Corona Renderer 1.7 for 3ds Max released!

[TomG]

Corona Renderer 1.7 for 3ds Max released!

Full details and download can be found at our blog:

A quick summary of some of the highlights:

- Up to 8 times faster rendering (dependent on the scene) thanks to a new improved sampler, a new optional adaptive direct lighting algorithm, optimized glass / water sampling, and more
- Hair and Skin: Support for all hair and fur tools (3ds Max, Ornatrix and Hair Farm), and dedicated hair and skin shaders
- Material Library with over 300 ready-made materials, with drag-and-drop functionality
- New Subsurface Scattering and Dispersion in the CoronaMtl
- Dedicated CoronaCamera
- UvwRandomizer and Universal Bump Map Converter
- And much more that would be too long to list here :) See the blog post for full details!

For those of you who have tried Corona before and your 45-day trial expired, we've automatically refreshed the demo period to give everyone an extra 14 days so you can try out all the new features! Simply download and install 1.7, and you can activate the refreshed demo period right from within 3ds Max. Enjoy!

[NicolasC]

Congrats, guys !! it seems like another great release :)

[pokoy]

You guys rock! Yay!!

[Bahman.JB]

Hi there,

So excited, Thank you guys, you are always awesome.
just a question, is there any link for downloading latest Corona Material library?
cuz I'm installing on the farm.just to put next to the installer.

Thank you,
cheers.

[maru]

Here is the material library link: https://installer.corona-renderer.com/3dsmax/1.7/MaterialLibrary
You can place it next to the installer, and then instead of downloading, it will install the material library from the offline location.

[Bahman.JB]

Perfect...Thank you.

Cheers.

[rozpustelnik]

Great work, guys! You are the best - the whole crew :)

[alberto_royo]

Congratulations guys !! Very grateful for the effort

[mikedugenio]

Download speed of Material Library is incredibly slow as expected. Any other hosts?

[cecofuli]

In beta testing stage, the download was really fast:  2MB/second in our network.
Now it's 40KB/second ^__^ . It's because a lot of users are downloading Corona today. =)
Tomorrow will be better

[PROH]

Yes, that was my experience to. Tried both seperate download and download during install. Both methods were so incredible slow that after 1 hour I gave up and used a previously downloaded package (from the RC release). Can't you find a better way?

[alonerone]

Congrats, you've done an amazing job with this release, and thanx for your reactivity on the daily builds thread.

[Michael Arch-Viz]

Hi guys,
can i use corona 1.7, while installer downloading materials? )))

[Ryuu]

Well, IIRC the 3ds Max plugins should already be installed when the materials are being downloaded. It should be possible to use Corona in that state.

I can't guarantee that nothing will go wrong (I never tested this situation), but if anything fails, you can just reinstall everything (the downloaded material pack should be cached for subsequent installations).

[Michael Arch-Viz]

all is good for me, i can use everything except new material library.

[MartinBrinks]

Couldn't have been released at a better time, thanks! Are you in contact with the commercial render farms helping them implement it fast?

[davemahi]

Great update!!!!

One question. The new SSS in Corona Material says to use the new SSS mode for more solid objects like marble...... But if you drag out a marble material from the new Corona Material Library it is not using the new mode. Is this a artistic decision, materials made before 1.7 shader update or some other reason that is not important?

[Ondra]

Great update!!!!

One question. The new SSS in Corona Material says to use the new SSS mode for more solid objects like marble...... But if you drag out a marble material from the new Corona Material Library it is not using the new mode. Is this a artistic decision, materials made before 1.7 shader update or some other reason that is not important?

it is artistic decision - the SSS effect is not always visible, but it always slows down rendering. There are situations where it would be definitely useful, but for the general material it is probably better to keep it fast by default

[Ondra]

Download speed of Material Library is incredibly slow as expected. Any other hosts?

We have 2*100mbps mirrors but it is still not enough ;). We are researching other options for the future (even though they are way more expensive). But it might end up being not necessary, because the material library is not downloaded again if it was not changed on our server, and we can upgrade it asynchronously with the corona core/plugin version - so we can update the library multiple times before Corona 2 is out, and ask people to reinstall 1.7 to get it - so when Corona 2 is out, people already have current mtl lib version

[Philip kelly]

Thank you for the new version.

A question.

The installer dose not automatically install the materials.

So were do they go, what folder do I drop them into?

Thank you

phil

[davemahi]

Thank you for the new version.

A question.

The installer dose not automatically install the materials.

So were do they go, what folder do I drop them into?

Thank you

phil

It was posted on the other page>>>>

Here is the material library link: https://installer.corona-renderer.com/3dsmax/1.7/MaterialLibrary
You can place it next to the installer, and then instead of downloading, it will install the material library from the offline location.

Basically just download that file, and just make sure when you install Corona it is in the same location as the installer.

[LKEdesign]

Great!!!!!! Can't wait to come home from vacation and install it!
Will Ludvík Koutný make some follow up tutorials after this release? We miss him!

[Christa Noel]

Congratulations!! 4 thumbs up for you all corona renderer team!
Thank you very much for all of the hard works

[sinjongthae]

Thank for your hard works for providing us the best rendering solution folks.
Anyway, where can I find Corona Lights-Lister? Because I can't find it anywhere on the interface. :(

[Kalopsia]

Finally! I have been waiting for this to test out Corona for a month now
I'm a Vray user since I could render, but we are interested in possibly adopting Corona for the future.
The new features look great, specially the bump converter and SSS option will save time and headaches.

By the way, can anyone direct me to a place for future requests on new implementations or changes?
I already have some stuff in mind.

Great work!

[Ryuu]

By the way, can anyone direct me to a place for future requests on new implementations or changes?
I already have some stuff in mind.

The best place for this is the feature requests category here on the forum.

[LuckyFox]

Great!!!!!! Can't wait to come home from vacation and install it!
Will Ludvík Koutný make some follow up tutorials after this release? We miss him!

I second to that, bring Ludvík back on tutorials, he is great!

[maru]

I can see that most questions/issues currently concern the material library. Here is a quick guide on manual installation/postponing/skipping it: https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/solution/articles/12000036778
You are welcome to share it with others. ;)

Tutorials are definitely needed, and they will be done.

[alexyork]

Well done chaps.

Few queries:

- Is the Corona Light Lister implemented in this release? This would be a major reason for us to upgrade sooner.

- What's the deal with the new light sampler that appears to be optional. Am I right in understanding that it's faster but in some cases results in splotches/leaks? Can we simply use the old sampler and carry on as usual to avoid this?

- Any major issues you're planning to squash in a forthcoming hotfix?

Cheers guys :)

[NicolasC]

Hello :)

Probably a stupid question, but here I go: does the Material Library need to be installed on the rendernodes or not ?

Thanks.

[romullus]

Great!!!!!! Can't wait to come home from vacation and install it!
Will Ludvík Koutný make some follow up tutorials after this release? We miss him!

I second to that, bring Ludvík back on tutorials, he is great!

Count my voice too. We need those great Corona tutorials on the new features (skin, hair, sss).

[johan belmans]

Well done Devs! Thanks for the update.
Looking forward to the detailed tutorials about the new features.

[Ryuu]

- Is the Corona Light Lister implemented in this release? This would be a major reason for us to upgrade sooner.

Unfortunately there were many last minute bugfixes so I didn't have the time to include the light lister in 1.7. It should be introduced in 1.8 dailies soon. IIRC it's completely independent on the rest of the code, so you could just use 1.8 light lister with 1.7

- What's the deal with the new light sampler that appears to be optional. Am I right in understanding that it's faster but in some cases results in splotches/leaks? Can we simply use the old sampler and carry on as usual to avoid this?

The new sampler is off by default and is enabled by toggling a single checkbox somewhere in the render settings (it's in the regular settings, not in the devel/experimental), so you can easily switch it on/off to see if it introduces any problems in your scene. The new sampler still has some problems (produces misc. rendering artefacts) when the scene contains non-physical fakes and few users report slowdowns on CPUs with high number of cores.

- Any major issues you're planning to squash in a forthcoming hotfix?

We're trying to stay positive, so there are no plans for hotfix yet. There would be something very wrong if we had plans for hotfix on the day after the release :)

Probably a stupid question, but here I go: does the Material Library need to be installed on the rendernodes or not ?

It shouldn't be needed. All material data should be uploaded from master to DR nodes like any other assets.

[NicolasC]

Probably a stupid question, but here I go: does the Material Library need to be installed on the rendernodes or not ?

It shouldn't be needed. All material data should be uploaded from master to DR nodes like any other assets.

ok, thanks for your answer, that's what I suspected :)

[alexyork]

Thanks Ryuu.

Sounds good to us! Cheers.

[Juraj]

Probably a stupid question, but here I go: does the Material Library need to be installed on the rendernodes or not ?

It shouldn't be needed. All material data should be uploaded from master to DR nodes like any other assets.

ok, thanks for your answer, that's what I suspected :)

For people who don't use File server, network transfer is slower than direct read from local SSD drive. So for those it makes sense to install library locally too.

(And even for those who use File server, the asset collecting and transfer is rather slow process compared to directly reading network paths from my experience).

[Dalton Watts]

Ryuu,

I'm getting better rendertimes with the new sampler ON than OFF on my dual Xeon 2696 v3 setup. In some scenes i get 50% less rendertimes. Granted on most rendertimes are almost the same. So, to me, the change in including an ON/OFF checkbox is not very beneficial. Haven't noticed any artifacts with the new sampling also. I should test 1.6 vs 1.7 (speedwise).

[RolandB]

Great update guys, congratulations !
No lightlister in the Corona bar ?

To NicolasC : you are not on the right forum !

[maru]

The new light solver *should* work fine in most cases, and it's purpose is speeding up rendering, but in some cases it may introduce dark square-shaped artifacts. This may happen for example in case of using "fake" lights, that emit light, but do not cast shadows ("occlude other lights" off). That is why we left the new solver off by default and made it optional.

Currently the recommended workflow is: try it, if you don't see any artifacts in your image, leave it on. If you see them, turn it off.

The plan is to improve it ASAP so that it would be always on by default. That is also why sample scenes, where the artifacts/other issues appear, are greatly appreciated.

[Juraj]

("occlude other lights" off)

I have this on every single Corona Light I have ever created :- ), in 100perc. of my scenes. I didn't even consider it fake it due to being part of analytical light (not to the same degree as "ignore this object" ).
Will test if it causes artifacts all the time.

[alexyork]

("occlude other lights" off)

I have this on every single Corona Light I have ever created :- ), in 100perc. of my scenes. I didn't even consider it fake it due to being part of analytical light (not to the same degree as "ignore this object" ).
Will test if it causes artifacts all the time.

I'd say we use this on pretty much every project too, at some point.

[Dalton Watts]

Thanks maru! As Juraj and Alex i can't remember any project where i turned off "occlude other lights" but will keep an eye on those artifacts. Is "visible directly" OFF considered "fake" in the same regard?

[Christa Noel]

Same here, i never set the "occlide other light" on. Never.
I'll check the last project which used RC5, as far as i remember i didnt experience the artefacts

Thanks maru! As Juraj and Alex i can't remember any project where i turned off "occlude other lights" but will keep an eye on those artifacts. Is "visible directly" OFF considered "fake" in the same regard?

Logicaly I guess that must be categorized as FAKE thing too

[maru]

("occlude other lights" off)

I have this on every single Corona Light I have ever created

I'd say we use this on pretty much every project too

As Juraj and Alex i can't remember any project where i turned off "occlude other lights"

Same here, i never set the "occlide other light" on. Never.

Now tell me who meant what! :D

Is "visible directly" OFF considered "fake" in the same regard?

Probably yes. It is really hard to tell. That's why the new solver is off by default.

[vrauwena]

The new sampler is off by default and is enabled by toggling a single checkbox somewhere in the render settings (it's in the regular settings, not in the devel/experimental), so you can easily switch it on/off to see if it introduces any problems in your scene. The new sampler still has some problems (produces misc. rendering artefacts) when the scene contains non-physical fakes and few users report slowdowns on CPUs with high number of cores.

True in my case, most scene is slower with new sampler and although lesser noise for overall, but introduce more fireflies at the same time. I'm using i7-5930K

[J]

can we silent install by command line yet or do we still have to extract the files, try to work out what goes where and create a batch script to do it?

also, if there's no silent install, how do we install the material library via command line?

[fraine7]

DR seems to be broken in final release of 1.7, worked fine in RC10 and earlier release candidates - now it just goes round in a loop without ever joining the render...

DrLog attached

Edit - Rolled back to RC10 and DR is working fine. Anyone else having DR issues with 1.7 final release?

[maru]

DR seems to be broken in final release of 1.7, worked fine in RC10 and earlier release candidates - now it just goes round in a loop without ever joining the render...

DrLog attached

Edit - Rolled back to RC10 and DR is working fine. Anyone else having DR issues with 1.7 final release?

Can you gather all DR logs - https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/12000002065
And then contact us using https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new

[LKEdesign]

It might be that its written somewhere - but I haven't been able to find it.
How can I install the new Material Library another place than in the default place - i.e. on my fileserver.
And in which file are the path pointers to the library, if I need to move it manually?

[johan belmans]

It might be that its written somewhere - but I haven't been able to find it.
How can I install the new Material Library another place than in the default place - i.e. on my fileserver.
And in which file are the path pointers to the library, if I need to move it manually?

If I am not mistaken this is currently not possible. And I hope we get the option very soon.

[LKEdesign]

It might be that its written somewhere - but I haven't been able to find it.
How can I install the new Material Library another place than in the default place - i.e. on my fileserver.
And in which file are the path pointers to the library, if I need to move it manually?

If I am not mistaken this is currently not possible. And I hope we get the option very soon.

Yea, its not specially useful having a renderfarm then, - of course its possible to retarget all maps each time, - but not really userfriendly

[alexyork]

It might be that its written somewhere - but I haven't been able to find it.
How can I install the new Material Library another place than in the default place - i.e. on my fileserver.
And in which file are the path pointers to the library, if I need to move it manually?

If I am not mistaken this is currently not possible. And I hope we get the option very soon.

Critical. We centralise all resources, as do all studios.

[Frood]

Critical. We centralise all resources, as do all studios.

Well yes, everything except centralizing is bad. But I would not classify this as "critical" :) Anyway, here are some suggenstions how to handle it:

https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?topic=18005.0


Good Luck

[cecofuli]

But, the new DR will send missing assets to the nodes. So, it's not a big problem, I think.

[fraine7]

DR seems to be broken in final release of 1.7, worked fine in RC10 and earlier release candidates - now it just goes round in a loop without ever joining the render...

DrLog attached

Edit - Rolled back to RC10 and DR is working fine. Anyone else having DR issues with 1.7 final release?

Can you gather all DR logs - https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/12000002065
And then contact us using https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new

I should be able to reinstall 1.7 final release early next week, until then I'll have to stay on RC10 as I have deadlines looming. Happy to supply the logs once I get back to having the DR issue. I only grabbed the DrLog this time around

[johan belmans]

But, the new DR will send missing assets to the nodes. So, it's not a big problem, I think.

In our studio we do not make use of DR. We got some powerful renderslaves who will do the job.
For years we have centralized our data on a file sever and never regretted this.
So that's why I would like to install the library on our file server. Even better if in the future we could add our own materials to the corona material app.

[twoheads]

Stupid question,  Somehow I can't apply corona hairMtl to nataiive 3dsmax hair&fur modifier, can someone explain this to me? I assume it's not supported yet?

[TomG]

You add it to the mr Parameters (enable Apply mr Shader, and drop the CoronaHairMtl into the box there)

[twoheads]

thank you sir :) my bad

[TomG]

Most welcome, and nothing bad there, a sensible question as it isn't immediately obvious :) Tutorials will be created of course!

[redlad]

Hi guys,

Is it possible to have an older version of Corona installed along with the newer 1.7 release? In the same version of Max.

Thanks!

[romullus]

Yes, there is: https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000577837-how-to-run-different-corona-versions-at-the-same-time-

[pokoy]

Hi guys,

Is it possible to have an older version of Corona installed along with the newer 1.7 release? In the same version of Max.

Thanks!

Not possible in the same Max session because of the Max <> plugin architecture.

[fraine7]

DR seems to be broken in final release of 1.7, worked fine in RC10 and earlier release candidates - now it just goes round in a loop without ever joining the render...

DrLog attached

Edit - Rolled back to RC10 and DR is working fine. Anyone else having DR issues with 1.7 final release?

Can you gather all DR logs - https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/12000002065
And then contact us using https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new

I should be able to reinstall 1.7 final release early next week, until then I'll have to stay on RC10 as I have deadlines looming. Happy to supply the logs once I get back to having the DR issue. I only grabbed the DrLog this time around

DR now working as before, I had to remove all traces of Corona and perform a fresh install of 1.7 on the main workstation and all nodes but DR is back

[yolao]

I wonder what`s the experience of everyone with corona 1.7 in regards of the speed?.., i found a video on youtube where someone renders the same scene in corona 1.6 HF3 and 1.7 and in 1.6 HF3 is faster, here is the video:

[maru]

I wonder what`s the experience of everyone with corona 1.7 in regards of the speed?.., i found a video on youtube where someone renders the same scene in corona 1.6 HF3 and 1.7 and in 1.6 HF3 is faster, here is the video:

There was a long discussion to this video on FB, but I can't find it now. Tom should be able to find it.

[TomG]

That was in the Corona Render group, you'll need to be a member to see the post I believe - https://www.facebook.com/groups/183831411996004/permalink/493796174332858/

The main points about speed are:

- Speed comparisons in the blog are given against 1.6.1 rather than 1.6.3, since 1.6.3 has the DMC sampler in it (which will benefit you in cases like single HDRI for lighting, etc). The blog posting calls this out because of course not everyone is already on 1.6.3 (or 1.6 at all) so it remains a relevant speed up for some users!

- Noise level now means something different than it used to mean. So rendering in two versions to "5% noise" is not a straight comparison, as 5% noise is actually cleaner now than it used to be, but may take longer to reach. An exact comparison can't be done, but in general it seems like 7% noise would be roughly the same as what 5% noise was before, so you can set a higher noise limit and reach the same visual quality (in less time).

- Pass level is also not a good comparison, as it may take just as long (or longer) to render the same number of passes, but the 1.7 result will be cleaner. So, you can set less passes now and get the same visual quality (in less time)

- For that reason, the examples posted on the blog all used a set Time to render, to visually compare just how much the noise levels were different between 1.7 and the older version. Of course for those comparisons, we leave noise visible in the image so you can visually see the difference side by side.

- The optional light solver will only give benefits with two or more lights, and will give more benefits in certain situations, as listed in the blog.

- The other reason that the optional light solver is optional is that some machines with LOTS of cores don't seem to perform well with it. I know my dual Xeon with 32 logical processors (and an older Xeon at that) shows definite improvements, but some users with newer dual Xeons with twice the cores than my set up report no benefit, or maybe even a slowdown. Still under investigation!

- Of course, we welcome feedback on any other cases and situations too!

[yolao]

Thanks guys for the info.

[alexyork]

Quick question - in 1.7 have there been any fixes/improvements to DR, namely making it work when both max region + corona regions are being used together? (the out of region bug).

[redlad]

Yes, there is: https://coronarenderer.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000577837-how-to-run-different-corona-versions-at-the-same-time-

I am only seeing your reply now. Thanks :)

[Bahti]

how to install the library of materials in Corona render 1.7. Incompatible with Corona render is not installed[/font]