Chaos V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, update 2 eases rendering and shader exchanges, speeds up workflows, extends V-Ray Frame Buffer and GPU functionality and improves realistic scattering.
Material X Support
Chaos V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, update 2 adds to or enhances its support for critical file standards for VFX creation. The new support for MaterialX, for instance, completes the USD pipeline, resulting in smooth rendering and shader exchanges across teams and between tools. Support for the newest version of USD for 3ds Max has also been added so that users have access to all of the software’s updates.
This release is a continuation of USD/V-Ray development that began with V-Ray 5 for Houdini and Maya in 2021. Since then, Chaos has embraced the USD standard across the board, allowing artists to share and dynamically update assets while using its ray tracing features.
Workflow Upgrades
Greater USD Support
Certain workflows are now faster, including submitting scenes to Chaos Cloud. Users can now access Chaos Cloud rendering in one click without leaving 3ds Max or waiting for a scene to export.
Much faster .vrscene file exports, with smaller files, are now possible for scenes with large amounts of scattering data from plug-ins. A .vrscene file is a text file that can be exported from, and allows geometry, materials, lights and other assets, to be shared together between all platforms that use V-Ray This improvement also accelerates V-Ray GPU’s time to first pixel.
With an update in V-Ray Lister for 3ds Max, all lights and cameras can now be managed from a single location. Cameras and lights are accessed from separate tabs, but also have many shared settings. The Lister user interface is improved to help users find new features for bulk adjustments, filtering, searching and so on.
V-Ray GPU
Faster animation rendering
For V-Ray GPU users, V-Ray Enmesh automates the creation of complex geometric patterns quickly over object surfaces to make detailed panels, fencing, fabrics and other features. Faster and more memory-efficient than displacement or copying patterns manually, it covers the surface and follows the UVW space of the object’s geometry.
When rendering animations, V-Ray GPU caches bitmaps between frames and makes reloading unnecessary. This means animated image sequences can now be rendered up to 4 times faster, according to Chaos.
Efficient Scattering
Scattering is improved in ways that enhance realism. Users can now control object distribution based on surface height, resulting in natural altitude variances for vegetation, for example. The orientation of scattered items can also be adjusted by rotating away or toward a selected object, as another means of control and adding realism.
It’s also possible to distribute multiple objects in groups or within a hierarchy. Chaos Scatter simplifies this kind of complex distribution to only a few clicks, making the whole workflow simpler and saving time.
V-Ray Frame Buffer
The new version of the V-Ray Frame Buffer, V-Ray’s render image holder window, allows users to make more sophisticated post-processing adjustments and modifications to scenes from inside the VFB.
The new Chromatic Aberration post-effect gives artists the opportunity to experiment with distinctive looks and colour fringing, directly within the VFB without a third-party application. Also, a solid custom colour is now a colour correction option for backgrounds, which means you won’t need to load a background image.
Cosmos Lighting Assets
The Chaos Cosmos library of ready-to-render assets continues to grow. Artists can now import 3D lighting models, including IES profiles, in a few clicks and illuminate Interiors very quickly.
V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, update 2 is available for 3ds Max versions 2019 – 2024. All V-Ray subscription plans work for all supported host applications, including 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp and Unreal. www.chaos.com/vray
