1. Quick Start

1. Installation: Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Install and select the .zip file.

2. Activation: Enable Render Cost Analyzer in the list.

3. Access: Open the 3D Viewport, and look for it in the "Render" tab.

2. Core Metrics: Understanding "Render Load"

The Render Load Index is the heart of the addon. Unlike a standard progress bar, this is a performance-to-complexity ratio.

• 100% (Optimized): Your render settings (Samples, Bounces, etc.) are perfectly matched to the geometric complexity of your scene.

• 150% - 300% (High Load): You are experiencing "Diminishing Returns." Your settings are significantly higher than what is required to resolve the image cleanly.

• 400%+ (Critical Load): Your hardware is working 4x harder than necessary. This usually indicates redundant subdivision levels or excessive light bounces.

3. The Optimization Roadmap

The addon provides a Recommended Actions panel when your load exceeds 120%.

A. Samples Analysis

The analyzer checks your polygon count vs. your sample rate.

• Recommendation: If you have 4096 samples on a low-poly scene, the tool will suggest a target between 512–1024.

B. Light Path Optimization

Excessive Total Bounces are the #1 cause of slow renders in Cycles.

• Recommendation: The tool monitors indirect light needs. It may suggest dropping Total Bounces from 12 down to 4 for faster throughput without losing visual accuracy.

C. Geometry & Subdivisions

High-resolution meshes with unnecessary Subsurf modifiers are flagged.

• Recommendation: If a mesh is not in the foreground, the tool will suggest lowering the Viewport/Render levels.

4. Technical Specifications

• Supported Engines: Cycles, EEVEE.

• License: MIT.

5. Troubleshooting

• "Load Index is grayed out": Ensure you are in a 3D Viewport and have an active camera in the scene.

• "Recommendations not appearing": Recommendations only trigger when the Render Load exceeds the 120% efficiency threshold.