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To get started, let's render the Maya scene, teapot_and _box.ma. 
(Where are the tutorial files?) 

First of all, make sure that RenderMan is properly set up.

With RenderMan for Maya fully loaded, open up the Maya scene, teapot_and _box.ma. This scene is simple, but it contains a number of Maya Materials, including the ramp shader and some texture maps. The teapot is a hierarchical subdivision surface. The box is constructed from NURBS. The scene should look something like this:

Maya Scene

First, render the scene using the Maya renderer:

	Render-> Render Current Frame

The Maya render should look like this:

The Maya Renderer

Next we'll render the scene using RenderMan. 

First, choose RenderMan as the renderer:

	Render-> Render Using-> RenderMan

Now you're ready to render the scene with RenderMan!

        Render-> Render Current Frame

With any luck, your result should look like this:

Rendered with RenderMan

RenderMan for Maya allows Maya scenes to be rendered with RenderMan simply by switching renderers. No additional set up is required. RenderMan for Maya will translate the majority of elements in any given Maya scene file. This allows the Maya artist to harness the full power of RenderMan with a minimal amount of hassle.

You may notice, however, that in the example above both images render in about the same amount of time and with approximately the same level of quality. As you become more familiar with RenderMan you will become aquainted with where its strengths are to be found. For instance, RenderMan is memory efficient and it excels at rendering lots of geometry. In the example above, if we were renderering 100 teapots, and not just one, we would begin to appreciate RenderMan's ability to handle large, complicated scenes. 

Learn more about some of the other fundamental strengths of RenderMan:

Motion Blur

Depth of Field

Displacements

Ray Tracing

Particles

Fur and Hair

RenderMan also has advanced features for creating sophisticated effects:

Deep Shadows

Global Illumination

Subsurface Scattering

AOVs

A familiarity with RenderMan will help to successfully leverage its strengths in the production of high quality CG imagery.

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