Output Destination Always "Not Yet Specified"?

[Matthew2412079097wq]

Hi All,

I am attempting to streamline my rendering process since I make make many renders a day, sometimes in batches from a single AE Project, and manually selecting output destinations is tedious. I have created a custom "File Name and Location Template", saved it, and set it to default, however, when I add to the render queue, the output destination is always "not yet specified", despite me having set my custom template to default. In fact, no matter what Template I set to default (even the stock ones), every comp's output destination is "not yet specified". Can someone assist me with this? Thanks!

[Mylenium]

Without any info about your computer, file paths, naming conventions and so on we can't really tell you much. From the sound of it this could be network related, if you render to external storage, but then the bad news could be that it's perfectly normal... Anyway, more info is required.

Mylenium

[Matthew2412079097wq]

Thanks for the quick response! Here's some additional info:

I am running After Effects 2022 on Windows 11 Pro 21H2, and almost every file path I'm working with is a locally synced dropbox server (since that's what my company uses for practically everything). The AE project is in it's own folder, and the template instructs to move up one level, then into an exports folder. Here's the template: 

[projectFolder]..\Exports\ICYMI\[compName] [dateMonth]_[dateDay]_[dateYear].[fileExtension]

Let me know if you need any other info!

[tristansummers]

Just to keep on about this. 

Every single time you I open a project, I have to manully select the render location.

It sometimes opens the right folder when I click on it.

It sometimes opens the location of the last Animation Preset used.

AE is basically not storing the last rendered location in the project file.

It isn't about having custom render settings.

Default settings always used to rememmber where you last rendered to and now it doesn't.

Probably permissions, registry issue but I do wonder if the Asus WRX is using bifurcation on the PCIe slot to support the third on board M2 slot and that somehow confuses or doesn't register.

[falldowngoboom]

I've had this issue come up on my end here and there, was good for a while but it showed up again... annoying. Have you tried resetting your preferences? It seems to work on my end, but make sure to save your output module presets if you have any, you can "save all" in the "Make Template" window.

Right after you click to open AE up push these buttons together:
-Ctrl+Alt+Shift

[Oleg Burinsky]

This solution doesn't work unfortunately. This is definitely something coming from Adobe's side. Since a specific version of AE 2022, then 2023 this file output is now "Not Yet Specified". Whereas before it pointed to the last folder used for rendering.

[falldowngoboom]

Yeah this solution was very temporary, it quickly reverted back to the "not yet specified". Pretty annoying, I remember it an issue years back and sad to see it resurfacing.

[tristansummers]

I have had this now for a year or so, so not sure when it started.

I do not think it is a system specific thing.

But if it is, it may be Ryzen/Threadripper Pro based. It may be Samsung 980 Pro based. It may be that I render to the AE cache drive on slot 3 of ASUS  WRX80 motherboard. 

I always render to the same RENDER folder.

Previous versions of AE always remembered this. 

That way I ALWAYS knew where my renders went.

But in the past 1 or 2 full versions of AE it says render location not specified on start up and occassionally on project opening.

There is definitiely a bug that is meaning the defailt location is not being stored.

If I use an animation preset before rendering, it defaults to that location.

So the default location is the last place AE has been, but only in this session.

Hopefuly this issue can be replicated and troubleshot as it is a major workflow issue, especially for automated rendering with Dataclay

[tristansummers]

Latest Windows 11, Latest AE, Latest Nvidia and Decklink drivers, always.

Asus WRX80/Threadripper Pro 3955WX/Samsung980Pro x 3 in onboard slots, not PCIE card/128GB None EC RAM/Geforece4090