The Common Tab provides settings shared between all renderers in Maya.

Path: Displays the output path for image files, given the current project setting.

File Name: Displays the output name of the final image.

Image Size: Displays the resolution (generally in pixels and inches).

Color Management

RenderMan does not support the Output Transform setting. However, view remapping is available in "it".

File Output

The name of rendered image files can be composed of up to three elements: file name, frame number, and file format.

File Name Prefix: Determines the base name for rendered images.

 Image Format: Specify which format to save output image files.

 Compression... does not apply to RfM.

Frame/Animation Ext: The format used to name output images.

Frame Padding: The minimum number of digits in frame number extensions. For example, if Frame/Animation Ext is set to renderman.ext, and Frame Padding is 2, Maya names rendered image files renderman.01, renderman.02, and so on.

 Frame Buffer Naming/Custom Naming Scheme do not apply to RfM.

Use Custom Extension: Create a custom extension by enabling Use Custom Extension, and entering your custom extension in the field. This extension replaces the standard extension based on file format, i.e. .tif, .tex, etc.

Frame Range

Start Frame, End Frame: Specifies the first and last frames to render. Frame/Animation Ext must be set to an option containing # to enable these parameters, otherwise a single frame will be used.

 By Frame: The increment between the output names of rendered frames. By Frame is only available if Frame/Animation Ext is set to an option containing #.

Renderable Cameras

Renderable Camera: Select your render camera from this list.

 If your scene has only one renderable camera (for example, the perspective camera), whatever camera is selected in this drop-down list becomes the renderable camera. In other words, the newly selected camera becomes the renderable one in your scene (the default perspective camera becomes unrenderable).

Alpha Channel (Mask): Determines whether rendered images contain a mask channel.

Depth Channel (Z Depth): Determines whether rendered images contain a depth channel.

Image Size

Presets: Choose a resolution for your output images based on a selection of industry standards.

Maintain Width/Height Ratio: If this box is checked, custom resolutions will maintain a locked ratio between height and width. By disabling this parameter, any numbers may be enter for image resolution.

Width/Height: For custom resolutions, enter the desired resolutions here.

Size Units: Select an appropriate unit of measurement.

Resolution: Set the rendered resolution of your image.

Resolution Units: Select the units in which the resolution is defined, either pixels per inch or per centimeter.

Device Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of your target display (e.g. "it" or Maya's Render View).

Pixel Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of the individual pixels of the display device on which you are viewing the rendered image.

Render Options

Enable Default Light: Turn the default lighting on or off during rendering.

Pre/Post MEL scripts: These are fields for entering MEL scripts/commands to be run at the specified times.