VrayLight Selects in Modo

[Dentzz]

Can vray for modo render VRayLightSelect Render Elements?

[vladimir.nedev]

Not yet.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Dentzz]

Okay, any idea how you might implement it from a user point of view? I liked how easy it is to create an alpha layer for something in modo and that carried over in vray for modo. Seems like it would be easy to just add a render element to the light above the light material but maybe you have a better or more UI friendly way to do it.

[vladimir.nedev]

The reason I've been delaying this, is that I can't add new render output types through the current MODO API.
So most likely I will need to add the new render elements (one of them, the light select) as custom materials, that V-Ray for MODO will recognize as render elements.
The code will get a bit messy, because of them not being actual render output items, like the current render elements.

Then, there will be a "V-Ray Render elements" sub-menu in the "Add Layer" menu in the "Shader Tree".
The light select element will have an input connection for connecting light items, where you can connect multiple lights.

The "V-Ray Light" tab for light items can also have a button that creates a "light select render element" and connects the light and the render element in one click.
Also, a drop-down of existing "light select" elements, so you can connect directly to one of them.

Adding a light to multiple light select elements will have to be done in the Schematic, in this case.
I guess it is more common to have a light select with multiple lights, than have a single light in multiple light select elements ?

Another thing is that the light select comes in 4 different modes - normal, raw, diffuse, specular.
In V-Ray for Maya, this is a drop-down, where you select one of them.
I am thinking of making them check-boxes, so you don't have to repeat the connections from the light to the render element, if you want all four of them.
In this case, each checked mode (normal, raw, diffuse, specular) will result in a new render element when rendering, with the mode name as a suffix to the render element name.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[Dentzz]

Your right, you would want to have multiple lights be able to be broken off in groups and it would get very messy very quickly with lots of lights doing it how I was thinking about.


How is the current MODO API and is the Foundry continuing to work on it? Last I remember with the api was with early 901 trying to get hair and fur in vray to render and it just getting error messages so I turned it off. Just trying it again it seems like it still has the error messages so I'm guessing they haven't upadted it at least on 902.

[vladimir.nedev]

How is the current MODO API and is the Foundry continuing to work on it? Last I remember with the api was with early 901 trying to get hair and fur in vray to render and it just getting error messages so I turned it off. Just trying it again it seems like it still has the error messages so I'm guessing they haven't upadted it at least on 902.

Yes, they are improving it with each release.
901 added support for getting the Hair/Fur generated by MODO's Fur material.
You need to enable it from here:

The tool-tip of this check-box will tell you what geometry features are enabed by it.
It is not on by default, because it can be slow with many instances created by a Replicator.
Those instances are not used by V-Ray (another interface is used, which is available since at least 701), but need to be generated as part of the Render Cache initialization that MODO does.

What errors are you getting ? Maybe start another thread about it, so this one is for the light select only.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[vladimir.nedev]

I've added the light select render element for today's nightly build ( 2016.06.13 ).



Note that you can connect multiple lights to it. Also you can connect group locators or groups.

I haven't added a button in the V-Ray Light tab for creating and connecting a light select yet, so you need to make the connection in the V-Ray Light Select tab or in the Schematic.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[kubbek]

Is it possible to connect environment/environments to the light select element? Couldn't find a way to do this

[vladimir.nedev]

Is it possible to connect environment/environments to the light select element? Couldn't find a way to do this

No, you will have to replace the environment with a Dome light setup to achieve this.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[7enith]

Hi, I just tried it and it works great so far! The only thing that is bugging is that GI and SSS (in this case SSS2 Shader) is missing.
Will this be fixed anytime soon?

all the best
christian

[vladimir.nedev]

Hi, I just tried it and it works great so far! The only thing that is bugging is that GI and SSS (in this case SSS2 Shader) is missing.
Will this be fixed anytime soon?

all the best
christian

I think this (SSS2 and GI) is actually working in RT GPU. Not sure when it might be fixed for production / RT CPU.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[7enith]

I hope it gets fixed someday! I use Multilight a lot in Maxwell and its immensely helpful, since you can change lights on the fly without rendering out a lot of passes! Also its super useful in post if you enhance certain details on objects

[1funk]

It doesnt seem to work for the alSurface material either

[boyan]

It doesnt seem to work for the alSurface material either

Hey Funk,

Thank your for the feedback. It is an issue and I will keep you posted about it. Meanwhile, you can use a V-Ray 2-side Material; V-Ray Blend Material or V-Ray Override Material with a combination of V-Ray alSurface in order to avoid the behavior.

BR Boyan

[1funk]

Thanks for the workaround Boyan. It works, but also hilighted an additional problem. If your alsurface is using sss mix = 1.0, then the light select RE is black (diffuse). I guess light select will need an additional "sss" output (as pointed out already in this thread)

P.S I could get it working with 2-sided and blend materials, but not override materials