Rendering
Appropriate engine selection. Optimized settings. Production render passes.
When to Use
- Final portfolio/cinematic renders
- Look development validation
- Render pass output for compositing
- Game asset preview renders (Turntable)
- Style validation (realistic vs stylized)
Engine Selection
| Engine | Use When |
|---|
| Cycles | Final quality, realistic, portfolio |
| Eevee | Real-time preview, stylized, game look dev |
| Eevee Next | Improved real-time quality (Blender 4+) |
Workflow
Camera Setup → Render Settings → Sample Tests → Full Render
→ Pass Output → Color Management → Delivery
Camera Setup
Naming: CAM_[Shot]_[Number]
- Focal length: 35mm (environment), 85mm (hero detail), 24mm (wide horror)
- Depth of field: subject distance focused
- Composition: rule of thirds; leading lines
- Turntable: empty parent rotating 360° for asset preview
Cycles Settings
| Setting | Preview | Production |
|---|
| Samples | 64–128 | 512–2048 |
| Denoise | OpenImageDenoise | OpenImageDenoise |
| Max bounces | 8 | 12 |
| Caustics | Off (default) | On if glass/water hero |
Eevee Settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|
| Screen Space Reflections | On for metals |
| Ambient Occlusion | On |
| Bloom | Stylized/ emissive scenes |
| Shadow resolution | 2048+ |
| Contact Shadows | Ground contact |
Render Passes
| Pass | Use |
|---|
| Combined | Final composite |
| Diffuse Direct/Indirect | Relighting |
| Glossy | Reflection control |
| Normal | Compositing effects |
| AO | Contact shadow enhancement |
| Z (Depth) | DOF, fog in comp |
| Cryptomatte | Object masking |
| Emission | Screen glow effects |
Color Management
View Transform: AgX (Blender 4+) or Filmic
Look: Medium Contrast (default) or High Contrast (dramatic)
Exposure: Adjust in compositor, not by blowing lights
Render Optimization
- Use render region for test crops
- Adaptive sampling (Cycles)
- Disable unseen objects in render layers
- GPU rendering default when available
- Persistent data for animation sequences
Asset Turntable Template
1. CAM_Turntable at 3/4 height, 45° angle
2. Empty at asset origin → rotate animation 0–360° (120 frames)
3. 3-point lighting rig
4. Render 1280×1280 or project-specified resolution
5. Output PNG sequence or MP4
Reference Image Validation
When matching a photo/concept (../references/reference-image-match.md):
| Setting | Reference match |
|---|
| Hero camera | Match reference angle before grading |
| AgX Look | Base Contrast default; High Contrast if reference is punchy |
| Exposure | 0.15–0.45 typical; hull must read, not clip white |
| Preview playback | EEVEE, motion blur off, taa_samples 1–8 |
| Final still | Render at hero CAM_* — compare to reference |
| Compare tool | get_viewport_screenshot or bpy render still |
Run ../references/visual-match-checklist.md before delivery.
MCP Integration
- Configure render engine settings via MCP
- Setup camera via MCP
- Trigger test render via MCP if supported
- Query render settings validation
- Set output paths via MCP
Constraints
MUST DO
- Match render engine to project style
- Screenshot or render compare when reference image was provided
- Use denoising for Cycles production renders
- Setup color management before final render
- Render validation turntable for hero assets
- Organize cameras in
COL_Cameras
MUST NOT DO
- Production render without sample test
- Ignore color management (sRGB vs Linear)
- Render at excessive resolution without purpose
- Skip render passes when compositing planned
- Use Cycles for real-time game preview needs
Reference Guide
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|---|
| Pass compositing | references/render-passes.md | Multi-pass output |
| NPR/stylized render | references/npr-rendering.md | Stylized-style projects |
| Reference image match | ../references/reference-image-match.md | Photo/concept attached |
| Visual match validation | ../references/visual-match-checklist.md | Before delivery |
