Topics

1

[Max] I need help! / Noise limit % equivalent in other engines

« on: 2020-09-26, 13:38:20 »

Hey,

We are doing some internal tests for checking the performance of Corona 6 and another 2 engines with the exact same ArchViz interior scene. We will also try to repeat tis kind of exercise with one of our exteriors. We have no big complains about Corona, we think it is very fast and consistent with most of our interiors, but we had too much curiosity about how it compares to another 2 engines, both CPU and GPU.

We have succesfully managed to covert the scene into these 3 engines, it will never be 100% exact, but they look really similar and it is good enough for us. This is not a scientific experiment, so no need to have super precise results. However we have faced some issues when trying to do comparable renders that stop at the aprox. same quality, so we could compare render times. In these 3 engines we have the option to fix a noise threshold that automatically stops the render at a given noise %. The surprise is that when we visually compare the results, Corona render looks much cleaner than the other renderer image. For example, we rendered one of the interiors in Corona at 2k, with a noise limit of 2%, and the coverted scene in Vray CPU, with a noise threshold of 0.02 (I believe this is the same % as in Corona?). VRay CPU render finished faster than Corona, a noticeable difference, something like 30%, but when looking close at them, Corona result has clearly less noise overal, and imho the noise is more even across the image, maybe causing it to be less noticeable to my eye in the worst areas?
Anyone could help me to be able to tweak my settings in both engines so that the time comparison is as fair as possible without eyeballing too much? Like using passes or subdivisions in VRay, or whatever...

Thanks in advance

2

[Max] I need help! / Realistic thatch roof

« on: 2020-09-24, 16:50:13 »

Hey,
We are working on some renders for a traditional cottage in the Isle of Sylt (Germany). We´d need to create that characteristic thatch roof as similar as possible to reality, and with enough detail/quality to look realistic and consistent from different angles and light conditions. Some of the cameras will probably be close to that roof, but others may be quite far away, so it needs to work well under both circumstances if possible.
First approach we tried was simple: model the basic volume, the external shape of it, add Subdivide and a subtle Noise for a more "organic look", then shade it with scanned Thatch textures with a nice amount of displacement. The result wasn´t that good. We added a falloff map to the diffuse to give it a more "textile" look, but it didn´t worked.

We think there are another way, to try to scatter dry branches with Forest Pack (or equivalent), but looks quite complex to distribute them on such complex surface. And even with that we need to somehow achieve that recent "cutout" look.

Please find attached a couple of examples of real roofs in Sylt.

How do you think you would try to create this roof? More of a shader way? or maybe some kind of fur? Scatter geometry?

Any tips or info, etc. will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Best
Julio

3

[Max] I need help! / Add 2D people to a VR stereo 360 pano

« on: 2019-11-06, 20:33:51 »

Hey,

Due to client´s request, I´m wondering how to deal with the issue of adding cutout people to our VR 360 panos. Is it just technically possible to add 2D cutouts to a Stereo 360 pano? Not in my head, but I was trying to be 100% sure...
I´m trying to do it in PS, just to give it a try, but as expected, it just looks bad in my Oculus Rift VR device, no matter how carefully I place them, trying to follow the perspective and left/right eye "shift". 2D elements in post look wrongly placed, like penetrating the floor and/or other surfaces.

Just wanted to be sure that the only way possible is to go the "3D people" way.

thanks in advance

Julio

4

Hardware / Swapping Titan and GTX 780. Bios won't boot.

« on: 2019-04-02, 19:57:18 »

Hi,

We're installing a new workstation today, a threadripper 2990wx, and everything seems to be working as expected. But:
We're using an old Nvidia Titan GPU from our other workstation (AMD 1950X). It seems to work fine in the new 2990wx as it was doing in the 1950X. Now, we're trying to install in the 1950X WS, an old Nvidia GTX 780 (that was working perfectly in an Intel i7-5960X workstation until this morning) to substitute the Titan GPU that was installed. The big issue is that  the 1950X won't boot now with the GTX 780 installed, not even get to the BIOS.
If we install the Titan again in the 1950X WS, it will boot and get to windows normally.

Specs of the 1950X WS:
AMD threadripper 1950X, no OC.
Asus ROG Strix x399-e gaming
128mb DDR4 gskill f4 3000ghz CL14
PSU Prime Ultra 1000 titanium
Cooler CPU noctua NH-u14s TR4
Case corsair Carbide 600Q

Can anyone help us a bit with any ideas of what is happening? We have tried to reset the MoBo memory (CRT RAM I think it was called), shortcircuiting a couple of pins on the MoBo following instructions on manual, but it won't work.

 Thank in advance for your help!

5

[Max] General Discussion / Blackfriday´s FairSaaS license discount for active user

« on: 2015-11-26, 13:50:16 »

Hi all,

I´ve just read an email about the Blackfriday discount for Corona. I already have a yearly subscription active and I would like to know if there is any chance to take advantage of that "-27%" to affect my current license. Maybe doing an early renewal of the yearly FaiSaas, so once my license expires next April, It will automatically renew with that 27% discount applied?

Thanks in advance

Julio