Bake raytrace shadows in a PTC (irmap ? or something like shdmap ?)

[bigbossfr]

Hi,
Just an idea : raytraced shadows is more precise than shadows map.
We can save shadows map, but not raytrace shadows.
What do you think about save raytrace shadows into a point cloud file ? (like a irmap)
We can save a lot of time with fixed objects (no need to recompute all shadows).

[vlado]

It is certainly not impossible. BTW you can save shadows from V-Ray lights into the irradiance map already.

Best regards,
Vlado

[bigbossfr]

Woooo, i just discovered this option in the light !
We can save a lot of time with
Thank you Vlado !

[bigbossfr]

Ok, the problem is the direct light is stored with the indirect light (irradiance).
So, if i change the color of a material, i loose all.
In theory, if i store my direct light in a map, and i store my indirect light in a other map : if i change the color of a material, i must to recalculate just my indirect light (irradiance) ?

If yes, it is not better to have the possibility to store the direct light separately ?

[bigbossfr]

Some test here about "baking lights" in irmap:
We have a sphere and a plane, with a VRayMtlWrapper on each object.
On each VRayMtlWrapper, i connect a VRayMtl (red and gray).
For each VRayMtlWrapper, i uncheck : "Generate GI".
So now, with haven't environement GI, and material GI.

1) Normal render. VRayLightRect On, GI Off.

2) Same render with GI on and "store with irradiance map" on in the VRayLightRect. I save the GI map.

3) Same render, with GI on, but a delete the light, and i read my baked GI map.
8sc and smooth shadows !

4) I change the color of the material.
Normal render, with the VRayLightRect On, GI Off.

5) Same render, but i use the baked map from the 3) render (when the sphere was red), i delete the light.
It is working ! Same render, shadows are smoothed, and the render : 7sc !


So, the problem now :
We have moved objects. So we can bake the direct light in a map (like i did), and reuse it in an animation with Interp frame to 0.
The problem is the direct light bake is in the same map of the indirect light. So, if i want to bake my irradiance map and my "direct light", and reuse it on a animation, i can't, because i want, for example :
- direct light map = Interp frame to 0.
- irradiance map = Interp frame to 2 or something.

Conclusion : Vray can kill render time here, but we need to separate the storage of the direct light, to control it independently of the irradiance map !
We have a big potential here.

[bigbossfr]

After some test, i think the easiest is just to have the possibility to bake the raytraced shadows into separated irmap (to do not use the interp frame) for each light.
After we can control, by light, the baked shadows.
Example, we have 2 lights :
- first light : bake the shadows of the 1 frame and reuse it for all animation
- second light : bake the shadows for all animation and reuse it.

The baked map will be setted in the light (we can set the same name of a map into many light), etc etc...

What do you think ?