Render an Animation

You can render the entire scene or selected objects (with materials) as one image file, render the desired animation frames (with materials) as .png files, or render the entire animation (without materials) as a .mp4 file.

Render One Image

You can render the entire scene or selected objects in the scene (with materials) to produce one image file.

First, you need to define the rendering settings.
  1. Do one of the following:
    To Do this
    Render the current view
    • Press Ctrl+R.
    • On the Rendering tab, click the Render Image icon.
    Render selected objects
    1. Select the objects you'd like to render.
    2. On the Rendering tab, click the Render Image icon.
    The Darkroom window is displayed:
    • To the bottom left of the current rendering, the status is displayed, including information about the rendering engine, number of samples, remaining time, and elapsed time.
  2. To save the rendering as an image file, click Save As. You can save the rendering in the following formats: .jpg, .png, .hdr, .exr, .tiff, .tga, and .bmp.

Render Frames as PNG Files

Use the Render tool to render the desired frames (with materials) as .png files. There are certain advantages to this method: you can stop and restart rendering at any time and modify the Start Animation time to export only the frames you want.

First, you need to create an animation.
  1. On the Animation tab, select the Render tool.
    The Darkroom opens.
  2. Render the desired frames:
    1. Click the Start button to render each frame as a .png file.
    2. If you'd like to stop rendering at any time, click the Stop button.
    3. Optional: If you'd like to resume rendering at a specific frame, on the animation timeline, drag the Start Animation marker to the next frame you'd like to render.
    4. If you'd like to restart rendering, click the Start button again.
The .png files are exported into a subfolder of the standard Pictures folder on your computer. The subfolder takes the same name as your folder. Each file takes the same name as your model and is appended with the frame number (for example, Model_fr_1.png).
To view the animation, open the first frame in an animation application.

Render the Animation as a MP4 File

Use the Render in Real Time tool to export the entire animation (without materials) as an .mp4 file.

First, you need to create a key frame or path animation.
  1. On the Animation tab, select the Render in Real Time tool.
  2. Choose the folder where you'd like to save the animation.
    You can see the progress of the rendering as the Current Time marker moves on the animation timeline.
The .mp4 file is created and automatically displayed in the File Explorer.
To view the animation, open the .mp4 file in a video player.