Representation + Landscape
Landscape Architecure Program Graduate School of Design Harvard University
Fall 2020
R h i n o + V- R ay R e n d e r i n g Tu t o r i a l 0 1
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Representation + Landscape
R h i n o + V- R a y R e n d e r i n g : Tu t o r i a l 0 1
CONTENTS
I n tro duction
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Activating V- Ray fo r Rhino
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In terface
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Rendering with V- Ray
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Prep are for Rendering
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Rendering O utp u t
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by Bartłomiej Ordon MODEL VISUALIZATION https://www.chaosgroup.com/gallery/modelvisualization
by Tomek Miksa JEJU AIRPORT https://www.chaosgroup.com/gallery/tomekmiksa-jeju-airport
by Flying Architecture AUGMENTED XPO https://www.chaosgroup.com/gallery/flyingarchitecture-augmented-xpo
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I n t ro d u c t i o n V-Ray for Rhino is a highly accurate renderer for McNeel Rhinoceros, enabling designers to predict and present their designs with the highest level of realism and reduce the need for physical prototypes. V-Ray greatly increases Rhino’s ability to handle large scenes and can be used directly within Grasshopper. Key features: 2 Rendering Modes – V-Ray comes with powerful CPU or GPU rendering engines. Distributed Rendering – Render with maximum power using V-Ray’s new simple and scalable distributed rendering – V-Ray Swarm. Interactive Rendering – Fine-tune lights and materials and see the results right away as you adjust lights, materials and cameras. Grasshopper support – Render your parametric designs directly in Grasshopper. Lights and Lighting – Render any type of natural or artificial lighting. Simulate realistic daylight for any time and location. Material Library - Select from over 500 drag and drop materials to speed up your project.
O n l i n e Tu t o r i a l s V-Ray for Rhino User Guide https://vray.us/rhino-tutorials
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V-Ray Asset Editor
R h i n o + V- R a y R e n d e r i n g : Tu t o r i a l 0 1
Ac t i va t i n g V- Ray for Rhin o Workflow The basic workflow for activating V-Ray is as follows: > After finishing the installation, run the Rhino program. > Click Render on the tool bar to choose the Current Renderer as V-Ray for Rhino. + > note :The activation for V-Ray for Rhino is now complete. You will not need to activate it again when you start V-Ray for Rhino next time.
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Materials Lights Geometry Settings
Render Icon VFB (V-Ray Frame Buffer)
Detail Settings Window
Save Render Settings to File Load Render Settings from File Revert to Default Render Settings
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I n t er f a c e Workspace The V-Ray Compact contains the functions of asset
beyond the camera view.
editor, V-Ray objects, lights setting and render.
Fur – Creates simple procedural fur at render time.
Open the asset editor on the main tab to prepare for
Proxy Scene – Imports a .vrscene file as a proxy,
rendering. The asset editor is comprised of 5 primary
which is fully loaded only at render time.
aspects. Settings Materials
V-Ray Settings provide control over the parameters
Material Workplace shows all the selected materials.
that adjust the rendering process. They can be
Right click to add, import, export, rename,
accessed from the Asset Editor in the Settings tab.
remove, and select the objects with current materials, such as assigning current materials to the
V-Ray Settings are organized in two panels - the main
selected objects or to the selected layers, deleting
one exposes the default options for scene setup. The
materials that are not used in the scene, and
default options usually work for many kind of scenes,
adding layers with reflections, refractions to the
but if access to more advanced options is needed, the
materials.
right-hand side panel of the Asset Editor provides those.
Lights V-Ray for Rhino offers a number of lights essential for
Render
a good render. No matter what the type of the scene
The Render rollout provides convenient access
is, you can find the appropriate lighting options in the
to common Rendering functions such as choosing
V-Ray toolbar or in the Asset Editor.
the render devices or turning on and off V-Ray Interactive and Progressive mode. You are also able
Depending on the scene and the effect you are trying
to choose from several Quality presets as well.
to create with light, you might choose to use only one type of light or any combination of lights.
Workflow
Geometry
The basic workflow for V-Ray is as follows:
V-Ray provides a number of tools that create
> Switch current renderer to V-Ray
geometry loaded in the scene at render time, that
> Create new or open saved render settings with asset
does not weigh to the scene.
editor > Modify the rendering settings
Clipper – A virtual plane for clipping geometry at
> Preview
render time.
> Render and Export the image
Proxy Mesh – Imports geometry from an external
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mesh file, which is fully loaded only at render time.
> note :You can restore, save and load V-Ray settings (in
The geometry is not present in the scene. Instead, it
a .vropt file format) from the bottom three buttons in the
is substituted by preview object that does not take
Settings panel area. The three options are Load Render
any additional resources to be displayed.
Settings from File..., Save Render Settings to File... and
Infinite Plane – A virtual plane that always extends
Revert to Default Render Settings. These options are inactive during rendering.
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Re n d e r i n g w ith V- Ray Both V-Ray and V-Ray GPU engines support Production and Interactive Rendering modes. The Production Rendering mode utilizes all V-Ray’s features and is intended to be used to create a clean production ready render. Interactive renderer The Interactive Rendering mode is a fast active renderer that can update the rendering as you make changes to the scene. The Interactive Renderer allows for rendering in the Viewport, where the render output overlays on top of Rhino’s viewport. With Viewport rendering, the scene is rendered interactively and if changes are made, the rendered result is updated.
Production rendering The Production rendering mode allows you to switch on/off the Progressive Rendering mode. Switching off the Progressive image sampler automatically activates the Bucket image sampler, which takes a variable number of samples per pixel depending on the difference in the intensity of the pixel.
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P r e p a r e f o r R en dering Step 1 : Environment Settings The Environment section in V-Ray render parameters is where you can specify a color or a texture map to be used during GI and reflection/refraction calculations. If you don’t specify a color/map, then the background color and map specified in the Rhino Environment dialog are used by default. Background – Specifies a color/texture map to be visible in the background and used during GI and reflection/refraction calculations. Press the checkerboard button to select a texture. If a texture is selected, it overrides the color as long as the texture checkbox is enabled. GI (skylight) – Specifies a color/texture map to override the Environment GI rays. The effect of changing the GI environment is similar to a dome light. Note that Global Illumination (GI) must be enabled. Reflection – Specifies a color/texture map to override the Environment reflection rays. Note that you can also override the reflection environment on a per material basis (see Generic) or a per map basis. If you do not enable the Refraction override, this group of controls affects both reflections and refractions. If you enable the Refraction override, then this group affects only reflections.
Workflow > V-Ray Asset Editor > Settings > Environment rollout > Click the icon on the right of background setting > Click the icon on the top left to open a texture library > Select background texture and adjust parameters
Refraction – Specifies a color/texture map to override the Environment refraction rays. This color is ignored if there is an environment texture specified. Secondary Matte – Specifies a color/texture map to override the Environment rays affecting Matte objects.
> Go back to previous window and preview the rendering + > note : Environment settings might vary from projects to projects. Try different texture and light options to get a better environmental effect for renderings.
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Pr e p a r e f o r rendering Step 2 : Lights Settings
Types of Lights – You can create the following types of lights using the Lights Toolbar: Sun and Sky System – A Sun light is a spherical light source placed at a specific location which simulates the sun in the sky. V-Ray Lights •
Omni or Point Light
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Rectangle or Area Lights
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Spot Light
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Dome Light
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Sphere Light
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IES Lights
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Mesh Lights
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Directional Lights
Workflow > V-Ray Asset Editor > Lights > Turn on Sunlight > Adjust Sunlight parameters on the right panel > Go to Rhino Command line> Type “lights” > Open Sun Options and Turn on Manual Control > Adjust Sun position + > note : The Sun/Sky combination is suitable for an exterior scene, or for an interior scene with windows or other openings through which the light comes.
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P r e p a r e f o r r en dering Step 3 : Camera Settings
Camera Type – Specifies the type of the camera. This is where you can define the output required for VR rendering or standard imaging. Standard – Simulates a real-world camera with equivalent parameters such as film sensitivity, f-number and shutter speed. VR Spherical – A camera setup with the same properties as the Standard type that is useful for generating latlong images for spherical VR use. VR Cubemap – A Cubic/Box camera setup
Adjust render exposure (EV)
with the same properties as the Standard type. The output of the cube sides is arranged in a single row. It is useful for generating cubic VR
EV = 13
output. Exposure Value (EV) – Controls the sensitivity of the Camera to the scene lighting levels. The result is a brighter or darker image. If Auto Exposure (by clicking on it) is enabled, the Compensation value becomes available. When the Auto button is enabled, the ISO, F number and Shutter speed are locked.
EV = 11
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Pr e p a r e f o r rendering Step 4 : Adding Geometry
Ex 1. Add an infinite plane V-Ray provides a number of tools that create geometry loaded in the scene at render time, that does not weigh to the scene. Clipper – A virtual plane for clipping geometry at render time. Proxy Mesh – Imports geometry from an external mesh file, which is fully loaded only at render time. The geometry is not present in the scene. Instead, it is substituted by preview object that does not take any additional resources to be displayed. Infinite Plane – A virtual plane that always extends beyond the camera view. Fur – Creates simple procedural fur at render time. Proxy Scene – Imports a .vrscene file as a proxy, which is fully loaded only at render time.
Ex 2. Add an Clipper Plane
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P r e p a r e f o r r en dering Step 5 : Material Usage
There are a number of different materials for use with V-Ray for Rhino. These materials are quite versatile and each can be used in a number of ways to achieve different looks as needed from simulating simple surface properties like plastics and metals to complex uses such as translucent objects, subsurface materials such as skin and even light emitting objects. Option 1. Create a Customized Material Step 1 > Adjust Material Parameters by the control panel on the right side or use quick settings tab Step 2 > Right click material> Apply the material to selected layer or objects
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Pr e p a r e f o r rendering Step 5 : Material Usage
Option 2. Select from Material library Step 1 >Click the arrow button at the left edge of the window to unfold the material library Step 2 > Select a material and drag it to the material list on the right side Step 3 > Right click material> Apply the material to selected layer or objects
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Render without materials
Render with materials attached
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Re n d e r i n g Outp u t Step 1 : Change Dimensions
A number of output settings can be accessed through the Settings tab of the V-Ray Asset Editor. Safe Frame Displays a visual cue in the viewport, showing the expected render output area. If there is a difference in aspect ratio between the viewport and image size, this button toggles the safe frame overlay on and off. Image Width/Height Specifies the width and height of the rendered image, in pixels. If stereo is enabled, this represents the size of the image for one eye only. Aspect Ratio Sets the proportional relationship between height and width of the rendering in the V-Ray frame buffer. The listed Aspect Ratio options can be grouped in three types. 16:9 - Widescreen 1:1 - Square 4:3 - Picture 5:4 - Landscape 4:5 - Portrait Match Viewport Custom
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R e n d e r i n g O u tp u t Step 2 : Save Image
Save Image – Enables you to set or change the File Path. File Path – Specifies the file location and type to save the rendered image. File Type – Specifies the image file format. The following file type options are available: png, bmp, tga, hdr, sgi, jpg, exr, pic, tif, vrimg.
Image Options Alpha – Determines how the Alpha channel is handled. This option is available for the following formats: .png, .tga, .sgi, .exr, .pic, and .tif. No Alpha – No Alpha channel is saved. The background is visible even if the output image format supports transparency. Include Alpha – The Alpha channel is saved as image Alpha or Transparency depending on the file format. Separate Alpha – The Alpha channel is saved as a separate file. Compression Level – Specifies the image compression level for the .png file type.
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Re n d e r i n g Outp u t Step 3 : Production Render & VFB
Step 1. Select Render with V-Ray
Step 2. Open and check progress window
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Step 3. Click left corner button to open VFB ((V-Ray Frame Buffer)
Step 4. Render output after VFB adjustment
Save image
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