Command line render & render settings

[Geoff Vane]

On my PCs I create templates for the codec and the quality, like Best Settings and Quicktime 32 bit Animation Premultiplied. I can save these templates and load them. No problem so far. 

I have made a render pc which I feed with AE projects. A piece of code calls the command line renderer and thus creates graphics. 

Since the render pc uses a “crippled” demo version of AE (that is how you create one), it becomes problematic to update the render templates. During the trial period I could open AE and adjust the render output templates. After that, I had to temporarily transfer a license which is a pain. 

>>>Can I find a file on a full AE machine which contains the render quality and codec settings? Then I would be able to “transplant” that onto the render machine. I have been searching for a day but never found it. 

[ToolfarmJP]

I would not think you need the license for render-only use. You call this program.

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects 2020\Support Files¥aerender.exe

[Rick Gerard]

Quicktime Animation is an 8-bit codec. If you really want 32-bit you'll have to choose something like ProRez 444 or GoPro Cineform.

You can license 2 machines and the Render Engine does not require a license. The AE Render engine searches a watch folder for any projects that have comps in the render cue and automatically renders them according to the settings in the Render Cue. That's all you have to do. The settings come from the machine that has the full version of AE, there is nothing to set in the Render Engine. You have no access to anything. The only thing that you have to do when you install and use the Render Engine is to install and license all 3rd party effects you have on your main machine. That's all there is to it. You are making it way too difficult.

[Geoff Vane]

Thank you for your reply but you didn’t  understand what we are doing. 

I am not making it way to difficult as we programmed our own graphics interface for people to order custom graphics from where ever they are. And they don’t have to use after effects themselves.  Visual Studio calls After Effects and fills in user selected content. 

So we need the command line renderer and not the watch folder strategy. 

We also have the team version of Adobe which does not seem to allow two installs, unlike the individual version. 

And for using the command line system, it is the normal procedure to install a demo version. With a text file you tell adobe this is a command line render pc without full after effects. You can look it up on the adobe website. 

>>> So the question remains: is there a file that contains the render settings, so I can update command line render nodes?

PS: QT animation is the goto codec for most cgi machines in a broadcast environment if you want to include alpha. For now, I am not going to change that as it would cause many other problems. Sorry.