rendering layers to files

Hi,

maybe I am a bit stupid here, but how do I render different layers to files?
I know that I can chose multilayerEXR and all the layers will be included there, but how does it work if I want to render to a different format?
If I just try a different format, the files just overwrite each other, because they have the same name. I don’t see an option for filename tokens, e.g.:
filename_<renderlayer>.####.png

Also looking at the commandline render, I can specify a Scene (-S) but not a layer.

So, is it not possible to render layers to seperate files??

thanks!

File Output node http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Phonybone/MultiFileOutputNode
Connect each layer to an separate input and name it whatever you want

Alright, thanks!
Quite a hack though… :confused:

Not a hack, it does exactly what it’s supposed to do, saves multiple files. They may be render layers, masks, intermediate files, anything you wish from your composition.

If you do it regularly just create a node group to do what you want, with the names you want, in the file formats you want, to the locations you want and pack in your blend. Then you’re just a couple of clicks away anytime you want

Maybe I just have to get used to it, but some stuff feels a bit odd.
some examples:

  1. To create the layers, I have to create them in the layers-tab and afterwards I have to setup a comp-tree to pipe each layer to a output-node.
    This is a bit clumsy, but as you said if you have the same setup all the time it wouldn’t be a problem to create a group or otherwise write a little script that sets that automatically. But with all those output-nodes, how do they behave if I only render one layer and the others are disabled? Are they disabled then as well, or do they output black pictures?

  2. I still don’t have a commandline option to render just a layer of my choice.

I am just messing with a Blender to RoyalRender setup, and not being able to access that stuff is a bit frustrating. Especially since Blender has this really awesome Scene-Layer-Pass construct.
If I set a filename in the output field I would love to be able to use tags like: filename.<Scene>.<Layer>.<Pass>.####.exr

I’m just looking for a way if I could get that to work, but it seems my “skill vs available-time” ratio is not enough sadly. I think I need to look into that:
http://www.blender.org/documentation/blender_python_api_2_71_release/bpy.ops.render.html?highlight=render.render#bpy.ops.render.render
But I can’t find it in the blendersource. And then I wouldn’t even know how to add a commandline flag to the executable :confused:

Well, I guess I’ll just work with what I have, and the fileoutput-nodes is better than nothing still.
Thanks!