RT CPU won't render a sphere, other requests

[Metzger]

Build: vray_beta_30005_modo_x64_25503 WIN7

Modo 801

When I run RT CPU it seems that geometry won't render.

Requests:

1. Is it possible to support V-Ray with the Modo Baking UI?
2. Can I just create V-Ray lights? Having to create a light then add a V-Ray light node is not a good move. Too many clicks.
3. Why not use the render view in Modo for RT and Standalone? VFB is great, but I am very OCD and dislike floating menus all over the place. RT running in Maya's viewport was amazing. Hope you guys can do this with V-Ray in Modo.


Thanks! I am new to Modo in terms of using it for Rendering, so please bear with me.

[vladimir.nedev]

The production and RT render use the "Render" camera. It can be selected from the Render item's "Frame" tab.
Maybe you are looking in the Perspective view ? If that's not the case, can you open the "Event Log" (from V-Ray -> Open Event Log) and look for any warnings/errors.

1. We will add baking at some point, but I don't understand what you mean by "Modo Baking UI". Can you elaborate ?
2. It's not possible for a MODO plug-in to add new light types. The "V-Ray Light" package should be added by default to any MODO lights that you select.
It contains the more advanced options that MODO doesn't have. The option for adding the package is in "V-Ray -> Open Preferences -> V-Ray Packages ->
Automatically add V-Ray Light Settings".
3. This is not directly possible with the current MODO API. The Maxwell plug-in for MODO seems to use some hack to show the render in a MODO OpenGL
window, but it will be some time before we can try to implement something similar.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Metzger]

"The production and RT render use the "Render" camera. It can be selected from the Render item's "Frame" tab.
Maybe you are looking in the Perspective view ? If that's not the case, can you open the "Event Log" (from V-Ray -> Open Event Log) and look for any warnings/errors."

It shows for a second in the VFB but then it disappears. Hitting F to flip the normals of the object causes VFB to go black. I have tried all camera's.. there is something funky with it.

"2. It's not possible for a MODO plug-in to add new light types. The "V-Ray Light" package should be added by default to any MODO lights that you select."
The Foundry should fix this. It's a huge bummer. Have you talked to them asking for this support? I see no options that I am used to seeing for V-Ray Rect light when I create an area light. I think you need to ignore all Modo lights and have your own in there. V-Ray Light on an area light doesn't come to close to a V-Ray Rect light from Maya or Max.

"3. This is not directly possible with the current MODO API. The Maxwell plug-in for MODO seems to use some hack to show the render in a MODO OpenGL
window, but it will be some time before we can try to implement something similar."
I would bring this up as well to the Modo developers. I am sure they might want everything looking cohesive.

Thanks!

[vladimir.nedev]

Can you attach the scene where RT doesn't work. I understand it is a simple scene, but still there might be something special about.
Also a screenshot can help me figure out what's going wrong.

2. I will write an e-mail to our contact asking about this.
Most of the options that you don't see (like color, shadow color, diffuse/specular contribution) are under the "Light material" for the particular light.
Even if we do add our own lights, completely ignoring MODO's lights won't go too well with users that are used to MODO and its renderer, so I don't think that's an option.

3. The Foundry needs to rework their GUI using the Qt library (the one that Maya uses since Maya 2011) for the VFB to be dockable.
As far as I've heard they have already done it for the Linux version, so hopefully they'll bring it to Windows/Mac too.
We've already discussed this with them.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Metzger]

"2. I will write an e-mail to our contact asking about this.
Most of the options that you don't see (like color, shadow color, diffuse/specular contribution) are under the "Light material" for the particular light.
Even if we do add our own lights, completely ignoring MODO's lights won't go too well with users that are used to MODO and its renderer, so I don't think that's an option.
"

The thing is. What made me fall in love with V-Ray was all the things you don't get in Maya or the package of choice. I don't think people will mind if they are using V-Ray lights instead of Modo. The V-Ray lights are better and people want better right? If V-Ray is in Modo one would want the guns and ammo that come with V-Ray. V-Ray lights are a huge part of this.

Thanks again! I will get you a scene where its acting weird with RT.

-Scott

[Metzger]

Ok. here are the steps for RT - CPU not working.

Click on Render Tab.

Create sphere. Scale it.

Open V-Ray Toolbox

Press Render With V-Ray

VFB opens, sphere is on screen.

Start RT CPU. Sphere shows up for a split second then its missing and Background is only displaying.

Move camera via top plane which is Modo render showing Render Camera. VFB is not updating.

For the 3D view below it I change camera from perspective to Camera and VFB starts to update

I then go to Top plane which has modo rendering and the camera is driving VFB.

Note: If your bottom plane in Render is already set to Render Camera then CPU-RT will work. If it is perspective when you start RT, VFB will not update. Even if you drive the camera from the Modo render window.

[vladimir.nedev]

Ok. here are the steps for RT - CPU not working.

Click on Render Tab.

Create sphere. Scale it.

Open V-Ray Toolbox

Press Render With V-Ray

VFB opens, sphere is on screen.

Start RT CPU. Sphere shows up for a split second then its missing and Background is only displaying.

Move camera via top plane which is Modo render showing Render Camera. VFB is not updating.

For the 3D view below it I change camera from perspective to Camera and VFB starts to update

I then go to Top plane which has modo rendering and the camera is driving VFB.

Note: If your bottom plane in Render is already set to Render Camera then CPU-RT will work. If it is perspective when you start RT, VFB will not update. Even if you drive the camera from the Modo render window.

I should've mentioned it, but when you have the "Immediate camera update" checked, V-Ray RT will use the transformation of the currently selected 3d view-port in MODO.
This is because the actual camera transformation doesn't change before you release the mouse button, so the only way to make the update "immediate" is to get the transform
from the 3d view, and I couldn't find a way to get the 3d view for the render camera (also it may be the case that no 3d view shows the render camera).
I guess you have "immediate camera update" turned on in the global preferences, it has a small tool-tip explaining this caveat.
So the only solution to get rid of the strange behavior would be to turn off "immediate camera update".

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[vladimir.nedev]

"2. I will write an e-mail to our contact asking about this.
Most of the options that you don't see (like color, shadow color, diffuse/specular contribution) are under the "Light material" for the particular light.
Even if we do add our own lights, completely ignoring MODO's lights won't go too well with users that are used to MODO and its renderer, so I don't think that's an option.
"

The thing is. What made me fall in love with V-Ray was all the things you don't get in Maya or the package of choice. I don't think people will mind if they are using V-Ray lights instead of Modo. The V-Ray lights are better and people want better right? If V-Ray is in Modo one would want the guns and ammo that come with V-Ray. V-Ray lights are a huge part of this.

Thanks again! I will get you a scene where its acting weird with RT.

-Scott

We could add a separate V-Ray light, with all the settings from Max/Maya, ordered in the same way in the UI.
But there will be some limitations :
- the light will be considered a "locator" by MODO
- the light won't light the 3d view-port (or MODO's preview/final render) in any way
- the light won't show in the list of "Lights" in the "Shader tree" so it won't have a "Light material", texture connections will need to be made using the Schematic
- there might be other limitations we run into

Also, what do you think would be more convenient : having a separate light type for spherical/rectangle/mesh/dome lights (similar to V-Ray for Maya) or having
a single light type with a drop-down control that lets you choose the light type (similar to V-Ray for Max). The second options makes it easier to change the light
type without changing the common parameters between the old and new light types.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Metzger]

Hi Vlad!

So I think a single V-Ray light node would be great as long as the same functionality of the light is consistent between packages. Not having V-Ray lights is a huge disservice to the V-Ray since these lights are iconic and help make V-Ray what it is. If you don't get much ground because you are up against a roadblock in terms of software design. Please let me know. I don't mind sending an email requesting the support as well. My goal is to completely ween myself off the Maya crack and use Modo crack instead.

Here is a picture of what Modo is missing.

Do you have happen to have a time frame for UV baking to work with Modo's UV bake system? I really would be using V-Ray for Modo full time if there was support for this.

Thanks!

[vladimir.nedev]

By "MODO's UV bake system", do you mean the "Bake to Render Outputs" command in the Render menu ? Or am I misunderstanding something.
The baking in V-Ray for Maya has some capabilities that MODO doesn't have, it seems :
- specifying bake resolution per object
- specifying image filename per object
- baking more than one object with one execution of the bake command
- assigning the baked textures back to the items in the scene
- UDIM baking

Without these features, it should be fairly easy to add a "Bake with V-Ray command".

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Metzger]

V-Ray baking of UDIM UV's with a bake resolution along

Option to create a bake set of multiple objects so I can bake Mesh layers.

Add Baked_ infront of naming

Include Output Render Elements if writing out EXR.

Bucket size option

Udim start/end range

Assigning the baked textures back into scene would not be needed.

There is a Modo Baking UI script that does not come installed. Its with the Modo extra's If you give me your email, I can email it to you just email me at scott#nurulize.com Or you can download it at:

http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/us...d_content.aspx

It's called BakingUI_v1.01.lpk