there is the answer to my question!
hey marcus i have found the problem with your scene.
-Turn of the exposure control in your max environment
PM me with your email and I will send you the fixed file.
Thanks for your help but I probably should have mentioned that I am using VIZ 2005. I assume that you are using either Max 7 or 8 because I could not open the file. I did turn off the exposure control in the VIZ rendering environment. The result is definitely different but I am still not getting the strong direct light. Here are the results:
Are there any other settings that you adjusted. Are there any other suggestions? Additionally, could this be an issue unique to Max 6/VIZ 2005? Could someone post their results for the same hdri?
Thanks Again
Marcus
I tried to download your file but it doesnt work.
Email it to me if you can or upload it somewhere better.
Have your tried with a different HDRI? like the kitchen one that I suggested.
Try this one:
Just to let you know, there is a lot of advertising gobbly goop on this site. Using Internet Explorer, do a search on the term “Download for free with FileFactory Basic” or any part thereof. After clicking on this link, on the following page do a search on the term “Click here to begin your download”. These steps should take you directly to the link and not to any annoying advertisements or racy photos (not that this is a bad thing :lol: ) and you should be able to download the file.
I have not had the opportunity to try the kitchen scene. I will tomorrow. I actually began this scene using an entirely different hdri from what I am using now. Since I was encountering problems, I switched to the Paul Debevec hdri to see if I could achieve a similar result to what was previously rendered by vlado in his time lapse animation.
Thanks for the help,
Marcus
OK, got the file.. seems i had to use explorer (as you mentioned) and not opera.
Anywho.. gimme a sec and I will get you a solution 
Ok, basically you just have the multiplyer of the HDRI itself too low and the camera setup wrong.
But if you increase it your render looks better the background gets washed out.
Fix:
FIrst of all turn off max’s exposure control.
Make another copy of the HDRI in the material editor (ME). Name them skyprobe12-10_background & skyprobe12-10_skylight (or whatever) assign the skylight one to the dome light and the background one to the max background environment slot (Render menu → environment).
Also put the “Map type” for each HDRI to angular map. Its more appropriate for that HDRI
Try this in the ME. Skylight HDRI Multiplyer @ 1.0 Background HDRI Multiplyer @ 0.5
Roughly use the following for the Vray camera
F-number @ 8.0
shutter speed @ 30
Film speed @ 250
Should be abit better now
for redundant fix up method.
Guyz it’s all about (IMHO) the HDRi you chose. As I created the same simple scene, but with one of the Dosch SKY Probes, with bright spot of Sun. And I got those damn shadows. Well not absolutely sharp, mostly like area, but it exists, at least 
Yeah the HDRI does make a difference, but in this case the scene was setup wrong.
When all that was fixed up. I got shadows.. no problem there.. but yeah the HDR changes the look/shadows alot.
Agreed Paul.
I just tried it with the Kitchen HDRI and the scene was totally blank.. had to crank the MP up to 50
So the resolution to his problem depends on what HDR he uses.
wel here is my image from the file above, all seems to be working.
Heh, my post count raised since back then I love VRay 1.5
But - just curious - if it possible, to understand how that VRay IBL works, as in MR it’s totaly different. Many shadows even from one single bright dot… etc. Any thoughts ?
What changes did you make to the file?
As that looks like almost no HDRI at all.
As that HDRI would put ALOT of blue into the image.. yours has none.
you talking about my image?
Well, I opened that HDRi in PS -=- made me really bad. It’s overexposured and… well I’m working on it
I just tried it with the Kitchen HDRI and the scene was totally blank.. had to crank the MP up to 50
I’ve been encountering some really high HDR multipliers as well. The other option is to lower the shutter speed on the physical camera drastically and balance the multiplier out.
the hdri marcus used was an angular map, so switching to angular fixed the shadow problem.
I also tweaked the settings on the physical camera
Corrected HDR image - and got the same results as jacksc02
Of course reset the render settings and HDR map parameters.
nice one paul