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[Max] I need help! / Re: noise threshold and tone mapping
« on: 2025-06-09, 15:34:24 »
ok, that's good to know, thanks! Makes sense to do it that way. And my feeling was probably just a feeling then.
2025-07-10, 03:06:52
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[Max] I need help! / noise threshold and tone mapping
« on: 2025-06-09, 15:07:17 »
Hello!
I wonder if the noise threshold is affected by the tone mapping? As I understand the noise measurement is based on the local contrast between pixels, right? And tone mapping and LUTs can affect the contrast, so does that in effect change when the render limit kick in? Will I get a longer and cleaner render if I increase the contrast with LUTs? Because I have a feeling that I'm getting shorter but noiseier renders when revising an old project, but rendering with my LUT off, because that gets applied in post. But it's just a feeling, I don't have any numbers and that was months ago on a different Corona version also.
I wonder if the noise threshold is affected by the tone mapping? As I understand the noise measurement is based on the local contrast between pixels, right? And tone mapping and LUTs can affect the contrast, so does that in effect change when the render limit kick in? Will I get a longer and cleaner render if I increase the contrast with LUTs? Because I have a feeling that I'm getting shorter but noiseier renders when revising an old project, but rendering with my LUT off, because that gets applied in post. But it's just a feeling, I don't have any numbers and that was months ago on a different Corona version also.
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[Max] General Discussion / Re: OpenPBR Material
« on: 2025-04-28, 13:50:40 »
I noticed that specular weight and thinfilm doesn't work so far, and that got me wondering. I don't plan on checking everything and making a list, I was hoping that team corona has a list ;)
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[Max] General Discussion / OpenPBR Material
« on: 2025-04-28, 10:16:04 »
Hello!
Since of 3ds Max 2026, the standard material in Max is now OpenPBR Material. I'm not using 2026 in production yet, but this has sparked my curiosity and I would like to know if there is official documentation on what is supported and not in Corona?
After some breif testing it seems some parts work while there are some stuff that doesn't work as expected, much like the old Physical material. It's nice that it renders anyway. But are there plans to fully support it?
This would be really good since this looks like a material a lot of applications will support. And this would allow for building of assets and working in Corona, while still having to option to move things to other DCCs.
Also fully supporting it would mean implementing thinfilm, which doesn't make much difference to me right now, but I know it's been requested before.
Since of 3ds Max 2026, the standard material in Max is now OpenPBR Material. I'm not using 2026 in production yet, but this has sparked my curiosity and I would like to know if there is official documentation on what is supported and not in Corona?
After some breif testing it seems some parts work while there are some stuff that doesn't work as expected, much like the old Physical material. It's nice that it renders anyway. But are there plans to fully support it?
This would be really good since this looks like a material a lot of applications will support. And this would allow for building of assets and working in Corona, while still having to option to move things to other DCCs.
Also fully supporting it would mean implementing thinfilm, which doesn't make much difference to me right now, but I know it's been requested before.
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[Max] I need help! / Re: Nesting Multi/Sub-Object materials is not supported in corona Layer material
« on: 2025-04-04, 08:32:30 »
haha, wire map was to showcase the wireframe of something that I thought I had modelled very well without tris or n-gons ;)
If the car is one mesh and multi-sub and you want to exclude the dirt from certain parts, you can combine a Corona Multi Map (set to face material ID only) with your other splatter masks using the multi map on a multiply layer. Set the same amount of colors as your multi-sub and make them black or white depending on what material ID you want the mud.
What an ugly hack, but I'm still kind of enthusiastic about the possibility.
EDIT: Don't forget to vote: https://chaoscorona.ideas.aha.io/ideas/CMAX-I-164
If the car is one mesh and multi-sub and you want to exclude the dirt from certain parts, you can combine a Corona Multi Map (set to face material ID only) with your other splatter masks using the multi map on a multiply layer. Set the same amount of colors as your multi-sub and make them black or white depending on what material ID you want the mud.
What an ugly hack, but I'm still kind of enthusiastic about the possibility.
EDIT: Don't forget to vote: https://chaoscorona.ideas.aha.io/ideas/CMAX-I-164
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[Max] I need help! / Re: Nesting Multi/Sub-Object materials is not supported in corona Layer material
« on: 2025-04-03, 16:41:50 »
Great to see that it's pending.
I was thinking that this might be complicated due to some internal logic in the way Corona handles materials, and since it's been this since forever and never changed. But then I got the idea to try to use a Corona Decal to do the same thing, just put a wire material over the object using Corona Wire in the opacity slot of the decal material. Works perfectly! Looks like there's really technical limit that doesn't allow for this to happen.
EDIT: It's even possible to put a layered material on the decal!
I was thinking that this might be complicated due to some internal logic in the way Corona handles materials, and since it's been this since forever and never changed. But then I got the idea to try to use a Corona Decal to do the same thing, just put a wire material over the object using Corona Wire in the opacity slot of the decal material. Works perfectly! Looks like there's really technical limit that doesn't allow for this to happen.
EDIT: It's even possible to put a layered material on the decal!
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[Max] I need help! / Re: Nesting Multi/Sub-Object materials is not supported in corona Layer material
« on: 2025-04-02, 10:36:05 »8
[Max] General Discussion / Re: Max 2026
« on: 2025-03-31, 13:58:01 »
It's what I was basically told in my discussions with support. Which was surpricing to me, considering the recent developments in color management as you say.
The efforts to structure ideas with the portal and voting system are appreciated. But it's becoming a bit of a "go fish" answer. I'm afraid that and the ideas portal gives me the same feeling as the autodesk 3ds Max one does. It's full of great ideas that will never be realised, but getting a hold of the right person/developer on Stack or the beta forum is when things acctually gets done. And the now read-only forum led to many great discussions that I don't think will happen on the ideas portal.
The efforts to structure ideas with the portal and voting system are appreciated. But it's becoming a bit of a "go fish" answer. I'm afraid that and the ideas portal gives me the same feeling as the autodesk 3ds Max one does. It's full of great ideas that will never be realised, but getting a hold of the right person/developer on Stack or the beta forum is when things acctually gets done. And the now read-only forum led to many great discussions that I don't think will happen on the ideas portal.
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[Max] General Discussion / Re: Max 2026
« on: 2025-03-31, 11:31:59 »Hi all,Eager to try that 3 point rectangle ??
We're about to update our systems to Max 2025 - but with Max 2026 recently being announced I think we should hold off.
How long do you expect Corona to be fully integrated with Max 2026; or is it already?
Thanks
We usually wait for the first service pack to resolve new bugs..
I for one am really stoked about the new possibility to weld splines with a modifer. Might seem like a small thing, but if you are deep into non-destructive modelling this is a tiny thing that allows you to some nice things.
Just wish they would've made a built in reference rotate when they made the 3 point creation thing.
All of these tiny updates are great in their own right. But yeah, it sure feels dissapointing that another years gets added to Max and there's no hope of seeing updates to cloth, hair, curve editor etc. 😢
About color management, not having moved over to OCIO or ACES yet, my main frustration is that since they've gone with OCIO (which is probably smart) support for display profiles has been a low priority. It seems that the assumption is that you are SO pro, that you monitor is set to and calibrated to one of the given and supported default color spaces. And Corona doesn't seem to have any plan on supporting system display profiles or ICC files. Adobe software like Photoshop has supported this since the 90s or something (Premiere and AE were pretty late to the game I think). You migh have a wide gamut monitor and work in Adobe RGB in lightroom, and REC 709 in Premiere and sRGB in Photoshop, without any troubles or changes to your monitor settings. It's kind of baffeling to pay for imaging software that doesn't care if you can see the colors right, and only has the perspective of a hollywood level pipeline TD, and not a beginner or mid-level user. And a lot of discussions about OCIO I feel are a bit gate-keepery and if you don't get how to set this up, you probably don't deserve it.
support for display profiles is still lacking in Max and Corona. Corona support even stated that there is no plan on supporting that or ICC profiles. Which means that you pay month after month for software that specializes in image creation, yet the only why to represent colors accuratly on your monitor is to have one that allows you to set it and calibrate it to one of the default colorspaces like sRGB, Adobe RGB, Rec 709, DCI-P3. You cannot run monitor native or any other colorspace AFAIK.
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[Max] I need help! / Re: Nesting Multi/Sub-Object materials is not supported in corona Layer material
« on: 2025-03-28, 14:25:18 »
This was the first thing that put me off when I had to move to Corona. What if you have for example a car that has a very complex MultiSub and you just want to put a layer of dust or dirt on top of it. IMPOSSIBLE!
I would definitely vote for this idea!
Corona Blend Material also has a weakness in that it doesn't allow for transparancy in the materials themselves, only the mask. I know this is on purpose and some people consider it a feature and not a flaw. I've learned to live with it, and in fact the behavior is usefull at times.
I have a suspicion that there is a strange historical reason for why it works like this. Correct me if I'm wrong! I've many times heard people say, both IRL and online, that Corona Layered Material is better than V-Ray Blend Material because V-ray Blend is not physically correct and that "you cannot add transparent things on top off eachother". Yes, V-ray Layered material has a crazy legacy (?) mode called "Additive (shellac) mode" - that you don't have to use. And if you don't use it you can make concrete and put a glass material on top of it without any masking, kind of like how clearcoat works without breaking physics. That's how I remember it anyway. And now that I think of it, the naming is kind of backwards. Corona, that only blends/mixes is called layered! and in V-ray that can acctually treat them as layers, it's called v-ray blend material.
Proposition:
Scrap the old materials and transform:
V-ray Blend -> Chaos Layered Material
Corona Layered Material -> Chaos Blend Material
And have them both be cross compatible.
Confusing! YES! Many meetings for developers? YES!
So maybe just add a checkbox to toggle layered/blend mode?
Sorry if this was a detour, I still think that it of course it should support multi/sub!
I would definitely vote for this idea!
Corona Blend Material also has a weakness in that it doesn't allow for transparancy in the materials themselves, only the mask. I know this is on purpose and some people consider it a feature and not a flaw. I've learned to live with it, and in fact the behavior is usefull at times.
I have a suspicion that there is a strange historical reason for why it works like this. Correct me if I'm wrong! I've many times heard people say, both IRL and online, that Corona Layered Material is better than V-Ray Blend Material because V-ray Blend is not physically correct and that "you cannot add transparent things on top off eachother". Yes, V-ray Layered material has a crazy legacy (?) mode called "Additive (shellac) mode" - that you don't have to use. And if you don't use it you can make concrete and put a glass material on top of it without any masking, kind of like how clearcoat works without breaking physics. That's how I remember it anyway. And now that I think of it, the naming is kind of backwards. Corona, that only blends/mixes is called layered! and in V-ray that can acctually treat them as layers, it's called v-ray blend material.
Proposition:
Scrap the old materials and transform:
V-ray Blend -> Chaos Layered Material
Corona Layered Material -> Chaos Blend Material
And have them both be cross compatible.
Confusing! YES! Many meetings for developers? YES!
So maybe just add a checkbox to toggle layered/blend mode?
Sorry if this was a detour, I still think that it of course it should support multi/sub!
11
[Max] I need help! / Re: Batch convert CXR
« on: 2025-03-28, 11:43:52 »
Thank you for your quick reply, Avi!
I think undertand that much already, I've aldready downloaded the zip and I was looking at the bat-file yersterday so I've seen "set outputFormat=png". What I don't understand is how I can set 16-bit or if I want alpha or not like in the regular pop-up for CIE.
Backstory is that I render to CXR because I have a LUT on in VFB that I don't want to be burned into my TIFF. And I don't dare render to TIFF directly in case I forget to turn it off.
But it takes ages to 1. delete all the extra render elements CXRs 2. Open each file (6 - 12K images) and then 3. save out a 16-bit TIFF of all the render elements.
BTW, all of this would be avoidable if there was a checkbox on the LUT operator that said "VFB only" or "do not apply to final output". Maybe there's some techincal hurdle that makes this difficult. But I think there are a few of us that would really appreciate this. Sadly I think this is a pro feature that will never ever get any votes or attention.
I think undertand that much already, I've aldready downloaded the zip and I was looking at the bat-file yersterday so I've seen "set outputFormat=png". What I don't understand is how I can set 16-bit or if I want alpha or not like in the regular pop-up for CIE.
Backstory is that I render to CXR because I have a LUT on in VFB that I don't want to be burned into my TIFF. And I don't dare render to TIFF directly in case I forget to turn it off.
But it takes ages to 1. delete all the extra render elements CXRs 2. Open each file (6 - 12K images) and then 3. save out a 16-bit TIFF of all the render elements.
BTW, all of this would be avoidable if there was a checkbox on the LUT operator that said "VFB only" or "do not apply to final output". Maybe there's some techincal hurdle that makes this difficult. But I think there are a few of us that would really appreciate this. Sadly I think this is a pro feature that will never ever get any votes or attention.
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[Max] I need help! / Batch convert CXR
« on: 2025-03-28, 08:39:04 »
Would it be possible to take an entire folder of CXR files and save them all (and all render elements) as 16-bit TIFF?
I know of CoronaImageCmd.exe and the possibility to create a batch job, but I don't know how to set the specific settings of the output format. Accoring to the documentation CoronaImageCmd.exe --help "will print general help". But for me it doesn't print anything.
There was a user made GUI for the batch editor that I found when searching, but the download link doesn't work for me. Isn't it about time that an official proper batch tool with a GUI is made? Or just extend the functionality of the CIE?
I know of CoronaImageCmd.exe and the possibility to create a batch job, but I don't know how to set the specific settings of the output format. Accoring to the documentation CoronaImageCmd.exe --help "will print general help". But for me it doesn't print anything.
There was a user made GUI for the batch editor that I found when searching, but the download link doesn't work for me. Isn't it about time that an official proper batch tool with a GUI is made? Or just extend the functionality of the CIE?
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[Max] I need help! / Re: Color Difference Between Corona VFB and Photoshop
« on: 2025-03-27, 12:07:56 »
My take is that the first tiny difference is/was because Photoshop is color managed while Max and Corona VFB is not. So photoshop, if your system has a monitor profile, takes that into account and corrects for that. While Max and Corona VFB does not. And also Photoshop might have applied a color profile to put the image in a color space and that might have also changed the apperance from Max.
Now in recent versions Max has got color management (but it still doesn't take the monitor profile into account) and it's very easy to do something that screws things up. I suspect that this new difference you are seeing is something with the new OCIO color management and maybe in relation to the Corona VFB. Do you know if you are running the legacy gamma workflow in max or if you accidentally enabled something?
Now in recent versions Max has got color management (but it still doesn't take the monitor profile into account) and it's very easy to do something that screws things up. I suspect that this new difference you are seeing is something with the new OCIO color management and maybe in relation to the Corona VFB. Do you know if you are running the legacy gamma workflow in max or if you accidentally enabled something?
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[Max] Daily Builds / Re: Chaos Corona 13 for 3ds Max - Daily Builds Discussion
« on: 2025-02-21, 11:56:55 »
Nice to see some updates! Surpriced and dissapointed not to see gaussian splats there. Like this is something that I really want to offer to my clients as soon as possible, and I see my self going elsewhere to experiment with this soon.
Toon... a bit baffled (and dissapointed in relation to other priorities) but also intrigued. I just held a class this week on how to take your corona project into arnold to render out toon lines to overlay and do "artistic" images in photoshop. Odd to see this after I've just told students, that even though lines rendering is not an uncommon requested in archviz, corona has always had it's focus on being a photo real camera that's easy to use. I know a lot of people will be happy about this. But I want my splats first :)
Toon... a bit baffled (and dissapointed in relation to other priorities) but also intrigued. I just held a class this week on how to take your corona project into arnold to render out toon lines to overlay and do "artistic" images in photoshop. Odd to see this after I've just told students, that even though lines rendering is not an uncommon requested in archviz, corona has always had it's focus on being a photo real camera that's easy to use. I know a lot of people will be happy about this. But I want my splats first :)
15
[Max] Daily Builds / Re: Chaos Corona 13 for 3ds Max - Daily Builds Discussion
« on: 2025-02-17, 18:33:47 »
You can, (unless there’s something changed in 13) under the performance tab. Denoising for IR is a separate setting from production rendering.