"_alt#" files

Deadline
1

I’m finding files like Chair_0023_alt_4.exr. Is this from deadline? What causes it? And how do I clean up or deal with these files?

thanks,
Ben.

2

Hey Ben,

Those files are created by Deadline when it can’t write to the original file name (due to access issues, network hiccups, etc). We figure that’s better than failing the render and losing the render time. The need to be dealt with manually.

Cheers,

  • Ryan
3

I recommend someone come up with a cleanup script utility.

4

How often does this occur for you? We see it happen once in a blue moon, and the process usually involves getting IT to unlock/delete the offending file, and then manually renaming the alt file. Some cases are different, as the alt file might be old, and can just be blown away itself. Manual intervention is necessary for us, and that would probably be the case for others as well, so automatic cleanup might not be the best approach.

5

When we get it, it seems to be often, as it corresponds with hardware server problems. I’m not saying it should be automatic, just helpful. Look for missing frames, duplicate frames, conflicts. Then attempt to resolve, delete, or rename. This brings to mind that there is definitely a void in render review software. Playback is bad enough, but just prepping everything so its ready to playback is such a manual slow primitive process. Deadline is a good start, but there is much territory left to conquer.

Cheers,
Ben.