When using the Render Network in conjunction with Blender, the accepted output format is ORBX. A Blender scene can be exported in ORBX format from the File menu (figure 1). Additional tips for preparing Blender files for export as ORBX can be found in the Considerations for Exporting to ORBX section at the end of this document.
Figure 1: Exporting a Blender scene in ORBX format
It is good practice to open the ORBX file in Octane Standalone to make sure everything from the Blender scene exported properly (figure 2).
Figure 2: Opening an ORBX file in Octane Standalone
If using the Prime version of Octane, the Standalone Demo version can be used to open the ORBX file and check for proper export from Blender. To check for rendering issues inside of Octane Standalone, click on the Render Target node in the Node Graph Editor window (figure 3).
Figure 3: Activating a render in Octane Standalone by clicking on the Render Target node
If the exported ORBX file contains animation, the timeline will be visible in the Standalone Render Viewport window (figure 4).
Figure 4: The Render Viewport timeline
Exporting Large Scenes
If a Blender scene is large, the export to ORBX process can take a large amount of time or in some cases, crash during the export process. In these cases, separating the Blender scene into smaller ORBX exports can be beneficial. There are two primary ways to achieve this:
Blender Collections
Blender Collections can be used to isolate which scene assets are exported in an ORBX file. Collections that are inactive will not be included in the ORBX export (figure 5).
Figure 5: The Scene Assets Collection is inactive
Octane Node Graph Editor
The Octane Node Graph Editor window can be used to select specific scene assets for export (figure 6).
Note: This method only exports a single frame, it does not export animation contained in the scene.
In order to access the Node Graph Editor window, the Blender Viewport must be in Rendered View mode (figure 7).
Figure 6: Accessing the Octane Node Graph window
Figure 7: Activating Rendered mode in the Blender Viewport
Specific scene asset nodes can be selected in the Octane Node Graph window and exported to ORBX by right-clicking on the nodes and choosing Save (figure 8).
Figure 8: Exporting specific nodes in the Node Graph Editor window
Considerations for Exporting to ORBX
- File Size - The ORBX files should not exceed 20 GB in size. If an exported ORBX file is larger than 20 GB (which can be the case with animated projects), the export can be broken down into frame ranges.
- AOVs -Render passes or AOVs need to be set up prior to exporting the ORBX file from Blender. AOVs can also be set up using Octane Standalone prior to uploading the ORBX to the Render Network.
- All simulation assets such as particles, fluids, hair, etc. should be baked prior to ORBX export.
- Deforming mesh elements, for example; items with a modifier or a character rig may need to be set as a Reshapable Proxy (figure 9).
Figure 9: Setting animated objects to Reshapable Proxy
- Additional Learning Material created by Alex Pearce - Octane for Blender to Octane Standalone to the Render Network!