Make Blender Render Faster - Settings Optimization

IV. Settings optimization

Adjusting the rendering settings in Blender can also help to speed up the rendering process. Here are some tips for optimizing rendering settings:

Adjust the number of samples:

The number of samples refers to the number of times that the renderer calculates the color of each pixel in an image or animation. The more samples that are taken, the more accurate and detailed the final rendering will be, but this also means that the rendering process will take longer. To optimize the number of samples, you can adjust the “Samples” setting in the “Render” tab of the Properties panel.

It’s natural to think that increasing the samples is going to immediately improve our final render quality. However, we recommend instead, choosing to improve the resolution. Frequently, increasing the resolution is a far better trade-off. In the short video below, we see how raising the samples from 5 to 32 to 128 to 300 all perform similarly, but when raising the resolution, our render gets far better.

Use the “Denoising” feature

The “Denoising” feature in Blender allows you to reduce noise or grain in the final rendering by using machine learning algorithms to smooth out the image. Denoising can be especially useful when using low sample counts or when rendering noisy or grainy materials, such as metal or glass. To use the “Denoising” feature, you can enable it in the “Render” tab of the Properties panel and adjust the strength and quality settings as needed.

Use Denoising in tandem with Noise Threshold:

Use the “Progressive Refine” feature:

The “Progressive Refine” feature in Blender allows you to progressively improve the quality of the rendering as it progresses. This can be especially useful for large or complex scenes that may take a long time to render. To use the “Progressive Refine” feature, you can enable it in the “Render” tab of the Properties panel and specify the maximum number of passes and the convergence threshold.

Are you using the right rendering engine for your purpose?

Choose the right rendering engine. Blender provides several different rendering engines to choose from, including Cycles, Eevee, and Workbench. Each engine has its own strengths and limitations, and some may be faster than others depending on the specific requirements of your project. To choose the right rendering engine, you can compare the features and performance of each engine and select the one that best meets your needs. For revisions we recommend using Workbench and of course, for final renders, we recommend Cycles.‍Overall, optimizing the rendering settings in Blender can help to speed up the rendering process by adjusting the number of samples, choosing the right rendering engine, using the “Denoising” feature, and using the “Progressive Refine” feature. By carefully selecting and adjusting these settings, you can achieve the desired level of quality and performance for your project.