Read the submission terminal

Clicking Submit Still or Submit Animation opens a separate terminal window. That window is the submission worker. It traces your scene's dependencies, packages or synchronizes them, uploads everything, and only then registers the render job. Blender stays responsive the whole time. Progress appears in the terminal, so keep it open until it finishes.

Stage 1: Tracing

The worker first scans the .blend for everything the farm will need: linked libraries, images, caches, fonts, and other external files. The trace table lists each dependency with the blend file that references it, the data block, the resolved path, and a status mark.

*A green check means the file was found and readable. An orange mark means it is missing, and the summary panel below the table lists every missing path.*

How to read the trace table:

The summary panel repeats the totals and, for PROJECT uploads, shows the detected project root: the folder every dependency must live beneath. If that root looks wrong, adjust it in Upload Settings.

Missing is a warning, unreadable is a stop

A missing file can be intentional (a muted texture, an unused datablock). Unreadable files and blocking path problems stop the submission instead. Fix them in Blender and submit again.

Stage 2: Packing

ZIP submissions build a self-contained archive. PROJECT submissions map files beneath the project root and only synchronize what changed. The packing table shows what went into the archive and how it was stored.

*Already-compressed formats such as PNG are stored without recompression, and everything else is deflated. The footer totals the file count, bytes, and elapsed time.*

Stage 3: Uploading

Uploads run in numbered steps: the archive or changed files first, then packaged add-ons, then the manifest. A live progress bar tracks the current transfer.

*Each completed step is confirmed with its transferred size. The diagnostic report path is printed at the end of the transcript.*

The worker registers the job only after the upload completes. If the terminal closes before the success screen, the job was not created. Check troubleshooting instead of waiting for a job that will not appear.

The success screen

*J opens the job page in your browser, R opens the diagnostic reports folder, and Enter closes the window.*

After the success screen you can close the terminal. The job now exists on the farm: it appears in the add-on's Manage & Download list and on the web app's Render Jobs page. Downloading output later opens its own terminal, which you read the same way. See the download terminal.

When something goes wrong

When something blocks the submission, the worker stops and shows a red panel. The panel names the cause and lists the affected paths relative to the project root.

*Blocking errors name the exact files. Fix them in Blender, save, and submit again. Closing the terminal is safe.*

Common stops and where they are explained:

• Missing or unreadable dependencies: relink or restore the files. See dependencies.
• Absolute or cross-drive paths in PROJECT mode: make paths relative under one root, or switch to ZIP. See upload settings.
• Unsaved file, no project, or no connection: the submit buttons stay disabled until you resolve these. See troubleshooting.

Share diagnostics with support

Every submission writes a diagnostic report. The transcript prints its path (Diagnostic report: …), and the success screen's R shortcut opens the reports folder. When a submission misbehaves:

Keep the terminal text

Copy the final error panel, or screenshot the terminal window before closing it.

Grab the diagnostic report

Open the reports folder via the success screen or the printed path. The newest submit_…json file matches your attempt.

Redact secrets

Never share passwords, tokens, session files, or signed URLs. The report itself avoids credentials, but check anything you copy manually.

Send it with context

Include the report, the organization and project names, the exact time with timezone, and what you expected to happen. See support.

• Configure a job: What each submission field controls before you click Submit.
• Upload settings: ZIP versus PROJECT and the project-root rules tracing enforces.
• Troubleshooting: Focused checks for submissions that stop or never register.