Ciro Sannino

V-RAY NEXT AND

APPLIED PHOTOGRAPHY

E-book - How to adopt the photographic

approach in the most recent versions of V-Ray
 CONTENTS

V-Ray 4 (NEXT) and

Applied Photography
Introduction..................................................................................4

Gamma Compensation.................................................................4

The Render Setup Pannel.............................................................7

Progressive & Render Mask........................................................8

Exercise: How to Take Advantage of the Render Mask.......10

V-Ray Toolbar...............................................................................12

V-Ray Denoiser.............................................................................14

Production Time...........................................................................16

Personal Vision............................................................................16

Learnvray.com Courses...............................................................17
 VR4

V-Ray 4 (NEXT) and

Applied Photography

The book“Photography & Rendering with V-Ray”

and the 5SRW Method focuses entirely on the
implementation of basic photographic concepts in the
process of creating an image through rendering.
These universal concepts and strategies are also
valid for those using Version 4 of V-Ray, also known
as NEXT. Basically, nothing has changed at a
photographic level, as that would be unreasonable.
I’ve written this e-book to make it even more
convenient to use the course and to encourage more
and more users to begin the journey of applying
photography to rendering.

(*) The contents of this e-book, created using V-Ray

NEXT for 3ds Max, are fully compatible with the use
of V-Ray 3.4 / 3.6 for 3ds Max

Demo Lessons & Study Programs for the Various Platforms:

V-RAY for 3DS MAX - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-3dsmax

V-RAY for SKETCHUP - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-sketchup

V-RAY for RHINO - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-rhino

 E-book: V-RAY NEXT

Introduction
V-Ray has taken a new leap forward with Version 4, also known as NEXT, which includes a
number of improvements to make the production process much easier and more logical.
It contains various additional features that contribute to making the production process
simpler and more logical. Many improvements concern the core of the software and are
related to increasing performance. Several new options have also been introduced, none
of which, however, change the photographic rationale behind Photography & Rendering
with V-Ray. This could not be otherwise, as photorealism means first of all adopting a
photographic attitude, which automatically produces a photographically correct result.
A detailed overview of all the new features is available on the official website http://www.v-
ray.com. In this e-book, we are going to look at some V-Ray features that are good to know
so that you can always find everything you need to implement photographic concepts
using V-Ray.

Gamma Compensation
Compensation using the gamma curve is extensively described in Chapter 2 - Compensation
Using the Gamma Curve of Photography & Rendering with V-Ray, from both a theoretical
and photographic point of view and is accompanied by practical exercises. The explanation
of gamma compensation is universal and naturally always valid, not just for V-Ray, but for
any other software dedicated to photorealism.
As of the versions 3ds Max 2014 and V-Ray 3, the Gamma implementation has already been
perfect by default. However, we could change the system default settings unintentionally,
especially when opening old files. This can sometimes mean that we obtain a different image
in the V-Ray Frame Buffer, Figure VR4-1, to what we see when we open it in Photoshop,
Figure VR4-2.

Figure VR4-1
Image with correct
gamma compensation
(default setting)

Figure VR4-2
Example of an image that
appears excessively dark
in Photoshop

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Considerations: If you’re an experienced user, you can actually change the Gamma
Input and Output by using a line of max script. However, I’ve noticed that, unless you
know the whole theory well, it’s always better to use the default settings of 3ds Max,
without changing them. Nor is it inconceivable that sooner or later the “Bitmap Files”
box could return. So the most important thing is to always be completely aware of why
certain procedures are carried out.

To address this inconsistency between the VFB and the image in Photoshop, we must
make sure that the following four sensitive areas are set up as in Figure VR4-3, Figure VR4-4,
Figure VR4- 5, and Figure VR4-6, in keeping with the default settings of the current version
of V-Ray.

Figure VR4-3
The “Enable built-in frame
buffer” option, which allows you
to produce the rendering in the
V-Ray Frame Buffer

Figure VR4-4
When selected, this option
shows a preview of a render
compensated using the gamma
curve

Figure VR4-5
In the Color mapping rollout, the
“Gamma” has already been set
to 2.2 and the “Mode” to “Color
mapping only (no gamma)”

Figure VR4-6
The recommended option
for gamma when saving is
“Automatic”

If the problem persists, enter the following MaxScript line in the pink box at the bottom left
and press enter. The line code is fileoutputgamma=2.2 + [ ENTER ]

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 E-book: V-RAY NEXT

The image in Figure VR4-6b is the final result of ‘Workshop #3’ of the 5SRW Course for 3ds
Max. Everything is explained step by step, from lighting to final rendering. All students may
download and examine it to see how the photographic approach has been implemented
in this type of scenario: frontal framing and natural daylight, combined with artificial lights.

Figura VR4-6b
Image with the correct
gamma compensation
(default setting)

Gamma in SketchUp & Rhino

While Gamma correction has been a real problem in 3ds Max for years, this has fortunately
never been the case for SketchUp and Rhino users, so if you use these software programs,
you can completely ignore the previous paragraph. In fact, V-Ray has had correct default
settings for these two platforms from the beginning— settings which suitably imitate the
real behavior of a camera.

Considerations: It should be noted that 3ds Max has different uses; it is widely used,
for example, for VFX in the film industry. In such cases, the output format of the images
should not be compensated, as this will be taken care of by the compositing team. This
explains why the output range was 1.0, rather than 2.2, for so long.

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The Render Panel

The interface of the Render Setup panel, Figure VR3-7, (which can be activated using the
classic function key F10), may appear completely different from older versions. Three
buttons, called Basic, Advanced, and Expert, have simply been added. By choosing one of
them, you can hide or reveal options. If you enable Expert in all the rollouts (where possible),
V-Ray appears almost very similar to the previous version. Here are a few small changes
worth highlighting, in order of importance.
The “Render Setup” panel is basically the same— just narrower:

Figure VR4-7 On the left, the Render Setup panel that has always accompanied the developments of V-Ray since
its inception. The new, more practical and more compact Render Setup panel is shown on the right.

The Antialiasing types, which used to be Fixed, Adaptive, and Adaptive Subdivision, Figure
VR4-8, have now been reduced to two: Bucket and Progressive. Bucket is easy to recognize
as it looks like the traditional rectangular block rendering; Progressive, on the other hand,
is a real breakthrough in the production experience and we’ll be examining it in the next
paragraph.

Figura VR4-8 The two Render Setup panels show the antialiasing types, which, in the updated panel to the right,
have been reduced to two and optimized to facilitate the use of the software

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For years, the default type in the Color mapping rollout has been Linear.
Now the default Color mapping is Reinhard, with the Burn value option set to a value of
1.0, Figure VR3-9. As explained in the course, this is actually the exact equivalent of Linear.
Officially, the default setting has not changed but, with Reinhard, V-Ray can more easily
manage the highlights.
For a detailed explanation of how and when to use the three main color mapping methods
(Linear, Exponential, and Reinhard), refer to the online course.

Figure VR4-9
The Reinhard and Burn
value options highlighted

Notes: The Noise Threshold parameter has changed positions. While it could previously
be found in the SETTINGS section of the rendering panel (F10), it is now located in the
V-RAY section of the “Bucket (or Progressive) image sampler” rollout. Its function,
however, has not changed.

Progressive & Render Mask

Several very interesting new features can be found in the Image sampler (Antialiasing)
rollout, including the Progressive and Render Mask options, Figure VR3-10. These two new
production tools make your work easier and significantly affect finishing and delivery times.
Let’s start with Progressive antialiasing. This allows the final render to be produced, no
longer using buckets, but as a whole image. This image is initially very grainy but becomes
cleaner and cleaner as minutes pass.

Figure VR4-10
The Progressive option
and the Render time field
are shown

The technology is similar to V-Ray GPU. The latter, however, implements all the functions
and also depends on Brute Force (or rradiance Map) and Light Cache for Global Illumination.
It’s a very convenient type of production, particularly when you don’t have a lot of time.

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Progressive allows you to have a finished render available at any time. It may be grainy, but
it will, however, be a complete render.
In the Render Time field, we can set the processing duration or simply set the time to 0,
which corresponds to infinity, so the render will continue indefinitely and we can stop it
when necessary.

Considerations: In Figure VR4-11 you can see an image I created during the beta phase
of this stunning tool. This has become the testimonial image of the Progressive function
and you can also find it on the official website www.v-ray.com

The image in Figure VR3-11 is a screenshot taken during processing. Here is some information
related to the process:
• Image width 1200px;
• Brute Force + Light Cache 1000 (default settings)
After the first 5-6 minutes calculating the Global Illumination with the Light Cache, the render
began in Progressive mode. The image in Figure VR4-11 is the result after just 5 minutes of
processing.

Figure VR4-11 Screenshot of the rendering after just 3 minutes of processing. You can see a
lot of grain, which will disappear as Progressive continues its calculation.

The speed when using the Progressive option is more or less the same but the way the
render is produced is different. This new type of antialiasing does most of the work in the
first few minutes and then takes all the time it needs to reach a high level of definition. So we
can let it process until we are satisfied or for as much time as we have available.
For this reason, Progressive really is an intelligent solution for flexibly producing renders,
especially when combined with the V-Ray Denoiser, which has truly become very powerful
in the latest version of V-Ray.

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As far as the new and very useful Render Mask option is concerned, let’s carry out a little
exercise to clearly show how it works and its related advantages, without mincing words.

Exercise: How to Take Advantage of the Render Mask

1. Start 3ds Max and open the file render-mask_2014.max, located in the E-book folder;
2. Click on render and wait several minutes until it has finished, Figure VR4-12;

Figure VR4-12
The image is obtained
in just a few minutes,
showing the chair with
opaque reflections

3. Now change the surface properties of just one object in the scene. For example,
transform the chair from opaque to glossy (see Materials from page 62 of Photography
& Rendering with V-Ray);
4. Go to the “Image Sampler (Antialiasing)” panel and choose Selected from the Render
Mask drop-down menu, Figure VR4-13, then select the object whose surface properties
you have just changed;

Figure VR4-13
The Render Mask
option, which we use
as “Selected”

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5. By clicking on render, you’ll see that the calculation is only carried out on the selected
object, making the correction in just a few seconds, Figure VR4-14. This prevents you
from having to recalculate other parts of the scene, which would certainly have made
the rendering time longer.

Figure VR4-14
Image showing the
render carried out only
on selected objects

In a way, the Render Mask is the evolution of Region Render. It allows you to render very
specific areas based on a mask, layer or —as we have just seen — one or more selected
objects.

Notes: If you click on render and nothing happens, you probably have the Render Mask
set to “Selected” and haven’t selected any objects.

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V-Ray Frame Buffer

The new V-Ray Frame Buffer, Figure VR3-15, contains new functions particularly related to
color correction and to other slight variations. Let’s start with the latter.

Figure VR3-15
V-Ray Frame Buffer
graphics window
showing the buttons
for the functions Force
Color Clamping (A) and
View Clamped Colors
(B)

A
B

1. The buttons A and B, Figure VR3-15, respectively Force Color Clamping and View
Clamped Colors, have been grouped under the same button. Simply hold it down for a
few seconds to access both options, which are described in the book;

Notes: This change had already been made in the latest versions of V-Ray 2.0, but seeing
as they appear separate in the book, we prefer to emphasize it.

2. The button in Figure VR3-16 shows a preview of the effect of the gamma compensation,
which is no longer called sRGB. It now shows the symbol of a gamma curve but the
effect and meaning are still the same.

Figure VR3-16
Part of the V-Ray Frame
Buffer graphics window
showing the buttons to
access Pixel information
(C) and gamma
compensation (D), and a
box containing the pixel
information and the
Corrected colors option

C D

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Notes: When the gamma curve button of the V-Ray Frame Buffer (shown with a “D” in
Figure VR3-16) is active, to measure the real value of the pixel, you need to enable the
Corrected Colors option. This can be accessed by clicking the third button “i”, Figure VR3-
16 (C).

As far as new features are concerned, it’s a good idea to mention the Color Correction panel,
which is still accessed as in the previous versions, by clicking the first button of the VFB Show
Corrections Control. Now, finally, we are also able to change the Hue/Saturation and Color
Balance, Figure VR3-17.

Figure VR3-17
The color correction
options highlighted.
Select the checkboxes to
enable them and see the
effects they have on the
image.

For more new functions or improvements, visit the Features section, under V-Ray for 3ds
Max, on the official website http://www.v-ray.com.

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V-Ray Toolbar
By using the V-Ray Toolbar, Figure VR4-18, you can directly access almost all the features
offered by V-Ray without passing through the menus of 3ds Max. Amongst the various
shortcuts available, we should highlight opening the Last VFB, the V-Ray Light Lister, placing
a V-Ray Light, and the icon to open the V-Ray material editor, Figure VR4-18.

Considerations: In general, the orientation of the software has changed to become

much more artistic-oriented. This is precisely the intention of Photography & Rendering
with V-Ray so I’m really happy that this tool has moved closer to those who wish to
experience rendering as artistic and photographic production. Moreover, V-Ray’s new
payoff is “Art workflow”, which says a lot about the intentions of its manufacturer Chaos
Group. The first tangible signs of this are the V-Ray Toolbar and the V-Ray Quick settings.

A B C D E

Figura VR4-18 The new V-Ray Toolbar showing some of the most commonly used features. These include icons
to open the Last VFB (A), access the Quick Settings (B) or the V-Ray Light lister (C), place a V-Ray Light (D),
and access V-Ray VRMAT (E).

Notes: If you accidentally close the V-Ray Toolbar, Figure VR3-18, it can be easily
reactivated by right-clicking in the menu area of 3ds Max and selecting V-Ray Toolbar
from the list in the context menu.

V-Ray Denoiser
As far as rendering time is concerned, from a mathematical point of view, the simpler
the simulation, the more we tend to use calculation algorithms without approximation,
such as Brute Force. The more complex the simulation, and the more it includes multiple
light bounces — in an interior for example —, the more we tend to use algorithms that
approximate reality, such as Irradiance Map and Light Cache. However, the choice of
which algorithms to use only concerns the time/performance ratio and does not affect the
“beauty” of the final result.
With the introduction of the new V-Ray Denoiser, and also considering that, as of V-Ray 3.6
(and today V-Ray NEXT), the Brute Force + Light Cache combination has become extremely
powerful, we can conclude that, in most cases, their combination (BF+ LC + Denoiser) is
currently the best option.

Figura VR4-19
The ‘Denoiser’ Render
Element, used to clean
grainy images

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Technically speaking, there isn’t much to say about the V-Ray Denoiser. It can be added
to the scene as a Render Element, Figure VR4-19, and then it does everything by itself. If
we use it with its default settings, we immediately have an idea of its strength. In Figure
VR4-20 below, we can see a clear example: we get the same result (or almost) in 2 hours of
rendering, or about half an hour if we use this fantastic tool to ‘clean’ it.

BF+LC= 120 min BF+LC+ Denoiser = 30 min

Figura VR4-20 Two versions of ‘Gravity’, rendered with and without Denoiser

In Figure VR4-20, you can see that we can heavily condense the rendering time and achieve
the same result in less time, thanks to the Denoiser.
Obviously, there are minor discrepancies between the final results, Figure VR4-20. Indeed,
by its nature, the Denoiser tends to lose some small details, but, as a whole, it is essentially
the same. The aesthetic quality doesn’t change because it isn’t controlled by these aspects.
Rather, it primarily relates to the photographic approach in terms of composition, skillful
use of lighting, the matching of colors and materials, and the final management of contrast.
That’s why we work with several fixed settings throughout the course.
The fixed settings help to isolate the technical aspects so as to devote each page to the
relationship between photography and rendering and to the method — consisting of 5
basic steps to drive the workflow. The order of this workflow is framing, lighting, materials,
rendering, and post-production. This is called the 5SRW Method and its aim is to focus
on aesthetic quality while providing a solid tool to help develop awareness and use
photographic logic to address everything.

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Production time
The aim of the book Photography & Rendering with V-Ray, of related activities, such as the
V-Ray Masterclasses (supported by Chaos Group), and of the online teaching through the
Learnvray.com website, is not merely a photographic affectation. On the contrary, it is
intended to increase your productive efficacy through awareness, guiding passionate users
to drastically decrease their production time.
While it’s true that, on the one hand, optimizing settings for a specific scene can save you up
to 20-30% of total time, giving you a render in 2h instead of 2:30h, for example, that is not
actually the goal of these activities or of the 5SRW Method in general. Our real goal is to
work on ourselves so that we are completely aware of how the lights, framing, lighting, and
lighting hierarchy work. This will allow us to gain total control over the process and finish
setting up a scene in 1 day of focused work rather than seven days of random attempts.
It isn’t about saving 30 minutes of final rendering time but cutting away six whole days
of attempts lacking a precise goal. Improving this aspect will make the whole process
incredibly effective.

Notes: In other contexts, such as animation, saving just 5 minutes can be very worthwhile.
In that case, however, we are getting into other dynamics concerning film production,
rather than photography, which is the main subject of the method.

Personal Vision
The Internet is literally overflowing with technical tutorials and video tutorials, not to
mention that Chaos Group itself has recently updated its free online guide, which you can
find at http://docs.chaosgroup.com. This provides all the features, explained parameter by
parameter, and is enriched with numerous examples.
In contrast, my method offers is a simple, solid and harmonious vision of the world of
three-dimensional simulation. Just like a photographer, it looks at a real environment to
photograph, whether it be indoors or outdoors, and uses light as its main modeling tool.

It’s a fresh and passionate view of photography, applied to rendering using V-Ray.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
Ciro Sannino
Author & V-Ray Official Mentor

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5SRW - ONLINE COURSE

The author Ciro Sannino also collaborates with the online platform LEARNVRAY.com and
regularly holds V-Ray Masterclasses, which are among the live events most recommended by
Chaos Group. The following information describes the 5SRW Course online.

The online study platform certified by Chaos Group - Certification Link

The course is available in Italian for the platforms: 3ds Max, SketchUp, and Rhino.
Subscription includes the following services:

- Access to the lessons and files of the 5SRW course

- Support via email from certified instructors
- Official 5SRW Certification for V-Ray
- Access to the private group (on Facebook)

Additional information:

INFO ABOUT THE 5SRW METHOD - www.learnvray.com/features/english.php

STUDENTS’ GALLERY & FEEDBACK - www.learnvray.com/photogallery

Demo Lessons & Study Programs for the various platforms:

V-RAY for 3DS MAX - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-3dsmax

V-RAY for SKETCHUP - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-sketchup

V-RAY for RHINO - http://www.learnvray.com/5srw-contents-rhino

Direct link to sign up:

SIGN UP - https://www.learnvray.com/amember/signup/start

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