Scene Node¶
The Scene node is the central node in every assembly graph. It defines one render job: which scene to use, which collections to include as view layers, and all the render configuration. Every collection, override, and configuration node ultimately connects to a Scene node.
Inputs¶
| Socket | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Collection (×N) | Collection | One input per view layer. Each connected collection becomes a separate view layer in the assembled scene. |
| Camera | Camera | Override the scene's active camera |
| World | World | Override the scene's world |
| Render Settings | Render Settings | Engine, samples, and other render parameters |
| Render Passes | Render Pass | Which passes to enable for this render |
| Compositor | Compositor | A compositor node tree to attach |
| Freestyle | Freestyle | Freestyle line rendering configuration |
Properties¶
Scene¶
Scene — the Blender scene to use as the base. The assembled render scene inherits the lights, camera, world, and settings from this scene, then applies your node-defined overrides on top.
Layer Name — the name used for this render job. Becomes the {layer} token in the output filename. If left empty, the node's name is used.
Render Mode¶
Controls how this scene is rendered. If Override from Defaults is off, this setting overrides whatever the Output Defaults node specifies.
- Still — renders a single frame
- Animation — renders a frame range
- Camera Burst — renders from multiple cameras (see Camera Burst)
- Timeline — frame range is controlled by a Timeline node strip; not normally picked here directly
When a connected Camera Sequence node's Override Frame Range option is on, the Mode dropdown is replaced entirely by a Camera Sequence status label — this isn't one of the Mode options and can't be picked from the dropdown; it's shown only while that connection is active, using whichever underlying Mode/frame range values were set before, and reverts to them automatically the moment the override is turned off or the connection is removed.
Frame Range¶
Frame Start / Frame End — the frame range for animation renders. Toggle Override to use values different from the Output Defaults node.
Camera Burst (when mode is Camera Burst)¶
Burst Collection — the collection containing the cameras to render from.
Still Frame — when burst mode renders stills, this is the frame number to use.
Output¶
Base Path — override the output root path for this scene only.
Overwrite — when enabled, existing files at the output path are overwritten. When disabled, renders are skipped if the output file already exists (useful for resuming interrupted render sessions).
Tokens¶
By default, the filename template is inherited from the Output Defaults node. Enable Override Token Order to customize which tokens are used and in what order for this Scene node specifically.
When the {label} token is enabled and Override Token Order is on, a Label value field appears to set the text it expands to.
Resolution¶
Override the render resolution for this scene. When all three fields are left at their defaults, the resolution from the Render Settings node (or the base scene) is used.
View Layers¶
Each connected collection input creates one view layer in the assembled scene. The view layer inherits the render pass configuration from the connected Render Passes node (if any). You can connect the same Render Passes node to all layers or use separate nodes per layer.
Connecting a View Layer node (rather than a bare Collection Source) lets each layer carry its own Camera/World/Render Settings/Render Passes/Freestyle/Compositor overrides and object-level overrides — see that node's page for details, including when several layers can render together as one native multi-view-layer scene instead of one scene per layer.
Rendering multiple layers together (native multi-view-layer merge)¶
When 2+ View Layer nodes are connected to this Scene node's Collection inputs, Scene Assembler checks whether they can share one real Blender scene with multiple native view layers, instead of building a separate throwaway scene per layer:
- Every layer must use the same camera (or camera sequence), the same world, and the same render settings
- No layer may have an object-level override (material, transform, visibility, etc.)
When the merge succeeds, all layers render together in a single pass — Cryptomatte, AOVs, light groups, and a connected Compositor all continue to work correctly per layer. When it fails (any layer differs, or has an override), this Scene node falls back to its original behavior — one scene per layer — and shows:
Info
Rendered as separate scenes (slower) — layers don't share camera/world/render settings, or one has an override
There's nothing to configure directly — give matching layers the same Camera/World/Render Settings connections (or leave those sockets empty so they all inherit from Output Defaults) and keep object overrides off any layer you want included in the merge.
Queue Grouping¶
Group layers in queue — when this Scene node's layers can't be natively merged (see above) and are submitted separately, this toggle controls whether they still travel together as one queue job:
- On (default) — all layers are built into one blend file and submitted as a single queue job, showing as one card with a LAYERS section listing each view layer
- Off — each layer gets its own temp blend file and becomes its own separate queue job — useful when you want to pause, retry, or reorder layers independently
This toggle is automatically bypassed (treated as off) whenever any layer has an object override — overriding an object mutates shared bpy.data state, so grouping layers into one blend file would let one layer's override bleed into another's scene. Scene Assembler switches to separate blend files automatically in that case, regardless of this toggle's setting.
Build Preview Scene¶
Click Build Preview to assemble a preview of this node in Blender's scene list without rendering. The preview scene (_SA_Preview) gives you a live 3D viewport of the assembled result — with overrides applied — so you can check the composition before committing to a full render.
After building, a checkmark appears on the button to confirm this node owns the current preview. If the preview belongs to a different node, an indicator shows which one.
Tip
The preview scene is a real Blender scene. Switch to it in the scene selector to inspect it in the 3D viewport or check its view layers in the Properties panel.
Camera Burst preview
When Camera Burst is active, the preview places one timeline marker per camera (frames 1–N). Scrub the timeline in the 3D viewport to switch between cameras. The viewport is set to the first camera automatically.