Page 1175 - Kitab3DsMax

Rendering with
mental ray

ax includes a plug-in architecture that lets you replace or extend any CHAPTER
part of the software including the rendering engine. Mental ray is a IN THIS CHAPTER
Mplug-in rendering engine that offers many advanced features. This
engine takes the rendering in Max to a new level, enabling you to render your Enabling the mental ray
scenes with amazing accuracy. It also includes a host of advanced rendering fea- renderer
tures including caustics and global illumination that are physically realistic. Working with mental ray lights

Enabling mental ray Creating caustic and global
illumination lighting
If you’re accustomed to using the Default Scanline Renderer and you’re wonder-
ing if the mental ray rendering engine is good for you, the answer is yes. Added mental ray proxy
Actually, you should try a couple of test renderings first and play with the differ-
ent settings, but in working with mental ray I’ve been amazed at its results. One
of the chief benefits of mental ray is its speed. It can render a fully raytraced
scene in a fraction of the time without sacrificing quality.

Note
If you need even more speed and don’t mind sacrificing a little quality, then
try the Quicksilver Hardware renderer. It works with most of the mental ray
materials, lights, and settings. n

Note
mental ray is an external rendering engine that plugs into 3ds Max. It was
developed by a company named mental images, so its development is separate
from Max. Versions of the mental ray rendering engine also can be found in
Maya and Softimage as well as a stand-alone version. n

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