FAQ

Short answers to the questions that come up most often.

Do I need the add-on?

No. The browser flow renders anything the add-on can. The add-on is better at scenes with many external files, and at very large files.

How much will my render cost?

One credit is 20 minutes of render time, billed in 5 minute blocks of 0.25 credits. Render one frame, look at the per-frame time on the live view, multiply by your frame count, divide by 20 minutes, and round up to the next quarter. See Credits and billing.

Am I charged while uploading or waiting for a machine?

No. Only while Blender is rendering.

Can I close my browser during a render?

Yes, once it is launched. Come back through recent jobs or the job link. Do not close it during the upload itself.

Can I render an EXR sequence?

Yes. Pick OpenEXR or OpenEXR Multilayer as the output format. They have no browser preview, so the frames are download-only. Passes written through compositor File Output nodes also come back in their original format, in the extra outputs zip.

Can I render video?

Yes. Either set your file to FFmpeg, or pick FFmpeg video in the output picker (we use MP4 / H.264 if the file has no video settings of its own). There are no live frame previews for video, so many people render an image sequence and assemble locally.

Do you support Octane, V-Ray or other third-party engines?

No. Cycles and EEVEE only. A third-party engine is flagged in Step 1 before you spend anything.

Are my files private?

They are stored under your account, only reachable through time-limited links, deleted after 30 days, and the render machine is destroyed with everything on it when the job ends.

Do credits expire?

No, and there is no subscription.

Can I get a refund for a render that went wrong?

Ask. Mail contact.blenderfarm@gmail.com with the job ID; if it failed on our side we sort it out.

Can I earn credits by referring people?

Yes. Once you have rendered enough you can claim a referral link from the Affiliate tab and earn a share of what the people you bring in spend.