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| Artists can generate a variety of cloud types using the new V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max procedural clouds capability. (Source: Chaos) |
Version 6, a major new upgrade to Chaos’ V-Ray for 3ds Max, gives artists a host of new tools, including one for quickly distributing 3D objects in a scene, one for generating detailed 3D surfaces, another for creating custom skies, and more. In addition, V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max now contains a cloud collaboration tool to hasten the review process.
Chaos Scatter enables users to easily create naturalistic landscapes and environments by generating millions of 3D objects that are distributed, spaced, and randomized within a scene. The process, which does not require any adjustments by hand, is handled in-system in a way that conserves memory.
VRayEnmesh, meanwhile, creates complex surfaces at a high level of detail by tiling 3D geometry patterns on objects, resulting in a large amount of geometry at render time but without negatively affecting scene performance.
A procedural cloud capability has been added to the V-Ray Sun and Sky system, enabling users to generate custom skies based on technology from Enscape, a company Chaos recently merged with. As a result, artists can create a range of cloud types and weather conditions, and when the clouds are ray traced with V-Ray, they respond accurately to lights, shadows, and volumetric effects. The procedural clouds can be animated as well.
V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max also has a free Chaos Cloud Collaboration service for sharing images from V-Ray to Chaos Cloud, making the review and markup process easier and more streamlined. The release further features an upgraded V-Ray frame buffer, improved dome light, more accurate reflective materials, thin-film materials, improved subsurface scattering, decal displacements, batch loading of multi-sub textures, an improved UI, a V-Ray Proxy hierarchy, and V-Ray GPU improvements.
V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max is available now in three packages: V-Ray Solo for $467 per year; V-Ray Premium for $695 per year; and V-Ray Enterprise for $599 per year.