by DShot92·Rendering
Images © DShot92. Used for product review; image policy.
A practical pick in the Blender extensions library for artists who want faster animation renders through background instances, with flipbook previews and FFmpeg MP4 output built in.
Render Multiple Instances (RMI) is an add-on by DShot92 that renders Blender animations by running a specified number of instances in the background. It draws on the Blender scene's render output settings, and when PNG or JPG output is selected it can encode the exported frames to an MP4 video using FFmpeg.
Beyond animation rendering, RMI includes flipbook features. It can render a flipbook animation in the viewport or through multiple instances, with options to override the frame range and adjust the resolution percentage. Flipbook renders use a custom incremental directory based on the add-on settings and are automatically encoded into MP4 with FFmpeg. A button opens the render directory directly.
Even with a single instance, RMI renders the animation in the background, so you can keep working in Blender while it runs. Settings cover the number of instances, encoder choice and quality, plus the flipbook options. The panel sits in Output Properties > Render Multiple Instances. FFmpeg encoding requires FFmpeg installed on the machine.
Render Multiple Instances is best for blender artists rendering animations who want to cut rendering time with multiple background instances, plus quick flipbook previews encoded to MP4.
Render Multiple Instances is completely free to download and use.
Render Multiple Instances is designed to work with Blender 4.2 and later, and is listed as compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer. The add-on runs animation and flipbook rendering through background instances using the Blender scene's render output settings. If you are on an earlier Blender release, check the developer's page at github.com/dshot92/render-multiple-instances for details before installing, since the stated compatibility begins with the 4.2 LTS line.
Render Multiple Instances uses FFmpeg for its encoding features. When PNG or JPG output is selected, it can encode the exported frames into an MP4 video, and the flipbook features automatically encode their rendered frames into MP4 as well. The add-on notes that these FFmpeg encoding features require FFmpeg to be installed on the machine to function properly, so you will want it in place before relying on the automatic MP4 output.
Render Multiple Instances places its panel in Output Properties > Render Multiple Instances within Blender. From there you can set the number of instances used for rendering, choose the encoder and adjust quality, and configure the flipbook options such as frame range override and resolution percentage. The panel also provides a button to quickly open the render directory. Installation follows Blender's standard extension flow, using drag and drop into Blender or Install from Disk.
Render Multiple Instances is listed as free here. The add-on is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, and its full source lives on the developer's page at github.com/dshot92/render-multiple-instances. Because it is licensed under the GPL, any use or redistribution is governed by that license's terms. For the most current licensing details and any conditions attached, check that page directly before you build the add-on into your pipeline.
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