Photorealistic renderer said to accelerate SketchUp workflow, through massive speed and intelligence gains
SketchUp is the latest application to benefit from the advanced features of V-Ray Next, the next generation photorealistic renderer from Chaos Group. V-Ray Next for SketchUp is tightly integrated into SketchUp and runs on CPU or GPU. It promises high-quality ray-traced visuals in a few clicks.
The headline feature is V-Ray Scene Intelligence, which automatically analyses a 3D scene at the start of a render, then optimises some of the most common decisions an artist will make. For lighting, the new Adaptive Dome Light (ADL) is said to offer more accurate, image-based environment lighting that’s up to 7x faster. Chaos Group says ADL is exceptionally fast when working with interiors and removes the need to add Portal Lights at windows and openings.
The developers also state that finding the perfect camera exposure or white balance is no longer an issue. Once a scene loads, Auto White Balance and Exposure return the right settings, making the entire process ‘point-and-shoot simple’. A new Nvidia AI Denoiser has also been embedded, so users get automatic noise removal and clean updates as they work.
In terms of performance, V-Ray Next is said to offer a 30-50 percent speed increase across the board, plus the additional increases one can expect from the ADL. The GPU renderer is over 200 percent faster alone, says Chaos Group, accelerating nearly every V-Ray feature including fog and atmospheric effects.
A full list of features can be found here.
V-Ray Next for SketchUp is available now and is compatible with SketchUp 2016-2019. A full Workstation license is priced at $790, with upgrades available for $395. Annual licenses are available as well for $350 per year. For a free 30-day trial, click here
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