User Guide Skylinker
1. What is SkyLinker
SkyLinker is a tool that instantly switches lighting presets depending on the active camera: it turns on the required Corona Suns, sets the HDRI/environment and overrides (Direct / Reflect / Refract), stores per-camera resolutions, LightMix configs and tonemapping — and can render a queue of cameras in one click.
The main idea: one camera — one “scene preset”. Switch the camera in the viewport — SkyLinker brings the scene to the required state by itself. Launch a batch — the script goes through all cameras, applies the presets and saves the frames.
2. Interface overview
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The numbers on the screenshot match the legend on the right.
Legend
- 1Corona Cameras — the list of the scene’s Corona cameras; cameras with an assignment have their name highlighted.
- 2Save LM / Load LM / Copy TM / Paste TM — LightMix configs and tonemapping transfer.
- 3Camera Properties — focal length, clipping, object visibility, alignment, resolution.
- 4SAVE ASSIGNMENT — save a preset (suns, environment, overrides) for the selected cameras.
- 5Delete Selected / Delete All — delete associations.
- 6Batch render — output folder, format, render elements subfolder.
- 7Progress + RENDER SELECTED — queue progress and batch render launch.
- 8@ | About SkyLinker — script info and the activation window.
The window is opened with the
SkyLinker macro (category
SkyLinker) or by running the script. Running the macro again closes the window.Save Assignment window
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The window for saving an assignment for the selected cameras.
Legend (continued)
- 9Corona Suns — the scene’s Sun light sources. Pick marks the ones selected in the scene, Sel ON — the ones currently on, None — clears the selection.
- 10Environment Maps — HDRI / CoronaSky / scene maps for the environment; None — no environment.
- 11Overrides — separate maps for Direct, Reflect and Refract.
- 12SAVE ASSIGNMENT / Cancel — save the preset for the selected cameras or close the window without changes.
If a single camera is open in the window, the preset is saved for it; if several
cameras are selected in the main list — for all of them at once.
3. Camera list
- Left click — select the camera and switch the viewport to it; SkyLinker immediately applies its assignment (suns, environment, overrides). Shift/Ctrl — multi-select.
- Right click — select the camera in the scene.
- Next to the name — the saved camera resolution, e.g.
[2000x1300]; it is remembered separately for each camera. - Blue name highlight — the camera has a saved assignment.
Switching the camera directly in the viewport is also picked up: the assignment is applied without clicking the list.
4. Camera properties
| Element | Action |
|---|---|
| Focal | Focal length of the current camera. |
| Clip: On + N:/F: | Enables clipping and sets the near/far planes. |
| Hide ranges | Hides/shows clipping ranges for the cameras selected in the scene; if nothing is selected — for all of them. |
| Obj. Visibility + [n] + Pick | Overrides the camera’s object visibility. [n] opens the Exclude/Include manager with an object counter; Pick adds the objects selected in the viewport. |
| AV | Auto Vertical Tilt — automatic vertical correction (Corona camera). |
| X Y Z | Aligns the camera and its target to the middle coordinate of the axis. |
| W: / H: | Render resolution; remembered per camera and shown in the list. |
| Swap | Swaps width and height (portrait/landscape). |
| Lock | Locks the aspect ratio when changing W/H. |
| Copy / Paste | Copies/pastes the resolution between cameras. |
The Object Visibility dialog: Exclude/Include modes, multi-select,
Add Objects…, Remove Selected,
Clear All.
5. Assignments
An assignment is a set of “what to turn on for this camera”. Open SAVE ASSIGNMENT (it also works for several selected cameras):
Corona Suns
- sun selection from the scene, multiple Suns are supported;
- Pick — mark the ones selected in the scene;
- Sel ON — mark the ones currently on;
- None — clear the selection.
Environment Maps
- a list of HDRI/CoronaSky/scene maps (including Color Correct wrappers);
- overrides Direct / Reflect / Refract — separate maps for each ray type.
What happens on apply
- the suns from the list turn on, the rest turn off;
- the environment and overrides are set;
- the saved camera resolution is applied;
- if there is no assignment — all the scene’s suns turn on.
Assignments are stored in the scene file (File Properties) and persist between
sessions. Delete Selected and
Delete All ask for confirmation.
6. LightMix and tonemapping
Save LM
Saves the current LightMix config as <camera>_lightmix.conf into the output folder.
- if the file already exists — a “Replace it?” prompt appears (OK / Cancel);
Load LM
Loads the config of the current camera into the Frame Buffer; if there is no file — offers to pick a file manually.
Copy TM / Paste TM
Copies the camera’s tonemapping/exposure (ISO, f-stop, shutter, exposure, ACES, LUT, vignette, bloom/glare, etc.) and pastes it onto another camera — handy for bringing all cameras to a uniform look.
Important: LightMix must be set up in the scene (Render Elements →
CShading_LightMix), otherwise there is nothing to save for the configs and the LightMix output.
In interactive rendering mode, switching lightmix.conf is done manually. Batch render automatically
loads the required configuration.7. Batch render
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Output folder | The folder is changed with the … button. By default it uses the project folder. |
| Format | .cxr / .exr / .png / .jpg / .tga / .bmp. In the trial version the format is .jpg only. |
| Subfolder | The checkbox enables saving render elements into a subfolder (name is configurable) with its own format. |
| Progress | The N / Total counter and the queue progress bar. |
| RENDER SELECTED | Launches the queue for the selected cameras. |
What the queue does for each camera
- applies the assignment (suns, environment, overrides);
- sets the saved resolution and switches the viewport;
- loads
<camera>_lightmix.confif it exists; - renders and saves the file
<scene>_<camera>.<format>; - if the format is not
.cxr— the Interactive LightMix result is written into the file.
Stopping
| What to stop | How |
|---|---|
| Queue | The STOP QUEUE button — takes effect when the current camera finishes rendering. |
| Current render | The Stop button in the Corona VFB. |
Important: do not close the Corona Frame Buffer during the batch!
8. Activation and trial
- On the first launch the activation window opens: copy the Machine ID
(Copy), send it to the developer and import the received
.licvia Import License File…. - The Continue without license button opens access in trial mode.
- The trial is fully functional, but: the resolution is limited to 1000 px on the longer side, and the output format is .jpg only.
- @ | About SkyLinker — license status, website and Telegram channel.
9. Typical workflow
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Set up the scene: cameras, Corona Sun, HDRI/Corona Sky, LightMix. Open SkyLinker.
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Select a camera in the list, set the resolution (W/H) and, if needed, the properties (clipping, AV, visibility).
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Open SAVE ASSIGNMENT and pick what you need from the lists — the preset binds to the camera (its name becomes highlighted).
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Adjust LightMix in the VFB and press Save LM; on re-saving, confirm the replacement.
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If needed, Copy TM from the reference camera and Paste TM to the rest.
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Specify the output folder (…), the format and, if needed — the elements subfolder.
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Select cameras in the list and press RENDER SELECTED. Watch the Progress; the current frame is interrupted with the Stop button in the Corona VFB, the queue — with STOP QUEUE.
Ready files in formats other than
.cxr already contain the LightMix result — they can be delivered as is.10. Limitations and FAQ
| Question / situation | Answer |
|---|---|
| The STOP button does not interrupt the current frame | Use Stop in the VFB; STOP QUEUE stops the queue. |
| My LightMix is missing in the file (jpg/png) | Make sure the scene has CShading_LightMix, and do not close the VFB during the batch. |
| Cameras/suns are not picked up | The script sees only Corona cameras and Corona Suns. |
| The resolution “shrank by itself” | The trial limits the output to 1000 px on the longer side. After activation the limit is removed. |
| Camera resolution parameters got reset | Most likely you opened the scene while SkyLinker was running. Close 3ds Max, open your scene first, and then launch SkyLinker. |
| Assignments “disappeared” after renaming cameras | At the moment the tool does not support preserving associations with renamed objects. However, the binding is not lost: as soon as an object with the same name returns to the scene, it automatically returns to the assignment. |
| Where is the data stored | Assignments/resolutions/path — in the scene itself; LightMix configs — as *_lightmix.conf files in the output folder. |