Rendering 101- 3D Max 2018/ V-Ray 4.2

Click through for the original res images and save them in a folder. Name this folder and know where it is. Follow these and nothing else. Check everything. Then check them again.

The first image is an example of units setup, to be done as soon as you open a new file. Use either metric or imperial as required, but ensure that the Display Unit Scale and System Unit Scale match. Images two and three show test quality settings. Use these for quick previewing of lighting and material effects at low resolution. Images four and five show final quality settings; use them only when rendering your final images. These settings will take much longer to calculate, but will produce a clean image for publication. You may use these settings for final production renders at high resolution in a pinch, but ideally you would show me your file so we can set optimal settings for your specific project.

Click the coloured button in each section to toggle between Basic, Advanced and Expert modes. This will give you access to more parameters for finer control. All settings shown above are in Expert mode.

In the case of a rendering issue, making sure all values match the given settings will allow you to rule out the settings as the cause. Note- All settings here are meant to be used with physically accurate scene setup- lights defined in lumens and kelvin, cameras in exposure and materials created with realistic physical properties.

Do not touch Caustics. Seriously. Don't.

Bottom line: Do exactly what the images show, leave them that way and you should be fine.

These are settings for V-Ray Next (update 2) running on 3D Max 2018. There is some overlap if you're using older versions of either, but you shouldn't be. If you haven't the software, contact me and I'll see about getting it for you.

This is complex software you're dealing with; it will always have bugs. If something doesn't seem right, let me know immediately so it can be dealt with. Don't wait for it to get worse, especially if you're a week away from a deadline.

Go forth and render.

Materials 101

Click through for original res and save. The image shows the process of making any VRay material. Follow the annotations. The 3rd window of the image is number referenced to the list below, it gives a short description of the important settings in the material editor.

1. Checkerboard. Turn this on to see the effect of reflections and refractions. Helps make more accurate materials.
2. Material name goes here. For your sake, remember to name them.
3. Diffuse slot. This can be a colour or an image for materials that have specific surfacing like timber. Keep any under 1000px to save RAM if you're working on a device with 8GB or less.
4. Reflection. Black to white scale. Pure black is no reflection, pure white is 100% reflective. Gray values give you varying levels of reflection.
5. Reflection glossiness. Governs sharpness of the reflections. 1.0 is the sharpest, think mirror. Lower values will blur reflections, like stainless steel. Do not set below 0.6.
6. Fresnel reflection. Keep on for all materials except mirror. Fresnel IOR value changes with material type. Default is 1.6, surface treatments such as varnished timber and polished concrete go up to 4.0, metals are 25.
7. Refraction. Governs refraction of materials. Black to white scale. Pure white is complete refraction, like glass. Leave this on pure black for opaque materials.
8. Refraction glossiness. Used only for glass/acrylic, works on the same black to white scale principle as reflection glossiness. Set to 1.0 for clear glass, incrementally down to a maximum of 0.7 for a frosted effect. Will increase render times.
9. IOR. Index of Refraction. Defines how much a material refracts incoming light rays. 1.0 is air, 1.333 is water, 1.6 is glass. Google "refractive index" for a comprehensive list.
10. Affect shadows. Turn this on for more realistic glass and other refractive/transparent materials. Leave off for opaque materials.
11. BRDF model. Change to Microfacet GTR (GGX) to ensure your materials look their best.

Rendering 101- 3D Max 2016/ V-Ray 3.4

Click through for the original res images and save them in a folder. Name this folder and know where it is. Follow these and nothing else. Check everything. Then check them again. Keep checking them as you work because if one setting is off by even a fraction, odd things can happen.

The first image is an example of units setup, to be done as soon as you open a new file. Use either metric or imperial as required, but ensure that the Display Unit Scale and System Unit Scale match. Images two and three show test quality settings. Use these for quick previewing of lighting and material effects at low resolution. Images four and five show final quality settings. Use this for final production renders at high resolution. These settings will take much longer to calculate, but will produce a clean image for publication.

About the annotations: Everything highlighted in any way is of primary importance. Do not skip any. These have to be changed to the values indicated to ensure correct rendering. All other values are of secondary concern; they are also necessary for correct renderings, but they default at those values so as long as you don't inadvertently change them, you'll be fine.

Click the coloured button in each section to toggle between Basic, Advanced and Expert modes. This will give you access to more parameters for finer control. All settings shown above are in Expert mode.

In the case of a rendering issue, making sure all values match the given settings will allow you to rule out the settings as the cause.

Do not touch Caustics. Seriously. Don't.

Bottom line: Do exactly what the images show, leave them that way and you should be fine.

These are settings for V-Ray 3.4 running on 3D Max 2016. There is some overlap if you're using older versions of either, but you shouldn't be. If you haven't the software, contact me and I'll see about getting it for you.

This is complex software you're dealing with; it will always have bugs. If something doesn't seem right, let me know immediately so it can be dealt with. Don't wait for it to get worse, especially if you're a week away from a deadline.

I am available via AOD email and a large number of you seem to have my number, so you have multiple ways of contacting me.

Go forth and render.

Texture macro

 

Sneaking in a little personal project between two large client projects. Also the reason I haven't posted anything for 3 months. Hopefully I'll have a little more time for the blog from now on.

This started out with me fiddling around with some new texture maps and seeing how they reacted to different lighting setups. Turned into a proper, albeit small project. Will be using this to demonstrate a closeup of Vray materials to my students as well as basic lighting setups.

The technicals: UVW'd chamfer boxes, standard glass and SS, tweaked diffuse maps using the Color Correct plugin and bump maps all round. Render setup is as usual; LWF with Reinhard on 0.5, Adaptive DMC, Cook Variable, Irradiance on medium, LC at default. LC also handling glossies, makes for faster rendering with minimal visual difference. Lighting setup is studio with visible plane lights. Render time approx 20 mins each

Postwork for colour corrections, brightness, contrast and general cleaning up. Click through for high res.