Rayscaper New Releases

[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

[Alattab]

Sorry, I found several materials that have the same texture but go by different names.

[Alattab]

The problem persists, as the palm trees cast their shadow onto the surface representing the fountain's water.

[pixelcruncher]

@Alattab said:

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

Thanks for the suggestion! Fine-grained shadow settings come up occasionally. For now, I'm keeping Rayscaper's settings simple, but I've noted it.

What would you use this for? If there's a common case behind it, there might be a simpler way to solve that.

Cheers,
Thomas

[Krass]

It’s fantastic and makes my mouth water.

[pixelcruncher]

Hey, Rayscaper users!

Rayscaper 1.0.0 is available. You can get it via:

• The SketchUcation store.
• Direct download: Rayscaper_Win_1.0.0.rbz.

I recommend upgrading to the latest version.

Rayscaper 1.0: Out of Beta

After many releases of Beta, Rayscaper is now 1.0. A big thank you to everyone who tried the betas, reported bugs and shared renders here: it shaped Rayscaper more than you think.

Fur Material

Paint a face with the new Fur material and Rayscaper grows real strands on it in the render: shag and short pile rugs, sheepskin, faux fur throws, plush cushions, even the coat of an animal. Start from a preset and tune the length, density and curl. An image texture colors every strand where it grows, so a patterned rug keeps its pattern. See Fur Material.

Wind for Grass

The Grass material gets Wind and Wind Direction, which lay the grass over one way, and stronger mowing stripes. The online material library now has thirty Grass materials: lawns, sports turf, meadows, wild grass and artificial turf. See Grass Material.

A New Look

The render window has a calmer, darker look with clearer selections.

What Changed?

• Add the Fur material: paint a face with it and Rayscaper grows real strands on it in the render, for shag and short pile rugs, sheepskin, faux fur throws, plush cushions, long hair and the coat of an animal. Fur hangs down under gravity on walls and over rounded shapes, and an image texture colors every strand where it grows.
• Add Wind and Wind Direction to the Grass material, and lean whole clumps for stronger mowing stripes.
• Add thirty Grass materials to the online material library.
• Give the render window a new look: calm dark surfaces, clearer selections and a new UI font.
• Take Rayscaper out of Beta.
• Fix dark soft edges and fades in PNG and TGA textures with transparency, and transparent images that were saved too bright.
• Fix a crash of CPU renders when the model changed while the render ran.
• Wrap buttons that ran past the edge of a narrow scene editor panel, and translate the Browse button.

Full release notes: rayscaper.com/manual/release-notes

Help Me Build the Community

If you like Rayscaper, please share your renders (final or work-in-progress, it doesn't matter)! This is motivating and helps me showcase its capabilities to new users.

Follow me on X.

Happy Rendering!
Thomas

[Alattab]