Project Takes a Long Time to Prepare Render and or Appears To Flicker with Team Render

Problem:

When using Team Render, un-cached Global Illumination (GI) or Ambient Occlusion (AO) effects can significantly slow down render preparation due to the need for a prepass calculation. Additionally, different machines may calculate random seeded effects like MoGraph, Dynamics, GI, and AO differently, causing flickering or inconsistency in the render.

Solution:

To fix these issues, create a GI or AO prepass cache before rendering. This allows machines to reference the cache rather than recalculating the prepass for each render, ensuring uniformity across different machines and reducing preparation time. For instructions on caching MoGraph, Dynamic Simulations, Volumes, and Particles, please go >>>HERE<<<

1. Save Project with Assets:

   • Go to File > Save Project With Assets. This creates a self-contained project folder with all necessary assets, including GI and AO cache files.

2. Cache Global Illumination (GI):

   • Go to your GI settings under Cache Files.
   • Enable "Auto Save" and "Full Animation Mode".
   • Turn on "Prepass Only".
   • Render using only your local machine (not Team Render).
   • Once finished, disable "Prepass Only" and "Auto Save", then enable "Auto Load" and "Skip Prepass (if Present)".
   • Start your render or Team Render.

3. Cache Ambient Occlusion (AO):

   • Go to your AO settings.
   • Enable "Auto Save" and "Full Animation Mode".
   • Since there's no "Prepass Only" option for AO, enable the "Material Override" setting.
   • Render your project with the default grey material to complete the prepass faster.
   • Disable "Material Override" and enable "Auto Load" in the AO settings, then disable "Auto Save".
   • Start your render or Team Render.

By caching these effects, you ensure faster preparation times and consistent results across all render nodes.