Cycles vs eevee decision

Skill ThanhNguyxnOrg/blendops/skills/cycles-vs-eevee-decision

AI-native Blender workflow and skill pack for non-Blender users, built around official Blender MCP, Claude Blender Connector, and Blender CLI.

Install

npx -y skills add ThanhNguyxnOrg/blendops --skill cycles-vs-eevee-decision

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

3 stars3 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.

What its author says it does

Copied from the file, not written here

Pick Cycles or Eevee (or Eevee Next / Workbench) for a render based on quality bar, time budget, and feature requirements (caustics, subsurface, etc.).

SKILL.md

7.1 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it

cycles-vs-eevee-decision

Purpose

Pick the render engine upfront based on quality + time tradeoff and feature requirements. Avoid the "use Cycles always" / "Eevee is faster" oversimplifications.

Quick start

name the use case (hero / preview / animation / lookdev)
evaluate feature needs (caustics / SSS / volumetrics / GI accuracy)
evaluate time budget per frame
pick: Cycles / Eevee Next / Eevee (legacy) / Workbench
pin GPU device + samples + tile size

When to use

before render
when feature support drives engine choice
when time vs quality tradeoff matters
when previous render was wrong engine

When not to use

for a known repeat render (engine already chosen)
for non-render work (modeling / animation prep)

Trigger phrases

"Cycles or Eevee"
"what render engine"
"is Eevee enough"
"render is too slow"

Prerequisites / readiness

use case known
features needed known (caustics? SSS? volumetrics?)
machine specs known (GPU? memory?)
time budget known

Input schema

Required inputs

Input	Why it is required
Use case	Hero vs preview drives quality threshold
Feature requirements	Determines engine compatibility
Time budget per frame	Drives engine + samples

Optional inputs

Input	Use
GPU available	Cycles GPU dramatically faster
Reference quality bar	Calibrate samples

Assumptions to confirm

The user accepts the tradeoff (Eevee is fast but approximates GI; Cycles is slow but accurate).
Multi-engine workflow (Eevee preview, Cycles final) is common and valid.

Output schema

Primary output

A 5-line config record: Engine, Samples, GPU device (if Cycles), Tile/Render samples, Caveats.

Secondary output

per-output engine if multi-pass (preview Eevee + final Cycles)
evidence label

Evidence / caveat output

Runtime status: Not Run | Attempted | Produced | Verified | Failed | Blocked / Not Run
Artifact status: Not Run | Not Produced | Produced | Verified | Failed
Evidence used: <links, paths, logs, or "none">
Limitations: <known gaps>

Required laws

../../laws/evidence-before-done.md
../../laws/non-blender-user-language.md
../../laws/no-arbitrary-python-interface.md
../../laws/official-runtime-only.md

Official runtime boundary

Decision skill — does not run Blender. Pins config; operator applies in scene render properties.

Operating procedure

Identify use case + feature needs.
Apply feature decision matrix (see references/engine-feature-matrix.md).
Pick engine.
Set samples per quality bar (see references/samples-by-quality.md).
Set GPU device if Cycles.
List caveats.
Hand off to render evidence.

Decision tree

Need accurate caustics? Or accurate refraction? Or volumetrics with realistic light?
  → Cycles
Need accurate global illumination from environment + indirect bounce?
  → Cycles (Eevee Next has good GI but Cycles is more accurate)
Final hero quality + time budget allows?
  → Cycles
Real-time preview / iteration / lookdev?
  → Eevee Next or Eevee (legacy)
Animation with thousands of frames + tight time budget?
  → Eevee Next (Cycles only if GPU + denoiser fast enough)
Stylized / non-PBR look?
  → Eevee Next OK
Pure flat workbench / clay render?
  → Workbench

Playbooks

Playbook A: Hero product render

Cycles, 128-512 samples, GPU CUDA/OPTIX, denoiser ON. Time budget: 5-30 minutes per frame.

Playbook B: Eevee Next preview / lookdev

Eevee Next, default samples, GPU rasterization. Time budget: 1-5 seconds per frame.

Playbook C: Long animation on Eevee Next

Eevee Next, 32-64 samples, time budget < 30s per frame.

Playbook D: Stylized illustration

Eevee Next or Workbench, style-driven samples + look. Time budget: < 10s per frame.

Mode handling

Text-only mode

Config record only.

Runtime-ready mode

Config record + verified by render preview.

Blocked runtime mode