Rendering Very Large Images

Issue

Depending on the system configuration, 3ds max may generate an "Error creating Bitmap" message when trying to render very large images. The maximum size you can render in a single pass is limited by the system configuration.

Figure 1 - Error that may occur when rendering large files.

Solution

The best workaround at this time is to render the image in sections using the blowup function and then piece them together using your photo editing software. The following steps will walk you through making a 12000 x 9000 image.

1. Launch 3ds max and open the scene you wish to render.
2. Click on the Render Scene, , button to bring up the Render Scene dialog. Set the render size to ½ your desired image size. For our example image, the image size is set to ½ of 12000 x 9000 or 6000 x 4500 pixels. Also, set the path and name of the first quarter of the image to topleft.jpg (You can use any file format you choose so long as you do not exceed it's limits.)
3. Make sure the viewport you wish to render is active and open the Customize / Viewport Configuration dialog.

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   Note: You can also right click on the viewport label and choose Configure from bottom of the resulting menu.

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4. Click on the Regions tab. In the Blowup Region section, set the X to 0, set the Y to 0, set Width to 3000 and the Height to 2250. Click OK to exit the Viewport Configuration dialog, figure 2.
   

   Figure 2 - Viewport Configuration - Blowup settings.

5. Set the Render Type pulldown menu to Blowup as shown in figure 3.

   

   Figure 3 - Render Type.

6. Click on the, , Quick Render button. A marquee will be shown in the top left quarter of the Viewport and an OK button will appear in the bottom right. Click on the OK button in the lower right of the viewport to render the image. 3ds max will render the upper left quarter of the viewport.
7. To render the rest of the image, repeat steps 3 through 6 with the following settings in the Blowup Region settings in the Viewport Configuration.

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   Note: Be sure to rename the file each time you render a new quarter.

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   topright.jpg X=3000 Y=0 Width=3000 Height=2250

   lowleft.jpg X=0 Y=2250 Width=3000 Height=2250

   lowright.jpg X=3000 Y=2250 Width=3000 Height=2250

   
   

   topleft.jpg	topright.jpg
   lowleft.jpg	lowright.jpg

   Figure 4 - Separate renderings, each 3000 x 2250.

8. In your image editing software, create a new image that is 12000 x 9000. Open each of the images you created and copy them in to the new image positioning them appropriately. The images should line up correctly with each other to make a perfect 12000 x 9000 image. Save the image.

   

   Figure 5 - Final image 12000 x 9000.

This method will work to create images of any size so long as your system and image editing software can handle the size. Your image size must be equally divisible by the number of X and Y sections you intend to render. Simply divide the image into equal sections and adjust the blowup settings accordingly.

td465