IRAY
Need some clarification about this Iray...
Is this a plugin for Daz Studio?...
Is it standalone...or must it be integrated into Dz Studio?...
Does it only work with NVidia graphics cards?...
If i have Dz Studio 4.7 installed...can i still install IRAY?...
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It can work with either CPU, GPU, or both CPU AND GPU. If using GPU, then it only works with NVidia cards. If using the CPU mode, it doesn't matter what card you have. BUT, as mentioned above, it is 64 bit only.
No, not on it's own, you would need to download and install the latest DS Beta version 4.8. IRay is not included with DS4.7
DS 4.8, the current public beta, includes Iray - it is used inside that version of DS, it isn't an external application or a plug-in that could be used with 4.7.
You need an nVidia GPU to use GPU acceleration, but you can use Iray to render with the CPU on any system (as long as you can use the 64-bit version of DS).
Yes, you can have the public beta installed alongside the production version of DS - but you must install using the Install Manager.
So a card by a maker other than Nvidia would be of no use with Iray? I'm in the market for a better card and researching what to buy.
True, it would be of no use. But you can still render with Iray using your CPU if the graphics card is incompatible.
True, it would be of no use. But you can still render with Iray using your CPU if the graphics card is incompatible.
Bearing in mind that if we're talking about a good, recent card, just the CPU will be much slower.
So if i understand this correctly...the only difference that an Nvidia card would make is the GPU acceleration ( e.g. speed) or does render quality also come into play?...
I have a Radeon 7800 series...would this compromise render quality with IRAY?...
Iray won't use an ATI card, period. If that's what is on your system, you're looking at CPU-only renders.
So your options are:
CPU only: Slow.
CPU plus ATI card: Same.
CPU plus Nvidia card with 2gb RAM or less than 1500 CUDA cores, or both: Slightly faster; when the card runs out of VRAM, Iray will quit using it and switch to CPU-only, but you might see some faster speeds based on a faster time earlier in render.
CPU plus new Nvidia card with 2048 CUDA cores and 4 gb VRAM: Pretty fast. Still not as fast as 3Delight, but faster than most unbiased/PBR options.
But yes, time is the only difference - a CPU render will look the same as a GPU render, if it ends for convergence or iterations (ending for time will of course come at different points in the render for GPU and CPU, so without adjustment that will look different).
Yes, sorry! This right here.
My machine is 64 bit and has an Intel HD Graphics Card in it. Would Iray be able to use it or is this an ATI card? I'm not extremely knowledgeable when it come to graphics cards. Thanks. Also should I install 4.8, or are there issues with it yet?
It's an Intel GPU, so not nVidia. Only those cards/chips specifically branded nVidia are in with a chance (and even then only if new enough).
4.8 is still in a test phase. You can only install it using DIM (make certain that you have closed 4.7 when installing!), and it will be installed parrallel to 4.7. So you have 4.7 and 4.8 on your PC at the same time.
So, if you don't like it, you can always uninstall it without compromising your current 4.7 version of DS.
So just to get this straight: Iray is rendering software? Are 3Delight, Octane, Renderman similar?
Iray is a render engine (like 3Delight, Lux, Renderman, Octane). As such, it is, of course, rendering software.
But like 3Delight, this software was integrated into DAZ Studio, so you don't need extra Plugins (like with Lux or Octane) to get your setting in DS rendered.
It is unbiased (like Lux, for example), simulating physically correct light, which makes it diferent from 3Delight, which is a biased renderer.
(At least, that is what I understood from all the threads.:-))
So in the world of rendering, biased rendering is less physically accurate than unbiased? And did you mean 3Delight is biased and that Iray is unbiased and thus more accurate?
Those are accurate statements, yes. Accuracy is not everything but it is important if you want more "photo-like" renders.
Of course "accurate" is a squishy term. What I'm after is the best rendering workflow resulting in the good lighting and quick rendering. Now that Renderman is being given away by Pixar, is that an option for Daz 4.7?
Regrettably, no. One, it's non-commercial in the free version (the purchased version is closer to Octane in price last time I checked), and two, the render to RIB presets from DAZ cannot be loaded into Renderman; there's no good bridge between the two.
Regrettably, no. One, it's non-commercial in the free version (the purchased version is closer to Octane in price last time I checked), and two, the render to RIB presets from DAZ cannot be loaded into Renderman; there's no good bridge between the two.
Price drop to $495 on the 'pro' version of Renderman...and the free version can render the RIBs, you have to do it on the command line, after setting the global environment variables for Renderman, but they probably won't render 'shaded', as the 3DL compiled shaders probably won't run in Renderman...even though they speak the same language (think of it as American and British English...).
Right now I'm a little miffed at Pixar...over installing it (I am NOT downgrading my Qt version to install it...and it will take a while to figure out how to set the current Qt to accept the installer...).
Are there any Iray beginners' guides out there yet? (I mean REAL beginners - not guides throwing around terms like SSS or environment parameters etc as though they were common everyday terms).
I'm talking something that takes you through the absolute basics, like how to create environmental lights with a skydome, or how to setup a mesh light, or what parameters do what on the photometric lights? What has replaced Distant Lights, UberAreaLights and UE2 for general environment lighting?
Edit: Ah, I've just found your deviantart tutorials on Iray SickleYield, excellent stuff. Many thanks for those! :)
Might be able to find an answer to my question through intensive searching, but figured it would be easier to ask and (maybe) get an answer here..
Will there be a standalone Iray renderer like the 3delight? With the inherent limitations in my current GTX 780, I'd much rather do the rendering on a second computer - even if it means not being able to take advantage of the GPU accelleration. Last resort is of course to have a mirror installation of DS on the two computers, but I would much prefer the export to RIB, render and forget approach..
How well do you supposed IRAY will do with this GPU?
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660/specifications
Currently using a GT 620 card and thinking about upgrading.
The old 660 is good, especially the Ti version, but DAZ have been recommending 4GB on the graphics card as a workable amount.
Go for the current, equivalent model, the nvidia 960, that comes in 4GB flavours.
The old 660 is good, especially the Ti version, but DAZ have been recommending 4GB on the graphics card as a workable amount.
Go for the current, equivalent model, the nvidia 960, that comes in 4GB flavours.
960 4GB would be a great card. What is important to remember is that:
(a) If you have several cards, the card with the least VRAM will be the limit to how much scene data (mesh and texture) you can use before Iray switches over to CPU mode. The scene and data will need to fit on the card VRAM.
(b) 4GB is somewhat of a minimum. You can render a figure with some clothes and a few props, the you run out of memory and IRay will fallback to CPU mode which is much slower.
I would love a 12GB card but I never win the lottery so it wont happen ;-)
Cards will, I think, drop out individually as they run out of RAM. Not that I have multiple GPUs, or even one multi-GB GPU, to test on unlike some people ... mutter, grumble.
Cards will, I think, drop out individually as they run out of RAM. Not that I have multiple GPUs, or even one multi-GB GPU, to test on unlike some people ... mutter, grumble.
I Need a second card to test this with, hmm, grumble grumble...
Thanks everyone for the replies. Apparently my machine won't handle anything above a 960 because my PSU is only 450w. The 960 I see at NVIDIA is only 2gb card. If there's a 4gb card for the 960 I don't see it. But upgrading the PSU as well as the GPU makes less sense than just buying a gaming PC with a 4gb NVIDIA card. Looks like I also need to win the lottery to upgrade :( Oh well. Back to Reality/Luxrender I suppose.
Keep in mind you don't need a Nvidia card to use Iray, it uses CPU as well just like luxrender. Your iray renders will run about as fast as what you are used to with Luxrender.
Actually, I just learned that Iray is much faster than Luxrender, even with just CPU rendering, and much more photorealistic. The trick is to change the setting "Instancing Optimization" to "Speed." What a difference that alone made.
The old 660 is good, especially the Ti version, but DAZ have been recommending 4GB on the graphics card as a workable amount.
Go for the current, equivalent model, the nvidia 960, that comes in 4GB flavours.
Funny you should mention that. I had the 660TI and I upgraded to the GTX970. I did pretty extensive testing with Iray and there's almost no difference in render time between the two - something in the order of 5-10 secs on a 15min render. The 970 may be better for large scenes since its a 4Gb card, but the larger number of cuda cores seems to do zilch.
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