Sony Vegas 5 Manual

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Rendering with networked computers
Network rendering allows you to designate a specific computer to render the entire output file, or you can 
distribute a single rendering job among several computers. 
Distributed network rendering splits the video into segments that are rendered by multiple computers. In 
this mode, each computer renders a portion of the project, and the rendered sections are then reassembled 
into a single file by the one computer (called the stitch host).
Distributed rendering is a good way to reduce the time it takes to render a project containing a significant 
amount of processed video (video effects, transitions, panning/cropping, track motion, and compositing). 
However, distributed rendering requires increased disk space and network traffic because each segment 
must be saved before the final output can file be generated.
Nontemporal video output formats, such as DV or uncompressed AVI, are also well suited for distributed 
network rendering because segments can be reassembled without re-encoding.
Nondistributed network rendering behaves very much like standard rendering, but you can choose which 
computer you want to render the project. In this mode, each computer renders a complete file from a 
Vegas project or the loop region. 
If you want to encode the same project to multiple streaming formats and bit rates, it is best to queue up 
multiple nondistributed jobs because streaming formats use temporal compression and you can assign 
different renderers to different output formats. If you have a project or output format with audio only, 
choose nondistributed rendering because only video is rendered in the first phase of a distributed job.
Both distributed and nondistributed rendering jobs can be queued to be performed as computing resources 
become available so you can render multiple projects or render the same project in multiple formats. 
Rendering using a computer other than your main editing computer allows you to continue working without 
waiting for the render job to complete.
Setting up your computers for network rendering
The computer that initiates and manages a network render is considered the owner of the job. Each 
networked computer that you use for rendering is called a renderer. The computer that reassembles rendered 
segments in a distributed rendering job is called the stitch host. The computer that is designated to perform a 
nondistributed network render job is called the render host.
To use network rendering effectively, we recommend the following:
256 MB RAM in each renderer.
100 Mbps switched local area network.
Your Vegas project file (.veg), media files, and output file must be in shared folders, preferably on a 
dedicated file server, All renderers must have permission to read, write, create, and delete files in the 
shared folders. 
Setting up a rendering computer
1.
Install Vegas software as a render-only client. 
You can install Vegas software as a render-only client on two computers for each Vegas license you 
purchase. However, certain file formats, such as MPEG-2, AC-3, and MP3, cannot be used on render-only 
clients. 
						

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2.Start the Vegas Network Render Service application (VegSrv50.exe). The service must be running and 
you must be logged into the computer before you can use it for rendering.
3.If necessary, you can change the TCP port the render service uses to communicate with other renderers:
a.Exit the Vegas Network Render Service application if it is running. 
b.Open the NetRenderService.config file in a text editor. This file is located in the Vegas 5.0 installation 
folder. 
c.Edit the  tag in the file to reflect the port you want to use.
d.Save the file.
e.Restart the Vegas Network Render Service application.
Adding renderers to a host
1.
Start the Vegas Network Render Service application (VegSrv50.exe) on the computer you will use to 
initiate network rendering. 
If you do not start the service before starting a rendering job, it will start automatically, but it will not be 
visible. Right-click the   icon in the system tray and choose Show from the menu to display the window.
2.Select the Renderers tab. This tab allows you to edit the list of computers running the render service.
Note: A computer will be displayed on the Renderers tab 
only if you have logged on to Windows and the Vegas 
Network Render Service is running. If the computer is not in 
an area you can monitor easily, you can use 
Ctrl+Alt+Delete to lock the computer after logging on and 
starting the service.
3.Click the Host box of a blank row in the table, and then type the IP address or name of the computer you 
want to use as a renderer. 
To find your computer name, right-click My Computer and choose 
Properties from the shortcut menu to 
display the System Properties dialog. Click the 
Computer Name tab, and your computer name is displayed 
in the 
Full computer name entry.
4.Press   to connect to the renderer. If the connection is made, the Status column will display Ready.
Using nondistributed network rendering
1.
Save your project.
2.If you want to render only a portion of your project, create a time selection that includes the portion you 
want to render.
Enter 
						

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3.From the File menu, choose Render As.
4.Use the Render As dialog to choose the file format and location where you want to save your file. The 
location of the output file must be in a shared folder.
5.Select the Render loop region only check box in the Render As dialog if you want to render the selected 
portion of your project.
6.Select the Render using networked computers check box in the Render As dialog, and then click the Save 
button. The Network Render dialog is displayed.
7.From the Render Host drop-down list, choose the URL of the renderer you want to use to render your 
project.
8.Click OK to start rendering.
9.To add a project to the queue, open the project and repeat steps 1 through 8. 
You can choose a different renderer for each project or time selection if you want to render the files 
concurrently on separate computers. If you choose the same renderer, the rendering jobs will be queued to 
run sequentially on that computer.
Using distributed network rendering
1.
Save your project.
2.From the File menu, choose Render As.
3.Use the Render As dialog to choose the file format and location where you want to save your file. The 
location of the output file must be in a shared folder.
4.Select the Render using networked computers check box in the Render As dialog, and then click the Save 
button. The Network Render dialog is displayed.
5.Select the Distribute Rendering Among Peers check box in the Network Render dialog.
6.From the Stitch Host drop-down list, choose the computer you want to use to assemble the rendered 
segments.
7.Choose a file format for your rendered segments.
Select the 
Use Final Render Template check box if you want to render segments using the format you 
chose for your final output in the Render As dialog. 
Use this option when youre working with uncompressed or DV files. Using the final rendering template 
for rendered segments makes the final stitching process fast because the segments can be copied and 
assembled without being re-encoded.
Clear the 
Use Final Render Template check box and choose settings from the Save as Type and Te m p l a t e 
drop-down lists if you want to render segments using a format other than your final output format. 
Use this option when youre rendering to a format that uses temporal compression, such as QuickTime, 
RealMedia, or Windows Media. Rendering segments as uncompressed or DV AVI files allows 
transitions and composited tracks to be rendered in a high-quality format. When the segments are 
stitched, the project is re-encoded using the format you chose for your final output in the Render As 
dialog.
8.Click OK to start rendering.
Monitor rendering progress
1.
Right-click the   icon in your system tray and choose Show from the menu to display the Sony Vegas 
Network Render Service window. 
						

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2.Select the Progress tab. The Progress tab displays a list of the segments that are queued to render, the 
assigned peer, and the status.
3.Choose Details or Summary from the drop-down list in the Progress tab to see more or less information.
Set file mappings
File mappings help remote renderers find the media used in your project. When you import media from a 
local disk, the file paths saved in your project are often valid only on the local machine. This can be the case 
even if the media resides in a shared folder.
Use the File Mappings tab to map local folders to universal paths.
1.Right-click the   icon in your system tray and choose Show from the menu to display the Sony Vegas 
Network Render Service window.
2.Select the File Mappings tab. The tab displays a list of local folders and their universal paths.
3.Click in blank row in the table.
4.In the Local box, type the path to the local folder (c:\media, for example).
5.In the Universal box, type the UNC path or mapped drive letter to the folder (\\renderer\media\, for 
example).
Set render service options
1.
Right-click the   icon in your system tray and choose Show from the menu to display the Sony Vegas 
Network Render Service window.
2.Select the Options tab. 
Item Description
Enable renderingSelect this check box if you want the local computer to be available as a renderer.
Automatically run 
after loginSelect this check box if you want to start the service automatically after logging in to the Windows operating 
system.
Exit service when 
window is closed Select this check box if you want to keep the service running after closing the window. If the check box is 
cleared, the service is minimized to the system tray when you close the window.
Exit Vegas when idle Select this check box if you want to close the instance of Vegas software that is launched by the network render 
service when no jobs are in the queue.
If the check box is cleared, the application continues running until you close it or exit the service.
Remove completed 
jobs from progress 
display afterChoose a setting to indicate how long jobs should be maintained on the Progress tab of the Sony Vegas 
Network Render Service window. 
Default segment 
lengthChoose a setting to indicate the number of frames per segment when using distributed rendering.
Adjusting this value can increase performance slightly depending on the complexity of the project and your 
specific rendering computers.
If the setting yields more than 90 segments for a rendering job, the segment length for that job is automatically 
increased to limit the number of segments. 
						

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Printing with Video Capture
Once you have rendered your project, you can use the Sony Pictures Digital Video Capture application 
(installed with Vegas software) to print your finished video onto DV tape in your video camera or VTR.
Note: You must have an IEEE-1394/OHCI-compliant 
video capture card installed to use Video Capture.
1.If you have not already done so, connect your video camera to your video capture card using the cable 
provided with the card.
2.In the Media Pool window, click the Capture Video button ( ). The Video Capture application starts.
Note: If your video camera is properly connected, the Video 
Preview window in the center of the application area should 
display “Device connected.”
3.Follow the instructions for printing to tape provided in the Video Capture online help. To access online 
help, click the 
Help menu within the Video Capture application, and choose Contents and Index. The 
Video Capture online help file displays.
Printing to DV tape
Print to tape from the timeline is only available in the full version of Vegas software.
You can print either a portion of your project or the entire video right from the project timeline. Your project 
is examined, any complex portions are prerendered, and then printed to DV tape all in one action. For more 
information, see Prerendering video on page 255.
Note: Printing to tape from the timeline can require 
significant drive space for temporary prerendered files. Set the 
Prerendered files folder on the Video tab of the Project 
Properties dialog to an A/V-capable drive with sufficient 
space. Prerendering a DV project uses approximately 228 
MB/minute, so plan accordingly.
To print to DV tape, you must first establish a connection to the video camera or VTR to which you will 
print. For more information, see Video device tab on page 294.
Establishing a connection to the recording device
1.On the Tools menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog appears.
2.Click the Video Device tab.
3.In the Device drop-down list, select OHCI Compliant IEEE 
13 94 / DV
.
4.Click OK. The Preferences dialog closes. 
						

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Printing to DV tape from the timeline
1.To print just a portion of your project, make a time selection in the timeline.
2.From the Tools menu, choose Print Video to DV Tape. The Conform Timeline to DV Format dialog 
appears. Complete the following information:
In the 
DV Template drop-down list, choose the appropriate template for rendering your video or click 
Custom to select custom settings. For more information, see Customizing the rendering process on page 275.
Note: If you are working with a 24p progressive-scan project 
or you have the 
Allow pulldown removal when opening 24p DV 
check box selected on the 
General tab of the Preferences 
dialog, you will need to insert pulldown by choosing the 
appropriate 24p DV template from the list.To use the video 
footage later, choose the 
NTSC DV 24p (inserting 2-3-3-2 
pulldown)
 template.
If you are not working with a 24p progressive-scan project 
and you cleared the 
Allow pulldown removal when opening 
24p DV 
check box on the General tab of the Preferences dialog, 
you can use any DV template.
To print just a portion of your project, select the 
Render loop region only check box.
3.Click Next. The Leader and Trailer dialog appears. Complete the following information:
In the 
Leader section, choose a test pattern, and indicate the test pattern and black duration that will 
precede the video. To print without a test pattern or black leader, enter 0 for the 
Duration value. Select 
the 
Play 1 kHz tone with test pattern check box to include a tone in the leader. 
In the 
Tr a i l e r  section, indicate the duration of the black to follow the video. To print without a trailer, 
enter 0 for the 
Duration value.
4.Click Next. The Device Setup dialog appears. Choose the device control mode:
Choose the 
Manual radio button to cue the device manually and set it to record.
Choose the 
Use device control radio button to cue the device automatically based on a timecode value. 
Enter the timecode for recording to begin in the 
Device timecode box. The device must support OHCI 
1394-DV device control to use this option.
5.Click Finish. The selected video begins printing to the device. A progress meter appears indicating the 
percent completed.
Note: The tone that you can include in the leader is fixed at -
20 dB. If you need a different tone level (to match your audio 
mix), create a test pattern and tone clip that is calibrated to 
your record deck. 
						

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CHP. 17CUSTOMIZING VEGAS SOFTWARE
CHAPTER285
Customizing Vegas 
software
You can customize Vegas® software to suit your project needs and working preferences. Many of the settings 
depend on your equipment or studio setup. Vegas software can be set to work with the components that you 
use in your studio.
In this chapter, you will find information about functions that allow you to customize the appearance of 
Vegas software, set a project’s properties, and set the application’s preferences.
Displaying frame numbers
You can display frame numbers on video events. Once you 
have enabled frame numbering, a small box appears at the 
bottom of the event thumbnail with the frame offset, time or 
timecode. The small black arrow marks the exact position of 
that frame in time. 
When the workspace is zoomed in far enough, each thumbnail 
represents a single numbered frame in the source video file. At 
intermediate zoom levels, marks between the frame numbers 
show the location of intermediate frames. These frame marks 
are not visible at lower magnifications. 
1.From the Options menu, choose Preferences. 
2.Click the Video tab.
3.Choose an option from the Show source frame numbers on event thumbnails as drop-down list.
4.Click OK. 
Changing the ruler format
You can customize the ruler to display a number of different standard formats. The format that you select 
affects how the ruler and time display window display time units. For more information, see Timecode in Vegas 
software on page 325.
To change the ruler’s format, right-click the ruler and choose the desired time format from the shortcut 
menu or, from the 
Options menu, choose Ruler Format and choose the desired time unit. You can also 
change ruler settings on the Project Properties dialog’s 
Ruler tab. For more information, see Ruler tab on page 
290.
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The following are the different time units available (hh=hours, mm=minutes, ss=seconds, and ff=frames): 
Editing the ruler offset
The ruler doesn’t necessarily need to start with zero at the far left side. You can enter an offset to change the 
orientation of the ruler in a project. One use of this is to create a lead-in into a project. A five-second offset 
would mean that the ruler would start at -5 seconds and would be at 0 five seconds into the project.
Note: You cannot create a ruler offset in an audio CD 
layout project.
1.Position the cursor at the desired location along the timeline.
2.Right-click the ruler and choose Set Time at Cursor from the shortcut menu. The 
current ruler value is highlighted.
3.Enter a time value. 
4.Press   to set the ruler’s time. The value that you enter at the cursor’s position affects the entire ruler.
Time format name Units
Samples numbered (starting with zero)
Timehh:mm.ss.sss
Seconds sssss.sss (to three decimal places)
Time & Frameshh:mm:ss.ff
Absolute Frames frames are numbered starting with 0
Measures & Beatsmeasures.beats.ticks, where 64 ticks = 1 beat
Feet & Frames 16mm (40 fpf) feet+frames, where 40 frames = 1 foot
Feet & Frames 35mm (16 fpf)feet+frames, where 16 frames = 1 foot
SMPTE Film Sync (24 fps)hh:mm:ss:ff
SMPTE EBU (25 fps, Video)hh:mm:ss:ff
SMPTE Non-Drop (29.97 fps, Video)hh:mm:ss:ff
SMPTE Drop (29.97 fps, Video)hh:mm:ss:ff
SMPTE 30 (30 fps, Audio)hh:mm:ss:ff
Audio CD Timehh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss:ff when zoomed in tightly
Enter 
						

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Changing grid spacing
Grid spacing is different from the ruler and provides an alternate method of subdividing a project’s time. 
This can be useful if you want the ruler to display SMPTE video timecode, but you need to create your music 
in terms of beats and measures. You can display the grid spacing in time, frame, measure, or note units. The 
grid can also be set to match the ruler’s time format. The grid appears across all tracks in your project and the 
grid’s lines can be used as snap points.
To change grid spacing, choose 
Grid Spacing from the Options menu, and choose the desired time unit from 
the submenu. The grid spacing changes to reflect your selection.
Note: In some cases, the grid lines and the ruler do not 
match. This is because they are two independent functions. 
Using the Time Display window
The Time Display window reflects the cursor’s position on the timeline and the end point of a time selection. 
You can customize the time display’s settings, including what time the window displays and what colors it 
uses.
You can move the Time Display window from its docked position above the track list to float on the 
workspace. In addition, you can dock the time display in the window docking area. For more information, see 
Window docking area and floating window docks on page 21.
Changing the time display settings
The time display always reflects the ruler settings that are selected. You can change the ruler settings via the 
time display or vice versa. For more information, see Changing the ruler format on page 285.
1.Right-click the time display. A shortcut menu appears.
2.From the shortcut menu, choose Time Format, and choose the desired time format from the submenu.
Both the time display and ruler display the chosen time format.
Ruler and grid increments can be different. 
This new project is set with Ruler = SMPTE non-drop and Grid = Quarter notes. 
						

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Changing the time display colors
You can change the background color and text color used in the time display.
1.Right-click the time display to display the shortcut menu.
2.From the shortcut menu, choose Text Color or Background Color and then choose Custom. The Time 
Display Color dialog appears. 
3.Choose the color setting that you want.
4.Click OK to set the text or background color or click Cancel to keep the existing color settings and close 
the dialog.
Tip: To return the time display’s text or background color to 
its default settings, choose either 
Text Color or Background 
Color
 from the shortcut menu, and choose Default from the 
submenu.
Setting the time display to monitor MIDI timecode
You can use the time display to monitor the status of incoming or outgoing MIDI timecode. Vegas software 
can monitor MIDI timecode being generated from an external device or monitor MIDI timecode and MIDI 
clock information generated by Vegas software. From within Vegas software, the time display settings work 
in conjunction with your project’s properties and MIDI setup options. For more information, see Sync tab on 
page 299.
1.Right-click the time display.
2.From the shortcut menu, choose the type of MIDI monitoring to be displayed.
Once you have made your selection, the time display displays both the MIDI timecode being input or output 
and a status message.
Monitors incoming MIDI timecode
Monitors MIDI timecode generated by Vegas soft
w
Monitors MIDI clock generated by Vegas software