The idea behind V-Ray Utilities is to automate some tasks that are very useful in

V-Ray, extend some of V-Rays functionality with some useful additional features, as
well as make V-Ray a little more accessible to users.
visQualityDialog will allow for easy setting of
different options through its own dialog box. This
is meant to be useful for users who want a quick
and simple way to manage their settings, or
who dont want to worry about the multitude of
settings in the standard options interface. The
ability to control anti-aliasing, primary bounces,
and secondary bounces allows for settings to be
adapted for a multitude of different situations, while
retaining a degree of simplicity that will be easy and
quick to use.
Anti-Aliasing Settings
Low: Adaptive Subdivision -1/2
MedLow: A. Subdivision 0/3
Medium: Adaptive DMC 1/12
AA Noise Threshold .01
MedHigh: Adaptive DMC 1/24
AA Noise Threshold .005
High: Adaptive DMC 1/48
AA Noise Threshold .001
Heres the specic settings that are used for each quality level
Secondary Bounce Settings
Low: Light Cache Subdiv 300
Sample Size .02
MedLow: LC Subdiv 500
Sample Size .02
Medium: LC Subdiv 1000
Sample Size .01
MedHigh: LC Subdiv 2000
Sample Size .005
High: LC Subdiv 3000
Sample Size .0025
Primary Bounce Settings
Low: Irradiance Map -4/-2
H.Subdivision 30 DMC Noise .01
MedLow: Irradiance Map -4/-1
H.Subdivision 50 DMC Noise .01
Medium: Irradiance Map -3/0
H.Subdivision 80 DMC Noise .01
MedHigh: DMC Subd 8
DMC Noise .005
High: DMC Subd 12
DMC Noise .001
V-Ray Utilities
visQuality
visQualityCmdLine is a command line version of
the visQuality command. This version has the same
options as the Dialog version and sets the same
options. However, it will allow you to set these options
individually as well. The advantage is that you can
create custom settings that can be retrieved with one
click.
visProgressiveRender is a very easy way to set up a
progressive render. Progressive Rendering is when the
image is constantly rened for as long as it is left to
render. This means that the render can be stopped at
any time. The benets to this is that there are almost
no settings that need to be adjusted for quality, and that
the maximum quality can be achieved within a given
time period.
The one option within this command determines
whether the previous settings or the progressive
settings will be retained after the rendering. The default
is to restore the original settings.
Creating a custom setting is as easy as writing a macro.
Within the visQualityCmdLine there are three rounds
of options; the rst for AA, the second for Primary
Bounces, and the third for Secondary Bounces. Heres
how a given macro might look. You can set whichever
options youd like, or you can bypass assigning a value
by using Skip.
Note: You must use Enter after each round of options
Note: If youre not familiar with writing command macros you
can check out the following page on the Rhino wiki
http://en.wiki.mcneel.com/default.aspx/McNeel/BasicMacros.html
visQualityCmdLine
visProgressiveRender
Creating a custom setting with visQualityCmdLine
_visQualityCmdLine MedLow Enter MedLow Enter Medium Enter
visViewManager is meant to extend the functionality
of the Named Views command to save details along
with each view. This doesnt replace Name Views, but
rather associates saved data along with each view. The
visViewManager can be setup to record all the V-Ray
camera data, output resolution, layer states, and the
position of a direct light.
The command visViewManager is setup to both save
and restore views. Within the Save option, a new view
can be created or an existing view can be updated to
associate data with that view. By default a view will be
saved with the camera data only. Aditional data can
be saved by accessing Options within the command.
Once the options have been congured for a given
document, those options will remain until they are
recongured.
Restoring a view with visViewManager will restore all
of the data that is associated with the view.
Views will still be saved within Named Views, but by
using that command to restore the view, none of the
data that is associated with the view will be restored.
If all you would like to do is update the view location,
then you can use the Named Views command and that
will not disturb any of the saved data.
Note: Clicking on the icon to save or update a view will not allow
for access to the options settings. Since options settings will be
remembered, run the command once from the command line to
setup the desired options.
visViewManager
visSceneIRMap can be used to calculate a single
Irradiance map from a set of saved views that can
be specied by the user. visSceneIRMap can use
any views that are saved in NamedViews or with the
visViewManager. From those views you can enable or
disable a given view. The calculated Irradiance Map
will be valid for all of the views that were used to create
the map. The calculation will not proceed through
rendering the images. Also, the map will typically
be calculated faster than calculating individual maps
for each view, since calculating them all at the same
time will increase the information that can be used by
multiple cameras. Lastly, this Irradiance map will be
automatically loaded in the IR settings.
Note: If you are experiencing artifacts after running this
command it is probably because the camera has been moved
and there is not enough information in the saved Irradiance
map. Right-Clicking will set the Irradiance mode back to Single
Frame and resolve the issue. You can also run the command
visIRModeSingleFrame.
Note: This command will not change any quality settings
associated with Irradiance Maps. Also, if caustics are enabled,
then they will be calculated for each frame, so disable caustics
before running this command.
visSceneIRMap
The Irradiance Map Prepass being calculated
Rhinos built-in animation tools are great for quick and
simple animations. The V-Ray Animation Tools are
meant to complement and work together with Rhinos
built-in animation tools to allow users to manage
multiple animations, efciently render prepasses,
and have more control over the nal render process.
Animations can still be accessed and used through the
built-in animation tools which allows these tools to
complement existing workows.
This command is used to setup an animation.
Currently, Path and Flythrough animations are
supported. When setting up the animation, only the
name of the animation, type, input curves, and number
of frames are needed. This command can also be
used to update animation information that has been
previously created using this command.
Once an animation has been saved, this command can
be used to restore the animation. This means that you
can save multiple animations and go back and forth
between them using this command. Also, animations
will be saved from session to session.
V-Ray Animation Tools
visAniSetup
visAniRestoreFromList
Use the visAniRender command to render your
animation. This command doesnt add much, but it
does give you the option to set the frame at which the
animation starts and stops. This is useful if you have
to suspend rendering the animation, or if you want
to split the animation up between multiple machines.
Also, if there happens to be a crash then this command
will allow you to pick up the animation where it left off.
Keep in mind that you wont get the web page preview
like you did with the native Rhino record command.
visAniRender
It has been a common request that the aperture
value, needed to set depth of eld, be in the common
format of F-Stop values. This command allows you
to input the desired F-Stop and the correct aperture
value will automatically be calculated. The value will
automatically be set as the aperture value
visSetAperture
This command renders an Irradiance Map prepass
for the whole animation. It takes care of all of the
necessary steps involved with rendering an animation
prepass. This command also automatically sets the
Irradiance Map to be loaded. Frame calculations are
also taken care of so that the prepass only renders
every fth frame.
Note: If you have used this command and are
experiencing render artifacts, the saved IRmap may not
be in the correct location. Either change the path to the
IRmap in the Irradiance Map settings, or change the
mode to Single Frame.
visAniPrepass
The Vertical Shift feature of the V-Ray Physical Camera
is great create Two-Point perspective renderings. This
command will guess the amount of vertical shift that
is needed in order to make the vertical elements of the
scene appear vertical within the rendering.
visGuessVerticalShift
Image without any vertical shift Image calculated with guess vertical shift
Images Courtesy of ChaosGroup
V-Ray Utilities Road Map
LMB: visQuality
RMB: QuickQuality
Quick Quality and Individual Presets
LMB: Guess Vertical Shift
RMB: Remove Vertical Shift
LMB: visQualityCmdLine
RMB: Reset Quality Defaults
LMB: visSceneIRMap
RMB: Remove IR Map
LMB: Save New View visView Manager
RMB: Save Existing View visView Manager
LMB: visSetAperture
LMB: Progressive Render -Restore LMB: Restore View
From visViewManager
LMB: Setup a V-Ray
Animation
LMB: Setup a V-Ray Animation
RMB: Restore Animation From List
LMB: Render a V-Ray Animation
LMB: Play Animation
RMB: Preview Animation Toolbar
LMB: visAniPrepass
RMB: Remove IR Map