Best workflow for GI walkthroughs?

[davexl23]

Hi all, I am about to do my first big architectural walk through with VRAY GI. Nothing is moving but the camera.

What is the best agreed workflow? - I cannot find the thread that was here on the old forum… from memory:

* render every 10-50 frames or so with a slightly wider lens to save out the IR map using "Incremental Add to current map”

Can I network render this stage, with multiple nodes all adding to the same UNC path IRmap?
What can I turn off to speed this up?
Can I render it with lower AA settings to save time?
Is it unwise to turn off reflections?

* Crank up the AA settings, use saved map for final render?

What are my best option for smoothness?

In MAX I use Image motion blur, which on slow moving interior scenes is fast and works fine. I prefer the frames look with moblur to the fields look, but I will use whatever gets me a result without pain.

VRAYs motion blur crashes on most of my complex scene files – and given the heavy GI/Raytracing seems a slow method.

Fields seem to be rendering funky – does VRAY officially support them? I swear I have rendered some tests that looked like they were rendering to fields, but when played back were frames. I am worried that things seem to change around randomly when doing network renders compared to local renders. Hopefully it is just me being tired.

If fields prove reliable, I will use them, despite the 1.6 times speed hit – I simply need to get this job out the door next week.

Thoughts? Any lesson learned?

[R2J2]

render your irrad. map like you are but take the frame size down and the min/max setting to a smaller value to get the relative size of the sample the same. also when creating the map have a really low AA setting to speed up the time.

the best tip is to use VRay lights. I had render times at 45 min, when I replaced the standard with VRay lights I got 15 min!!

then Adaptive AA, my settings (min: -1 Max 3)

[percydaman]

then Adaptive AA, my settings (min: -1 Max 3)

I think i remember vlado saying that if you use glossy reflections, DOF, motion blur, or anything thats using the QMC algorithm, then dont use adaptive as it also uses the QMC algorithm or something and it will slow down. Anyway if you run a simple test you'll see what I mean. If I'm grossly wrong then correct me.

percy

[R2J2]

for my walkthrough I haven't any Glossy refections @ 6500 frames it's a time consideration thing.

[blinkimage]

My 2 cents worth:

We've just completed an animation job (nominated for a 3D award in copenhagen (not wishing to blow my own trumpet too loudly!!!)), and a feq tips, in no particular order, are as follows:

1) Glossy reflections can be done as long as you set the subdivisions down to about 5 - the motion will smooth things out

2) Render every 25th frame for an average kind of speed walkthrough

3) You can't use multiple computers to render these frames - hopefully a future addition

4) Set AA to -4,-4 for this stage

5) Save the frames out as RPFs with velocity, then you can add m-blur at a later date if you need it

6) I like the tip about rendering with a slightly wider lens - I must remember this

7) Be careful with adaptive AA when doing the real frames - it can cause flicker. Test and see, but I think fixing it to 2 or 3 would be better.

Glass surfaces close to the camera will take a while to render

9) remove glass from the solution-calculating stage

can't hink of any more right now

Hope this helps

[R2J2]

Blinkimage. do you find that Glossy refections slow down your render times?

[blinkimage]

there's no denying that they do, but you have to compromise. try with a setting of about 5 and see how times compare to having sharp reflections

[R2J2]

thanks, I'd love to have my aluminum framing a bit blurry. try it out

Cheers_Jay