The V-Ray 1.5 for Rhino Beta is now available! Now users can enjoy features such as V-Ray RT, Dome Light, Proxy and many more. Sign up now to evaluate the new features and enhancements included in the latest release.

Please, note that upon release the new version of V-Ray for Rhino will be running with a Hardware Key (licensing dongle) installation only.

…

New Features

• V-RayRT
• Dome Light
• V-Ray Proxy
• Lens Effects (Glare / Bloom )
• Dispersion
• Retrace Threshold
• Ambient Occlusion
• VRayDirt
• Interpolation (Reflections and Refractions)
• IES Light
• Sphere Light
• Additional Parameters
• Improved Rhino Integration
• V-Ray 1.5 for Rhino supports the RDK Sun
• V-Ray 1.5 for Rhino supports the 32 and 64 bit versions of Rhino 5.0. as well as the 32 bit version of Rhino 4.0

more…

Highlights

- Hair rendering: Introducing a new procedural primitive for rendering hair- compatible with the most popular hair systems (Shave & Haircut, Maya Hair, Max Hair, Ornatrix, Cinema Hair)

- Particle rendering: New procedural primitive for particles- compatible with the most popular particle systems (RealFlow particles, Maya particles, 3dsMax)

- Support for Vector displacement has been added

- Much faster (transform) motion blur

- Referenced MXS files: It is now possible to load references of MXS files in your main scene file, which are added only at render time, dramatically reducing export times especially for animations, and reducing scene transfer times when network rendering.

- Support for referenced materials has been added

- Scripting: Maxwell Render SDK now includes a standalone python editor and scripting examples

- Displacement: A second displacement algorithm has been added, much faster than the previous one

- Big improvements in image processing, filtering and aliasing: Enhances overall quality of the render, aliasing, sharpness, chromatic noise, dithering, etc and faster image generation routines. A new interactive parameter -sharpness -interactively controls the aliasing

- Advanced integration with RealFlow- a new smart workflow which allows you to handle RealFlow output and generate both meshes and particles in render time, saving precious disk space and greatly reducing export times.

Full new features

Full features list

Try Maxwell Render Suite…

——————————

Everyone is invited to download the pre-release version of Flamingo nXt and give it a try.

The latest build includes these enhancements:

• Caustics improved in the pathtracer engine
• New transparency calculations for better glass
• Improved exposure controls including a new histogram function
• Alpha channel masking improved
• Better support for blocks
• Improved the sun angle calculator
• Many refinements to the interface
• Many bugs fixed

Details and download…

Fake or Foto? Do you have a good eye?
The Challenge…

Do you remember this popular contest from last year? Now FakeOrFoto has new pictures up.

Today we’re presented with images in movies, on TV, and in the press that are of such good quality we don’t even think to consider whether the picture is of something that exists in reality or if it was generated by computer software. Movies can be considered as being at the high-end of the range of uses for computer generated imagery that mimics real-life, but there are many more day-to-day examples that challenge our ability to tell what’s real and what’s not.

Come along now, you may know that answer. I got 9 of 12 on the first try. How about you? I’ll expect the answer.

Take a reality check…

Try this version of RhinoAir, you can easily render pic like this, and you’ll soon get to love it.

——————————————————————————-

The RhinoAir plugin enables Rhino users to quickly start rendering using familiar Rhino materials and lights while providing easy access to Air’s advanced features.

RhinoAir brings full scene interactive shading and lighting to Rhino with the aid of TweakAir. View lighting and material changes as you make them in a high-quality interactive preview.

With BakeAir, RhinoAir allows shading in a scene to be rendered or “baked” to texture maps. Baked maps can used as textures for realtime rendering in Rhino or with an exported VRML file.

illustrate01

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 5

arealights+global illumination

Maxim Ganzha takes us back to basics with a look at the 10 main rules of image composition.

Introduction :

There are 10 main composition rules to bear in mind when it comes to creating an image. Following these rules can help to make your image more successful and visually appealing.

Please note that the works shown in this article are not mine, but have all been used with permission of the artists that created them.

1. Contrast :

How you can attract the viewer to your picture? You need to have contrast in your scene. The light object should be on dark background and vice versa.

2. Layout :

The key objects should not be placed chaotically. It is better that they form the shape of a simple geometric figure.

3. Balance :

The objects located in opposite sides of frame should correspond to each other in terms of volume, size and color parameters.

4. The Golden Ratio :

The golden ratio was known even in ancient Egypt. Its properties were studied by Leonardo and Euclid. The simple definition is that the best point to place the object is one third from the horizontal or vertical border of frame. The location of key objects at these points seems natural and attracts the eye.

5. Diagonals :

One of the most effective compositions is the diagonal composition. The essence is simple –locate the key objects on a diagonal within the frame. For example, from the upper left corner to the lower right. This ruse is good because it guides the viewer’s eyes through the picture.

6. Frame Format :

If your scene has a lot of vertical objects, use a vertical format for the frame. And if there are lots of horizontal objects, use a horizontal format.

7. Perspective :

The choice of the perspective point can affect the emotional perception of the scene. Here are some simple rules. For character renders the best point is situated at eye level. For a full height portrait, the point should be situated at the level of belt. Try to crop the frame in such a way that the horizon won’t divide it for equal parts. Otherwise the viewer can’t really focus on the objects in scene. Try to settle the camera at the level of the object otherwise you can get distorted proportions. For example, if you look at the object from a higher point then it will seem to be shorter than it is reality.

8. Direction :

Our mind always read from left to right, and so we perceive pictures in the same way. That’s why it’s important to try and position the key objects in an image in the right part of the frame. This will help the look and the key point to move towards.

9. The Color Spot :

If we have a color spot in one part of the frame then we need to have something which will attract the viewer’s attention on the other side too. This could be another color spot or some action in the frame.

10. Diagonals : (leave free space?)

If you decide to make a dynamic object (car or bicycle) always leave free space behind the object. This will give the feeling that the object is just now entering the frame and not leaving it.

Source: 3dtotal

1. Open your interior scene and then set Vray for rhino as the current rendering engine.

Tips: The scale of the objects is important, 1:1 is better.

2. In the Rhino command prompt, type visIESlight to create a light.

3. In the Light Properties window, click on Browse button to add an existing ies file you want to use.

4. Modify other parameters to meet your needs. It seems that the intensity of the light cannot change in this version. Done.

Useful links:

Download IES Viewer

Download IES Generator

Sample IES File

Good resource of over 4000 free texures.

Terms of use :

All pictures are property of Plaintextures. You can use any of these pictures for private or comercial use except of selling and redistributing.

A plugin you might find helpful.

 Rhino.io is a new connection and import/export plugin, that lets you directly open and save native Rhino3d (.3dm) files from and into MAXON Cinema4d. In addition, updated files in Rhino3d can be merged and they will be automatically updated into Cinema4d. This enables Cinema4d users to use the model in Rhino3d and CINEMA4D at the same time, any update in Rhino3d will be transferred to Cinema4d.

Rhinoceros 3d could therefore also act as a “NURBS plugin for the Cinema4d“, connecting best of both worlds. Rhino3d’s precise and extensive CAD and NURBS tool set, with Cinema4ds modern and flexible tools. Rhino.io imported models also are ready to use for any high quality 3rd party engine like VRAYforC4D, Maxwell, Fryrender, ….)

Download
Buy

30+ Free HDRi’s from ZBYG.

HDRi environments pack

Resolution: 2000×1000
Images: 30+
Format: OpenEXR

Resources:
First HDRi Pack [link]
Second HDRi Pack [link]
Third HDRi Pack [link]

Download, modify, share and put them to good use.