The rendering queue is a very useful tool for deferring renderings for a later time in which the computer is not in use. We will see how to use it.
Suspending Renderings
We can suspend a rendering any time we want to. A suspended rendering is a file that stores all the required information for the rendering and all the information already rendered.
The file extension for a suspended rendering is .rdf
To suspend a rendering we can do any of the following.
- Click on the Suspend… button in the Render dialog.
- From the Plus menu of an active rendering window select Suspend Rendering. This will suspend the rendering and stop rendering.
- From the Plus menu of an active rendering window select Suspend and Continue. This will create the suspended rendering file up to the moment you selected Suspend and Continue and then will continue to render.
You will be prompted to save the RDF file
The Rendering Queue
We can access the Rendering Queue from the Rendering menu.
We can add suspended renderings (the .rdf files) to the queue with the Add… button.
The files will be rendered in the same order that they appear in the list. When ready, the image or movie file will be generated. If there is more than one file in the queue, the next render will begin.
This is a great way to leave the computer(s) to render away during the night and wake up to find everything ready!
