command line rendering

[larklee]

i just started playing around with houdini and i would like to know if there

is a command line to render ( similar to maya )

[danteA]

You will notice if you look at the parameters for a Mantra Output operator, that there is a "Render Command". Inside, by default it says "mantra". If you click on the plus button, then it gives you various command line options for mantra. Typically, to do command line rendering, you turn on "Generate Script File" which produces an .IFD file which is similar to the renderman .RIB script file. You can then pass this .IFD file to mantra for rendering. However, the option for generating script files seems to be disabled on my Houdini Apprentice.

[stu]

Here's a standard one:

hrender -e -v -f 1 1 -i 1 -d mantra1 file.hip

-e (can't remember, but you need it!)

-v (verbose)

-f (frame range)

-i (frame increment)

-d (output driver)

file.hip (filename)

stu

[larklee]

i tried that command above: hrender -e .... mantra 1

at the command line tools under windows and it prompted 'hrender' is not a valid command, ...i'd run it at hscript and it prompted 'unknown command'..am i missing something here?

[plan9]

greets,

make sure you have sourced houdini_setup within the cshell, otherwise you will get the unknown command error

mantra -h will give you all the render flags and a brief explanation of what they do.

[Andy_Ireland]

Using latest Houdini Apprentice HD on Mac OS 10.6.8,

get as far as "Entered non-commercial session mode"

and then "Can't fine node /out/mantra1"

Anyone any ideas what is going wrong here?

Edited May 9, 2013 by Andy_Ireland

[ryew]

"Can't fine node /out/mantra1"

Hard to say without seeing what's in your scene - do you have a mantra1 node in your /out context?

[Andy_Ireland]

Ryew, I was trying Stew's sample and ran ito the problem,

I was using something like this on Linux last year but don't remember having to type mantra.

I have tried a few different things now and still getting basically the same error: "couldnt find renderer mantra"

[goldleaf]

I use hbatch usually. Sometimes hython, to get a little bit more control. Here's an example:

https://gist.github.com/crydalch/3167162

You just need to make sure your houdini environment is all setup, or you're running from the Shell/Commandline shortcut in the Houdini install folder.

[Andy_Ireland]

Thanks goldleaf, Ill try it out

[ryew]

I was using something like this on Linux last year but don't remember having to type mantra.

I have tried a few different things now and still getting basically the same error: "couldnt find renderer mantra"

It works for me using hbatch and render commands in 12.5.316.22 NC on Ubuntu linux:

> source houdini_setup_bash

> hbatch /var/tmp/renderTest.hipnc

hbatch Version 12.5.316.22 (Compiled on 03/13/13)

WARNING: Entered non-commercial session mode.

/ -> render mantra1

http://www.sidefx.co....5/render/batch lays out all the various stages and command line options

renderTest.hipnc