Someone please Explain Luxus, Lux Render, and Reality2 PLEASE!!!!
circletrack15
Posts: 0
Hey everyone! I have had Reality 2 for a while but never used it yet as Iam still learning basic lighting and rendering. I have now moved to 4.6 and have reinstalled Reality 2. Now, first, I have noticed that 4.6 comes with Luxus??? I read what it does and it sounds great. Here is where Iam confused! I went to Lux Render website to get the latest version of Lux Render but to my surprise, I cant find any downloads for it anywhere?? It says to use reality??? Even looked on the web but cant find it?? Soooo is Lux Render now already installed into Reality 2??? Is it already in Luxus???? Iam hoping someone out there can please explain what I need and where the heck to get Lux Render at???
I also remember back last year that after installing Lux Render you had to point its install location to Daz , do we still have to do that or has that been updated?? Thanks in advance!!!
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Okay, here's the basics.
Luxrender is the actual render engine which makes your images all nice and pretty. However, it can't interface with Daz Studio directly because the materials that Lux uses are completely different to anything used by Daz Studio. So, to get around this you need a plugin which can 'talk' to Luxrender on your behalf and convert the necessary materials over. That's where Reality and Luxus come into this.
There are currently two options for using Luxrender. The first, as mentioned, is called Reality. Reality 2.5 doesn't have full support for all Luxrender materials, but it does provide some powerful options to make life much easier in putting things together. Reality 2.5 works by opening up a new window with a separate materials and lights editor, so you can load up any saved scene and set everything up within the editor itself. It also comes with some handy softbox presets to get you started.
The second option is Luxus. Luxus has full support for every Luxrender feature and any possible future features thanks to its command line function. That means it fully supports all materials and volumetrics. The caveat here is that this extra power requires a better working knowledge of Luxrender to make use of. Unlike Reality, Luxus works by adding Luxrender materials onto the surfaces panel, like you would work with any existing Daz Studio material, so you don't need to change your workflow to accommodate the new system.
Both of these options will attempt to automatically convert materials if you make no changes with reasonable success. In this regard they are pretty evenly matched.
Hopefully that clears up most of your questions. For the record, I own both Reality and Luxus so if you want information on either of them, or want details on specifics let me know. I'll be happy to help.
Thanks friend!! As I said I have Reality 2.5 and with the new 4.6 now have Luxus. What would be bestand or easiest for me to start with as a beginner?
That's a tricky one. For my part, Reality is good for getting quick results, but Luxus works better as a long-term solution because of its full Luxrender support. In terms of learning how to quickly set up a scene and get started, Reality might work better for understanding the nuances of lighting early on, and some of the ACSEL presets can get you started at seeing how some materials are put together.
In terms of understanding Luxrender to get the most power out of it, however, Luxus has the upper hand. Luxus uses the actual settings which Luxrender uses while simplifying a few tasks such as adding texture maps. The advantage here is that you control every aspect of the surface and can do effects which are impossible in Reality without editing your exported files externally.
So basically, if you want to dip your toe in the water and get images out quickly, use Reality to get started. If you want to bathe in it, use Luxus. Both have different strengths and weaknesses. Reality can teach you the basics of how Luxrender lighting works and how to set up scenes for the camera, while mastery of Luxus means mastery of Luxrender.
Cool, Thanks!! Since I have both I believe that I will start using Reality 2 at first and then move to Luxus after I get a better understanding of whats going on as I have alot to learn!!! BUT!! my million dollar guestion is,,,, WHERE DO I GET LUX RENDER!!! I went to thier website but for Daz Studio, there is NO DOWNLOAD??? its says to use a commercial party like Reality 2??? Is Lux Render in Reality 2??? as I thought that in order to use Luxus or Reality 2 you had to get Lux Render?? Very Connfused!!!
You need to download the standalone version of LuxRender, available here: http://www.luxrender.net/en_GB/index
Luxus is not included in DAZ Studio 4.6, but is a separate product available for purchase: http://www.daz3d.com/luxus
Cool!! I found where to download but have an important guestion?? Can someone tell me the difference in Open CL and Non Open CL ??? and whats better??
Ok guys!! Iam lost here!! Sooo
I downloaded Lux Render 1.2.1 on my PC
I opened up Daz, went to my Reality Render settings
Went to the Output Tab and I changed the path to where Lux Render was downloaded. (C:/Program Files?LuxRender)
Down at the bottom it shows current version, o.9 ?????
I tried to change the path at least 10 times, and its the same thing??? I have screen shots to show what I mean.
If I go to C:/Program Files/LuxRender and open that folder there everything is!!!! as you can see.
But, when I go into Daz 4.6 and go to Reality Render, then to Output tab, It shows the path but that 0.9 version??
Heres what I dont get!!! From right there inside Daz on the Reality Render Output tab page and I go to change the path, the window opens up and I see the path C:/Program Files/LuxRender and if I double click on the LuxRender folder, there is NOTGHING!!! in the folder but 2 folders that have NOTGHING!! in them???? Its crazy!!! go out of Daz go to C:/Program Files/LuxRender folder and all that content is there???? PLEASE someone tell me what Iam doing wrong it makes no sence to me!! Thanks!!
Looking at your second screenshot (of the Luxrender folder contents), you seem to have downloaded and installed the version for Blender. On the Luxrender download page you will see several options to select the application that will be using the render engine. As said previously, you need to click the link for the standalone version. This is the one designed to work with plugins within your application (i.e. either Reality or Luxus in your case with DAZ Studio).
You need to uninstall Luxrender, then re-download it as the standalone version and re-install.
As for your OpenCL question, if you haven't found the answer yourself in the interim, it is primarily to allow the use of your GPU (graphics card) to aid in processing and rendering performance. Your card must support OpenCL (most recent ones do).
Hope that helps.
hello...
i found it here, the free LuxRender.exe file the LUXUS manual talking about :
http://www.luxrender.net/en_GB/standalone#windows
I am wondering why do i have the small dots orange in color on the lux render. Thanks
Those 'dots' are areas which haven't fully rendered. Luxrender is a progressive render engine, and the images get smoother and less grainy the more time you leave them to render. Some scenes might clear up after 100 samples per pixel, while others might need over 1000 samples before the image looks smooth.
How quickly it can clear up is very dependent on the actual scene you're rendering, how well the camera can find the light and what materials you are using in the scene. For this reason, the best images are made using custom materials rather than relying on the automatic conversion tools.
Ooo... ok. Thanks for your help
I had the same thing happen, it does not impact rendering, if it is rendering in LuxRender it's using the latest version of LuxRender you have installed on your computer regardless of it saying it's using 0.9
the fix was to upgrade Reality to 2.50 but you already appear to be running 2.50.
Are you running 32 or 64 bit Reality?