Vray for Sketchup - Documentation

[maringorama]

hello.

i am new to vray, and i am having trouble learning it with the documentation alone (which is provided by asgvis here: http://software.asgvis.com/index.php...443&Itemid=536 ). Apart from being for the PC version so far only and having bad typo problems now and then, it lacks explanation of the most basic rendering principles and hardly explains the functionalities at all (i.e.: surfaces have to be in a group for displacement to be working, OPTIONS - and what happens if you change them, ...)

other to the tutorial and tips section, i wanted to share with you some better documentation i found,
although it is not for SU neither for MAC yet, but it helps alot to understand already the basics of vray !!!
- http://vray.us/vray_documentation/index.shtml (3dsmax for Windows)
- http://www.aversis.be/tutorials/vray...t_overview.htm (options window explained in detail, also 3dsmax for Windows)
- http://forum.asgvis.com/index.php?topic=2324.0 (useful links for RHINO) collected by other forum members
- http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewforum.php?f=322 - vray on sketchucation forums

[thomthom]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

The VfSU manual has never been intended to be a complete manual of V-Ray. For that you use the V-Ray manual. The VfSU is intended mainly to get started with how V-Ray is working inside SU - the UI etc.
The manual refer to PC only since there has been no Mac version before. But there should not be any point in a Mac version - should be identical.

I use this link as my main V-Ray lookup source for all the parameters etc. http://www.spot3d.com/vray/help/150SP1/

But I do agree - the current manual does lack some clarificcation on some topics, such as displacements and the general units used in VfSU. But we should be getting a new manual with the next release.

[maringorama]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

soooo.. where do i find the "vray manual" ?
i mean the "vray manual" that DIFFERS from the "vray for sketchup" manual ?
and why does the "vray for sketchup" manual not point out that it is not intending to be complete and that you have to look for more information here ---> "vray manual" ?

thank you anyway thomthom
the thing you pointed out to me, is it this magical "vray manual" ?

[Gotseelsold]

Hostgator.com questions I have...

Hi guys, have any of you guys had any luck with this? It seems that there's a lack of people willing to step forward!

Thx!

[Carkflall]

re: Hostgator.com

Yes, it's good!

[thomthom]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

soooo.. where do i find the "vray manual" ?
i mean the "vray manual" that DIFFERS from the "vray for sketchup" manual ?
and why does the "vray for sketchup" manual not point out that it is not intending to be complete and that you have to look for more information here ---> "vray manual" ?

thank you anyway thomthom
the thing you pointed out to me, is it this magical "vray manual" ?

That spot3d link is the manual I use. basically, I use any V-Ray resource I find. V-Ray is V-Ray - no matter what host application it's in. In general terms, there are some things in V-Ray for Max which isn't available in VfSU - but all you find in VfSU can be found in resources related to ChaosGroup's Max version of VRay.

Don't know why the VfSU manual don't link to any main V-Ray manuals - ASGVis would have to answer for that. As you noticed - it does has some blank spots. As a complete newbie there are many things that's confusing - I remember that clearly. I still feel there are things that's confusing. A few months ago I bought a large book on V-Ray - it's based on V-Ray for Max, but it's just as useful for VfSU as it teaches you the concepts of how V-Ray works.

[dkendig]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

Thomthom is correct. ::gives cookie:: We didn't intend our manual to be the end all be all manual for V-Ray for SketchUp, but it should cover anything that is specifically different for V-Ray for SketchUp. The lack of documentation about displacement is an example of something we should have in our manual, because the steps necessary to make displacement work properly in V-Ray for SketchUp, are quite different than any other version of V-Ray. For the most part though, you can find an answer to any V-Ray specific question, by going to spot3d.

Don't know why the VfSU manual don't link to any main V-Ray manuals - ASGVis would have to answer for that

Whoops! Looks like we forgot to throw the link in there!

My favorite mistake in the manual is on page 78:

In order to add a V-Ray sun type
Sunlight into the command line. This will bring up the
Sun Angle Calculator.

Good luck pulling that one off... ::searches for the SketchUp command line::

[maringorama]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

hehe dkendig hahaha. rofl.

i will post more of those wonderful typos here if i find them.
here i my suggestions for the changes in the manual:

- BIG indepth description of the render options panel (with description of all the parameters in each option)
- more details for the creation of the different material options, especially: displacement and translucency (i.e. tell people that diffuse layer has to be DELETED, not used like on page 44.).
- vray two-sided material

im only at page 67 now, tell you more when i find other stuff...

[-Keith]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

As the person in charge of the new manual I would have to say my favorite mistake in the current version is right at the top of the table of contents
http://software.asgvis.com/images/su...al_English.pdf

Now that you have my attention, does anyone have any suggestions on how they want to see the new user manual done? anything else sorely lacking? Originally I set out to completely fix the current manual but it is looking more and more like it needs to be tossed out and redone.

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestration

[thomthom]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

Explanation of the units used. Since SU internally uses inches, and VfSU use this internal unit without converting it to the model's unit - this was something that puzzled me for a long time until I picked up SU Ruby plugin writing and learned how SU worked under the hood. That a displacement if multiplier of 10 - means max displacement of 10 inches.

Examples of some of the new and coming procedural maps.

I also missed more info on the lights and their different light units.

[maringorama]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

hahaha alrami, yes please make the manual for SU not rhino hehehe.

well. i think already an online manual is OK for the start. better get the content right first, and easy to reach for everyone as fast as possible. you can worry about layout-ing for a pdf and numbering pages later ...

and i havent READ the actual one to the end yet, so still some proposals to come i guess...

[-Keith]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

Good Suggestion ThomThom I get that question alot as well. Dutifully noted.

Aringorama I think it will always be online as a PDF, we stopped providing printed copies when we stopped having CD's. I am making it in Word so the page numbering and all that was already taken care of. I agree content is where I have to hit this particular task hard.

Let me ask you this, Do you like the current setup where we walk you through a few practice scenes and teach you indirectly or would anyone prefer more of a glossary "this does this" "that does that" layout?

[maringorama]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

well, i like the examples, if only the files provided from you guys would work properly hehehe, there is no material in them at all and i always have to copy the content of a scene into a new SU file to make it at least render-able.

hmmm.. i dont really need a glossar, as a pdf is perfectly searchable.

the render options are briefly described at beginning, it lacks indepth description, as well as a phrase to refer to some pages later in the manual, where the documentation continues.

it is good that the pure theory is kinda broken up by examples and tests, makes it easy and playful. but make it clear that more of the description comes again later ? (and make it more indepth as well, as describe the different possibilities in more detail please ?)

oh i dont know if i am clear oops !

ps. and a full LIGHTS description would be so cool, as manual knows only 2 of the 4, and spot 3d the same ...

[Jackson_cg]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

I always liked the way current manual is setup; the balance between mini-tutorials (including bundled sample files) and paragraphs explaining V-Ray/VfSU's functions made it very easy to get to grips with VfSU. The only real problem I have with the current manual is simply how much stuff is missing, especially information pertaining specifically to SketchUp use like displacement tricks, scene units, why NOT to use blend materials, etc... but also more general V-Ray functions like translucency, environment lighting (tiny GI maps actually produce much better quality GI than huge ones for example), channels, etc.

Jackson

[thomthom]

Re: Vray for Sketchup (VfSU) for MAC - Documentation

not use bland mats?