Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 3, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
After months of waiting, version 1.5 of the V-Ray renderer is finally available. Siggraph visitors can take the now-necessary dongle with them right on site; all other users have to wait for the post.
The list of new features is quite extensive; V-Ray 1.5 supports the native 3ds Max Render Elements with a total of almost 30 V-Ray channels. The new release also brings new V-Ray materials for TwoSided, blending, SSS and a Dirt Shader, with the latter also suitable for simulating ambient occlusion.
A physical camera and a sky-sun simulation increase the realism. QMC GI improves irradiance calculation, PFlow systems generate motion blur, and network rendering has received an expansion.
News about chaosAURA, the standalone and Maya versions, and the announced image-sequence player is still to follow in the next few days. In this regard, the forum is the more reliable news source than the official website of the manufacturer Chaosgroup.
Further Links:
- Chaosgroup
Chaosgroup Forum
