So what exactly does iRay do?

michaelxm_a1dddd836b

Hi everyone. So after reading all the big deal about iray stuff, I built a new pc.. faster cpu, more ram, and even a 4 gb graphics card. But still for the likes of me, I can't see what the big deal is. I mean when I render it still seems 3Delight is a better choice. Not to mention it's faster. Is iray just all about lighting? I also notice it don't do so hot with the older models. I tried using it with the Daz Bear.. when I added the map.. it looked like a spotted leopard..lol But for the record,,the new build does help DS in general scoot along quicker :o)

Paintbox

"It depends." , I guess iRay is pretty close to digital photography. So you need to set a scene, props, lighting, choose the lens/camera. This all takes some practice. In fact you could follow a photography class and apply your knowledge to IRAY.

I can highly recommend https://www.daz3d.com/ig-photographers-toolbox-photo-lights

It gives you a few set-ups you can work with out of the box. There are more of these light kits. That said, 3Delight is a different kind of tech. It's faster, and even more useful for stylized work. I've seen some really awesome results. So use what you want/need.

Enjoy the new set-up!

 

michaelxm_a1dddd836b

Thanks Paintbox. I imagine iray does have lots of uses. Of course too, maybe I need to understand it more, so thanks for the link. Not to mention I should learn to tweek it's settings perhaps :o)

musicaz_e77234656c

i am mainly interested in doing animations. of say quality better then iclone 7 hopefully at least and would 3Delight be the better choice over iray ?

fastbike1

@michaelxm_a1dddd836b

Ever thought of looking in the Galleries?

musicaz_e77234656c

yes for sure and also i ask in here as there are very helpfull people who have more usefull things to say then look in the galleries LoL 

Paintbox

Musicaz, for animations its important if you can spare the render time. If you have a full time render machine, I would say yes. In animation studio's they usually allocate a budget, something like xx minutes per frame. But if your typical scene render in IRAY takes an hour *per frame* , is it worth it? 120 frames (4 seconds) would take 120 hours.

3Delight can be a lot faster, so its more feasible to render animations.

It should be on the whole better than iClone, since both 3Delight and IRAY are more accurate render engines (raytracers). But, a skillful artist probably can work with all of the engines to good result. I hope this helps.

musicaz_e77234656c

yes that does  help Paintbox and many thanks for the information 

michaelxm_a1dddd836b

I think iclone is pretty cool for animations..at least from what I see on youtube. But geez it is way out of my reach for a low budget guy like me. Thanks goodness for DS and blender.. :o)

Sven Dullah

I do a lot of animation with 3Delight. Don't know what results you get with iClone, but I can get pretty descent quality and still keep render times/frame in the 30sec- 2min range.

IRay on my Mac is out of the question.

https://vimeo.com/284563929

Oso3D

There's a common misconception about 3DL speed; it's actually about the same speed of Iray.

But it defaults to a very simplified light model, whereas Iray defaults to a high accuracy light model (roughly speaking). It's like the dial for realism is set to 2 with 3DL by default and 10 for Iray.

If you turn the dial up to 10 on 3DL, it runs about as fast as Iray in CPU mode.

Also, it's tricky to get Iray simplified all the way down to the 3DL default, though you can definitely make it simpler.

To pick just one element: 3DL light bounce is set to 2. Iray light bounce defaults to unlimited (though there is some effective limit). You can increase 3DL bounce to get more realism, or lower Iray for less (I find 3-4 can speed things up a bit without noticeable loss, though it depends highly on what you have in the scene).

Note that glass/windows in 3DL are often nothing more than opacity. If you eliminate SSS/translucence/refraction in Iray, you can get a lot of speed up (again, reducing realism for speed).

 

CGHipster

musicaz_e77234656c said:

i am mainly interested in doing animations. of say quality better then iclone 7 hopefully at least and would 3Delight be the better choice over iray ?

Iclone will have Iray sometime this month.

michaelxm_a1dddd836b

I think my biggest problem with iray or any rendering package for that matter is I still don't understand all the settings and what they do to make different things happen. I did get the one on Poser to work a bit faster, but that is only because I found some tips and tricks out there at other peoples sites. The thing I like about iclone or at least what I have seen in reviews, is that it can animate pretty easy because it has a lot of preset moves. And also it does dynamics pretty good, including hair. But I'm not ready to get a second mortgage to buy it..lol

 

BubbleCloud

I bought my new laptop some months ago and I'm truly amazed by the Iray render engine! 
I finally can make my renders as I wanted them <3

3Delight always seemed to me a bit 'cartoonish', Iray really is photorealistic. 

Mattymanx

"The Girls Dorm"

Original 3Delight render and the Iray redo

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3Re6v

 

"Sisters of Darkness"

Original 3Delight version

https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/#images/11679/

Iray Remake:

https://www.daz3d.com/gallery/#images/463806

 

For us using Daz Studio, Iray can be more pratical IF you have a powerful enough video card.  If not, than its a 50/50 as to what route you want to take.