Table of Contents. 1. Introduction. 2. Requirements. 3. Configuration. 4. Using AE Render Manager. 4.1 Pre-configured. 4.

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2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Requirements 3. Configuration 4. Using AE Render Manager 4.1 Pre-configured 4.2 Custom Settings 5. Using AE Render Manager with Backburner 5.1 Requirements 5.2 Backburner Settings 6. Enabling Program Compatibility Assistant (Windows 7/Vista) 7. Conclusion 8. Disclaimer

3 1. Introduction AE Render Manager is an Adobe After Effects command-line interface GUI for Windows users. It also supports Autodesk Backburner to render projects with a render farm or generate job queues. The real reason behind this little freeware is that many projects will render faster using command-line rather than firing up After Effects, which uses considerably more resources. Setting up a render through the command line can become an insanely tedious task, especially if you use it on a daily basis. AE Render Manager makes it simple and easy.

4 2. Requirements We tried to keep AE Render Manager as simple as possible. Our main task was to make a Command Line Interface easier to setup. The true power of AE Render Manager lies in its integration with Backburner, allowing users to combine both software and get their projects networkrendered in just a few clicks. In order to use AE Render Manager you'll need: Windows Vista / 7 AE Render Manager has only been tested on Windows Vista and Windows 7, but Windows XP users shouldn't experience any problems either. Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 (Download) Your operating system will need Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 library installed in order to run AE Render Manager. We decided not to make an installer with.net Framework 3.5 since it would have made this freeware considerably bigger to download. If you don't have.net Framework 3.5 installed you'll need an internet connection to download it. It's free of charge and easy to install. Adobe After Effects CS3 or higher AE Render Manager works with Adobe After Effects CS3 or higher. Previous versions of After Effects haven't been tested, however it might be possible to use them as well. Autodesk Backbuner (optional) Autodesk Backburner is not required to run AE Render Manager per se, but it is required if you're planning on using AE Render Manager to set up a render farm, or render a queue of projects, or use another computer on the network to render a project.

5 3. Configuration AE Render Manager is easy to configure. First, select the root folder of your After Effects installation. By default, the folder should be: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CSx - for 64bit version C:\Program Files (x86)\adobe\adobe After Effects CSx - for 32bit version If you have Backburner installed, and want to use it as well, click on the Backburner Settings tab, check Render with Backburner and set the location of your Backburner installation, as you did with After Effects. By default, the folder should be: C:\Program Files (x86)\autodesk\backburner Now, set the computer name or IP where Backburner is running. In our case it's "farm1-pc" (or ). Make sure you use the correct name or IP, or the manager won't work. Network Mask and Port are set to the default settings of Backburner, so if you changed these when installing Backburner, make sure you set the values you're using. If everything is set correctly you should have a confirmation in the log window. That's it! You are now set and ready to use AE Render Manager!

6 4. Using AE Render Manager There are three ways of using AE Render Manager. The first is preconfigured and more simple, the second is using custom settings and the third is using it with Backburner. For information on using AE Render Manager with Backburner, see chapter 5. For now, here's a closer look at how the first two work. 4.1 Pre-Configured In this 'mode', what you need to do is first set the desired render settings in After Effects' Render Queue and save the project without rendering. Now, run AE Render Manager, select the After Effects project file you just saved and simply click Render AE Queue. AE Render Manager will use the render settings and output folder you've set in the Render Queue. Once finished, AE Render Manager will report how long it took the project to render.

7 4.2 Custom Settings Rendering with custom settings can be useful for previews, among others, since it allows you to set a frame range to render with an optional increment. For example, you can render every 5 th frame of your composition from frame 40 to frame 120, giving you a quick preview of your project, before rendering the final sequence. AE Render Manager exports projects using either PSD, TIFF or Lossless (AVI uncompressed) modules. To use Custom Settings, check the Use Custom Render Settings option in Custom Render Settings. Enter the composition name you want to render in Comp Name, set the output destination of the rendered sequence in Output Destination, and click on Render Custom Queue. The following options are available in the Custom Render Settings panel: Set Frame Range Allows you to render just a portion of your entire timeline. An increment of '1' will render each frame, like After Effects normally would. An increment of '5' will only render every 5th frame. Play Sound when Job is finished Plays the infamous After Effects bell sound when the job is done. Continue on Missing Footage If checked, AE Render Manager will ignore any missing footage warnings and continue rendering. Multiple Processes Speeds up rendering by using multiple processes. This vastly depends on the nature of your project, and it may slow down rendering instead, so it's off by default.

8 5. Using AE Render Manager with Backburner The Backburner Settings panel allows you to render a single project using several computers. AE Render Manager is also Dependencies supported, which means you can set Backburner to begin a render job only if another user-defined job is finished. Backburner on a single computer can also be useful, as it can be used to render a queue of projects, so you don't have to wait for a render to finish before setting up the next. 5.1 Requirements If you can't get Backburner to work with AE Render Manager here's a handy list of things you should be aware of: Every node (computer) must have After Effects installed Every version of After Effects must be the same on every node Every node must have the same After Effects installation path Every node must have all the plugins that are used in the project, installed. The After Effects project file, as well as all its containing footage, must be located in a shared folder that all nodes can fully access The Output folder must also be located in a shared folder that all nodes can fully access The render job must be already set in After Effects's Render Queue Program Compatibility Assistant must be enabled (Click here for instructions)

9 5.2 Backburner Settings To render your After Effects project(s) with Backburner, check the Render with Backburner option in Backburner Settings. Make sure you've preconfigured Backburner as instructed in Chapter 3 and press Send to Backburner. The following options are available in the Backburner Settings panel: Task List The Task List function utilizes network rendering using multiple nodes. It divides all the rendering that needs to be done to the specified amount of servers on job. The Task List's Build function will automagically generate a task list for you. Just specify the name of the composition that you want to render, along with the desired Start and End frame, the number of nodes that will be used for rendering, and press Build. An example of a Task List generated with AE Render Manager

10 And the resulted job when sent to Backburner Job Name Specifies a name to display for the current job in Backburner. Comp Name Specifies the name of the composition that will be rendered. This is only required if you're rendering over multiple nodes using Task List. Dependencies Sets the current job to begin rendering only if another user-defined job (or number of jobs) is complete. The syntax is as follows: jobname1;jobname2;jobname3 where jobname1, jobname2 and jobname3 are the jobs that need to be completed before the current job begins rendering. Server(s) on job Sets the number of nodes that will be used for rendering. Priority Specifies a priority ranking for the job in the Backburner queue. The lower the setting, the higher the job priority. That said, a job with a priority set at 80 will be rendered after a job with a priority set at 10. Job Suspended Adds the job to the Backburner queue in inactive state. The job is not started until you activate it manually from the Backburner monitor.

11 6. Enabling Program Compatibility Assistant (Windows 7/Vista) If Backburner persists on giving you an Access Denied (0x5) with a Task Error saying Process cannot be added to job group follow these simple steps to enable the Program Compatibility Assistant. 1. Locate the file gpedit.msc on your computer and double-click it to launch the Local Group Policy Editor. 2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, look for the Program Compatibility Assistant. It should be located in: Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Windows Components Application Compatibility

12 3. Double-click on Turn off Program Compatibility Assistant, and on the popup settings window select Enabled and click Apply. Close the Local Group Policy Editor and restart your computer. You will have to do this for every node on your farm giving you an Access Denied error. That's it! If you did everything right, Backburner shouldn't give you any more of these error messages.

13 7. Conclusion AE Render Manager has been heavily tested and should work normally for every user out there. The only real problem people could have is with permissions and privileges settings under Windows Vista & Windows 7, but the instructions in Chapter 6 should solve any of these problems. AE Render Manager also allows you to render multiple projects simultaneously, but this is not recommended, as the system can become unstable. 8. Disclaimer AE Render Manager is freeware, which means there is no warranty for future updates or new features. The free software programs provided by Monologue may be used for any commercial projects and may be freely distributed, provided that no charge is levied, and that the disclaimer below is always attached to it. The programs are provided as is without any guarantees or warranty. Although the author has attempted to find and correct any bugs in the free software programs, the author is not responsible for any damage or losses of any kind caused by the use or misuse of the programs. The author is under no obligation to provide support, service, corrections, or upgrades to the free software programs.

14 Version History AE Render Manager v1.0 - Adobe After Effects command-line interface GUI - Autodesk Backburner support. AE Render Manager v1.1 - Updated documentation - TIFF/PSD/AVI output in Custom Render Settings - Backburner fix - Check for updates - Small UI changes

15 Copyright 2011 Monologue All Rights Reserved Adobe After Effects is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Backburner is a registered trademark of Autodesk Canada Co. in the USA and/or Canada and other countries.