them at 100%. I'll try what you suggest because I would love to free up at least one of those cores for other processes. Heck, I'd just be glad if DS didn't freeze up my entire computer if I freed up one of those cores. Thanks.
No, sorry - I was mis-remembering. For spot renders to a new window it looks as if you have to use the save option at the bottom of the render window
You're welcome. I hope that solves the problem... and for the record, I envy that 8-core cpu you've got there.
Yes, and that's the way I've always done it. Never really saw the point of the Render Library or the other extra buttons and things on the render window, so I've never used them.
Well, I can't believe I knew something that Barbult didn't- my jaw dropped LOL! (She's my go-to gal.) I already knew how to save last render and save a spot render, someone posted it months ago and I happened to be on the thread. That's what I like about Iray, you determine when you think it is done and it doesn't always have to go to the "end" to look really decent.
I use it on long renders if I want to post it to a thread that might disappear before the render finishes. I then restart the render and let it finish. I also have Iobit Advanced System Care running which has a RAM cleaner that I try to remember to run before rendering just to make sure all available free ram is there.
I did not know this either this will be most helpful thank you! This way I can save something that looks like its going to take all night before I go to bed so if something happens in the middle of the night and it crashes or stops running I don't have to start from scratch.
What bothers me is that I actually DID know this and was doing it for ages, then somehow managed to forget all about it despite the fact that knowing it would have been useful on a few occasions recently. Daz-induced senility, probably!