I’m rendering for VFX and I’d like to render both the shadow and the CG elements the same time, in different layers. To reiterate, render once, two separate files. Without rendering a second time for the shadows?
You can use the OpenEXR multi layers format as output for your render. Then in compositing you process each layer separately…
I forgot to mention that you need to setup vew collection for each layer you need to render separately…
You can output multiple render passes from different layers into a single EXR, yet Cycles will still render your CG and shadow catcher separatly. There ins’t a real shadow pass. Others render engines also don’t have it. It’s common for VFX render each frame twice or more. Big studios render RGBA, tech passes (motion, z, position), shadow catchers all separetly.
Exactly as @anon39274998 said… , the shadow passes just render the visible shadow, if you @mv_nyc (really?) want to have the shadow under/behind the objects you have to render both. (I ask myself : what for?)
“MultiLayer OpenEXR” is specifically designed – originally by Industrial Light & Magic – to be a data-file format. It losslessly captures multiple named “layers” of the exact numbers that were calculated by the render. It is designed to be used as an intermediate file in a multi-stage pipeline.
“Deliverable files,” such as .MOV, .JPG, .PNG, and so forth, are then made from these data, each according to the needs of each individual target.
Oh yes, you mean this thing with info about all objects on the camera ray (?)… so you can select a layer by distance to camera… IDK if blender itself can handle the post production…
