Chaos releases V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max Update 1
Chaos Group – now simply ‘Chaos’, following a change of branding – has released V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max Update 1, the latest update to the production renderer, adding support for masks in the V-Ray Frame Buffer.
Other changes include support for multiple additive dome lights, better handling of translucency, progressive rendering of caustics, and automatic conversion of 3ds Max’s Physical Material.
The update also integrates the software with Chaos Cosmos, Chaos’s new library of architectural assets.
Support for masks when compositing within the V-Ray Frame Buffer
Update 1 builds on the reworking of the V-Ray Frame Buffer in V-Ray 5 itself, which made it possible to do layer-based compositing and relighting directly inside the software.
The VFB now supports masks, making it possible to use any of V-Ray’s masking render elements, including Cryptomatte and Multimatte, to fine-tune composites.
In addition, it is now possible to render multiple dome lights, then adjust their contributions to a render inside the VFB via Light Mix, the new relighting system introduced in V-Ray 5.
Materials: better translucency in VRayMtl, automatic conversion of 3ds Max’s Physical Material
VRayMtl, the standard V-Ray Material, gets new translucency modes based on VRayScatterVolume, the software’s brute force unbiased subsurface scattering system.
We covered the work, which is intended to improve rendering of materials like wax, plastic and human skin, when Chaos previewed them it this year, so check out this story for more details.
VRayOverrideMtl, the V-Ray override material, often used to help debug scene set-ups, now preserves the opacity, bump, refraction and self-illumination of the material it is overriding.
In addition, 3ds Max’s Physical Material is now automatically translated to standard V-Ray materials.
Rendering: new progressive mode for caustics, support for OIDN, updates to V-Ray GPU
Rendering changes include a new progressive rendering mode for caustics, which should speed up look development for caustic effects generated by transparent objects like glass and bodies of water.
V-Ray also becomes the latest renderer to integrate Open Image Denoise (OIDN), Intel’s CPU-based render denoising system, now available as an option in the V-Ray Denoiser.
V-Ray GPU, the software’s GPU-accelerated render engine, now processes light caches on the GPU, which should speed up rendering of global illumination, although Chaos doesn’t put a figure on the speed boost.
Simulations generated in popular 3ds Max particle and physics add-on tyFlow can also now be rendered on V-Ray GPU, and on cloud rendering service Chaos Cloud.
Workflow: manage multiple cameras with the V-Ray Camera Lister, or export them in .vrscene files
Other changes include a new V-Ray Camera Lister, intended to make it easier to manage camera settings in scenes with multiple cameras, in the same way that the Light Lister can be used to manage lights.
In addition, users can now preserve all scene cameras when exporting in .vrscene format, making it possible to switch between camera views when rendering via Chaos Cloud, or another edition of V-Ray.
Browse new online asset library Chaos Cosmos from within V-Ray
The update also provides access to Chaos Cosmos, Chaos’s new online library of architectural assets, which is free to users of V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max Update 1, and which can be browsed directly from the software.
We covered Chaos Cosmos in a separate story, which you can check out for full details.
Pricing and system requirements
V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max Update 1 is available for 3ds Max 2016+, running on Windows 8.1+. A perpetual workstation licence and one render node costs $1,180. Rental costs $80/month or $470/year.
Read an overview of the new features in V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max Update 1 on Chaos Group’s website
Read a full list of new features in V-Ray 5 in the online release notes