Rayscaper New Releases

[lightscape]

lightscape said:

@pixelcruncher
Even in the beta phase, Rayscaper is still excellent, and the designers around me are looking forward to Rayscaper surpassing Thea Render in SketchUp

I just completed a test scenario with a small resolution, and I used AI to remove the watermark (not for commercial use, just for the sake of visual appeal). Rayscaper's rendering capabilities are currently outstanding

[pixelcruncher]

@Krass No, it wouldn't really help. Rayscaper scatters the patches with the configured density over the faces. More faces means just more work for the scattering engine.

We did some experimenting this afternoon, and might have something better soon(-ish).

Stay tuned!

Cheers,
Thomas

[Krass]

it's very good !
I believe you used synthetic grass with large blade size...

[Alattab]

when grass type changes to meadow there is a bug fix (crush) in sketchup 2025 , in sketchup 2026 is fine work

[Alattab]

Using a texture as a scattering map—as well as deriving color from that texture—is a fantastic idea. However, I hope the issue regarding the inability to select a preset gets resolved; it’s a bug that causes a fatal error in SketchUp.

[Krass]

Hello,
Thomas
Could you share the Rayscaper rug model so I can understand how you made it? Is the logo an image, or was it drawn in SketchUp?

[pixelcruncher]

@Alattab, yes, thanks for the report. We were able to reproduce this. We'll include a fix in the next version.

Cheers,
Thomas

[pixelcruncher]

@Krass, I figured out how to hack the grass material to make rugs too. However, that required code changes in Rayscaper, so it will be available only in the new version. Stay tuned for this. I will share the skp file as well with the new version so you can have the same results.

Cheers,
Thomas

[Alattab]

I believe it is necessary to add a "mask map" alongside the alpha and opacity maps; otherwise, I cannot properly render the appearance of the fountain water—indicated by the number 1 in the image—as required. Furthermore, I think it is essential to include specific fluid presets—such as those for milk, carbonated water, aerated water, etc. In the image, the element marked with the number 2 represents the aerated water produced by a bubbler nozzle.

[ntxdave]

Interesting image. What software did you use to add the 1 and 2 highlights?

[Alattab]

[Alattab]

@ntxdave it is calld" Franzis cutout profistional "

[Alattab]

@ntxdave if you mean number bubble tag , use softwear calld Ksnip it is freecharge , open source kind type

[pixelcruncher]

@Alattab, thanks for the clear example. You can render the spray (1) already today, without a separate mask map: the Opacity of a material takes any image and can read its brightness instead of its alpha, which is exactly what your black and white image is.

I tried it with your two images on a single upright face in a quick test scene:

Select the material of the jet in the material editor and set:

1. Color: white, or a very light blue.
2. Opacity: click the image icon, choose Image as the Texture Type and load the black and white image.
3. Color Space: Linear.
4. Channel: Luminance.

Black is then fully transparent, white is solid and the greys in between are partly see-through, so the soft edges of the spray stay soft. You don't need the colored PNG for this.

The fluid presets (milk, carbonated, and aerated water) are noted as a feature request. For the bubbler jets (2), the same trick with a picture of foamy water works best for now.

Cheers,
Thomas

[Alattab]

@pixelcruncher
With all due respect, Mr. Thomas, I appreciate your valuable efforts. I will keep you updated on any insights or feedback I come across as they arise. My only suggestion is to establish a set schedule for releasing new versions; this would allow us to thoroughly explore previous versions and, in turn, provide more comprehensive feedback.

[pixelcruncher]

@Alattab, thanks for the feedback, but for now I'm not going on a fixed release cadence.

Rayscaper isn't my day job, so I have to make time to work on it. Last month was very productive because I could spend most days (and nights) developing, but that's not always a given. So I try to release as early as I can to get that valuable user feedback. I'm on a fast release cadence right now, but that's not always a given. I will always try to support customers as fast as I can, but regular development might take a backseat sometimes.

I'm also almost at the 1.0 stopping point. After that, I will take some time to develop the 2.0 features and build a solid beta set for the 2.0 release. Also, I've been working towards a 1.0 release for 3 years now (!!!), @rich-o-brien has been testing this monster since August 2023. I need to get something out.

Cheers,
Thomas

[Alattab]

[Alattab]

It is a good idea to find settings that prevent elements from casting or receiving shadows.

[Alattab]

@pixelcruncher This is what I mean: set a specific day for us to receive a new release, and leave us the rest of the week—or month—to gather feedback.

[pixelcruncher]

@krass jus a little teaser

Turns out you can do a lot of cool stuff by modifying grass.

Of course we had to make one for the SketchUcation crowd

And yes, it works on dogs too.

Fur will be in the next release.

Cheers,
Thomas