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Creating Your First Chain - Render Chain Management Guide

Learn how to create and manage render chains in Renderiq. Complete guide covering automatic chain creation, manual chain management, version references, and chain organization.

Creating Your First Chain

Render chains are the backbone of iteration management in Renderiq. They organize related renders into sequences, allowing you to track design evolution and reference previous versions. This guide covers everything about creating and managing render chains.

What is a Render Chain?

A render chain is a collection of renders organized in sequential order. Each chain:

  • Groups Related Renders: Keeps related iterations together
  • Maintains Version History: Tracks render sequence and order
  • Enables References: Allows referencing previous renders in new generations
  • Tracks Iteration Progress: Shows how designs evolve over time
  • Preserves Context: Maintains context between related renders

Chain Structure

Each chain includes:

  • Chain ID: Unique identifier (UUID)
  • Project ID: Parent project reference
  • Name: Descriptive chain name
  • Description: Optional chain description
  • Renders: Array of renders in sequence
  • Chain Position: Position of each render in sequence
  • Timestamps: Created and updated dates

Why Use Chains?

Chains are useful for:

  • Iteration Tracking: See how your design evolves
  • Version Control: Reference specific versions
  • Context Preservation: Maintain context between renders
  • Organization: Keep related work together

Creating a Chain

Method 1: Automatic Creation (Recommended)

When you create your first render in a project, a default chain is automatically created:

Automatic Chain Creation Process:

  1. User generates first render in a project
  2. System checks for existing chains in the project
  3. If no chains exist, creates a new default chain
  4. Chain name: [Project Name] - Iterations
  5. Description: "Automatic chain for render iterations"
  6. Render is added to the chain at position 0

Benefits:

  • No manual setup required
  • Consistent naming convention
  • Automatic organization
  • Seamless workflow

Method 2: Manual Creation via API

Chains can be created manually using the createRenderChain server action:

const result = await createRenderChain( projectId, 'My Custom Chain', 'Description of the chain' );

Use Cases:

  • Creating multiple chains for different design directions
  • Organizing renders by client or phase
  • Separating experimental from production renders

Method 3: From Render Page

  1. Navigate to /render
  2. Select your project from the dropdown
  3. Automatic: If no chain exists, one is created automatically
  4. Manual Selection: Select an existing chain from the chain dropdown
  5. Generate render (it will be added to selected chain)

Managing Chains

Viewing Chains

View all chains in a project:

  1. Go to project detail page
  2. Navigate to the "Chains" section
  3. See all chains with render counts

Chain Details

Each chain shows:

  • Chain name and description
  • Number of renders
  • Creation date
  • Last updated date
  • Render previews

Editing Chains

  1. Go to chain detail page
  2. Click "Edit Chain"
  3. Update name or description
  4. Save changes

Deleting Chains

  1. Go to chain detail page
  2. Click "Delete Chain"
  3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleting a chain will not delete the renders, but they will be removed from the chain.

Adding Renders to Chains

Automatic Addition

When generating a render:

  • If a chain is selected, the render is automatically added
  • Renders are added in sequence
  • Each render gets a position number

Manual Addition

  1. Go to render detail page
  2. Click "Add to Chain"
  3. Select the chain
  4. Choose position (optional)

Chain Navigation

Viewing Chain Renders

  1. Navigate to chain detail page
  2. See all renders in sequence
  3. Click any render to view details
  4. Use navigation arrows to move between renders

Chain Position

Each render in a chain has a position:

  • Position 0: First render
  • Position 1: Second render
  • And so on...

Positions help maintain order and allow referencing by position.

Referencing Previous Renders

Using Mentions

In the unified chat interface, you can reference previous renders:

  • Use @v1 to reference the first render
  • Use @v2 to reference the second render
  • Use @latest to reference the most recent render

Visual References

When creating a new render:

  • Previous renders in the chain are shown
  • Click to use as reference
  • Reference render appears in the prompt

Chain Best Practices

Naming Conventions

  • Use descriptive names: "Exterior Design Iterations"
  • Include version info: "Kitchen Design v2"
  • Use consistent naming across projects

Organization

  • One chain per design direction
  • Create new chains for major changes
  • Archive completed chains

Documentation

  • Add descriptions to chains
  • Use render notes to document changes
  • Keep track of what worked and what didn't

Advanced Features

Chain Branching

Create variations by:

  1. Selecting a render as starting point
  2. Creating a new chain
  3. Adding the selected render as first render
  4. Building from there

Chain Merging

Currently not available, but you can:

  • Manually add renders from one chain to another
  • Reference renders across chains

Troubleshooting

Can't Create Chain

  • Ensure you have a project selected
  • Check if you have permission
  • Verify project isn't archived

Renders Not Appearing in Chain

  • Check if render was added to chain
  • Verify you're viewing the correct chain
  • Refresh the page

Chain Not Updating

  • Refresh the page
  • Check if render generation completed
  • Verify chain selection

Next Steps

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Creating Your First Chain - Render Chain Management Guide
Creating Your First Chain - Render Chain Management Guide