Chaos Group has hinted at an update to V-Ray for Blender that would finally make the renderer compatible with versions 2.8 and above of the open-source 3D software.
To try V-Ray for Blender you need to download and install the latest official version of V-Ray for Blender with the account supplied to you by Chaos Group or your reseller. What is V-Ray Standalone? V-Ray Standalone is a full-featured command-line renderer that supports V-Ray’s native.vrscene file format. Blender Scripting Library provides a python library for creating basic geometrical objects in blender. This makes it possible to interface blender with a python script in the style POV-Ray users are used to do that in POV-Ray.
In a post on Facebook, Chaos Group CTO Vlado Koylozov shared a screenshot of Blender’s ‘fishy cat’ benchmark scene rendering to the V-Ray frame buffer from what looks to be a recent build of the software.
V-Ray support for Blender 2.80 and above
Although V-Ray has had an official Blender integration plugin since 2014, it never achieved feature parity with those for commercial 3D applications like 3ds Max.
Recently, development seemed to have stalled entirely: over a year since Blender’s milestone 2.80 update, it still only supports Blender 2.79, while the last new nightly build of the plugin came out last October.
Since then, the Blender Foundation has put out four further sizeable updates, the latest being Blender 2.90. Html for mac os x.
Koylazov’s Facebook post, which simply reads “We are getting there…”, doesn’t give a lot of information on what has been happening recently within Chaos Group’s Blender team.
Vray For Blender Forum
However, it suggests that an updated version of V-Ray for Blender is at least still in active development.
Support for interactive rendering coming in future?
In the comments thread on the post, Koylazov notes that the new version “still [uses] our old approach where we just export a .vrscene file and render it with V-Ray Standalone”.
However, he hints that long-standing feature requests from Blender users, like support for interactive rendering, will be addressed in future builds.
“There is a newer system where we use ZeroMQ to get the two programs to talk to each other so that we can support IPR, but it will probably come a bit later, once we get the original integration working.”
So far, there’s no information on whether V-Ray for Blender will include features from V-Ray 5, the newest version of the renderer, but keep an eye on the forum thread linked below for updates.
Pricing and system requirements
V-Ray for Blender is currently available for Blender 2.79, on Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.12-13 and Linux. Chaos Group hasn’t announced a timescale for updates.
The integration plugin itself is free and is available under a GPL licence; a V-Ray Standalone render node costs $420, while rental costs $70/month or $167/year.
Visit the V-Ray for Blender website
Read the V-Ray for Blender online documentation
(Currently fairly minimal, but there is a quickstart guide)
Related posts:
Tags: Blender, Blender 2.8, Blender 2.80, Blender 2.90, Chaos Group, free, GPL, interactive rendering, IPR, new features, new version, open source, plugin, price, release date, system requirements, update, V-Ray, V-Ray 5 for Blender, V-Ray for Blender, V-Ray Frame Buffer, VFB, Vlado Koylazov
V-Ray has been lining the bed of the visualization and rendering industry since the early days of computer generated graphics. Very few people who are even closely associated with computers and graphics technology know what Chaos Group’s flagship software is, and how dominant it is in terms of user-base and capability.
However, for many casual renderers or those looking to dip their toes in the proverbial water, dropping the cost and time commitment required to best utilize V-Ray is a daunting uphill climb that typically results in regret and disappointment.
Luckily, there are several great alternatives to V-Ray that don’t come slapped with a hefty price tag and a user’s manual the size of an ancient tome. In fact, they’re all completely free. These programs are great for visualization newcomers, or those looking to build out there skillset with something they don’t have sell their first-born child to download.
1 | Blender (Cycles)
It’s impossible to talk about free rendering software without first mentioning Blender. It’s an open-source modeling program that comes on-board with its very own proprietary rendering engine called Cycles. It has a dedicated user-base who heavily influence the development, giving it a unique mix of usability, performance, and value.
Blender presents a user-interface unlike any other on the market, and might take a few pointed tutorials to become familiar with it. But, when you do, you’ll effectively unlock one of the most powerful visualization programs in the world, and all without spending a single penny. Blender is worth every bit of your time, professional or not.
2 | Lux Render
Lux doesn’t bog the user down with an onslaught of distracting bells and whistles. It is simply an incredibly fast and easy-to-use renderer that is completely free to play. Lux uses a physics-based engine that utilizes unbiased rendering in order to provide the power to create photo-realistic renderings of your 3D models.
For beginners, Lux is the perfect renderer to cut your teeth. Learning the ins and outs won’t take long, and its wide array of plugins means that no matter what your modeler of choice is, Lux is available for your use. And unlike many other free renderers, Lux comes packed with a load of high-quality textures and materials to help aid in your visualization creation. Sfzc online zendo.
3 | Kerkythea
If you can manage to pronounce Kerkythea without going cross-eyed, you’ve already done more work than required to learn this free, physics-based rendering engine. The software utilizes ultra realistic and accurate material and lighting models that result in a flavor of photorealism on par with V-Ray and other expensive rendering programs.
Kerkythea is quickly gaining traction as one of the most capable free rendering programs available, and accepts exports from most 3D modeling programs (including a free extension for SketchUp).
4 | Freestyle
For those looking for something a little bit different out of their rendering software, Freestyle offers a non-physics based engine that focuses on linework only. The resulting images and animations are incredibly stylized, and when used correctly can add an engaging and eye-catching level of style to your 3D visualization.
Vray For Blender Download Free
However, it would be a mistake to simply peg Freestyle as a simple line drawing tool. This is a rendering program, after all, and one that gives users a surprising amount of control over the final results. Tinkerers and experimenters will be right at home with the trial-and-error nature of Freestyle, and will come up with drawings you never thought were possible.
5 | Pixar’s Renderman
Once upon a time there was a quaint little animation studio called Pixar, and in 2015 they decided to make their powerful proprietary rendering engine, Renderman, available for free to the general public. And the kingdom rejoiced!
Being able to use Renderman is a dream for many 3D artists and designers, so the fact that Pixar made it available for free was met with amusement, confusion, and giddy Christmas mourning-esque feelings of childlike joy. You won’t learn this program over night, but for those dedicated visualizers and animators, there are few tools out there that have such potential to produce incredible results.