Light cache Fly-Through, Singel frame or full sequence?

[fAEkE]

When rendering a static animation using Light cache fly-through mode with "use camera path" on, do you render the whole animation sequence or only the first frame?

In most tutorials I have seen, they render the first frame only. But it makes no sense since the rendertime will be exactly the same as for a singel frame render. How can Vray calculate Light cache for the whole animation that fast?

And one more question, why does the IRR map have a "use camera path" switch, and when do you use it?

[fAEkE]

No one? Vlado?

[vlado]

For the fly-through mode, the light cache will be calculated at the first frame only and then reused (since the assumption is that the cache doesn't change during the animation). With the "use camera path" option, the light cache will be calculated for each frame (with the assumption that there are moving objects). In both modes however, the entire camera animation path is calculated at once.

For the irradiance map, the "use camera path" option is useful to reduce flickering on animations with relatively small camera movements and only a few moving objects. It will cause the samples on static parts of the scene to be in the exact same place for each frame.

Best regards,
Vlado

[fAEkE]

Ok, so if I am rendering a static animation (no moving objects) I should use fly-through without "use camera path" and only render the first frame.
But if I render a dynamic animation (with moving objects) I should enable "use camera path" and still only render the first frame?
You use Fly-through and "use camera path" at the same time when rendering a dynamic animation?

Are there any negative sides of enable "use camera path" for the IRR map?

[vlado]

Ok, so if I am rendering a static animation (no moving objects) I should use fly-through without "use camera path" and only render the first frame.

Yes.

But if I render a dynamic animation (with moving objects) I should enable "use camera path" and still only render the first frame?

No, you'd have to leave the light cache to "single frame" mode and render all the frames.

You use Fly-through and "use camera path" at the same time when rendering a dynamic animation?

For a dynamic animation, just "use camera path".

Are there any negative sides of enable "use camera path" for the IRR map?

It depends; the irradiance map samples will be distributed along the entire camera path. For long camera movements this may lead to some portions of the scene to be very undersampled.

Best regards,
Vlado

[fAEkE]

That helps alot, thanks! Just one tiny question more. Will all LC samples be destributed along the entire camera path when rendering in fly-through mode, as with the IRR map?

[vlado]

That helps alot, thanks! Just one tiny question more. Will all LC samples be destributed along the entire camera path when rendering in fly-through mode, as with the IRR map?

Yes. However for the light cache, this is easily countered by increasing the light cache subdivs. For the irradiance map, one could raise the max. rate but it's not quite the same thing...

Best regards,
Vlado

[Deflaminis]

Would it then make sense to add a few extraneous keys to the camera at the end of an animation so it can see those low detail areas a bit better? Then remove the keys? Or just mess with H subdivs till it looks right?