V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

[Micha_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Micha: I could make a button that saves the IM/LC and maybe even caustic solutions and sets them to from file. I'll take a look again, but it may be something that might need to be set up before a rendering, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I would need to save them somewhere, so I was thinking in a "Light Maps" folder in the file path. That good?

Very good.

To you guys I can offer a solution that will help with your workflows. Basically, it would be a custom implementation of the quality settings that would be able to be personalized to the settings you would like. So all you would have to do is make 5 visopts....one that had AA, Primaries, and Secondaries at a Low Level, then a separate at a Medium Low level, and so on up to High. Then you would read in those visopts and the command would be customized to what you loaded. So you would set it up once, and have your own personal quick set quality levels. And you could change them down the line if you wanted to as well. Does that sound good?

Sounds very good too.

About the setups: I'm not sure the default setups are the best, maybe they should be revised. For example adaptive amount 1 is a pitfall. My suggested setups go in a direction that the user know/learn, for what the different methods are good. For example an user like to use IM + LC for speed, than he need to choose the quality level only. The game is, to play with three GI methods IM/LC/DMC and two image sampler methods AdaptSubd and DMC. A small rule oversight could explain, what are the main advantages of each method. So, the user think about, what method he want to use and than he choose predefined setups ... but if I can choose from selfdefined setups, than I'm happy. ;D

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

In my opinion, the defaults aren't what they should be. And although I've expressed my reasons for why they should be changed, they are what they are. I'll leave it at that.

In terms of your other suggestion, its something that we're aware of and working towards. I guess I'll explain a little more, since the first step (these tools) are out of the bag. In the future, we'll be looking to implement different "levels" of UI. Whats available in the Utilities is a start, and is the rough framework for what would be an Entry Level or beginner UI. At this stage much of what is happen in terms of settings would be behind the scenes, so that new users can just hit the ground running. The next step would be an intermediate UI would would hand off more control to the user, most likely choosing specific engines, but still manipulating the settings of that specific engine through a reduced interface. The last step would be our UI as it is now.

The goal or idea behind this is that it would allow an easier entry into using VfR (or SU for that matter) and also give the potential for users to "grow" as they become more comfortable and understand more about V-Ray. Part of what makes good UI is allowing for different types of users in different situations to "connect" with the software in a way that makes more sense to them. Even the same user may have different situations that require different ways to use our product. Right now everyone has to work with the interface in the same way, regardless of their experience or situation. Hopefully, these next steps will get us closer to all of that.

[Shopper2]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Since we are on the topic of the new utilities.

I have a question.

The new view manger saves all data for each view right? Say you are working on a mobile phone. Can you save a right hand perspective with low resolution and a certain environment map, and then save a left hand view with high resolution and again a different environment map? If so thats awsome.....

Now comes the big question.....will this work with batch render? If not....the tools seems a little useless.

Thanks


Justin

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

The view manager is has the possibility to save 4 "regions" of data. The Camera data, output data, Layer visibility data, and Light direction data (ie sunlight positions). Environment maps are not going to be saved because I didn't have any access to those values...so with that exception, then yes.

With the current batch renderer, then answer is no, but the batch render is currently in the final stages of being reworked. The new batch renderer will not be able to read the the data that is saved, but it will be able to use different visopts for specific views. So you can export out a visopt for each view you have, and use that in the batch renderer. So I guess thats a kind of a yes.

[ALTO]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

First of all, thanks for these usefull tools!

Regarding view manager, is it possible to add an option that save also viewport size?

I've asked for something like this in Rhino Newsgroup, it seems possible but sincerly i have no knowledge in RhinoScript....

Here is the link: http://news2.mcneel.com/scripts/dnew...m=296020&utag=

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

I was actually about to send you a PM when I saw that thread. You cannot set the viewport size, but if you have your resolution set in the v-ray options, than you can save that with the view manager. By default the visViewManager command does not save the output size, but it can if you configure the options. Just replace the macros in the SaveView button with the following ones...

Left Click
_visViewManager Action=Save Configure_Options=Yes Enter Output=Yes Enter Choose=New Enter

Right Click
_visViewManager Action=Save Configure_Options=Yes Enter Output=Yes Enter Choose=Existing Enter

You don't have to worry about restoring the view, because the visViewManager automatically restores all of the data that is associated with the view. Hope that helps.

[ALTO]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Yes this helps for sure thanks!

Anyway the different viewport size is a problem for me, just opening the same file on another computer and viewport is not the same... sometimes i cannot see what i'm doing to render... there's the SafeFrame option but it doesn't work in some cases.

Well i'm now waiting for Pascal script to see if that help more.

Speaking of SafeFrame i see that it doesn't work with Vray because Vray Output is not linked with output resolution in Rhino Render Option, setting that manually make it to work correctly, so can this be fixed?

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Well, I don't think there are any options for connecting the safe frame other than scripting...here's the one I use. It will toggle the safe frame on and off and reference the resolution set in V-Ray options. This is ready to past directly into a button.

-_RunScript (
Call SafeFrame
Sub SafeFrame()

Dim Vray
Set Vray = Rhino.GetPlugInObject ("V-Ray for Rhino")
If IsNull(Vray) Then
Rhino.Print "V-Ray for Rhino Scripting Plugin Not Loaded"
Exit Sub
End If

Dim imgW, imgH
Call Vray.GetRenderOutputSize (imgW, imgH)

Rhino.RenderResolution Array(imgW, imgH)

Rhino.Command "-_RDKSafeFrameOptions visible enter", False

End Sub
)

[Micha_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Thank you Damien, nice tool.

[ALTO]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Thanks for that script,
from what i see the sincronization between VrayOutput and RhinoRenderResolution could be internally integrated in the core, or i'm wrong?

So i can call the SafeFrame via standard rhino menu...


Ah Pascal script is very usefull, maybe you can add it to your view manager.

[ALTO]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Thanks for that script,
from what i see the sincronization between VrayOutput and RhinoRenderResolution could be internally integrated in the core, or i'm wrong?

So i can call the SafeFrame via standard rhino menu...


Ah Pascal script is very usefull, maybe you can add it to your view manager.

Could this be done?

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

I'll have to take a look at the script. Do you mind posting a direct link to it? Thats a deep thread and I don't want to pull up the wrong script.

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Never mind, I got it. I'll try to take a look at it today, but I'm not sure about time.

[ALTO]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

Well, last question was about your script that enable the SafeFrame :-[

In your script you force the RhinoRenderResolution to have the same values of the VrayOutput, could this be done automatically by the VfR plugin? (in this way the SafeFrame could be enabled without extra script or button...)


Regarding the Script that save the viewport size here's the link to the first version:
http://news2.mcneel.com/scripts/dnew...m=296079&utag=
(there's a new version but it give me some error)

Thanks, take your time.

[dalomar_cg]

Re: V-Ray Utilities 1.0 Released

It could, but right now it isn't, so it would at best take a little while to get that out to you guys. Consider it noted though.

Back to the thing at hand. What exactly do you want me to look at with Pascal's scripts? Between saving the output option in the utilities and the safeframe script that should (to me at least) get you what your looking for. If it doesn't, where does it fall short? would you like it to physically change the size of the viewport? Thats another quick line, so its no problem.