Seamlessly submit renders directly to the cloud from inside your favorite Autodesk app, and automate render download tasks directly into Shotgrid
At Conductor, we’re all about making life easier and creating more efficiencies for teams working in VFX and CGI production.
That’s why we created super handy submission plug-ins for Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max and Arnold; and an integration with Shotgrid.
Maya Submitter
The Conductor Submitter for Maya is a plug-in node that automatically sends scene files to render in the cloud directly from inside Maya’s UI. Accessible from the Conductor Companion App, the Maya Submitter can also be used with Arnold, or Maxon’s Redshift, Pixar’s Renderman, and Chaos’s VRay.
By using the attributes in the Conductor Submitter, you can specify the machines you require to complete the render, any other applications you’re using to create their scene; and set cost limits.
It is our goal to make sure you don't incur unwanted costs or delays. When you hit the ‘submit’ button, your scene is first checked for potential issues. For example, you should have at least one renderable camera in the scene and you'll see a warning if that's not the case. Once this validation step is clear, the scene and assets are shipped to Conductor's render nodes.
By default, only a few tasks are set to render immediately. These are known as scout frames. The idea is that you wait for these to finish and check them visually before rendering an entire sequence. Remote rendering is a delicate process where a million things can go wrong, so we always recommend checking the scout frames. This feature saves our customers several thousands of dollars and many wasted hours every week.
Not using the latest version of Maya? No problem. You can click here to see which versions Conductor supports.
Want to learn more about the Maya Submitter? Check out our docs and tutorial to learn more.
3ds Max Submitter
The 3ds Max Submitter provides artists working natively in Windows with the power of cloud rendering with Conductor.
Conductor supports VFX, animation, and games studios wishing to render in the cloud, and also unlocks architectural visualization firms that need an easier path to cloud resources, all from within a familiar environment. Conductor supports standard 3ds Max plug-ins like iToo Software’s Forest Pack, Arnold, and Chaos’s VRay, Corona, and Phoenix FD.
Want to learn more about the 3ds Max Submitter? Check out our docs and tutorial to learn more.
Autodesk Arnold
Arnold is an advanced Monte Carlo ray tracing unbiased CPU render engine and the default renderer for Maya, BiFrost and 3ds Max, and is fully supported on Conductor. When you’re ready to render your shot, simply select Arnold in the menu function of your Conductor Submitter App - accessible via the Conductor Companion App - and fire your scenes to the cloud for baking.
Want to learn more about using Arnold on Conductor? Check out our step-by-step tutorial on how to submit a motion blur scene, using Maya, to render with Arnold in Conductor
Conductor and Autodesk Shotgrid Integration
Our integration creates a valuable bridge between Conductor and ShotGrid, enabling studios to create an efficient, well-engineered, customizable, and fully cloud-based workflow; relieving technical directors, supervisors, lighters, and IT teams of time-consuming downloading, sorting, and distribution tasks. Making it an ideal solution for studios looking to migrate from a traditional on-prem to a managed cloud rendering service with nearly infinite capacity
Our integration opens up ShotGrid allowing studios to optimize their shot management and review process and remain in full control. By writing simple in-house plug-ins, engineering staff can automate the rendering and delivery process between Conductor and ShotGrid for their studio.
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Keep production moving - set commands that instruct finished rendered shots in Conductor to be automatically downloaded and published back into ShotGrid, ready for artists, compositors, and teams to review in RV and ShotGrid’s UI
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Analyze render times to get optimal results and save money - by running scout frames and automatically flagging results to TDs and supervisors to review and assess render output times and reset if required
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Single source of truth - when a Conductor job is reviewed and signed off, automatically update the status of the task in ShotGrid, preventing any confusion on which shots are complete, and which are still being worked on by the team
Want to learn more about the ShotGrid integration and how it could help your studio?