

Rendering for video is also time and processor intensive in its own way due to high frame counts. A still image might take all day to render. If you output as individual images and your PC decides to take a break, then you can start the animation output from where the last image was saved.- Rendering for print is time and processor intensive due to high resolution demands of the print medium. This is a precautionary measure where if you PC decides to leave work early and does not finish the render, you will lose everything and have to restart from scratch. On a side note, when creating animations you should create it as individual images and not a video file. That is how easy it is to specify between a still and an animation.

One thing to take note of before rendering is which renderer to use.

(your first try always seemed to be just a black picture)

When you first delve into the world of 3DS Max it is all fun and games trying to find your materials, get your lights setup and actually see your model after you have hit that render button.
