Rendering Animations with Boost for Daz

Using Boost for Daz (Streaming mode) for rendering animations is effective and convenient when you follow this streamlined sequence

Wouldn't it have been great to queue your Daz animations and let them rip? We totally get how cool that would have been....but lets gently go of that dream, because it does not exist. As of this moment, Daz animations are rendered only via Streaming. But the good news is that, in addition to helping accelerate your rendering workflows for images, Boost for Daz can also be used to setup and accelerate your animations. For many, Boost for Daz is the first place Daz artists can even try their hand at exploring and expanding their creative boundaries with animation, because their local rigs (laptops or macs) cannot. So we wanted - no, needed - to outline the steps to do animations with Boost for Daz in the most straightforward way possible. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but that might be the case only the first time. Once you get the principles behind the sequence recommended here...you'll be all set to do use Boost for Daz to render your animations frequently, with no issues. Here goes.

Step 1 - Recommend watching Jay Versluis' video on Animation Basics using Daz Studio

Jay is a Daz published artist (PA) and a respected developer of digital art and content. He also authors and hosts a number of Daz livestreams. Jay is also an active Boost for Daz user, as are many of his viewers and supporters. As a first step, we recommend watching Jay's video so you refresh Daz animation basics.

(Video reference link: https://www.versluis.com/2020/04/my-animation-workflow-in-daz-studio-the-basics/)

Step 2 - Pick the right GPU

Before even starting the animation process, you need to settle on a GPU. This is important because if your GPU and its available VRAM is not sized correctly, your animations will fail and it will just negate the entire animation experience. Now many of you might have a gut instinct (using your local rigs as a reference) as to which GPU from the Boost for Daz catalog might be a good starting point for your intended animation project. Pick your top two or three (consider VRAM and speed).

Next, we recommend that you use our GPU guide to zero in on your first choice. Extra work? Perhaps. Worth it? For sure!

Step 3 - Initialization and priming/preparing the Queue

In this step we're going to prime our GPU for speed. We'll do this by uploading only the first frame of your animation to the queue on the GPU you selected. This serves two purposes:

1. Uploading the first frame into the Iray Server queue will load onto the GPU memory most (if not all) of the assets used in your animation, including (but not limited to) the .duf file, Daz store assets, non-Daz store assets (if any), shaders, textures, instances etc.

2. Once on Boost for Daz, if for whatever reason we need to change/upgrade our GPU, we can do that without having to upload all the files again. This is especially helpful for people with internet connections with low-medium bandwidth.

Follows these steps to upload the first frame of your animation to the queue:

a) Open your animation project in Daz Studio. (Remember to ensure that your DS version is at the supported versions

b) Establish a Boost for Daz session (if not already)

c) Set the Render Type parameter for the project is set to Still Image (Current Frame). Make sure that you have filled the Image Name and Image Path fields. Daz will need this to create your local animation frames.

d) Enter your credentials into Daz Studio

e) Click on 'Add to Queue'.

At this point, Daz Studio will create your render package and upload it to your private virtual server on Boost for Daz - along with the supporting files and assets.

Step 4 - Do a 1st pass check of the basics (test animation)

Now that your project is on Boost for Daz, it will stay there as long as you are connected to Boost for Daz. The following steps help you perform a quick 'health' check to see if all basics for your final animation are in place.

a) (Temporarily) Reduce the image Dimensions to 100 x 100 for your project (or something close to that given the aspect ratio of your project)

Reduce the Dimensions for your project

Reducing the Dimensions and the number of frames just allows you to test quickly so adjustments can be made sooner, if required. Later, you'll be resetting these parameters to your desired values.

b) Set Render Type to 'Image Series' and reduce the Render Range to a small (testing) number

Change Render Type to Image Series

Setting the Render Type to 'Image Series' is a recommended best practice. This creates a frame for every step in your animation and saves them in the directory noted in the Series Path section of the Destination parameters. (see sample image above). This serves two purposes:

1. In the event there is a problem with the render, then your progress is saved. And you can pick up where you left off in the next render.

2. Sometimes Daz Crashes and this option again will help save your work - and not have to start from the beginning again!

Most people select the Movie option for Render Type. With that option Daz Studio also renders each frame (saving them to a temporary, hidden folder) and then after the last frame is rendered, it stitches them together into a 'movie' using a built in tool. We'll recommend some tools that can do this for you later in the article.

c) Render your animation using Streaming

Using the same Iray Server credentials in Step 4 (above), connect to Boost for Daz (if not already connected), render your test animation setup using Streaming mode, using the following steps:

1. Connect to Boost for Daz

2. Enable Render via Streaming checkbox

3. Click on Render button

Steps to Render your test animation via Streaming mode on Boost for Daz

IMPORTANT - As Iray processes the frames you submit for rendering, it checks to see if it has all the information (assets, environment, textures etc.) for it adequately render those frames. If it does, then it will proceed with the animation. However, if while going through the frames Iray decides that the frame has enough changes and that it needs more information, it will ask Daz to send that up to it. In these instances, during the animation rendering process, you will see Daz pausing to upload the required information to the Iray Server to render that frame. You can reduce the impact of this by either (a) simplifying the number of differences across frames in your animation (b) broaden the range of frames to test in Step 4 using a smaller frame size. This will get all the right assets to the Iray Server across a set of frames more inclusive of the changes across your animation, and will take less time since it is rendering a small frame size. If all that works, then rendering the full animation at the desired resolution in Step 5 will be much smoother and faster.

d) Check 1st Pass (test) animation results

Once the rendering is complete, go to the folder (set in the Series Path parameter [Editor Tab > Destination parameter set]) and check to see that all your frames have been created.

e) Convert the frame into a 'Movie' (e.g. mp4) to check to see your animation is correct. You can do this using a tool you may already have, or refer to this list of free and paid image to video convertor tools.

If your animation looks good and what you expected, let's proceed further to 'make it official'. If you need to make adjustments, then do those and follow the 1st pass (test animations) instructions again until you are happy with the test animation.

Step 5 - Redo animation with desired parameters

If you've reached this step, chances are you have a small little movie of you animation that represents the animation you desired. This step will help us create the final animation using the actual parameters you desire for your animation.

a) Change (or clean up) the Series Path directory so your rendered frames for your actual animation are stored separately or are easily identified (and not confused with your test animation frames). (Recommended, not required step)

b) Change the Dimensions to your desired dimensions

c) Change the number of frames to cover the entire frame range of your animation

d) Redo the Animation (following the step 'a', 'b' and 'c') in Step 4 above.

e) Stitch the frames into the desired animation clip (step 'd' and 'e')