mentalrayin3dsMaxDesignforAECrenderings

TheBasics
Materials
RecommendedMaterialTypes
Theflexibilityofmentalrayandtheevolutionof3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesigncreatedsomeconfusionaroundwhich materialshouldbeusedwithmentalray.Hereismyadvice:for99%oftheAECrenderingworkflows,youwillwantto usetheA&DmaterialortheProMaterials(ProMaterialsaresimplifiedinterfacesdrivingtheA&Dmaterialunderthe hood). Theothermaterialswillwork,buttheA&Dmaterialcontainsmentalrayspecificoptimizationsthatwillguaranteespeed andqualityover,forexample,thetraditionalStandardmaterialorthelegacyArchitecturalmaterial.
TheA&DMaterialfunctionalityisdescribedindetailshere: http://www.mentalimages.com/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/arch_and_design.pdf

SubtlereflectionsonWallPaint automaticallycreatedbythe ProMaterials

ThehighlightsmaterialsaretherecommendedmaterialstouseforyourAECrenderings..Right:ProMaterialWallPaint,Wood, ConcreteandCeramicatworks.(Models:MaximilianTarpini)

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LightsandShadows
UnitsandScale
Physicallybasedlightingcomputationimpliesthatlightattenuatesusingtheinversesquarefallofflaw,whichsimply meanstheintensityoflightdeclinesexponentiallywiththedistanceittravels.Therefore,itiscrucialthatthescaleofyour scenecorrespondstorealworlddataotherwisetheresultswillgetcorrupted. Acommonmistakeforexample,istoimportanairportatthesizeofashoeboxoraroomatthesizeofastadium.Inone case,thelightingcomputationwillbetoobright,andintheothercase,itwillbetoodark. Toverifyyourscalesettings,checktheSystemUnitScalesettingsintheCustomize|UnitsSetup|SystemUnitSetup dialogbox:

SystemUnitsSetupof3dsMaxDesign

RecommendedLightTypes
TherecommendedlighttypearethePhotometriclightsandthemrSunandmrSky.Theysimulaterealworldvaluesand playnicewithindirectilluminationcomputationsandcameraexposure.

mentalrayin3dsMaxDesignforAECrenderings
RecommendedShadowSettings
Therecommendedshadowtypefortypicalarchitecturalrenderingin3dsMaxDesignistheRayTracedShadowtype. Whilethismightnothavebeentrueinthepast,raytracedshadowsarefastertocomputethanshadowmaps,less memoryintensiveandhandletransparencybetter.Thisisusedbydefaultin3dsMaxDesign2010butnotin3dsMax 2010.

ExposureControl
RecommendedExposureControlSettings:
TherecommendedExposureControlplugintouseisthemrPhotographicExposureControl.Itisdesignedtomimicreal worldcamerasettingsandassumesthatthesceneenvironmentisphysicallybasedaswell(Sun,Sky,Photometriclights, properscaleetc.).

ThemrPhotographicExposureControlisrecommended.

Conclusions/RecapontheBasics:
1. 2. 3. UseanA&DMaterialorProMaterialsonallobjects. UsemrSunandmrSky,PhotometricLightsandRaytracedShadows. UsethemrPhotographicExposureControl.

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Simplifiedmentalrayrenderpanel
Scene:00_global.knobs.basics.max

ThesimplifiedmentalrayrenderpanelismeanttoreducethelearningcurveforRevitusersandacceleratetestrenders byprovidingyoufinetuningknobsforShadows,ReflectionsandRefractions:
LaunchtheExposureControlPanel

GlossyReflection

EdgeAntialiasing

GlossyRefraction

SoftShadow

Enable/DisableIndirectIllumination CacheIndirectIlluminationtoDisk

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ExteriorDaytimeRendering
Scene:01_exterior_rendering.max

DaylightSystem
TheDaylightSystemof3dsMaxDesignregroups2lightsourcesinthesameuserinterface:theSunandtheSky.Their intensityandcolorsareruledbytheirorientationinthe3Dspace,whichisaffectedbytheTimeandPositiononEarth. ThebluebackgroundishandledbyaspecialshaderthatmustbeassignedintheEnvironmentmap: 1. 2. 3. CreateaDaylightSystem;makesureitusesthemrSunandmrSkypluginsandsettheTimeandDate. EnablethemrPhotographicExposureControlandusetheExteriorDaytimepreset. AssignamrPhysicalSkyshaderintheenvironmentMapslot:thiswilladdthenicebluebackground:

4. 5. TurnONfinalgather:thiswillcreatetheindirectilluminationeffectandbecometheSkylight. Render:youshouldgetsomethinglikethisalready:

BackgroundskycomesfromthemrPhysicalSky environmentshader.

DirectilluminationfromthemrSunlightobject

(AllModelsinthisdocumentbasedonanoriginalfilefrom:(c)2007ElectricGobo/Karcher,www.electricgobo.com)

SkydomecontributioncomesfromthemrSky lightobject+FinalGather

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Addingcloudsinthesky
ThemrPhysicalSkyshaderhastheabilitytochangecolorandaffecttheappearanceoftheSunDiskwiththehaze parameter.Thisparameterismapablesoitmakesanexcellenthomeforcloudmaps: 1. 2. 3. AddaskyimageintheHazemapofthemrPhysicalSky.Dontforgettousetheproperprojection(Screen orSphericalforexample) IncreasetheOutputValueto~8toseetheeffect:thiswilldrivethehazevalueoftheSkybasedonthe image. Render:thecloudsnowappearontopofthecloud.Theyalsochangecolorbasedonthetimeoftheday.

Acloudimage(asimplephoto)modulatesthevalueofthe HazeparameteroftheproceduralmrPhysicalSky

AHazemapmustprovidevaluesfromarangeto0to~8tobe effective,hencetheboostdonewiththeOutputAmount.

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GlareShader(Bloom)
TheGlareShaderiswhatweknowasanOutputShader.Outputshadersareprocessedontopofthefinalimage,asa postprocessingstep.TheycanbeassignedintheRenderSetupdialog.
1. AddaGlareshaderintheCameraEffects|OutputslotoftheRendererTab(RenderSetupdialog)and instanceitintheMaterialEditor:

2. 3. 4. TheSpreadparameteristheonethataffectsthemosttheimage. Render:youshouldseesomethinglikethis:

IncreasethecontrastintheExposurecontroltolettheGlareshaderfindingthehotspots.

Glareshadereffect.Thestreakcomesfrom theStreakimage.

TheGlareShaderaddsthesmallsparktotheimage.

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ExteriorDayTimeRenderingTipsandTricks
1. 2. 3. 4. TheilluminationonthesurfacesisprovidedbytheSunandFinalGatherandnottheEnvironmentMap! YoudonotneedmanyFinalGatherBouncestohaveameaningfuleffect:FinalGatherbouncesareusually usefulforinteriors. Thegroundhasaneffectonindirectillumination:ifyouuseaverybrightgreengrass,yourbuildingwill probablyturngreenishaswell. TogettheGlareshaderworking,youneedahighcontrastimage:theGlareshaderanalyzestherendered imageandaddsthesparklestoit.Iftheimageistoofaint,boostitscontrastwiththeBurnparameter oftheExposurecontrol. UsetheExposurePreviewtoquicklypreviewtheimagesbrightness.

5.

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InteriorDaytimeRendering
Scene:02_interior_rendering.max

SkyPortals+FinalGather&MultipleDiffuseBounces
Thestrategydoadoptwithinteriorrenderingsistoidentifywindowsandopeningswithaspeciallightobjectthatiscalled aSkyPortal.Itsjobistofocusraysfromtheenvironmentthroughthewindowsandholesandavoidwastingalotof renderingtimewithtraditionalFinalGathercomputation.
ThemrSkyPortalfunctionalityisdescribedindetailshere: http://www.mentalimages.com/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/arch_and_design.pdf

mrSkyPortalLightobjectpositionedinfrontofawindow,pointinginsidetheroom

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

OnceyouaresatisfiedwithanExteriorrendering,addaSkyportalinfrontofthewindowsofthebuilding. Makesuretheirarrowpointinsidethespaceasillustrated:thisindicatesthedirectionofthelightflux. Moveyourcamerainside. ChangetheExposurecontroltoanInteriorRenderingpreset:thiswilladjusttheapertureofthecamera tointeriorlightingconditions,whicharedarkerthanexteriorspaces. IncreasetheFinalGatherdiffusebouncesto~34:thiswillbouncethelightaroundinsidethespace.

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6. Render:youshouldseesomethinglikethis:

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Exterioriswashedoutbecauseourexposure controlisadjustedforinteriors.

Softandsubtledirectshadowsfrom theskydomecomefromthemr SkyPortallight

Lightingisonlyfromindirectillumination bounces.

FGbouncesdeterminesthenumberoftimelightwillbounceinsideyour space.Avaluefrom3to5istypicallyrecommendedforinteriorspaces.

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InteriorDayTimeRenderingTipsandTricks
1. UsetheMaterialOverridefromtheRenderSetup|Processingtabtounderstandthelightingdistribution ofyourspace.Thiswillallowyoutoseethelightingeffectsonaneutralcolorasopposedtobedistracted byreflections,refractionsandtextures Note,however,thatyouneedtotemporarilyhidetheglasspanesinyourwindows,asthismaterial overridewillturnthemopaqueaswell,whichwillpreventthelightfromoutsidecominginside:

Aninteriorrenderingwiththematerialsoverriddenbyaneutraldiffusewhitematerial

2. 3.

CachetheFinalGathercomputationtodisk:onceitisbakedtodisk,youcanrerenderwithout recalculatingindirectlighting(whichcanbetimeconsuming)duringmaterialtweaks. Useverylowqualitysettingstotuneyourmaterials:therenderedimagewillbecompletedfaster.

Globaltuningknobsallowsforfastercontrolonallthescenematerialsandlightsforfastertuning.

4.

TheShadowSamplesaffectsthequality(graininess)oftheshadowsfromtheSkyPortals.Itisalso controlledbytheGlobalSoftShadowsPrecisionssliderintheRenderingpanel:

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AmbientOcclusion
Scene:03_ambient.occlusion.max

Ambientocclusionhasthebenefitofenhancingthesmalldetailsandcreateswhatwecommonlycallcontactshadows. AmbientocclusionisenableddirectlyintheA&DandProMaterials.Typicallyyouwillwanttoenableitforfloors,door framesandotherareaswithfinegeometricdetails.

Typically,lightleakagearisesduetolowdensityofFG calculation.Objectsappeartobefloating.Ambient Occlusionwillhelpsolvingthisissue.

WithoutAmbientOcclusion

WithAmbientOcclusion,edgesare visuallyenhanced.

Thelargerthedistanceis,themorepronouncedtheeffectwillbe. Usually,youwanttouseadistanceof~10cm.

WithAmbientOcclusion

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InteriorNighttimeRendering
Scene:04_interior.rendering.photometric.lights.max

Photometriclights
WerecommendusingPhotometriclightsforinteriorrenderingsbecausetheirenergycomputationisphysicallybased, whichmakesthemidealsourcesforindirectilluminationcalculations.Themainreasonforthisisthattheenergyusedin theindirectilluminationprocesswillalwaysbeinbalancewiththeenergyusedforthedirectillumination. 1. StartwithanExposureControlpresetsetasfollow.Youwillreadjustlaterbutitsagoodstartingpoint: 2. CreatePhotometricLightsinthespace.Asareferenceherearetypicalintensitiescorrespondingtoreal worldlightingvalues:
Class Narrow Narrow Medium Wide Wide Wattage 20W 20W 50W 20W 50W Type Spotlight Spotlight Spotlight Spotlight Spotlight Intensity 3300cd 9150cd 3000cd 460cd 1500cd BeamAngle 6 12 25 38 38 FieldAngle 12 25 50 75 75

3.

TurnOFFFinalGatherandRender:youshouldgetsomethinglikethiswhereonlythedirectilluminationis calculated:

Directlightingonly

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4. EnableFinalGather,with34Diffusebounces:

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Indirectlightingwasbouncedfromthe contributionofthedirectlights. Thesplotchesarecausedbylow qualityfinalgathersettings.Seethe FineTuningIndirectlightingsection formoretipsonhowtosolvethis.

WithabetterFGsolutionsplotches disappear.SeetheFineTuning Indirectlightingsectionformoretips onhowtoachievethis.

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Glowandselfillumination
Scene:05_interior.rendering.photometric.lights_self.luminous.max

TheA&DmaterialexposesaSelfIlluminationfeaturethatallowsturningmaterialsintoalightsource.Thelighttransport isdoneviaFinalGathersothequalityofitsshadowsdirectlydependsontheFinalGatheraccuracy. 1. EnableSelfIlluminationinagivenA&DMaterial.YoucandecideifthiscontributestoReflectionsand/or IlluminationattheMateriallevel.IfyouuseatextureMap,thetexturewillmodulatethecolorofthe emissivity: AmapcanbeusedtosimulatevideowallsofLED

walls

Theintensityruleshowbrightitis.KeepinmindthatwithExposure Controlenabled,youmayfindyourselfhavingtogotorelatively highvalues.

2. 3. TurnOffallthelightstoseeitseffectisolated. Render:Youshouldgetsomethinglikethis:

Thisiswhereyoudecidetocontributetothescenelightingorto reflections.

Finalgatherseestheluminoussurfaces.

SelfilluminatedmaterialwithcontributiontoFinalGatherrays.Nolightsusedinthescene.

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Photometriclightsturnedbackonwithacolorfilter.

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FineTuningIndirectlighting
Basicstrategy
TofinetuneaFinalGathersolutionwerecommendadoptingthefollowingstrategy:
1. 2. BaketheFinalGathersolutiontodiskusingyournormallightingconditionssoyoucanreuseitlaterand lockitinaReadOnlymode. UseaMaterialOverridewithaDiffuseWhiteMaterial:lightingiseasiertovisualizeonaflatwhite surface.SinceyoulockedtheFinalGathersolution,youdonthavetobotherabouttransparentobjects anymore,exceptforthelightcomingfromoutsideyourbuilding(i/e/theSun). RenderwiththeFinalGatherDiagnosticsMode(RenderSetupDialog|ProcessingTab)tovisualizethe locationoftheFinalGatherpointscontainedintheFGMfile:

3.

4.

Finetunetheinterpolationsettings:theycanbechangedevenifyourFinalGathersolutionhasbeen locked.

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Examples
TestA:LowDensity,LowInterpolation
Cloudyindirectlighting

Densityrelativelylow

Observations:
WecanseethatthedensityoftheFinalGatherpointsisrelativelylow.Thenoticeablecloudinessisvisiblemainlywhere theFinalGatherpointsareseparatedeachotherbyalargedistance(wherethedensityislow).SincetheInterpolationis alsolow,theresultisthecloudinesseffect.

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TestB:IncreasedInterpolation
Byincreasingtheinterpolation,weblendmorepointstogether, softeningthesolution.

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Densitystillrelativelylow:noadditional computationtime.

Observations:
Here,wesimplyincreasedtheInterpolation.WeendupblendingmoreFinalGatherpointstogether,alittlebitlikea Blurinanimage.TheFinalGatherpointsdensityisstillrelativelylowwhichdidnotincreasethecomputationtime.

Tip:
WhenaFinalGathersolutionislockedandreadfromdisk,youcanchangetheinterpolationbetweeneachrendering withouthavingtorecalculatetheFinalGathersolution.

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TestC:IncreasedDensity
WithaverylargedensityofFGpoints,an Interpolationvalueof150isnotenoughhere.A largerInterpolationvalueisrequiredtosmoothout theresults.

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AnInterpolationvalueof~450isbetter:themoreFG pointsyouhave,thelargertheinterpolationneedsto be.

Observations:
IfwewheretoincreasethedensityofFinalGatherpointstocapturemoresubtlelighteffectsanddetails,the Interpolationrequiredisnowlarger:aswehavemorepoints,weneedtoblendmorepointstogethertoreachasmooth effect.NoticethecloudinesseffectappearingagainwhenweusedanInterpolationvalueof150.Tofixit,weneedto increaseitupto450!

Note:
Thereasonforthenoiseisusuallycausedbythestochasticnature(randomness)ofFinalGather.Tosolveityoueither havetocastmoreraysperFGpointsorincreasetheInterpolation.NotethattheInterpolationparameterisessentiallya blurwhichcanremoveorreducetheeffectofsubtleshadows.

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NonPhotoRealRenderings(NPR)
Ink&PaintMaterial
Scene:06_NPR_InkPaint.max

TheInk&Paintmaterialgivesatoonlooktoobjects.Itcanrespondtolightingandshadowsorgiveacompletelyflat appearance:

Ink&Paintmaterial

Tips:
1. 2. 3. 4. ThePaintLevelsparameteroftheInk&PaintMaterialdeterminesthenumbersofgradientsyouwillget onthematerialwithlightingandshadows. Fortypicalcartoonlooks,disableExposureControl,FinalGatheranduseStandardLights.Physically Basedfeaturesgenerallydontplaynicelywiththistypeofmaterial ThequalityoftheInkwillimprovewithhigherantialiasing. YoucanuseaFalloffMaptodrivethecoloroftheInkbasedondistance,directionetc.

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AmbientOcclusion&NPR
Scene:07_NPR_AmbientOcclusion.max

Often,itisusefultoquicklyrenderaseriesofdraftviewsofinteriorshotswithnomaterialssimplytoexplorecamera views.ToaccomplishthisonetechniqueconsistsintousingAmbientOcclusionasawaytoilluminateascenetogeta feelfortheoveralldepthofthespace:

SingleA&DMaterialwithanAmbientOcclusionShaderintheDiffuseColor

SingleInk&PaintMaterialwithanAmbientOcclusionShaderinthePaintColor

Tips:
1. AnAmbientOcclusionshaderdoesnotalwayshavetoreturnblackorwhite.Thelookabovewasachieved byreturningadarkblueandpalebluecolor. ThedistanceamountdetermineshowmuchAmbientOcclusionwilloccurattheedges.Trytokeepa valuerelativelylow(i.e.~10centimetres)andincreaseasneeded. CombineFalloffMapsandAmbientOcclusiontodevelopinterestinglooks:

2. 3.

OneoftheAmbientOcclusionscolorismodulatedbyaFalloffMap

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EliminatingIndirectIlluminationFlickering
Reference:3dsmax.2010.mental.ray.animation.flickering.explanation.movvideo Scene:08.flickering.animation.reduction.max

Priorto3dsMaxDesign2010,animationflickeringwascausedbytwomainfactors: WhentheFinalGatherpointsarenotlockedonthegeometry:theyslidealongthesurfacesastheCamera move. MovingobjectscreateFinalGatherpointsthatarefloatingorghostinginthe3Dspace,introducingrendering glitches.

In3dsMaxDesign2010,indirectilluminationanimationflickeringiseliminatedbytwomaintechniques: TohandleCameramovements,FinalGatherpointsareshotfromseverallocationsalongtheCamerapath.Final Gatherbecomelockedonthegeometry,thusremovingtheslidingeffectofthosepointsacrossframes.This iswhatwereferastheFGProjectionMode. Tohandlemovingobjects,oneFinalGatherfileperframeisprocessedinafirstpass.Whenthebeautypassis rendered,FinalGatherpointsareinterpolatedacrossmultipleframestosmoothoutthesolution.Thisiswhat wereferastheFrameinterpolationforFinalGatherMaps.

FGProjectionModeTips:

1. 2. TobeusedifyourCameraisanimated.Ifyourcameraisstatic,itwillnothelpatall. WorksfortypicalheroshotswheretheCamerahasarelativelyslowmovement(apan,adollyin).Itwill belesseffectivewithlongCameraFlythroughorfastcameramovements.

mentalrayin3dsMaxDesignforAECrenderings
FrameinterpolationforFinalGathermapsTips:
1. 2. WorksonlyifyoubakeauniqueFinalGathermaptodiskperframeasafirstpass,whicharethenreadas readonlymodeinasecondpass. ThefirstfewframesandlastfewframesofyouranimationwillnotbeabletointerpolatetoFGfilesthat aremissing(ex:frame0willexpectframes2and1tobepresent).Thereforeplantopadyourshots withafewextraframesinthebeginningandintheend. ThementalraymessagewindowwilldisplaywarningsaboutmissingFGmapsifany. AsyouloadseveralFGmapsinmemory(oneperframetointerpolateacross),keepinmindthatyoualso loadalotmoreFGpointstointerpolateacross.YouwillneedtoincreasetheInterpolationvaluebya factorofmaybe3or5toreducethecloudinessthatmayappear. YoucandefineabakeFGMapjobonanetworkfarmbyusingthefollowingcombinationofPassesor Jobs:
Pass1:enablethistopreventthe beautypassfrombeingrendered. Youcanthensubmitthisasa Backburnerjobandgetyournetwork nodesbakingtodiskoneFGfileper frame. Pass1:enablethistosetFGtobein writemode. Pass2:turnthisofftogetthebeauty passrendered.

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3. 4.

5.

Pass2:UsethisoptiontoturnFGina ReadOnlymode.

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mrProxies
Proxiesarespecialobjectsthataredesignedtominimizetheloadontheviewporttomaintaininteractivityandaccelerate thescenetranslationtomentalray.Theyarealsooptimizedtoreducetheoverallmemoryfootprintrequiredtorender largescenescontainingmanyrepetitiveobjectswithmillionsofpolygons.Proxiesarebakedtodiskpriortobeusedby mentalray.

Scenecapture:thetreesandthegrassareprebakedasproxies(imagecourtesyofDeltaTracing)

Finalimage(imagecourtesyofDeltaTracing)

ProxyWorkflow:
1. 2. 3. 4. Youneedageometricobjectalreadyinthescene. CreateanmrProxyprimitiveobject. Assignittheobjectyouwanttobaketodiskandbakeit. AssignamaterialtotheProxyobject(thematerialfromthebakedobjectwillnotcarrythrough).

ProxyTips:
1. 2. 3. Proxiesareworkingonasingleobjectbasisatatime.Ifyougroupedobjects,youwillstillneeda differentproxyperobjectinsidetheGroup. Usethemonhighpolycountobjects,typicallyentourageelementsthatyoudontneedtotouchsuchas trees,cars,grass. Forgrass,create23variationsofgrassclusters,bakethemtoproxiesandscatterthemrandomlyas instances:fromthevisualpointofview,youwillperceivealargegrassfield.Fromtherendererpointof view,itwillstillmean23objects... UseaMultiMapmaptointroduceslightrandomvariationonrepetitiveobjects. Manyproxiesinstancedinthescenecanhavetheirownmaterialformorevariations Animatedobjects(deformingmeshes)canbebakedasaproxytoo!

4. 5. 6.

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LinearColorWorkflow(Gamma)
Reference:3dsmax.2010.linear.workflow.movvideo

WhileGammaisnotthetopicofthispaper,knowingthatamaterialexpectslinearcolorsasinputmeansthatyouneed tohandleGammapropertieswhichareusuallyembeddedinimagefiles.Itisimportantthatyoulinearizeorde gammatexturesasinput.

GammaPipelineforTextureInput:
Typically,theGammapipelinefortextureinputworksasfollow:
ImageFile(*.jpg) (Gamma:2.2) ImageisGamma corrected (DeGamma2.2) Material (Materialseepixelsin LinearSapce)

BitmapMap

ALowDynamicRangeImageisloadedfromdisk,Gammacorrected(linearized)priortobepassedtotheMaterial

GammaPipelineforRenderingOutput:
KnowingthattheRendereroperatesinlinearspace(Gamma1.0),therenderedimageneedstobeGammacorrected (again)attheendpriortobesavedondiskordisplayedonscreen:
DisplayDevice (Gamma2.2) ImageisGamma corrected (Gamma2.2) FrameBuffer (StillinLinearSpace) HDRImagesavedtodisk directlywithout corrections (Gamma1.0) LDRImagesavedtodisk (Gamma2.2)

Renderer (OperatesinLinear Space)

AnimageisrenderedinLinearSpace.Dependingonthetargetoutput,itisthenGammacorrected(LowDynamicRangeImages)or not(HighDynamicRangeImages).

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Gammaworkflowtips:
1. 2. IfyousaveyourtexturesoutofPhotoshopwithasRGBcolorprofile,theclosestmatchingGammavalueis 2.2:sticktothisvalue. Lowdynamicrangeimagessuchas*.jpgfilesneedtobeGammacorrectedoninputandoutput:when loadingorsavingthemwith3dsMax,makesurethatyouloadthemwithaGammacorrectionof2.2as well:

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UsingtheSystemDefaultGammaoptionwilltake thevaluefromthepreferencesdialog.The recommendeddefaultvalueis2.2

3. HighDynamicRangeImagesshouldalwaysbeloadedandsavedwithaGammaValueof1.0.Sincethey areHDR,theconventionistoassumeisthattheyarealwaysinLinearSpace(Gamma1.0).

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Additionaldocumentation
Thepresentdocumentisfarfrombeingacompletementalrayreference.However,Ihavecollectedafewinteresting linksforyoutolookat..

AutodeskWhitePapersandFeatureVideos
RevittoMax,DaylightSimulationandAnalysisandmore http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesignwhitepapers Onlinefeaturevideos: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10371032

Mentalimagesdocumentation
A&Dmaterial,SunandSkyandmore http://www.mentalimages.com/products/mentalray/documents.html

mentalrayblogs
http://mentalraytips.blogspot.com/ http://mrmaterials.com/jeffsblog.html

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Appendix
ExposureControl
WhatisExposureControl?
Physicallybasedrenderingrequiresexposurecontrol,alsocalledtonemapping.Tonemappingistheprocedureof mappinganumericlightingintensityinHighDynamicRange(HDR)fromthesceneintoanRGBvalueofthepixelsinthe renderedframe. Physicallightintensitiesrangefromzerotonumbersapproachinginfinityinbrightsunlight.Therangeofcontrast availableondisplaymonitorsislimitedcomparedtothisdynamicrange,andcommonimageformatsareevenmore limited:JPEGimagesareeightbitimages,rangingfromavalueofzeroforblackto255forwhite.Inthesefiles,whitecan onlybe255timesbrighterthanblack,afractionoftherangeintherealworld.Tonemappinghelpscompensateforthe differenceinrange. Hereareafewexamplesofreallifescenesmeasuredwithaluminancemeter:

Skyluminanceathorizonandzenith:2600cd/360cd/m2.Luminanceontheleaves:500cd/m2.

Moonlitbackyard,luminanceontheroofofthegarage:0.22cd/m2.Kidsplaysetluminance(brightest):0.1cd/m2.

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Assumingthattherenderingenginecanuserealworldunitsforlightsources(lumens,candela,orluxatdistance)and realworldunitsformaterials(reflectance),theresultingimageswillbebeyondtherangeofwhatamonitorcandisplay.

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Therefore,itsnecessarytocompressthecalculatedimage(rangingfromzerotoinfinity)intoadisplayableimage(ranging fromzeroto255).Thisprocessiscalledtonemappingorexposure. Toenableexposurecontrolin3dsMaxDesign,usetheEnvironmentandEffectsdialogbox:

ExposureControlRolloutin3dsmaxDesign

Whenyouchangethebrightnessandcontrastcontrols,thelightlevelsofyourscenedontchange;onlythesensitivityof yourcameradoes.Thisisfarbetterthanadjustingeachlightsourceinasceneonebyone.Ifyouwanttoshootaphoto, youwouldbemorelikelytoadjustyourcamerasapertureorshutterspeedthanwaitforthesuntoset.Theexposure controlscontrollightinthesameway.

Thetopimageisexposedtowardtheinsideoftheroom,andthebottomimageisexposedtowardtheoutercourtyard.Bothare correctthelightlevelsinthescenedidnotchanged;thedirectionoftheexposureisuptoyou.(c)2007ElectricGobo/Karcher, www.electricgobo.com

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Guidelinesforyourscenegeometry
Airtightmodels
Sometimes,youcanfindmodelswherewallsandwindowsorroofsdonttoucheachotherproperly.Thiscancause lightingfromtheexteriorofyourbuildingtopenetratewithoutattenuation(fromglazingforexample)andintroduce errorsinthelightinganalysisresults.

Windowspanesnottouchingthecurtainwallframe,lettingdirectsunraysinsidethemodelwillfalsifylightinganalysisresults.

Thisbuildingisnotairtight.Wecanclearlyseeaholeabovethewindowsundertheceiling.

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SmoothingAngles
All3Dgeometryincludingbothedgedobjectsandroundedformsismadeupofpolygons.Todisplaythemsmoothly, 3dsMaxinterpolatesbetweenthesurfacenormalstosimulatearoundedformandnotafacetedone.Whenimportinga filefromanothercomputeraideddesign(CAD)or3DapplicationorwhenworkingwiththeEditPolymodifier,youmay findthattheinformationaboutwhichnormalstosmoothbyinterpolationandwhichtokeepsharpedgedwithno interpolationcansometimesgetlostorcorrupted.Insteadofreimportingafileoraskingyourclienttoresendit,trythe Smoothmodifier.Inmostcases,theproblemsdisappear.

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Thecubesfacesaresmoothedwithananglethatstoohigh,thespheresfaceswithananglethatstoolow.

Thisishowthecubeandthesphereshouldlookaccordingtosmoothinggroups.

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FlippedNormal
Renderingthefaceofageometricshaperequiresboththeverticesthatdefineitandinformationaboutitsorientation. Thiscanbeseenasinformationaboutwhichisthefrontandwhichthebackoftheface,whichisdonebythesurface normalaswell.Forrenderingandlightinganalysispurposes,thisiscriticalbecauselightenergywillbebouncedinthe directionofthesurfacenormal.

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Lightisbouncedfromthedirectionofsurfacenormals.Thisisacriticalaspecttounderstandforaccuratelightingcomputations.

WhenimportingamodelfromaCADpackage,youmayfindthatdirectioninformationforsomefacenormalsgetslost orcorrupted.Usually,themodelingpackageinwhichthegeometrywascreatedmaynothaveprovidedthis informationastheentitieswerecreated.UsethexViewfeaturetodisplaythefaceorientationin3dsMax2010. Ifthereareonlyafewfaceswiththewrongorientation,youcanaddanEditPolymodifierin3dsMaxDesignanduse Flipontheaffectedfaces.

Thegeometryisthesameasintheprecedingexample,butsomefacesareflippedsotheyappeartobeinvisible.Orientation informationcanbelostorcorruptedduringimportbutusually,themodelingprogramdidnottakenthemintoaccount.

mentalrayin3dsMaxDesignforAECrenderings
PolygonCount
Itisgoodpracticetothinkabouthowmanypolygonsanobjectshouldconsistofbeforemodelingit.Thisistrueforall geometricobjects,especiallycurvedandroundones.Eachfaceneedstoberendered,butusingmanypolygonsona roundobjectcanquicklyadduptoinefficiencies,especiallyifobjectsarecopiedwithinthescene.Ontheotherhand, usingtoofewpolygonsmakesanobjectappearsegmented.

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Pickingapolygoncountthatistoolowforyourmodelgivesunsatisfactoryresultsforarchitecturalrendering.

Inthisexample,thebowlsappearanceisimprovedbecausetheshapeallowsforadditionalfaceswithoutdestroyingthebowlitself; youcouldsimplyaddaTurboSmoothmodifier.

mentalrayin3dsMaxDesignforAECrenderings
UnweldedVertices
Insomecases,amodelmightlookasifitisclosed,butinsteadeachfaceisseparatedandtheverticesofneighbouring facesareunweldedthatis,notconnected.Unweldedverticescanintroducemanyproblems,includinglargefilesizes duetothousandsofunnecessaryvertices,damagetotheobjectwhenmovingfacesoralteringthemodel,andeven problemswithpropersmoothingandnormalinterpolation,sincethefacesappearunconnectedto3dsMax. IftheSmoothmodifierdoesntcorrectsmoothingproblems,checkforunweldedvertices.Toweldvertices,simplyadd theWeldVerticesmodifierandchooseanappropriateradius.

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Bothsphereslookthesame,buttherightonehasarowofunweldedvertices.Thiswastesmemory(forexample,instancingan objectmanytimes)andmakesitdifficulttomodifygeometry.ProblemsappearwhenmovinghalfthefaceswithanEditPoly modifier.Weldingtheverticescorrectsthelooseedges.

Undercertainlightconditionsyoucanevenseeunweldedverticesbystudyingarenderoftheobject.

OverlappingSurfaces
Watchoutforfacesthatoverlapprecisely.Therenderercannotdeterminewhichonetoputinfront,andablackpattern artefactwillappear.Worse,inthecaseoflightinganalysis,youmayendupbouncingmoreenergythanreceived(double theenergy)andgetwrongresults. Overlappingfacescanbeintroducedbycarelessmodelingorbyimportingafile,suchasaCADfilewithversioned geometryoverlappingpreciselyonseverallayersorbycreatingagroundplaneacrossyourentiremodelatthesamelevel ofthefloorfinish.UsethexViewfeatureof3dsMax2010tospotthem.

Unlikeunweldedvertices,overlappingsurfacesareeasytospot.