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 |
