So what was the render times like ? and how did VCM/bidir stand up for this type of caustics, internal reflections / refractions ?? were you happy with it ?
I didn't pay attention to the render times. I just let it run while I was out running errands. In total it ran for about three hours but I'm not sure at what point it actually cleared because I just let it run.
Some features didn't work with the VCM/bidr mode like assigning a HDR to the environment but have a direct view background (solid color). So I had to do that in post with an alpha mask. Alpha also didn't work so I had to render it via a script/scanline engine. So that was a "meh" moment but no biggie.
The refractions look pretty good to me. I didn't have a ground plane to catch the caustics so I'm not real sure how those would have turned out.
Yeah I too would love to hear more about the engine choice on the Crystals... is it not possible to get the same result using HDcache? and is it all lit using hdri ?
Possibly, I had read somewhere on the forum here that the VCM/bidr mode handles caustics well so I just wanted to see what would happen...and in thinking about it I can't believe I didn't put a ground plane in or put this in a box with an overhead light or something so I could see the caustic effects! I'll have to try that. Yes, it was only HDRI.
hi jeff, i remember the restaurant scene done with mental ray clearly but since you recreated your website you seem to have put away your old posts so i cant find that particular image to compare with. can you show us the mental ray version again?
I've searched and apparently I no longer have the original mental ray image on my workstation or archives of my website. I'm sure I have it here somewhere on a backup drive though, just need to find the time to go hunting for it.
