Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 5, 2013. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Chaos Group has launched the beta program for V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max. According to Chaos Group, speed is intended to be the first feature that catches testers’ attention. Ray-tracing calculations are said to run two to three times faster on average. Hair rendering has likewise picked up speed, so according to the manufacturer the hairstyle sits up to 15 times faster.
The UI has also been adapted graphically so that the most commonly used controls and settings can be found quickly. With Production Presets and Quick Settings, quality and speed can be fine-tuned right at the start of the design process, which is intended to increase effectiveness.
Another point toward efficient work goes to the new Progressive Production Rendering; with an intuitive one-click action, artists can now set up a scene in seconds—and repeat it quickly, even when they are using very complex V-Ray features.
V-Ray 3.0 also opens up to open-source technologies such as Alembic, OpenEXR 2.0 and Deep Image Data, OpenColorIO and Open Shading Language [OSL].
During the beta phase, Chaos Group will introduce another new format: an XML cross-application material format called VRmats, which can be transferred across different V-Ray host applications.
New universal V-Ray Render Nodes support network rendering and distributed rendering across different platforms (including 3ds Max and Maya. Rhino, Softimage and SkechtUp are expected to follow).
More information, upgrades and the option to register for the beta can be found on the page set up specifically for the V-Ray community at www.v-ray.com.
Licenses, Prices and Availability
Users who already have a V-Ray for 3ds Max license can participate in the V-Ray 3.0 beta for 3ds Max.
With V-Ray 3.0, user licenses and render nodes can be licensed separately. This allows unified licensing across applications and reduces the costs of individual user licenses.
The new prices are as follows:
V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max User License + 1 V-Ray 3.0 Render Node 1,050 US dollars (750 euros). Single V-Ray Render Nodes 3.0 cost 350 US dollars (250 euros).
Upgrade Bundles
The upgrade for V-Ray 1.5 costs 980 US dollars (700 euros). The upgrade from V-Ray 2.0 costs 420 US dollars (300 euros). Users who purchased V-Ray 2.0 for 3ds Max between August 4, 2013, and the official V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max release are intended to receive a free upgrade.
More Flexibility
Chaos Group now also offers the possibility of monthly or annual licensing. Further information can be found on the Chaos Group website.
The following preview videos already present the new features (V-Ray 3.0 for 3ds Max). Here we go:
Faster Ray Tracing
Progressive Rendering
Improved Hair Rendering
