Reality 4.2 - DAZ Studio Edition
Patroklos
Posts: 533
I am interested in Reality as it allows working on a scene whilst at the same time rendering.
I would be grateful for information on things like;
I have a Mac with AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2048 MB gpu, is this compatible with Reality ?
Does Reality automatically convert Iray / 3Delight setting acurately ?
Does the lighting work the same as Iray ?
Is Reality faster than Iray ?
Is Reality reliable and easy to use ?
If you are a Reality user, why do you use it instead of Iray ?
Thanks
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FYI the reality forums are now here:
http://preta3d.com/forums/index.php
My take (Ive been using reality for maybe a year or so, previously only used 3delight, and I consider myself a noob still so...):
You do not need to use your gpu to render with reality, I prefer cpu rendering personally. But your GPU is opencl compatible so should be fine. Neither prevent you from working while a render is running.
Reality does convert both 3delight and iray materials but you will usually want to go in and verify/tweak. The basic workflow for reality is to load and set up your figures/scene in daz, but do all your surfaces tweaking in reality material editor, not in the daz surfaces panel.
Reality uses its own lights, you should not use daz lights when making scenes for reality, use reality mesh lights instead.
Dont use iray so I cannot compare speeds. So many factors to consider. For ex reality can use cpu, gpu or both, accelerated and non-accelerated modes, with a variety of settings for each.
Relaity is reliable and easy to use but it has a learning curve - figuring out the interface, presets, best practices, etc. But so does using other renderers.
I use reality because I got into unbiased rendering before iray existed, and I am comfortable and confident enough with reality that I have zero desire to check out iray. Plus I think in general reality renders look better than iray. But thats like my opinion man.
I recommend you ask your questions over at the reality forums.
Or ask Paolo himself in the Reality thread here. http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/72294/reality-4-2-learn-it-chat-with-paolo-wips-renders-showcase#latest
Paolo normally answers on his own Preta3D forum too.
I'd echo most of what Gederix said. I've had issues on my Mac trying to get IRay to perform but others seem to have less trouble with it than I do. I also like the end results from Luxrender but, again, that is enirely subjective. I'd guess, if you know what you are doing, either will give you excellent results. My main issue with IRay is that I'm convinced that CPU rendering is slower than either 3Delight or Luxrender - especially since Luxrender 1.5 introduced CPU acceleration. Again, IRay users have assured me that IRay CPU can be quick.
There are upsides to having IRay integrated into DAZ Studio but I actally prefer the fact that Luxrender works in its own window and you are free to tinker with your scene modifications in DAZ Studio. I'm told that IRay can do this but it involves having two instances of DAZ Studio running. I've never tried that.
I am interested in Reality as it allows working on a scene whilst at the same time rendering.
I would be grateful for information on things like;
I have a Mac with AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2048 MB gpu, is this compatible with Reality ?
Yes, Mac and Radeon's work with Reality and LuxRender. Paolo Ciccone is a mac developer by trade so the fact you have a mac and he has a mac means the features for the PC work with the Mac and the issues or questions you may have can be answered with something other than "I don't have a mac so I cant tell you..."
Does Reality automatically convert Iray / 3Delight setting acurately ?
Some it does, some need to be adjusted, it can offer things Iray and 3DL dont (and vice versa) so you will need to adjust for those if you wish to use those features.
Does the lighting work the same as Iray ?
lighting works the same as it does in nature. If you have any articles about lighting in photography studio it's identical down to the wattage and size of the bulbs, and the walls and the floors and anything that light reflects off in real life. Outdoor lighting is amazingly simple (create a distant light, name it sun, position it with the camera, render, then adjust the 'film" in LuxRender like you would with a camera [you can adjust the exposure in Luxrender like you would with a camera taking a picture, and you can adjust the film type like you would with dozens of brands of film types and chemicals - think instagram on steroids]
Is Reality faster than Iray ?
For me LuxRender (reality is the bridge) is faster and better for my final result but I am biased.
Is Reality reliable and easy to use ?
I think so, it has a fantastic guide that goes over pretty much everything. You can read it before you buy to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.
http://preta3d.com/reality-documentation/
If you are a Reality user, why do you use it instead of Iray ?
because I work on large involved scenes and aside from running out of VRAM I had nothing but trouble with lights in 3DL. Once I started working in Reality to Lux lighting started working for me and I could adjust it WHILE I rendered, that was key.
Thank you all for your interesting answers.
I will head over to the Reality Forum.
How would I open a 2nd instance of Daz ?
Just start the program again.
Yes, I tried that & nothing happens, just one instance. Is it different on a Mac?
Sorry forgot u said mac, no idea.
It's VERY difficult to open two instances of a program on a mac. Try dupiclaing the program and running it. It MIGHT work. Lots of programs won't allow that, in which case you need to go googling and forum diving elsewhere :)
I'll echo MOST of what's said about Reality. I do find it faster than iRay on my mac. However on the question of "easy to use" I'd say no...Not at all compared to iray and 3delight, whic I find are pretty set up & push button.
Reality (LuxRender) functions quite differently than other renderers, particularly Iray despite both being Physically-Based Renderers, as it is dependent on "photon" counts rather than convergence. The immediate implication is that there is no such thing as a "finished" render in Reality.
More importantly, the practical implication of using Reality is that any renders you make will be more 'accurate' given the provided light and material setup. However, that also means an improper scene setup would be detremental.
As for the speed of the renders, it depends on the scene. Well-lit scenes render very fast in Reality -- literally because of an increased photon count. However, that does not imply that an increased number of lights is the way to go as more lights just mean more sources to process. This also means that dimly lit scenes and your 'shadows' will be more grainy than expected as it will take a longer period of time for those areas to clear up.
I hope this helps.