Announcement

**konstantin_chaos** · 09-11-2020, 07:20 AM

V-Ray Vision

Vision - General

V-Ray Vision real-time viewer implemented. It works like a V-Ray Interactive Rendering session but uses a different engine (rasterizer) to visualize the V-Ray scene. Project changes will be immediately reflected in the Vision viewer. Note that there are still many unsupported V-Ray features and effects
Vision toolbar icon and menu entry added. It opens the Vision window and starts an interactive session. If the Vision window is already open the toolbar button just enables the live link

Vision - Geometry

Standard geometry support added. Only one UV set per object is currently supported
Geometry visibility state support added
Proxy Mesh geometry support added. Changing the Proxy Mesh file, transformation or material assignments during interactive rendering is also supported
Proxy Scenes (.vrscene references) support added
Automatic geometry optimization implemented. Small objects sharing a material are automatically merged in Vision to improve performance

Vision - Lights and Environment

Rectangle, Sphere, Omni, Spot, Sun and Direct lights support added. Note that only the natural Inverse Square light decay is used
Dome Light support added. Spherical texture placement is required
Multiple Dome lights handling implemented. Vision ignores disabled lights from the scene’s list and picks the first enabled one
Support for Dome lights without a texture added. The light color is used in this case
Partial Environment Override support added. A maximum of two separate environments can be visualized - one for Background and Refractions and another used for GI and Reflections
Partial Mesh Light support added
Partial Volumetric Environment support added

Vision - Materials and Textures

VRay Mtl support added. Note that not all V-Ray parameters have an effect
Bump and normal maps support added. The Bump material attribute or the built-in bump parameters can be used to enable the effect
Emissive material support added. Mapping the Transparency of the material is also supported
Material Translucency support added. This includes the Two Sided material as well as the Translucency material attributes
Multi Material support added
Basic Layered and Blend materials support added. Note that Multi Materials combined with material layering may produce incorrect results
Bitmap texture support added
Color Correction texture support added
Spline and Bezier Curve correction textures supported
Color and Temperature textures supported
Mix textures support added
Falloff and Fresnel textures supported
Global material override support added

Vision - Camera and Navigation

Standard and Orthographic (Parallel Projection) cameras support added
Support for Two-Point Perspective cameras added
Two navigation modes implemented in the Vision window. Orbit enables camera movement based on orbit, pan and zoom manipulations. In Fly mode the keyboard W, A, S, D, Q, E buttons are used for moving while mouse left click + drag can be used for looking around. The camera is automatically leveled (roll transformation is removed) once fly or orbit navigation is initiated in the Vision window

Vision - User Interface

Toolbar UI implemented in the Vision viewer
Live Link indicator added to the toolbar. It shows whether a live session is ongoing or not
Live Link parameters added. Camera and Sun synchronization can be disabled. Click on Vision’s Live Link button to manipulate the live link options state
Open button added to the toolbar. Opens an existing .vrscene file for viewing. The button is disabled while in a live session
Resolution Mode toggle added to the toolbar. Different modes change the image framing in the Vision window. When Fit in Window is selected the image matches the Vision window size and aspect. When Match Scene Aspect is selected the image matches the aspect ratio specified in the V-Ray render settings. The size of the image is still determined by the window size
Camera Navigation Mode toggle added to the toolbar. It switches between Orbit and Fly mode. The ‘Tab’ keyboard key can be used as well
Auto Exposure toggle added to the toolbar. Use it to quickly toggle the effect
Save button added to the toolbar. Use it to display the Image/Animation Export panel
Settings button added to the toolbar. It opens the Settings Panel where various Vision-specific options can be changed
Info button added to the toolbar. It shows the Info Panel where some useful keyboard shortcuts are listed
Color Correction button added to the toolbar. It opens a panel with various color correction settings
Exposure, Saturation, Contrast, Temperature and Tint color correction controls implemented
A way for saving, loading or resetting the color corrections implemented

Vision - Settings

Geometry level of detail implemented. Activating the Enable Proxy LOD option replaces the full proxy mesh with the proxy preview when the object is in a distance or occupies a small portion of the screen. Note that most proxy preview meshes don’t have material ID assignments and hence the first material in the list will be used for the whole preview
Shadow optimization implemented. Enable the Optimize Shadows option to use lower resolution shadows while moving the camera. Once the camera stops moving the high quality shadow will be displayed. This option only applies to Sun and other Direct lights
Auto Exposure implemented
Auto Exposure Compensation implemented
Fly Mode parameter implemented. Enables the fly navigation mode similar to the toolbar Navigation Mode toggle
Fly Speed and Mouse Sensitivity options added. Both affect only the Fly Navigation Mode
Fly navigation mode motion smoothing implemented. Increase the Smooth Movement Delay to explore or present the model in a more fluent manner
Automatic Image Based Lighting Sun option implemented. Automatically adds a directional light based on the brightest spot in an HDR environment image. The option has no effect if the project Sun is enabled. It is also not recommended when there is no single distinct bright spot in the image used for lighting

Vision - Animation

Camera animations can now be transferred to Vision. The animation can be played in real time or exported as a sequence of images. Set up a scene transition animation in SketchUp, enable the Animation toggle in the render settings and run Vision for a live preview

Vision - Image and Animation Export

Image and Animation export options panel implemented
File path and type controls implemented
Spherical panorama image export implemented
Image resolution control implemented. Use the Resolution Mode, Resolution slider and the Size Multiplier to change the size of the output images. Adjust the Size Multiplier value to render images bigger or smaller than the one shown on screen
Export function implemented. A still image or an animated sequence will be exported based on the Animation checkbox state. The Animation FPS value can be used for animation retiming

Vision - Other

Quick controls for modifying the Sun position and intensity implemented. Check the keyboard shortcuts in the Info Panel for more information
Quick camera exposure controls implemented. Check the keyboard shortcuts in the Info Panel for more information
Loading screen implemented. It is displayed when a scene is being transferred to Vision
A license error screen implemented. It is displayed when no V-Ray License is available
The Vision application is automatically closed after SketchUp closes
Multiple instances of SketchUp can now start and manage separate Vision viewers
Some of Vision’s preferences are stored between sessions
A logic for determining the initial Fly Speed on scene load based on the scene size is implemented
Shortcuts for manipulating the Fly Speed implemented. Use ‘Ctrl’ and ‘+’ to increase it and ‘Ctrl’ and ‘-’ to decrease it
HDR images bigger than 15K are automatically downscaled when loaded to avoid video memory issues

**konstantin_chaos** · 09-11-2020, 07:21 AM

New V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB)

The entire VFB is redesigned. The style and appearance of all UI elements is improved
Layer Compositor implemented. The right fly-off panel of the VFB now presents a full-featured layering system that can be used for image editing - without the need for a separate post-processing app
Image Source control implemented. Choose between RGB, Light Mix or Composite depending on your needs. The RGB mode enables color correcting the Beauty (RGB) image. The Light Mix source allows light intensities and colors to be modified after rendering. The Composite mode lets you access, comp and modify the individual render elements for a more advanced post-effects
The color correction system is updated. Color corrections can now be added, removed and reordered at will. Multiple instances of the same correction type are allowed
Blend Mode as well as Weight controls added to each correction layer
Color Channel Curve corrections implemented. Use the new Curves UI to remap the values in the individual R, G and B image channels
Filmic tonemap layer implemented. Use the preset curve profiles and their parameters to quickly achieve impressive results
Color correction layers can now be applied to individual render elements. For example, changing the saturation of the Diffuse element only is done by selecting it first and then creating a Hue Saturation layer from the menu. The arrow indicates that the correction is applied only to the item below
Render element layers can also be grouped and organized in folders
Save layer tree preset function implemented. Save layer configurations as part of a preset library. The library can then be referenced by the VFB for easier access
Advance VFB configuration implemented. Change visual as well as functional properties of the window and save them between sessions
The way the Denoiser and Lens Effects elements are presented is updated
Keyboard shortcuts implemented in VFB. Check the VFB Settings / Shortcuts section for more details
Four image comparison modes implemented as part of the History panel
Render regions can now be moved or resized after they’ve been drawn
The render buckets colors can now be changed in the VFB Settings window
The pixel info is now located in the footer section
The pixel info can sample more than one region and print information about the average value. Use the drop-down menu (1x1) to change the sample size
Stats tab added in the right fly-off panel. Useful information about the project complexity and size (memory allocation) from a V-Ray standpoint is interactively displayed there
Undo and Redo functions implemented
Render Interactive button added to the VFB. It behaves the same way as its toolbar and Asset Editor counterpart

Light Mix

Light Mix render element implemented. It extracts lights’ contribution and stores it in a separate element. Lights can also be grouped based on the mode in the element parameters. Use the Light Mix source mode in the VFB to change light intensities after or even during rendering
Individual Lights mode implemented - Each light instance is stored on a separate element/layer
Group Instances mode implemented - Light instances are grouped together
Layers mode implemented - Lights are grouped based on the SketchUp layer/tag they are associated with
Light IDs mode implemented - Lights are grouped by their V-Ray Object ID assignment. Right-click on a light in the viewport to assign ID

Light Gen

Light Gen (Generator) tool implemented. It automatically generates a big number of lighting variations for the currently active project. It can illuminate exteriors or interiors with natural light using the V-Ray Sun & Sky system or a Dome Light (named LIGHT_GEN_DOME) for an image-based lighting (IBL) setup. The resulting lighting scenarios are presented as thumbnails that can be interactively applied to the project.
Exterior Sun & Sky mode implemented - The scene will be lit with the V-Ray physical Sun & Sky system
Exterior HDR (IBL) mode implemented - The scene will be lit with a Dome light and one of the high quality HDR images that come prepackaged with the software
Interior Sun & Sky mode implemented - This mode is best used for illuminating closed spaces with openings letting some natural light in. A pre-pass stage picks the most notable light angles and then the scenarios are generated
Light Gen preset management implemented. Light Gen results can be saved and loaded with no need for re-generation. Use the results screen Save button to save a .lightset file and load it back at a later stage using the Load button in the generate screen. Note that the HDR images used by the tool might change in the future which will deprecate previously saved .lightset files
On-demand download for the HDR images implemented. All the images are downloaded the first time Light Gen is started. They are then stored locally (as part of the V-Ray Library) and reused in consecutive sessions. Note that custom V-Ray Material Library location specified in V-Ray for 3ds Max will also be used for storing the HDR images used by Light Gen in V-Ray for SketchUp
An HDR content set check is performed for every new session. In case some of the assets are missing or have been updated on the Chaos servers the updated content will become available for download. Each file is validated separately to avoid unnecessary downloads
A notification system is implemented. Info and error notifications will pop up in case something goes wrong with loading Light Gen preset files (.lightset). If, for example, the HDR images used in a specific lightset are missing locally but are available on the Chaos servers a notification with a direct link to the download screen will appear
Generation can not be initiated while there is an ongoing render process or a Vision live session

V-Ray Sun & Sky

Improved Sky Model implemented. Reproduce the subtleties of twilight when the sun is below the horizon with the new Sun and Sky model
Custom sun orientation controls added. Use the new widgets to override the host apps sunlight angle. The custom sun orientation is also used by the Light Gen tool
Interactive preview for the custom Sun orientation implemented. Change the sun horizontal or vertical angle while receiving visual feedback in the light preview swatch

Contours

Global Contours control implemented. Apply contours (V-Ray Toon) to the entire scene with a single click
New Toon Material implemented. It exposes new controls and fixes some of the issues of the old V-Ray Next shader
New Contour material attribute implemented. Easily add contours to existing scene shaders without the need of material re-assignment
Inner Line Control added to the global Contours as well as to the material properties
The Compensate EV option of all contours is enabled by default

Materials

VRay Mtl Coat layer implemented. Add reflective coating directly in the updated V-Ray Material, saving you both material creation and rendering time vs. using a Blend/Layered material
VRay Mtl Sheen layer implemented. Create soft microfiber fabrics like velvet, satin and silk with the new Sheen options
VRay Mtl built-in Bump layer implemented. There is no longer need to add Bump attributes to a material - use the built-in parameter section instead
Glossy Fresnel is now enabled for all materials and no longer available in the UI
The Normal opacity mode option is removed. Stochastic is used for all materials that were using it which ensures faster render times in scenes with many opacity-mapped objects
Metalness and Use Roughness options added to the VRay Mtl parameters. Use them with textures prepared for a Metalness and Roughness workflow
PBR material layer removed. The PBR and regular VRay Mtl functionality is combined and the two separate shaders are no longer needed
Highlight Glossiness parameter removed. This simplifies the material control and increases realism
An indicator highlighting which rollout options affect the final shader is added to the VRay Mtl layer. Rollout carets become blue in case the parameters inside contribute to the look of the material

Textures

Multi-sub texture randomization options implemented. Select one of the Random modes (Get ID from) and change the Hue, Saturation and Gamma values to achieve variation. Note that a single slot and one texture can be used together with the randomization parameters regardless of the number of scene IDs
Dirt texture Streaks implemented. Easily achieve weathered streaks and dirt in crevices with the enhanced V-Ray Dirt, which now employs both ambient and inner occlusion
External Mapping Source support added for all textures. Use it to easily instance Texture Placement parameters between unique textures
UV Randomization implemented. Select a custom Texture Placement source for any texture and connect the new UVW Placement map. There is a randomization section to help you achieve procedural variations
Stochastic Texture Tiling implemented as part of the UVW Randomizer. Automatically remove texture tiling artifacts with the new Stochastic tiling option on the UVW Placement
Added support for .tx file format for Bitmap textures

**konstantin_chaos** · 09-11-2020, 07:22 AM

Material Library

The built-in material library is updated in various ways to take advantage of all new functionality in V-Ray 5
All the materials in the library now use GGX brdf type. The Glossiness as well as the GGX Tail Falloff values are adjusted accordingly
Materials previously using the Bump attribute now use the built-in Bump
Materials previously using Reflection Coat layer now use the built-in Coat
Fabric materials previously using Diffuse Coat layer now use the built-in Sheen
Textures that require identical texture placement in the scope of the material now use a single instanced UVW Placement map
The randomization feature of the UVWPlacement is utilized where appropriate to avoid visible texture repetition patterns
The resolution of all library textures is increased up to 4K
The library is now downloaded on demand. With the increased texture resolution it is no longer practical to have it as part of the installer
The library assets/textures are now shared with V-Ray for 3ds Max. If the maps have been downloaded by 3ds Max already they will be reused by V-Ray for SketchUp and vice versa. If a custom library location has been specified by V-Ray for 3ds max, V-Ray for SketchUp will also use it
A library content check is performed for every new session. In case some of the assets are missing or have been updated on the Chaos servers the updated content will become available for download. Each file is validated separately to avoid unnecessary downloads

Asset Preview

GPU (CUDA) Asset Preview mode implemented. Select GPU from the menu to activate it. It shows a more accurate preview in case V-Ray GPU is used for the final project rendering
The engine selection (CPU / GPU) for the Asset Preview Swatch is now preserved between sessions
GPU Preview Devices option added to the Configuration settings. Use either the global GPU Devices configuration or just the CPU in CUDA mode. The second option is preferable when all the GPU computational resources are required for rendering
Custom texture preview scene selection implemented. Choose between 2D, 3D, Environment, Falloff and Dirt scenes depending on the situation. If, for example, an environment texture is being color corrected, the Environment scene can be selected for the Color Correction map for a more accurate preview
Each asset preview render is temporarily stored for the active session. This temporary preview will be saved out with the asset without the need of re rendering

Updated Displacement Workflow

New Displacement object modifier implemented. Select a Group or Component in the scene and apply Displacement using the V-Ray toolbar button. This new workflow is clearer and much closer to the V-Ray Core displacement handling
The Displacement material attribute is now deprecated. It will be removed in the future. It is recommended to use the object modifier instead

V-Ray GPU

2D Displacement is now supported
Cellular textures are now supported
Wrapper material’s ‘Environment Projection’ matte mode is now supported
Out of Core memory management implemented in an experimental state. It enables evicting triangle meshes out of the GPU memory when they are no longer needed in order to make room for other resources, once the renderer has run out of memory. This option is available only for CUDA and is not yet supported for RTX
Textures slotted in a Tiles texture now render correctly on GPU
V-Ray Infinite Plane mapping is no longer rendered incorrectly on GPU. The SketchUp texture size is now respected

New Architecture

The way SketchUp scenes are exported to V-Ray is rebuilt from the ground up. This results in faster scene export times and overall reliability
A new scene management system is now in place to ensure stability. It also makes finding and solving technical issues much easier and safer

Other Improvements & Bug Fixes

Chaos License Server updated to v5.5.1
The way materials and material inheritance within the scene hierarchy is handled is improved. Changes to any scene material are now handled faster and in a more reliable way during Interactive Rendering
The top level material assignment now determines the size of all child materials. Blend material children, for example assume the size of the Blend itself. This clears confusion when it comes to scaling textures that are part of a complex shading network
Back-face material handling is improved
Dome lights created in the Asset Editor are now automatically instantiated in the scene
Blue Noise sampling implemented. When enabled, reorders the DMC samples in screen space to produce a more pleasing result from low sample counts
V-Ray Scene export window implemented. It exposes some useful options when exporting the project. The file reference paths can now be stripped (made relative). HEX compression can be disabled for both transformation and mesh parameters
The visual style of the V-Ray installer is updated
Contours render element implemented. It stores a mask for both the global and material based contours in a separate render element. Note that the contour color and exposure compensation are ignored
Creating a Gradient texture no longer crashes the Asset Editor
A number of issues preventing materials with special characters in their names from being loaded (from vrmats) are resolved
Applying Fur, Mesh Light or Clipper modifiers to the same object more than once is no longer allowed allowed
Closing SketchUp no longer causes Ruby console errors to be printed
A number of issues with SketchUp’s texture colorization are resolved
Skatter library proxies are no longer deleted after import
The Shape and Diameter parameters of IES lights now correctly update during Interactive Rendering
A File Path Editor shortcut is added to the Asset Editor’s toolbar
The number of interactive rendering updates when dragging the handle of a Curve Correction texture is reduced
The animation settings toggle is no longer grayed out while in interactive rendering mode. This allows animations to be viewed in Vision without switching to production rendering mode
MacOS: The window ordering of the VFB is improved. The window no longer syncs behind the main SketchUp window and is now correctly parented to the active model
MacOS: An issue causing specific scenes to crash on V-Ray activation is resolve
MacOS: A number of issues with the Viewport Rendering overlay are resolved
MacOS : Uninstalling V-Ray no longer ends with an error (firewall related)
MacOS: The V-Ray installer is now notarized

V-Ray Ruby API

The V-Ray Ruby API is redesigned and extended. It streamlines 3rd party extensions development and ensures long term support for scripts using it
Documentation for the new API added to the installation folder. Find it in the V-Ray for SketchUp extension menu: Extensions / V-Ray / Help / API Documentation

Announcement

V-Ray 5 for SketchUp, is now available!

V-Ray 5 for SketchUp, is now available!

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