Archive notice: This article covers the V-Ray 5 public beta for 3ds Max from May 2020. The beta programme has ended; verify current features and licensing before production use.
The V-Ray 5 public beta for 3ds Max moved more look-development and finishing work into the renderer. Access originally required a Chaos account and beta registration.
Frame Buffer compositing
Layered compositing in the V-Ray Frame Buffer allowed rendered images to be adjusted without immediately moving to a separate compositing application. The beta also introduced Light Mix, which changed light contributions after rendering rather than requiring a fresh render for every balance pass.
Materials
A material library and browser shipped with more than 500 materials. Material presets and previews were joined by coat and sheen layers for more complex surface construction.
Expired beta
The original beta page documented the programme. Treat it as historical and test equivalent controls in the current V-Ray release before production use.
