Rib Format

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The rib format is for exporting your Silo scenes to Renderman-compliant renderers, including when calling such a renderer from within Silo through the Render command.

When Silo exports to rib files, it uses the material name given in Silo as the name of a surface shader in the rib file. There must be a shader in your renderer's shader library with the same name as each material for this to work properly. You can override material names with a single shader name using the appropriate check box and field in the Import/Export Settings dialog.

Most Renderman-compliant renderers have subdivision surfaces built-in to them, and if an object is subdivided in your Silo scene, it will export it as a subdivision surfaces object in the rib file. Refine your control mesh before exporting/rendering if your renderer doesn't seem to support subdivision information. Objects which are partially subdivided will not render properly.

All of the options in the Import/Export Settings window will have an effect on rib file exports, except the Include Materials check box. If you choose to include a header or footer file, they will be added to the beginning or end of your rib file, respectively.

Notes

  • The only export option not supported by the rib format is the Include Materials check box, since no Renderman materials are defined in the rib files anyway.
  • You must install your rib renderer separately – no renderer is included with Silo.