If you’ve just finished creating an animation in Maya, the next step is to render it so you can see your work in its final form. Rendering in Maya can seem daunting, but it’s actually a simple process. In this guide, we’ll show you how to render your animation in just a few steps.
First, you’ll need to access the render settings. These can be found by clicking on the icon next to the hypershade at the top of the screen. Once you’ve opened the render settings, you’ll want to change the file name prefix to whatever you’d like each image in the sequence to be called.
Next, choose your image format. We recommend using JPEG or PNG. Keep the quality at 100 and make sure to select “name.number.extension” for the frame/animation extension, as this is the most versatile option.
Set your start and end frames, and make sure your renderable camera is selected. You can then choose your desired resolution, but keep in mind that the higher the resolution, the longer the rendering will take.
Once all of your settings are in place, switch from modeling to rendering. This will allow you to access the render sequence option. Double check that the correct camera is selected, then choose the folder where you’d like to save your rendered animation.
Finally, hit “render sequence” and wait for your animation to render. When it’s finished, your frames will be saved to your designated folder in the format you selected.
From here, you can easily import your rendered frames into video editing software like Premiere or Davinci Resolve to create a finished video. Simply drag and drop the frames into your editor and export as desired.
Rendering in Maya doesn’t have to be complicated. With these simple steps, you’ll be able to render your animations quickly and easily, and see your hard work in its final form.