by David Jacobson·Workflow
Images © David Jacobson. Used for product review; image policy.
RenderHogs earns its place for a narrow, practical focus: holding back unnecessary layers and effects until render time so heavy comps stay responsive. Its broad compatibility, from CS6 through After Effects 2020, and support for the aescripts + aeplugins manager app make it straightforward to fit into an existing setup.
RenderHogs is an After Effects plugin from David Jacobson that lets you disable unnecessary layers and effects until render time. It also includes tools for maintaining responsiveness in heavy comps.
The plugin is compatible with a broad range of After Effects releases, from CS6 through CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019 and After Effects 2020. The current version is 1.13, released on May 14, 2021, which added support for installation through the aescripts + aeplugins manager app.
First released in January 2015, RenderHogs has received updates addressing licensing and a fix to the 'Toggle & Render' button along the way. It's listed as free in this catalog, and a demo video is available. For current licensing and version details, see the developer's page on aescripts.
RenderHogs is best for after Effects users working in heavy compositions who want to disable unnecessary layers and effects until render time to keep projects responsive.
RenderHogs is completely free to download and use.
RenderHogs supports a wide span of After Effects versions, including CS6, CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019 and After Effects 2020. If you run one of these releases, the plugin is listed as compatible. For anything newer than 2020, compatibility isn't listed, so check the developer's page for the most current version support before installing. The current release is version 1.13, last updated in May 2021.
RenderHogs can be installed through the aescripts + aeplugins manager app, with support for that method added in version 1.13 on May 14, 2021. For the exact steps and any requirements, the developer's page is the place to confirm the current installation process. Because the plugin covers After Effects releases from CS6 through 2020, make sure your version is on the supported list before you install. A demo video is available if you want to learn more.
RenderHogs is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so the developer's page on aescripts is the best place to confirm the current licensing before you rely on it for a project. The changelog notes licensing-related updates in earlier versions, including a licensing framework update in version 1.10 and a licensing version fix in version 1.12, so it's worth using the latest release, version 1.13, to avoid any mismatch.
RenderHogs is at version 1.13, released on May 14, 2021, which added support for installation via the aescripts + aeplugins manager app. Before that, version 1.12 corrected a licensing version mismatch in December 2020, version 1.11 fixed a bug related to the 'Toggle & Render' button in April 2020, and version 1.10 updated the licensing framework in December 2019. The plugin first shipped as version 1.00 in January 2015. For the current build and any newer changes, check the developer's page.
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