The V-Ray rendering system has a rich set of features; we have listed some of the major ones here. For a full list of features and capabilities visit the V-Ray documentation. Please be aware that every features is subject to change without prior notice.
System requirements
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A computer with 3ds Max 6/7/8/9/2008 or Autodesk VIZ 2005/2006/2007/2008, 32- or 64-bit versions.
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Windows 2000/Windows XP/Windows Vista, 32- or 64-bit versions (64-bit is recommended);
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Intel Penium III or compatible processor at 400 MHz minimum (dual Pentium IV or AMD Opteron or later recommended);
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128 MB RAM and 350 MB swap minimum - recommended 4 GB or more RAM, 4 GB or more swap file.
Running the installation
Double-click on the installation file and follow the instructions. Note that the 64-bit installation of V-Ray will run only under a 64-bit operating system. The 32-bit installation will run under both 32- and 64-bit OSes. During the installation process you will be prompted for the root directory of 3ds Max, a directory where to install the V-Ray plugin files and a folder where to install additional files required by V-Ray.
V-Ray Features
Core architecture
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Multi-platform object-oriented API
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Fully multithreaded core
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Unified sampling system based on Schlick sampling
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Distributed rendering
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Efficient shading system specifically optimized for ray-tracing
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Modular architecture - many components of the system can be replaced with custom ones
Geometry
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Efficient geometry handling
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True instance rendering
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On-demand dynamic geometry creation
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On-demand geometry loading from disk files
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Displacement mapping
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Catmull-Clark and Loop subdivision surfaces
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Extensible with custom geometric primitives through the V-Ray SDK
Image sampling
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Three different image sampling methods
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Full-scene antialiasing
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Progressive path tracing
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Support for additional render elements (diffuse, reflection, GI etc)
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Advanced color (tone) mapping controls
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Extensible with custom image samplers through the V-Ray SDK
Illumination
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Physically accurate full global illumination solutions
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Different GI algorithms: path tracing, irradiance cache, photon maps, light cache
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Reusable GI solutions for accelerated rendering of walk-through animations and animations with dynamic objects
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Physically accurate area lights
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Efficient illumination from HDR environments
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Procedural sun & sky models
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Extensible with custom lights through the V-Ray SDK
Shaders
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Physically plausible materials
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Blurry reflections/refractions
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Accurate hilights
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Sub-surface scattering
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Support for efficient material layering
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Extensible with custom shaders through the V-Ray SDK