How To Use RENDER TILE And MEM CHUNK Options When Rendering
  
PSS ID Number: Q152775
Article last modified on 06-25-1996
 
3.50
 
IRIX
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Softimage Toonz for IRIX, version 3.5
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SUMMARY
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It is advantageous to optimize memory when rendering in Softimage Toonz.
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
There are two possible options available for the optimization of memory
when rendering in Softimage Toonz.
 
The first option is the RENDER TILE function.
 
To avoid difficulties associated with RAM limitations, use the RENDER TILE
function in CASM.  The RENDER TILE value defines the size, in kilopixels
(Kpixels), of each tile making up the final image.  Then, at render time,
CASM processes one tile at a time instead of the whole image at once.
 
To set the RENDER TILE value, you must know the size of the image to be
rendered.  Here are examples of how to assign the RENDER TILE value:
 
1. The size of the image to be rendered is 1K (1024 x 768). Since the
default RENDER TILE value is 1K, exactly the same size as this example's
output image size, set the RENDER TILE value to 0.5 if you want to process
the image in two tiles.
 
2. The size of the image to be rendered is not 1K, but is 720 x 486.  Set
the RENDER TILE value to 0.360 if you want to render the image in two
tiles.
 
NOTE: Only one RENDER TILE value can be set to apply to all the tiles in
the image.
 
The second option is the MEM CHUNK function.
 
The MEM CHUNK function sets the amount of the background image to be kept
in RAM as the images are being composited.  Holding the background in
memory saves time during compositing because the background does not have
to be loaded at every frame.  Like the RENDER TILE value, the MEM CHUNK
value is expressed in Kpixels.
 
To set the MEM CHUNK value, multiply the length and width of the background
image.  The resulting number is the amount of RAM you can devote to holding
the background during compositing.
 
NOTE: The MEM CHUNK value must always be greater than or equal to the
RENDER TILE value.
 
REFERENCES
==========
 
Softimage Toonz User's Guide page 11-6
 
If you have any questions concerning the information contained in this
article, contact support@softimage.com by email.
 
NOTE: Softimage Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation.
 
Additional reference words: 3.50
KBCategory: kbgraphic kbhowto
KBSubcategory: si tz tzbatch tzcasm
 
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996.