Mask Support Now Available in V-Ray Frame Buffer, Opening Up Pixel-Perfect Refinements Without Re-Rendering

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – February 23, 2021 – Today, Chaos (formerly Chaos Group) released V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max, Update 1, expanding the feature set to include support for masking, new Progressive Caustics, improved translucent materials and more. Artists and designers can now do more from a single render, extending the most comprehensive visualization toolset on the market.

Better Compositing

With added support for masks in the V-Ray Frame Buffer, users can now fine-tune their rendered images with pixel-perfect selections. All of V-Ray’s masking render elements including Cryptomatte, MultiMatte, Wirecolor and Object/Material/Render IDs are supported, helping artists quickly finalize an image without moving to another app.

Additive Dome Lights can now be rendered at the same time to help simulate multiple lighting scenarios. Direct support in Light Mix makes it easier than ever to fine-tune the results.

Free Content, Improved Materials

Chaos Cosmos, a new, render-ready 3D content collection, is now included within V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max. Perfect for interior and exterior architectural visualizations, the library includes hundreds of free high-quality 3D models and HDRI skies that can be easily inserted into any scene using V-Ray or cosmos.chaos.com.

New translucency methods have been added to the V-Ray Material. With built-in SSS and volumetric modes, it is easier than ever for artists to create realistic translucent materials such as plastic, wax and skin.

A new material override option has been added as well, helping artists preserve a scene’s original opacity, bump, refraction and self-illumination for more creative control. Convenience also extends to the Autodesk Physical Material, which is now auto-translated to V-Ray materials without the need for additional conversions.

Other Top Features Include:

• Progressive Caustics – Render reflected lighting from surfaces like glass and water are now far easier to achieve.
• Faster Global Illumination on V-Ray GPU – The V-Ray Light Cache now processes on the GPU, making it much faster to get to the first pixel.
• V-Ray Camera Lister – Easily edit all of the cameras in the scene from one interface.
• Batch Camera Rendering – Users can now export all of the cameras in their scene, making it easier for Chaos Cloud users to render any camera angle they need from a single export.
• Enhanced tyFlow Rendering – tyFlow simulations can now be rendered with V-Ray GPU and Chaos Cloud.
• Intel Open Image Denoising – Excellent for interactive rendering, Intel Open Image Denoise cleans up noise fast, on any machine.
• Viewport Upgrades – V-Ray Materials will now appear even more realistic in the 3ds Max viewport, giving important context to artists as they edit their scenes.

For a full feature tour, please visit the product page.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max, Update 1 is free and available now for anyone with a V-Ray 5 license.  Perpetual licenses are priced at $790, with upgrades available for $395. Term licensing is available at $350 (annually) and $60 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos
Chaos is a world leader in computer graphics technology, empowering artists and designers to create photorealistic imagery and animation across all creative industries. Chaos develops 3D rendering and simulation software that is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. In 2017, the firm’s physically based renderer, V-Ray, was honored with an Academy Award for its role in the widespread adoption of ray-traced rendering for motion pictures. Today, the company’s advancements in ray tracing, cloud rendering, and real-time visualization are shaping the future of design communication and storytelling. Founded in 1997, Chaos is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Prague, Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. For more information visit chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Full Spectrum of Visualization, from Real-Time to Photoreal Rendering, Now Available in Revit

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – February 23, 2021 – Today, Chaos (formerly Chaos Group) released V-Ray 5 for Revit, bringing an intuitive mix of real-time and photorealistic rendering to the BIM workflow. With a real-time view into their daily Revit work, users can design with immediate feedback, before moving on to full photorealism with V-Ray’s final renderer. To help in all cases, V-Ray 5 for Revit also launches with Chaos Cosmos, a powerful new 3D content library tailored to the needs of architecture.

“No one wants to start and stop when it comes to visualization; architects need constant access to push ideas to their full potential,” said Phillip Miller, VP of product management at Chaos. “With V-Ray 5 for Revit, that creative process can finally be unbroken. When changes are made, they’ll be reflected right away, giving architects an always-on view into how each idea is shaping up. This is a complete visualization solution from start to finish. And for many, it’s going to feel like a whole new world.”

Real-Time Visualization with V-Ray Vision

V-Ray Vision is an always-on viewer that updates in real-time, offering a high-quality representation of a Revit model as architects work. Encouraging fast, fluid design visualization throughout a project, V-Ray Vision helps users work through new ideas and client feedback from start to finish.

Easy Entourage

With over 650 free models and HDRIs to choose from, Chaos Cosmos reduces the process of populating environments to a few simple clicks. The highly curated library addresses the most common use cases found in architecture, including furniture, trees, cars, and people, for easy visualizations. Cosmos assets are automatically organized/categorized into native Revit families and categories. While a lightweight representation is shown in the viewport for faster feedback, the fully detailed object is always available at render time. Now, architects can add context and realism to a project, whether they are exploring designs in real-time or preparing them for the big reveal.

Beyond Rendering

The redesigned V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB) now includes some of V-Ray 5’s most user-friendly features, making it easy to bring a personal touch to any rendering.

With Light Mix, users can interactively change the color and brightness of any light without rendering again, creating multiple lighting scenarios from a single render. Image adjustments like exposure control, color balance and color corrections can also be added, replacing the need for external image editing tools. For extra control, render layers can be combined using the Layer Compositor to create more nuanced designs, or even saved as presets for later use.

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 for Revit Include:

• New Sun and Sky – Improves accuracy across the board, including when the sun is near the horizon, right before sunrise and after sunset.
• Line Renderings – Give renders an illustrative look by adding linework with global contour controls and material overrides.
• Texture Randomization – Now easier to create subtle variations in textures and materials for added realism.
• Stochastic Texture Tiling – An automatic fix for repeating textures.
• Coat Layer – Gain extra reflections on polished or lacquered surfaces without using blend materials.
• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate fabrics like velvet, satin and silk.
• New Displacement Workflow – Displacement can now be applied to both native Revit and V-Ray materials.
• Dirt and Weathering – New controls for aging materials with procedural streaks have been added to the VRayDirtMtl.

For a full feature tour, please visit the product page.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for Revit is available now. A perpetual license is priced at $790, with upgrades available for $395. Term licensing is available at $350 (annually) and $60 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for Revit is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos
Chaos is a world leader in computer graphics technology, empowering artists and designers to create photorealistic imagery and animation across all creative industries. Chaos develops 3D rendering and simulation software that is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. In 2017, the firm’s physically based renderer, V-Ray, was honored with an Academy Award for its role in the widespread adoption of ray-traced rendering for motion pictures. Today, the company’s advancements in ray tracing, cloud rendering, and real-time visualization are shaping the future of design communication and storytelling. Founded in 1997, Chaos is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Prague, Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. For more information visit chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Chaos Cosmos Offers Fast Path to Photorealism with Over 650 Drag-and-Drop Assets; Quickly Stage Visuals with High-Quality Content

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – February 23, 2021 – Today, Chaos (formerly Chaos Group) launches Chaos Cosmos, a new 3D content system that reduces the process of staging interiors and environments to a few clicks. Highly curated, the library launches with over 650 free models and HDRIs that will address the most common use cases found in architecture and design, including furniture, trees, cars and people. Architects and designers can now test ideas more freely as they cycle between real-time visualization and photorealistic rendering.

“Unlike other content, Cosmos assets are designed to work across the Chaos ecosystem, giving users a central way to add context and realism to any 3D visualization,” said Phillip Miller, VP of product management at Chaos. “For years, we’ve been working to connect our tools so visualization feels accessible at every stage of the design process. Now, that same interconnected system has render-ready assets on tap, making it even easier to bring rich details to a project, whether you’re working through initial concepts or finalizing the big reveal.”

Cosmos assets can be found online or via a new button within V-Ray 5 for Revit, 3ds Max, SketchUp and Rhino. They are also optimized for Chaos’ real-time tools including Chaos Vantage and V-Ray Vision, so users can quickly assess scenes with high-quality entourage. Because of these optimizations, the assets naturally adapt to any tool they are in, increasing viewport speed without the need for setup.

The initial batch of essential assets will always be free and were created with the help of industry-leading content creators like:

• Design Connected – A leading provider of furniture and accessories for interior design
• Hum3D – An expert vehicle maker
• Maxtree – Famous for their plants, trees, vegetation and foliage
• NoEmotion – Creator of high-quality HDR skies and environments
• Renderpeople – The world’s largest library of scanned 3D people
• VIZPARK – High-quality trees and plants

Chaos Cosmos will continue to grow, incorporating a mix of Chaos and partner-driven assets to give architects and designers everything they need to quickly shape a design. Cosmos support is also planned for other V-Ray integrations, to be announced in the coming months.

To browse the library, please visit: https://cosmos.chaos.com/.

About Chaos

Chaos is a world leader in computer graphics technology, empowering artists and designers to create photorealistic imagery and animation across all creative industries. Chaos develops 3D rendering and simulation software that is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. In 2017, the firm’s physically based renderer, V-Ray, was honored with an Academy Award for its role in the widespread adoption of ray-traced rendering for motion pictures. Today, the company’s advancements in ray tracing, cloud rendering, and real-time visualization are shaping the future of design communication and storytelling. Founded in 1997, Chaos is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Prague, Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. For more information visit chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Production Renderer Builds Five Years of V-Ray Innovations Into Massive Upgrade, Giving C4D Users a Faster Path to High-End Visualization and Visual Effects.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – December 10, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group releases V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D, a massive upgrade that packs every advancement from V-Ray 5 and V-Ray Next into one easy-to-use rendering solution. V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D can fit into any production workflow, saving artists countless hours with its built-in compositing, interactive light mixing and scene intelligence tools that render scenes up to 7x faster.

“C4D users finally have access to the full V-Ray experience,” said Phillip Miller, vice president of product management at Chaos Group. “This is a complete modernization of the product that will allow us to update it at the same pace as our other V-Ray integrations. No more waiting!”

Beyond Rendering

With Light Mix, artists can create dozens of lighting scenarios from a single render. Color and light intensity can now be adjusted instantly in the new V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB) without ever having to render again. Once everything is right, artists can save their recipes, send the layers to compositing and update the lights in their scenes.

For the first time, a new Layer Compositor will allow artists to composite their renders directly in the VFB. Users can now combine and grade render passes, set blending modes and adjust colors without using a separate application.

Scene Intelligence

To remove unnecessary set-up time from the creative equation, V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D comes with automatic scene analysis tools that will help artists produce faster, cleaner renders with no extra effort.

Cleaner, more accurate environment lighting can now be produced up to 7x faster with the Adaptive Dome Light (ADL). Point-and-shoot-style timesavers like Automatic Exposure and Automatic White Balance are now part of the V-Ray Physical Camera, so achieving the perfect render will be as easy as taking a snapshot. AI denoising has also been added to offer noise-free updates at interactive speeds, providing instant insights into lighting adjustments.

Faster GPU Rendering

The same V-Ray GPU architecture that made it two times faster in V-Ray Next is now delivered to C4D users. Artists can now take full advantage of their hardware, rendering on GPUs, CPUs or a combination of both. With full support for NVIDIA RTX cards, V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D is primed for rapid boosts, helping artists hit the highest heights of production rendering.

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D Include:

• Fast Interactive Rendering – Artists can now view changes in the moment, helping them create the look they want, without the wait.
   
• Distributed Rendering – Harness the power of multiple machines working together to render images even faster.

• Chaos Cloud – Render stills and animations at the push of a button with Chaos Group’s cloud rendering service.

• Volume Rendering – Easily render realistic fog, smoke and atmospheric effects or bring in volume grid caches from Houdini, FumeFX and Phoenix FD.

• Coat Layer – The updated V-Ray Material can now generate reflective coatings on surfaces without the use of blend materials.

• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate soft, microfiber fabrics like velvet, satin and silk inside the updated V-Ray Material.

• Metalness – Metalness reflections are now supported directly by the V-Ray Material, making it fully compatible with PBR workflows.

• Car Paint 2 Material – A new car paint material can take automotive renders to the next level with realistic flakes and less memory.

• Improved V-Ray Dirt – Add dirt to cracks and crevices, create procedural streaks or cover an entire surface for a more weathered look.

• Physical Hair Material – Achieve more realistic results with the new physically accurate V-Ray Hair Material.

• New Sun and Sky Model – Capture the light of magic hour. The improved Sun and Sky model is more accurate and looks better at sunrise and sunset, even as the sun dips below the horizon.

• Texture Randomization – Аdd variety to scenes by randomizing colors and textures with V-Ray Multi Sub Texture.

• VRscans Material Library Support – Access a library of over 1,000 photorealistic materials that can be dropped into any V-Ray scene file.

• Native Support for Cinema 4D Noises – Enhance renderings with different noise patterns and detailed surfaces. Now with less memory consumption.  

• Light Path Expressions – Artists can now create their own render passes for the ultimate control in compositing.

• Blue-Noise Sampling – Artists will now see less noise in their renders using the same amount of samples.

• Out-of-Core GPU Rendering – Initial support for out-of-core geometry helps users break through memory constraints to render larger scenes.

For a full feature tour, please visit the V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D product page.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D is available now for Windows 8.1 and 10, Mac OS 10.14 and up, and is compatible with Cinema 4D versions R20-R23. Licensing is available at $470 (annually) and $80 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Fastest Path to Real-Time Helps Users Explore Massive Scenes in Seconds; Free for a Limited Time

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – December 2, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group releases Chaos Vantage, a new application that allows users to instantly explore their 3D scenes in a fully ray traced, real-time environment. Unlike traditional real-time methods, the import process is simple – no geometry to optimize, UVs to unwrap, or lighting to bake. Users simply drag-and-drop a V-Ray scene, or live link from Autodesk 3ds Max, to bring it into real-time. Architects and designers can now interact with their designs in the simplest and most realistic way possible.

“Vantage removes the hurdles that used to hold people back, introducing a ‘real-time anytime’ workflow that lets designers and artists use real-time as freely as they use 3D,” said Phillip Miller, VP of product management at Chaos Group. “As real-time begins to live comfortably within every stage of the design process, it will make a huge impact on how people get their work done, from client meetings and over-the-shoulder reviews to the way they art direct various iterations. This will change everything.”

Vantage, formerly known as Project Lavina, is designed for massive scenes and can handle billions of polygons without any loss in detail or significant decrease in speed. Vantage automatically reads V-Ray’s physically based lights and materials to produce photorealistic results with 100% ray tracing, even on complex scenes. Vantage is currently averaging 24-30fps on a consumer-grade NVIDIA RTX card at HD resolution, with additional speed boosts available using two GPUs.

Vantage can open scene files from any recent V-Ray integration and also live links with V-Ray for 3ds Max, giving users the ability to see every camera, model and lighting adjustment in Vantage as they create. This turns Vantage into a fully ray-traced viewport that allows artists to make their creative decisions with higher fidelity than ever before. 

Vantage also includes an Animation Editor that can create, edit and render animated sequences for presentations or previsualization purposes, using a simple transition-based method. With cameras set in Vantage as markers, designers can direct the editor through the various milestones, manipulating transition times and moves at will. An onboard tool keeps track of all new cameras/poses during this process, ensuring scene consistency across a production.

Other Features Include:

• Object Transforms and Controls – Move, rotate and scale objects in real-time. Controls to copy, hide, and delete objects are also available.
   
• Lookup Tables (LUTs) – Apply a color filter to any camera for a more cinematic look.
   
• Collision Detection – Similar to playing a game, automatic collision detection allows users to walk up stairs and avoid walking through walls without any authoring.
   
• Layered Fog – Quickly add atmospheric depth to dramatize expansive scenes.
   
• Record Camera – Easily record a real-time session as an MP4 video for easy sharing.

“For too long, the production process has been getting in the way of the design. With Vantage, you can manipulate scenes right in front of your clients. There’s no more waiting or ‘let me get back to you,’ which completely changes the dynamic of a meeting and the way you collaborate together,” said Carlos Cristerna, principal and RadLab director at Neoscape. “Our work is focused on large-scale developments and international competitions with some of the biggest architecture and development companies. When you are working at that level, anything that helps get people on the same page is extremely powerful. Vantage does that faster than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s truly the way of the future, there’s no going back.”    

“Building Utopia” Contest:

To celebrate the release of Chaos Vantage, Chaos Group has partnered with Lenovo, NVIDIA, KitBash3D and CGarchitect to launch the “Building Utopia” real-time rendering challenge. Running until January 25, 2021, the contest will focus on real-time animation using Vantage and a free futuristic 3D city model provided by KitBash3D. 

Prizes include a Lenovo ThinkPad with an NVIDIA RTX 5000 professional GPU, an NVIDIA RTX 8000 professional GPU, and more. Registrations are now open on CGarchitect, with the winners to be revealed on March 26.

Try Chaos Vantage now.

Pricing and Availability

Chaos Vantage is available now and is compatible with all V-Ray Next and V-Ray 5 integrations. A one-year license is free until June 2, 2021, after which it will cost $389 annually. Vantage is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year. Vantage uses DXR ray tracing and currently requires an NVIDIA RTX series GPU. 

About Chaos Group

Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Live Real-Time Visualization Provides Immediate Feedback, Speeding Up Design Iterations Before the Final Render

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – November 19, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group released V-Ray 5 for Rhino, a powerful new update that brings real-time rendering into Rhino and Grasshopper. Designers can now use visualization in every part of the design process, from initial concepts to final renders, all within V-Ray for Rhino.

Real-Time Visualization with V-Ray Vision

V-Ray Vision is a live scene viewer that updates in real-time, allowing Rhino and Grasshopper users to build models, apply materials and set up lights and cameras with immediate feedback. Encouraging fast, fluid design visualization throughout a project, V-Ray Vision helps users work through new ideas and client feedback from start to finish, with the ability to quickly snapshot images or output animation at any time. 

Automatic Scene Lighting

With the new Light Gen tool, a variety of lighting options are generated automatically and displayed as a series of thumbnails, making it easier to find the best look and mood for a scene. Light Gen produces dozens of physically based lighting variations for each project using the Sun and Sky system and a wealth of included HDRI images. 

Beyond Rendering

The redesigned V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB) now includes some of V-Ray 5’s most user-friendly features, making it easy to apply finishing touches to any rendering.

With Light Mix, users can interactively change the color and brightness of any light without rendering again, creating multiple lighting scenarios from a single render. Image adjustments like exposure control, color balance and color corrections can also be added, replacing the need for external image editing tools. For extra control, render layers can be combined using the Layer Compositor to create more nuanced looks, which can be saved as presets for later use.

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 Include: 

• Expanded Grasshopper Support – V-Ray for Grasshopper is included with V-Ray for Rhino for real-time visualization, photorealistic rendering, and animation. Now, for the first time, users can visualize their Grasshopper designs in real-time with the new Live Link component for V-Ray Vision.
• High-Resolution Material Library – The popular V-Ray material library has been expanded and upgraded with V-Ray 5’s new layering controls and texture randomization features. Texture resolutions have also been increased to 4K.
• New Sun and Sky – Improves accuracy across the board, including when the sun is near the horizon, right before sunrise and after sunset. New controls have also been added to allow users to easily customize the sun position.
• Coat Layer – Gain extra reflections on surfaces without using blend materials.
• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate fabrics like velvet, satin and silk.
• Dirt and Weathering – New controls for aging materials with procedural streaks have been added to the V-Ray Dirt Material.
• Texture Randomization – Now easier to create subtle variations in textures and materials for added realism. 
• Stochastic Texture Tiling – An automatic fix for repeating textures.
• Line Renderings – Give renders an illustrative look by adding linework with global contour controls and material overrides.

For a full feature tour, please visit the V-Ray 5 for Rhino product page.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for Rhino is available and compatible with Rhino 6-7. A perpetual license is priced at $790, with upgrades available for $395. Term licensing is available at $350 (annually) and $60 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for Rhino is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Full Spectrum of Visualization, from Real-Time to Photoreal Rendering, Now Available in SketchUp

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – November 9, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group released V-Ray 5 for SketchUp, a new update that connects real-time and photorealistic rendering into a single workflow. With the introduction of V-Ray Vision, users will now be able to see a real-time representation of their current scene, helping them make faster decisions before moving on to full photorealism with V-Ray’s final renderer.

“V-Ray Vision is going to transform how designers work in SketchUp, bringing an always-on real-time view of every project,” said Phillip Miller, VP of product management at Chaos Group. “When real-time is always available, you can understand your design more fully as you craft it, add detailed entourage without burdening the system and know that all your lights and materials are ready for V-Ray photorealism when you need it. It’s a complete visualization solution from start to finish.”

Real-Time Visualization with V-Ray Vision

V-Ray Vision was designed to serve everything that comes before a final render, helping users work through new ideas and client feedback before they move on to total photorealism. Whether designers want to move their model, apply materials or set up lights and cameras, V-Ray Vision will display it all in the moment, offering a real-time view of the scene that updates as you work. Incredibly fast, V-Ray Vision can also quickly snapshot images or output animated sequences, allowing users to share their work with stakeholders.

Automatic Scene Lighting

With the new Light Gen tool, SketchUp users can rapidly explore a variety of lighting possibilities and select the best look for their scene. Light Gen will automatically generate dozens of physically based lighting variations for each project, helping it illuminate exteriors and interiors using V-Ray’s Sun & Sky system and a wealth of included HDRI images. Each preset also factors in real-world lighting conditions, so new lights blend perfectly as they are added by the user.

Beyond Rendering

The redesigned V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB) now includes some of V-Ray 5’s most user-friendly features, making it easy to bring a personal touch to any rendering.

With Light Mix, users can interactively change the color and brightness of any light without rendering again, creating multiple lighting scenarios from a single render. Image adjustments like exposure control, color balance and color corrections can also be added, replacing the need for external image editing tools. For extra control, render layers can be combined using the Layer Compositor to create more nuanced designs, or even saved as presets for later use.

"As soon as we heard about Light Mix, we couldn't wait to get our hands on it. Now, when a client asks for a nighttime version of the shot, we change a few settings and presto, we've got it," said Dan Stone, head of operations of Archilime Visualisations. "This really boosts both the quality and quantity of work we can produce. It's pretty amazing."

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 Include:

• New V-Ray 5 Material Library – The popular V-Ray material library has been expanded and upgraded with V-Ray 5’s new layering controls and texture randomization features. Texture resolutions have also been increased to 4K.
   
• Coat Layer – Gain extra reflections on surfaces without using blend materials.
   
• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate fabrics like velvet, satin and silk.
   
• Built-In Bump Layer - A built-in parameter section will now allow users to adjust bump attributes.
   
• Dirt and Weathering – New controls for aging materials with procedural streaks have been added to the VRayDirtMtl.
   
• Line Renderings – Easily create line renderings of any project using simple material overrides.
   
• New Sun and Sky – Improves accuracy when the sun is at the horizon, including the magic hours right before sunrise and after sunset. New controls have also been added to allow users to easily customize the sun position.
   
• Texture Randomization – For more realistic textures and materials, artists can now add more variety and subtle imperfections with the new VRayUVWRandomizer map and improved VRayMultiSubTex controls.
   
• Stochastic Texture Tiling – Automatically remove tiling artifacts with the new VRayUVWRandomizer.

For newcomers, V-Ray 5 comes with access to an extensive library of video tutorials, free technical support and collaborative forums. For a full feature tour, please visit the product page or tune into the V-Ray 5 for SketchUp webinar on November 10.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for SketchUp is available now for Windows and Mac OS, with V-Ray Vision Mac support coming soon. A perpetual license is priced at $790, with upgrades available for $395. Term licensing is available at $350 (annually) and $60 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for SketchUp is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

New Built-In Compositor and Light Mix Features Expand Animation/Production Toolset Beyond Traditional Renderers

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – August 6, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group released V-Ray 5 for Maya, a major new version of its Academy-Award winning production renderer. For more than a decade V-Ray has been used by the world’s leading studios to render over 300 television series and feature films, including Terminator: Dark Fate, Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones. To meet the growing demands of high-end production, V-Ray 5 for Maya builds on its extensive rendering toolset with integrated compositing, interactive light mixing, powerful scene management and more.

“V-Ray is rock solid, no matter what you apply it to,” said Bob White, lighting department supervisor at Digital Domain. “We've used it on everything from Thanos to Terminator and we get a consistent output back every time. As we continue to push the boundaries of CG characters, we need tools that can keep up. V-Ray has been there for us every step of the way.”  

Beyond Rendering

The redesigned V-Ray Frame Buffer now plays host to two of V-Ray 5’s most anticipated features, opening up even more control to artists who want to do more in one program.

With Light Mix, artists can create dozens of lighting scenarios from a single render. Color and light intensity can now be adjusted instantly without ever having to render again. Once everything is right, artists can save their recipes, send the layers to compositing and update the lights in their scenes. 

For the first time, a new Layer Compositor will allow artists to composite their renders directly in the new V-Ray Frame Buffer. Users can now combine and grade render passes, set blending modes and adjust colors for more in-depth previews before sending the layers on to NUKE.

Light Path Expressions

With the addition of Light Path Expressions, artists can construct their own render passes, providing better control while compositing. Specific lighting contributions can now be outputted with time-saving presets, custom expressions or even combined with boolean operations to get a pass ready for comp.

Lighter Scenes, More Flexibility

V-Ray 5 introduces a brand-new VRayProxy node that is fast and easy to use. With proxies loading in the background, artists can now start working right away, using a new hierarchy view to select, hide or assign materials to different objects inside the proxies. Rules can also be created, making it easier to modify multiple objects at once.

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 Include: 

• Native ACEScg Support – Artists can now create color-accurate workflows in the new standard for professional production. Once selected, V-Ray makes automatic colorspace adjustments for textures, dispersion, sun & sky and light temperature, bringing immediate consistency to a shot.

   

• Coat Layer – The updated V-Ray Material can now generate reflective coatings on surfaces without the use of blend materials.

   

• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate soft, microfiber fabrics like velvet, satin and silk inside the updated V-Ray Material.

   

• V-Ray GPU Updates – V-Ray GPU supports every new feature in V-Ray 5, as well as 2D displacement, OSL textures and memory tracking. Initial support for out-of-core geometry has also been added to help users render scenes when they are too big for a GPU’s RAM.

   

• Material Presets – Save time making common materials with new presets for metals, plastics, glass and more. Presets for common hair colors like blonde, brown and black have been added as well.

   

• Texture Randomization – For more realistic textures and materials, artists can now add more variety and subtle imperfections with the new VRayUVWRandomizer map and improved VRayMultiSubTex controls.

   

• Stochastic Texture Tiling – Automatically remove tiling artifacts with the new VRayUVWRandomizer.

   

• Dirt and Weathering – With the improved V-Ray Dirt texture, users can add dirt to cracks and crevices, create procedural streaks or cover an entire surface.

   

• New Sun and Sky Model – Improves accuracy when the sun is at the horizon, including the magic hours right before sunrise and after sunset. 

   

• Blue Noise Sampling – New algorithm update can make images (and noise) look cleaner through fewer samples.

   

• Filmic Tonemapping – HDR images can now mimic the properties of film to give images a cinematic look.

   

For a full feature tour, please visit the V-Ray 5 for Maya product page.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for Maya is available now for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX. A perpetual license is priced at $1,180, with upgrades available for $590. Term licensing is available at $470 (annually) and $80 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for Maya is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Photorealistic Ray Tracer Adds Post-Rendering Compositing and Lighting Tools, Expanding the Industry’s Most Complete Rendering Toolset

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 16, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group released V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max, connecting its award-winning renderer to more parts of the visualization process. Artists and designers can now composite renders, enhance materials and interactively relight images without leaving the program, extending V-Ray’s capabilities into new realms.

“The future is all-in-one,” said Phillip Miller, Vice President of Product Management at Chaos Group. “An artist doesn’t want to jump into extra applications – they want tools that excel at every part of the process. V-Ray 5 is a big step in that direction.” 

Beyond Rendering

Two of V-Ray 5’s most exciting additions – Layer Compositing and Light Mix – can be found in the new V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB), which was also redesigned for efficiency and a cleaner look.

With Light Mix, artists can interactively explore different lighting scenarios without having to re-render an image. Users can now adjust the color and intensity of any light source right away, ensuring faster iterations when designing looks and moods.

The Layer Compositor offers a faster path to final images, helping users post-process shots in the new VFB without outside applications. Using this non-destructive workflow, artists can adjust different render elements and perform color corrections with ease. 

Materials Made Easy

V-Ray 5 adds seven features and improvements tailored to materials, including a new management system and over 500 readymade materials designed to cover most objects and spaces. New built-in presets can help dial-in everyday options like metal, glass and plastic, as well as common hair colors, helping artists achieve photorealism much faster.

With V-Ray 5’s new randomization tools, artists can add slight variations to their materials, increasing believability across a scene. VRayMultiSubTex colors can now be shifted by hue, saturation and gamma, while a new VRayUVWRandomizer map will adjust the offset, rotation and scale of both textures and procedural materials. For repeating texture maps, artists now have Stochastic Texture Tiling, which automatically removes tiling artifacts.

Other New Features in V-Ray 5 Include: 

• Coat Layer – Gain extra reflections on surfaces without using blend materials.
• Sheen Layer – Easily simulate fabrics like velvet, satin and silk.
• Photoreal Material Previews – New view incorporates global illumination to provide an exact representation of a rendered material.
• Dirt with Streaks – New controls for aging materials with procedural streaks have been added to the VRayDirtMtl.
• New Car Paint Material – Provides highly realistic flakes with less memory.
• New Sun and Sky System – Improves accuracy when the sun is at the horizon, including the magic hours right before sunrise and after sunset. 
• Camera EV Control – Adjust the exposure value of the V-Ray Physical Camera without affecting motion blur or depth of field.
• V-Ray GPU Updates – Initial support for out-of-core geometry allows users to break through memory constraints when necessary. Resumable progressive rendering ensures artists never have to restart from square one.
• Blue Noise Sampling – New algorithm update can make images (and noise) look cleaner through fewer samples.
• V-Ray Scene Updates – Export selected objects, including pivot points, for transforms in Project Lavina. 
• ACEScg Color Workflows – Artists can now render in the emerging CG colorspace standard, accessing a wider gamut of colors.
• Light Path Expressions – The behavior of light in a scene can now be used for custom render elements.
• Filmic Tonemapping – HDR images can now mimic the properties of film to give images a cinematic look.

For a full feature tour, please visit the V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max product page. Chaos Group will also be hosting a webinar and live Q&A on June 23. The webinar is completely free and begins at 9 a.m. PST / 7 p.m. EEST. Register now.

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max is available now for Windows. A full Workstation license is priced at $1,180, with upgrades available for $590. Term licensing is available at $470 (annually) and $80 (monthly). V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max is also included in V-Ray Collection, an annual plan that gives users full access to 15 Chaos Group products and services for $699/year.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Fifteen Chaos Group Products With One License; Easy Access to V-Ray 5, Phoenix FD and More for Visual Effects and Archviz

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 16, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group launches V-Ray Collection, a new offering designed to help artists connect their entire creative pipeline through a single floating license. Users can now move freely between 3D applications, applying their own mix of photorealistic rendering, fluid simulation and real-time scene exploration to any project. 

V-Ray Collection offers instant access to 15 products and services for $699/year, including the latest versions of V-Ray, Phoenix FD, Project Lavina, and the high-res material library, VRscans, on the same machine. Users will receive free upgrades for the life of their license, as well as 20 Chaos Cloud credits every year. 

A standard in architecture, design and visual effects, V-Ray is the most widely used rendering solution in the world. Whether used to showcase products at IKEA or bring the Game of Thrones dragons to life, V-Ray has helped artists and designers visualize their best work for over 20 years, pushing the boundaries of imagery, animation and real-time. In 2017, V-Ray was honored with an Academy Award for helping to facilitate the “widespread adoption of fully ray-traced rendering [in] motion pictures.”

V-Ray Collection Includes:

Photorealistic Rendering:

• V-Ray for 3ds Max
• V-Ray for Maya
• V-Ray for SketchUp
• V-Ray for Rhino
• V-Ray for Revit
• V-Ray for Modo
• V-Ray for Unreal
• V-Ray for Houdini
• V-Ray for Nuke
• V-Ray for Cinema 4D
• V-Ray for Blender

All-In-One Fluid Simulation:

• Phoenix FD for 3ds Max
• Phoenix FD for Maya​​​​​​​

1000+ Scanned Materials:

• VRscans

Real-Time Scene Exploration:

• Project Lavina

Pricing and Availability
V-Ray Collection is available now for $699/year. Licenses can be purchased directly on the product page. Unlike past licenses, V-Ray Collection will not require a separate render node for each product. Individual product licenses are still available. For students, schools and educators, the V-Ray Education Collection is also available.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Photorealistic Renderer Now Free for Non-Commercial Use

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – April 16, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group releases V-Ray PLE for Maya, a new personal learning edition of its production renderer. V-Ray PLE helps new and self-taught CG artists explore the benefits of photorealistic rendering at their own pace, using a free non-commercial license that can be renewed every 90 days. With access to nearly every V-Ray feature, artists can build new skills as they try out some of the same tools used to bring Game of Thrones and Avengers: Infinity War to life.

V-Ray PLE for Maya comes equipped with all the major features of V-Ray Next, including scene intelligence, GPU production rendering and improved IPR. While renders are never watermarked, V-Ray PLE output is limited to 4K. Other limitations are mainly network or development driven: no batch rendering, distributed rendering or access to AppSDK.

V-Ray PLE for Maya has been in development for several months but was fast-tracked after COVID-19 to help more artists access the software from home. With more artists indoors, Chaos Group wanted to offer an engaging way to build new skills. To help them along, Chaos Group has also added a new set of learning materials to the V-Ray for Maya documentation page.

V-Ray PLE for Maya represents the pilot project for V-Ray personal learning editions. Chaos Group will leave the option open for other products in the future.

For more information, please visit the V-Ray PLE for Maya product page.

Pricing and Availability

V-Ray PLE for Maya is available now for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Licenses are free for non-commercial use and can be renewed every 90 days.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com

Eleven V-Ray and Phoenix FD Products Now Available Through One License; More Flexibility for Projects, Classes and Coursework

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – April 1, 2020 – Today, Chaos Group launches the V-Ray Education Collection, a new offering that provides access to 11 V-Ray and Phoenix FD products through a single license. Students, schools and educators can now use Chaos Group’s industry-standard renderer and fluid simulation software for $149 a year (an 86% savings compared to purchasing individually). 

"We wanted to make it easier for students and educators to access a full suite of software, as they learn and teach visualization for architecture, design and visual effects,” said Veselina Zheleva, Chaos Group education director. “With our new collection, users can easily switch between the leading 3D applications, helping them branch out, reduce costs and expand their curriculums.”

Students
The V-Ray Education Collection offers students more flexibility as they begin to master workflows and build their portfolios. As coursework and interests develop, students can apply different versions of V-Ray to their own unique challenges. With options for architecture (Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, 3ds Max), visual effects (Maya, Houdini), real-time (Unreal) and more, students can now hone in on the areas that matter most.

Universities and Educators
With one price across products, schools and teachers no longer have to limit themselves as they design courses. They can choose the right product for the job, and then switch it if plans or industry trends start to shift. As cost is a historical barrier to departmental growth, the V-Ray Education Collection has been priced to spur new classes and expanded curriculums, so administrators won’t have to wait for new budgets whenever they have a good idea.

The V-Ray Education Collection includes full versions of 11 products and free upgrades for the length of the license. Free access to Chaos Group’s commercial support team is also included, providing on-demand support from set-up to settings.

The V-Ray Education Collection Includes:

• V-Ray for 3ds Max
• V-Ray for Maya
• V-Ray for SketchUp
• V-Ray for Rhino
• V-Ray for Revit
• V-Ray for Modo
• V-Ray for Unreal
• V-Ray for Houdini
• V-Ray for Cinema 4D
• Phoenix FD for 3ds Max
• Phoenix FD for Maya

To learn more, please visit Chaos Group’s education page.

Pricing and Availability
The V-Ray Education Collection is available now for any accredited institution, educator, student or training center and priced at $149 a year. Licenses can be purchased directly or through one of Chaos Group’s education resellers.

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photorealistic imagery and animation for architecture, design, and visual effects. Chaos Group’s award-winning physically-based rendering and simulation software is used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company's research and development in ray-traced rendering, cloud computing and real-time ray tracing is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo. For more information, visit: chaosgroup.com.

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Press Contacts:

Chaos Group
David Tracy, david.tracy@chaosgroup.com
www.chaosgroup.com

Liaison
Colin McLaughlin, (503) 796-9822, colin@liaisonpr.com
www.liaisonpr.com