G-Buffer layers, best program to use?

V-Ray for 3ds Max V-Ray for 3ds Max :: General
1

What do you guys feel is the best best program for using the new g-buffer features in vray? I’ve never really used layers like this but I would like to start for obvious reasons. It would be mostly for stills but perhaps a few animations in the future.

Is After Effects a good choice? Or perhaps combustion? I would like to save it as a single file and then work with the layers in the other program.

Any input would be appreciated.

Tony

2

AfterEffects and the Add blending mode works well for animations. Combustion should handle them equally well, though. I guess it all boils down to what you prefer to work with.

For stills there is of course Photoshop CS. Remember that you have to use the Linear Dodge blending mode for the different channels that need to be additive (like reflection, refraction, GI, lighting etc.).

3

I didn’t know that photoshop cs could open a .rpf or .rla file. Thats good, I need to upgrade anyway.

Does photoshop cs open the file with all the different channels that have been created and saved out of vray in the .rpf or .rla file?

Please forgive my ignorance on the subject.

Tony

4

VRay doesn’t create .rpf or .rla files, at least not in the beta build. It gives you a separate file per channel, so it’s easy to use it in any app you choose.

5

Thanks egz, that cleared it up!

I downloaded the trial for photoshop cs and the linear dodge does work much better than the others in the old version I was using. Thanks for the tip!

Tony

6

The Linear Dodge blending mode exists since Photoshop 7.0 and is also available in Photoshop Elements 2.0.

7

Daniel, that’s right it was added in 7.0 (finally).

Do you think it will be possible to use PSD-manager to output .psd files from the new VRay channels? I suppose you have to modify the code some since it doesn’t use render elements, but might it still be doable?

8

Also, in PS.

Copy your color image, so you have 3 layers now (Original image, duplicate and z-buffer)

Then blur the duplicate, add a mask layer to the blurred duplicate.

Copy the z-buffer, and then alt+click the mask. Then paste the z-buffer into the mask layer.

This should then blur the image based on the combined duplicate and original.

Or of course, open After effects, and add a compound blur on the image and put the z-buffer above the original. Pick the z-buffer image for the compound buffer and you get fake DOF