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Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render

by Recta3D·Workflow

Images © Recta3D. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render earns its place in the superhive library by pulling camera switching, slot rendering and render-border handling into a single pie menu you reach from the 3D view.

What is Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render is a Blender addon built around a pie menu that opens over the 3D view. From that menu you can switch to any camera in the scene, set a local camera to a 3D view area, and send a render to any slot without leaving the viewport. The menu also indicates which camera is currently active and whether an RT_Slot already holds an image.

The addon keeps hold of earlier renders. It can retain the previous render image when you work with a render border, and it can display the render border on the Image Editor. Completed renders are stored in an RT_Slot, and a render is also saved to a slot if you close the render window before it finishes.

Some features rely on a workaround for the Blender Python API: the addon gets render pixels by saving the render to disk, loading it into Blender, then removing it, so you need to save the blend file first. The pie menu is triggered with Shift + Ctrl + Alt + Q, a hotkey you can change. It supports Blender 3.0 through 3.5 and is released under the GPL license.

Who is Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render best for?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render is best for blender users juggling several cameras and render slots who want pie-menu access to camera switching and rendering from the 3D view.

How much does Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render cost?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Retain the previous render image when using a render border
  • Display the render border on the Image Editor
  • Switch to any camera in the scene
  • Set a local camera to a 3D view area
  • Render to any slot
  • Pie menu shows the active camera and whether an RT_Slot holds an image

Tags

#Blender#pie menu#camera switching#render slots#render border#rendering workflow#addon

Frequently asked questions

Does Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render work with Blender 3.5?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render supports Blender versions 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5, so it covers the 3.x line up through 3.5. It is released under the GPL license. If you are running a newer Blender release than 3.5, check the developer's page before installing, since compatibility beyond the listed versions is not stated. The addon works from the 3D view through a pie menu, giving access to camera switching and rendering to slots without leaving your viewport.

How do I open the pie menu in Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render opens its pie menu with the hotkey Shift + Ctrl + Alt + Q, which you can change if it clashes with another shortcut. The menu appears over the 3D view and gives access to camera switching, setting a local camera to a 3D view area, and rendering to any slot. It also shows which camera is currently active and whether an RT_Slot already holds an image, so you can see the state of your cameras and slots at a glance.

Why does Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render need the blend file saved first?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render gets render pixels by saving the render to disk, loading it back into Blender, then removing it from disk, which is a workaround for the Blender Python API. Because of that, you need to save the blend file before using these features. Completed renders are stored in an RT_Slot, and a render is also saved to a slot if you close the render window before it finishes. This lets you keep hold of earlier renders rather than losing them.

Is Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render free?

Renderingtools - Retain Previous Render is listed as free in this catalog. The addon is distributed under the GPL license. For current licensing terms and any purchase details, check the developer's page, since terms can change over time. Beyond licensing, the addon adds a pie menu to Blender's 3D view for switching cameras, setting local cameras to view areas, rendering to slots, and retaining the previous render when a render border is used.

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