thank you thomas always the best!!!!

Jamal, I think you're right, I think I saw that texture somewere....maybe in the manual. Looks familiar.

Oh, I meant when someone starts a new topic - maybe there'e a message that shows up in the post message screen that says to make sure you're posting your version number. I don't know much about forum coding, but it seems like there ought to be a way to do something like that. There are all the smilies and stuff to the right, maybe there can be a note in that space too?

If you keep it in perspective view but change the angle to very close to 0 say 1deg you might be able to trick Vray into rendering it with physical camera still.

Better late than never.
I have had this very same problem too.
The only thing that i can think of to fix it is navigate through
c:/program data/ASGVIS/vrayforsketchup/Textures
and locate the file Google Earth Snapshot and deleted it.
That way vray will be forced to create a new file.
Or at least i think it will.

Here is an email i got from Chaos Group. Very promising 😄

My original question

Hi,

I would like to purchase Vray for SU. But i have a few question before I make
up my mind.

I am buying this software for hobby use. So I have 2 computers. One is a laptop and the other is a PC. They both belong to me. Can I buy one license and use it on both of my computers that belong to me? Or do i have to buy a second license!? If so how much extra is it going to cost me.

2)When the next version of VFSU comes out, will it be free if the next version is simply a fix for Bugs present in the current version? Or do i have to keep paying for the newer versions , even minor updated versions? And if so, how much do they generally cost.

3)Does the current version of VFSU work with the most up to date version of Sketchup?

Kindest regards
Josh

Reply from Chaos Group

Hi Josh,

Thank you for the interest in V-Ray rendering solution! Here are the answer you need:

One purchase, one serial number. However, since you are an individual user, we will give you a laptop activation as an exception. It's the same SN, with one extra activation.

2.) Eventually there will be plans to upgrade VfSU to version 2.0, which will be a paid upgrade. This product is not yet in development yet. A version upgrade will include significant additions to the product. We are always improiving the current version to work as best as it can. New versions are posted on our site about once a month, and they addess certain compatibility issues that arise, minor bugs, etc. As a V-Ray owner, you can always download these for free.

3.) Yes. The current installer works with both SU7 and SU8. There is a different installer for Mac and PC though. Please note that if you have BOTH SU7 and SU8 on your computer at the same time, the installer will default to SU7. In order to install with SU8 as well, you will need to change the path of the folder installation to SU8 destinations.

Thanks guys! Very useful chain of replies! All good tips from changing the color, and I had to find the AO switch as suggested but I ended up with the right result.

I use a png alpha image on all my 2d trees. This is what is concerning me. I'm sure I have done everything right as far as that goes. These objects worked fine on a image I did a few weeks ago.

I don't know how to fix your issue, but I do like your name... 😉

this link below will help you to make setting HDRI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqMohzR5mV0

Another email...

@unknownuser said:

Chaos Group furthers plans for enhanced services and support to North American market

Chaos Group of Sofia, Bulgaria – the world leader in the development of software solutions for the computer graphics industry – has acquired Baltimore-based software developer and visualization firm, ASGVIS, LLC. The acquisition will consolidate V-Ray for Rhino and V-Ray for SketchUp development within the Chaos Group brand, and confirms establishment of a new Chaos Group company in the United States that will enhance services and support to customers in North America.

A working relationship with the two companies began in 2005 when ASGVIS adapted Chaos Group’s flagship rendering plug-in, V-Ray*, to work with the modeling software applications Rhinoceros* and SketchUp*. In addition to developing these two products, ASGVIS resold Chaos Group’s V-Ray for 3ds Max* and V-Ray for Maya*. Joining the two development teams under Chaos Group will ensure consistency among the V-Ray products.

"We are extremely excited by this merger," said Peter Mitev, CEO of the Chaos Group. "We have worked with ASGVIS to extend the V-Ray platform into areas of business that our other V-Ray products did not cover, and having them join the Chaos Group only serves to make the V-Ray brand even stronger. The USA has always been a key market for V-Ray, and having a dedicated office to service our customers will allow us to provide an even higher level of service and support."

ASGVIS will officially be renamed Chaos Group USA. Peter Mitev will provide overall guidance for the new company, but there are no planned changes to the structure or employees as of this announcement. Chaos Group will continue to operate ASGVIS "as is," and will gradually phase-in changes to the process of ordering and support. Details on these general changes will be communicated by the Chaos Group in the coming months.

"Chaos Group is a true pioneer in the CG industry, and this acquisition is a monumental step to unify the V-Ray brand," echoed Corey Rubadue, founder of ASGVIS, and now the Director of Chaos Group USA. "It not only acknowledges the importance of V-Ray in the CAD market, but also firmly places the plug-ins for Rhino and SketchUp in the official V-Ray development pipeline."

About Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a global leader in creating rendering solutions for the Architectural, VFX and Film, Media and Entertainment, and the Automotive and Product Design industries. Through a worldwide network of more than 150 distributors and resellers the company delivers the market leading V-Ray rendering engine and continues to build upon its success by continuously surprising the 3D community with new, innovative and trendsetting rendering technologies.

Chaos Group was founded in 1997 with the establishment of a production studio for 3D design and animation services. The company quickly recognized the related software development opportunity and allocated resources for the provision of rendering solutions for production studios. The first product release began in 1998 with Phoenix, launched at the end of 1999. After beginning the creation of the renowned V-Ray rendering engine in early 2000, and upon its release in March 2002, the company dedicated its efforts to the rendering niche and pursued the development and distribution of its rendering solutions for the 3D visualization industry.

About ASGVIS
ASGVIS, once the "Visual Imaging Studio" of venerable architecture firm Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners, became world-renowned for its adaptation of V-Ray, the cutting-edge rendering technology developed by Chaos Group. The studio not only offered rendering and animation services, but also customized software packages used in production to streamline the rendering process. The programs included Autodesk’s 3ds Max and Revit, and eventually expanded to such 3D design programs as Robert McNeel and Associates’ Rhinoceros and Google’s SketchUp.

Further information:
Darina Georgieva
PR Manager, Chaos Group Bulgaria
pr@chaosgroup.com

Kim Trompeter
Marketing Manager, Chaos Group USA

Yes, displacement is something one should use sparsley as it is very slow. Though you might be able to adjust your settings and get acceptable result with smaller render times. But that will depend from model to model.

If you want to create the geometry in SU you might want to try the Fur plugin: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=28092

Have you checked the lights box in the general setting section of the setting dialog box?

Don't disable the GI, just remove the Sky map. Then adjust the multiplier for the GI (which is now just a colour value) up a little bit to compensate.

@aceshigh said:

@thomthom said:

The default settings for displacement is view dependant - ( displaced edge size depend on view ).

never really understood what this means.

To displace a mesh it's subdivided by V-Ray. Default settings in V-Ray is to adjust the subdivision based on the view. So mesh closer to the camera is subdivided more than mesh further away.

@aceshigh said:

does that mean I should create different groups with each face? Or that its enough that I divide the faces with lines? Meaning that instead of using a 10x10 meters face, its better that I use a 10x10 meters MESH made of several 25cm sized triangles?

Displacement eats up memory. If you have a large face V-Ray must hold on to memory for that entire face all in one chunk. But, if you split it into smaller pieces V-Ray can let go of some of the memory once it has processed each of the smaller pieces.
You can find tips and hints if you search for displacement and memory management. I'll probably explain it better than what I can do.

And I think (I might be making it up 😕 ) that V-Ray prefer triangulated mesh for displacement.

glad you found what you needed 😄

That is indeed the case with channels - vray gives you separate files. You then have to combine them yourself in PS. The only exception to that is using vrimage, which combines all the channels in one file. From there you have to use the converter to get an exr file.

@missy_x said:

@thomthom said:

You're looking to create brick walls where there bricks sticks out significantly from the mortar? You might want to use displacement then - given the view you posted earlier. If you enable Ambient Occlusion you'll enhance the effect in the mortar grooves.

I don't want the bricks to stick out that much really, but right now it looks like in one spot they stick out more than in the other spot. I'd like it to look the same.

Looking at that render, it seems the depth alternates due to indirect illumination on some walls but not others. So the differences are in fact accurate, and the shadow depth across all walls should not be identical.

Vray shows a black tecture when V-Ray cant find the diffuse maps.

You need to open the material editor and then go to diffuse maps and relink the image file.

Have a flick through the manual here

http://software.asgvis.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=561&Itemid=536

scaling textures for vray is done with the native texture scaling in SU. just right click the face with your material, choose 'texture' and then scale away. or better yet, in the SU material dialogue, adjust the exact measurements of the jpg image.

you can change the displacement parameters in the material to determine grass 'length.'

i suggest searching for related questions at http://forum.asgvis.com as the topic has been covered numerous times and in more depth than i have here. that's the best place to get answers to your vray related questions.

Hi

Have a look to see if youve used any gif images in your textures. Sometimes this can be a hassle and cause issues.
The amount of times Ive had this particular bug is enough for me to look elsewhere for a rendering program! Absolutely shocking considering the price Ive paid for the product.

Look into the menue for vray within SU, it has an option there to force sydc all materials or something along those lines. Just try those also (avoid the first option whatever that is as itll force you to re apply all your textures).

Hope this helps and good luck!