https://arielsmarin.com/blog/Recent content in Blog on Ariel Marin — Architectural VisualizationHugoen-USSat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0300https://arielsmarin.com/blog/automating-a-render-queue-with-python-and-systemd/Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0300https://arielsmarin.com/blog/automating-a-render-queue-with-python-and-systemd/<p>My render node used to be driven by a folder of <code>.bat</code> files and hope. This post walks through the small Python daemon that replaced them — about 300 lines, no framework, running under systemd on Debian.</p> <h2 id="requirements">Requirements</h2> <ul> <li>queue render jobs from any machine on the LAN;</li> <li>survive renderer crashes without losing the queue;</li> <li>notify me when a job finishes or fails.</li> </ul> <h2 id="the-queue">The queue</h2> <p>Jobs are plain JSON files dropped into a watched directory — no database, no broker. The filesystem <em>is</em> the queue, and <code>mv</code> is atomic:</p>https://arielsmarin.com/blog/a-practical-linear-workflow-for-archviz/Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0300https://arielsmarin.com/blog/a-practical-linear-workflow-for-archviz/<p>Most &ldquo;my render looks flat&rdquo; problems are not lighting problems. They are color management problems that <em>masquerade</em> as lighting problems.</p> <h2 id="the-short-version">The short version</h2> <p>Your renderer computes light in linear space. Your monitor displays gamma-encoded images. Every texture, light value and post-production step has to respect that boundary — or you end up compensating with ever-stronger lights and crunchy contrast.</p> <blockquote> <p>Fix the pipeline once, and stop fighting every image individually.</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="where-it-goes-wrong">Where it goes wrong</h2> <ol> <li>Albedo textures imported as linear when they are sRGB.</li> <li>HDRIs double-corrected on import.</li> <li>Post-production applied to already display-referred images.</li> </ol> <p>A quick sanity check for albedo values:</p>