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RayBox area lights provide four main areas of benefit:
How does RayBox work with RenderMan?
RayBox use the RenderMan scene-description language natively. ARTVPS's RenderPipe plug-ins for 3D applications generate RenderMan data for RenderDrive to render from the application's scene data. RayBox also allows RenderMan (.rib) files to be rendered directly through a simple command-line interface. RayBox also provides the user the ability to use certain RenderMan files directly inside the 3D application, these include RenderMan shaders for materials, lights, cameras and atmospherics - making RayBox fully end-user programmable hardware rendering solutions.
RenderPipe FAQ's
What is special about RenderPipe area lights?
RayBox allows the user to create area lights through its application plug-ins. In 3dsmax/VIZ this constitutes additional lights in the lights creation roll out panel, in Maya RayBox simply makes use of the existing area lights controls within the application.
RayBox allows the user to create area lights through its application plug-ins. In 3dsmax/VIZ this constitutes additional lights in the lights creation roll out panel, in Maya RayBox simply makes use of the existing area lights controls within the application.
RayBox area lights provide four main areas of benefit:
- Size and shape. The lights can be made any type of rectangle (for spot lights), or any type of box (for omni lights. The size and shape of the light affects the quality of illumination generated. Just as in the real world RayBox area lights provide a diffuse and comprehensive illumination as a function of their size and shape.
- Shadows. Shadows are cast by RayBox area lights according to the lights' size and shape. The bigger the light, the softer the shadow. There is no need to work with shadow maps with RayBox lights. Because they are physically correct, shadows become increasingly soft and less dense the further they are cast from the shadowing object. RayBox shadows are also self-cast, in other words objects can cast shadows on themselves - something that cannot be done with shadow mapped shadows.
- RayBox lights can also be made visible, thereby reducing the need to model "stand-in" objects for lights. Visible light sources also generate specular highlights with the correct size and value (according to the size, shape and brightness of the light) in shiny objects in the scene, providing a much more real effect than the arbitrary specular highlight generation of most renderers.
What is special about RayBox cameras?
RenderPipe cameras provide two principle benefits over most renderers' cameras:
RenderPipe cameras provide two principle benefits over most renderers' cameras:
- Depth-of Field. DoF is truly 3D with RayBox, providing the user the unique ability to vary DoF over a single object, animate DoF over time (rack focus), and render camera fly-throughs with DoF. Many renderers' generate DoF as a post-process using the z-buffer, this involves varying degrees of blur on discrete rendered layers within the scene, this clearly limits the value of DoF in these renderers' compared to RayBox.
- Lens Effects. RayBox generates lens effects through the camera according the physical principles of camera lenses. Lens effects are created through brightness values in the scene that exceed a user-definable limit. In this sense RayBox lens effects are generated in exactly the same as with a standard 35mm camera - where portions of an image are overexposed a lens effect is generated. The kind of lens effect created depends on the type of filter used, and so it is with RayBox, which provides a number of lens effect types to choose from.
This is a unique property of RayBox, which can be referred to as high dynamic range rendering. This is because lens effects generated as a result of "over-exposure" make the over-exposed portions of the image look brighter than white, so that the range between dark and light in the scene is extended.
What is special about RayBox Materials?
ARTVPS provides a number of additional materials for the user of RayBox. These can be used in addition to the materials supplied with the 3D application. Three "RenderCoat" materials are added:
ARTVPS provides a number of additional materials for the user of RayBox. These can be used in addition to the materials supplied with the 3D application. Three "RenderCoat" materials are added:
- Shiny. Primarily for non-metallic shiny objects, e.g. plastic and ceramics.
- Glass. For all glass and translucent objects.
- Mirror. For all metals and mirrored materials.
The unique attribute of all these materials is that they are physically very accurate, providing a degree of reality beyond that provided with the corresponding materials that ship with 3D applications. They also provide an unprecedented degree of user control, creating a scene-building environment, which works very predictably, and therefore efficiently. Additional libraries of RenderCoat materials are also available from ARTVPS.
How does RayBox work with RenderMan?
RayBox use the RenderMan scene-description language natively. ARTVPS's RenderPipe plug-ins for 3D applications generate RenderMan data for RenderDrive to render from the application's scene data. RayBox also allows RenderMan (.rib) files to be rendered directly through a simple command-line interface. RayBox also provides the user the ability to use certain RenderMan files directly inside the 3D application, these include RenderMan shaders for materials, lights, cameras and atmospherics - making RayBox fully end-user programmable hardware rendering solutions.