Looking for exterior preview settings

[CCS]

I have been playing with every combination of GI methods, VFB and its settings vs MAX render frame, IES Sun/Daylight vs. Direct light, HDRIs, color mapping, VIZ exposure control..... aaaargghhh!!!

I have gotten some excellent results for final images. But I would like some guidance in setting up renderings for previews - mainly for my use, but also for client review.

I am doing exteriors almost exlusively, and exterior help for vray isn't terribly easy to come by. I can't have nasty artifacts and splotches like you get with a bad IR solution or a poor light cache. I don't mind grain or a bit of fuzziness.

I want to be able to evaluate changes to lighting, materials, etc. without doing a full render. I'd like to get render times around a couple minutes (DR - 2 machines). Then I'd be happy to do a better solution (longer time) a few times a day.

Any thoughts?

Here is a sample project with settings: http://www.chaoticdimension.com/foru...840&highlight=

I have since come up with some better settings, but these are around an hour each:


Any thoughts on fast settings for previews???

Thanks!

[tom schuelke]

Well

there are several points you can make it faster. combined with the renderpresets in the maxrender toolbar, you can load them very fast.

first in the globals, turn of glossys.

secound disable displacement

third use lightcache only

fourth, use global qmc settings and lower the settings.

for fast previews this works.

ah yes and also maybe lower global raytrace depth to less but 3 refl refr.

if it works to only one refl.


Tom

[CCS]

Thanks Tom-

I've done a lot of those, but you caught me on a few. Thanks! Still testing now.

This is holding up my project, but I'd like this straightened as much as possible before I proceed so I can check my progress without taking a nap.

For clarification, I know lightcache is fast... Do you mean in first bounce only, with NONE in second bounce, or with LC in both bounces?

Thanks

[Trapezium]

It will be blurry but you can also try setting AA to Adaptive subdivisions -1,1.

--Jon

[CCS]

Ok... Playing with lots of settings here.

I like the look of linear multiply for exteriors, but it really washes things out. All surfaces are much whiter than they should be, given their RGBs. Concrete sidewalks appear totally white. I know sunlight will do this to an extent, but this is a bit much.

HSV exp. does a good job of keeping materials and colors, but the image just doesn't have the depth for an exterior. Not enough light and contrast.

Do I use HSV and jack up the light?
Do I use linear and adjust the dark multiplier?
Do I go back to using VIZ exposure settings?

I'd like to do this "right", but not sure what "right" is.

[tom schuelke]

Hi CCS

Well i dont know if lightmap in secoundray bounce is needed, if you switch it on in first bounce. (i usualy do, but this is only because i allways do so ).

Well HSV (its a football club in Hamburg ) ...

no its a real problem, all renderers do use colormapping in some way, and noone knows which is the "realworld " setting.

of course this cant be easy because you want to show on computerscreens something a comp screen cant show.

best solution in this i´ve seeen only at maxwell right now, but also here, no one knows whats real good.

Tom

[CCS]

On a similar topic, where do I best make these adjustments?

As I said, I have been playing with a million different settings. Is it preferrable to adjust in VFB color correction (see throb's post), in VRay color mapping settings (type, plus bright/dark mult), or in VIZ exposure settings?

Also, is it best to stick to one of these, or can they be intermixed?

[flipside]

Post processing is best in photoshop

If you do so much exteriors, you don't have an older file lying around which you can share so we can test on it? Preferabely some scene with common problem areas. If yes, please make a 3ds out of it or a max5 readable file

[CCS]

I understand what you're saying about PS, but I've actually got a decent output straight from VRay right now. Using a combination of exposure ctrl, color mapping and VFB correction (curves and levels just like PS). Will save me a step in all but my very finals.

As to a model, I could probably dig something up for public consumption. I'll look later tonight.

[flipside]

Would be great, i'm doing some tests now with a scene of my own but I can't post that.

For fast tests, I always use QMC AA 1/4 and then set the QMC noise threshold to 0.1.