Render time info

[6ril]

Hey,

I'm here with an "old" question, I know it's been discussed/explained already, but I'm still struggling with getting rendering time estimations :/

I've found some info, but it's more about OSX and Linux, and it seems to be different with windows.

First, I don't know how to bring up the console (don't laugh please).
All I could find was to set mantra verbose level to at least 1, which is already at one by default, and that it could also be seen in the render scheduler.

So I launch the render scheduler, set it to not clear completed tasks, but when I hit render to disk (rendering a sequence) the render scheduler isn't showing any info. It's only when the animation is all rendered that the scheduler display a list of task, when it's too late.

Since I don't know how to bring up the console, I'm in the dark about some needed render time estimations :/

How do you guys get those info ?  I'd love to at least see the total render time estimation somehow.

Thanks !
 

Edited May 7, 2016 by 6ril
typo

[Atom]

Here is how to launch any app so it's output appears in the Terminal:

On OSX go to the search bar and type "Terminal" then launch the terminal app. A black box should appear somewhere.

Now right click on your Houdini icon, mine is in the dock, and choose Options\Show In Finder.

When the finder window opens up right-click on the Houdini app and choose Show Package Contents (yes, an OS X app is really just a ZIP file that you can dive inside)

Open up Contents\MacOS and you will see a black happrentice file. Drag and drop that black icon into the Terminal window. A path to that file will appear in the Terminal. Just press ENTER to launch the app and now all console output will be routed to the Terminal window. As you use the app message will appear in the Terminal window.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Atom

[6ril]

sorry, I might have wrote a confusing English :/

 

I'm under WINDOWS, looking for render estimates and how to bring up the console.

[6ril]

UP !

(would really love to get some help here) (am I asking something too basic? or am I missing something ?)

[Guest tar]

Most Houdini users are on OsX or Linux, so IIRC for Windows you open Houdini with the Houdini Command Line Tools and then any message is output to there.  That should be installed where Houdini is installed.  

[6ril]

Thanks Marty, looking into it...

Is there someone here using H under windows ?

I've tried this:

launching HCMD.exe (in the bin folder of the houdini install folder)
from there I launched houdini

but it's still the same, when I hit "render to disk", no info, nowhere :/

Maybe I need to launch the rendering differently? from a command line?

I've never done such things, always been doing cgi under windows.

What I'm trying to do is rendering to disk and get info (estimation). Seems so basic from where i'm from.

 

[Guest tar]

Just noticed you haven't mention turning on Statistics on Mantra. That has to be set to 1 or above. Then the output looks like:

 

[10:31:52]  Plane[C]: 0 Cf+Af[4] (16-bit float)
[10:31:52]     SampleFilter: alpha
[10:31:52]     PixelFilter:  gaussian -w 2
[10:31:52]     VEX Type:     vector4
[10:31:52]     Gamma:        1
Load Time: Frame Wall Clock Time: 0:00:01.75
Total Wall Clock Time: 0:00:01.75
       Total CPU Time: 0:00:01.50
 System CPU Time Only: 0:00:00.20
    Peak Memory Usage: 115.22 MB
[10:31:55] Ray Counts:
[10:31:55]       8,330,436 primary rays          9.04 rays/pixel
[10:31:55]       1,509,510 occlusion rays        1.64 rays/pixel
[10:31:55]       1,476,785 shading rays          1.60 rays/pixel
[10:31:55]      11,316,731 total rays           12.28 rays/pixel
[10:31:55] Unified Cache: 0.00 KB of 16.00 TB used
[10:31:55] Frame Wall Clock Time: 0:00:02.58
[10:31:55] Total Wall Clock Time: 0:00:04.32
[10:31:55]        Total CPU Time: 0:00:21.51
[10:31:55]  System CPU Time Only: 0:00:03.04
[10:31:55]     Peak Memory Usage: 276.00 MB
[10:31:55] Peak Geometry Objects: 2

 

[6ril]

yep I know about the verbose level needing to be set above 1, but all it gives is post render info, I'm looking for an estimation of the render time, at the beginning of the rendering process.

let's say I'm rendering 1000frames TO DISK, I'd like to be able to know how long it will take, preferably before it finished
and without doing the math of the estimation myself, just like in other 3d apps.

Is it not possible in Houdini ?

Must be, I think there's an estimation like that at the top right corner of Mplay (ETA), but I'd need that info when I'm rendering to disk too, especially when I rendering to disk actually.

Edited May 8, 2016 by 6ril

[Guest tar]

not that I know of - that Mplay ETA is brand new in H15.

[6ril]

ok, that's too bad then : /

 

thanks for your time Marty.