Rayscaper Learning-Practice

pixelcruncher

@ntxdave I don’t have any outdoor renders, so if you do please share most renders were done by @Rich-O-Brien and @majid and they were focusing on interiors.

ntxdave

@pixelcruncher OK, was just curious if anyone had any to share. I have not tried any yet.

I have the Skatter plugin where you can add bushes and etc to models and it does not support Rayscaper.

Would like to see some though if anyone has any.

majid

@ntxdave
Maybe an alternate solution works.
Make a component composed of two components, one very simple as a line (this would be our place holder), and the object you want to scatter. Separate their tag (layer) and hide the "complicated object's" layer (tag).
Now it is time to scatter the simple (placeholder) one.
It could be done using "component spray" plugin, I think.
It must render fine in RS, I guess.

ntxdave

Well, here is my first attempt at an external render. Many things to work on but I have to admit I am a little surprised at how this went on my first try.

pixelcruncher

@ntxdave that’s a great first attempt! The windows could use some glass.

ntxdave

@pixelcruncher Yes, I totally agree about the windows. I did try the glass on the roof. but I did a bad job. I might find another simpler model to try to adjust the glass and then come back to this one.

Rayscaper has a ton of options which makes the learning process kind of hard at times. From that point of view, while Twilight Render may not have had as many options, the user interface, at least is some aspects was a little simpler and easier to learn. Hope you do not take this as negative comments. I do not mean it that way.

The other issue I have is that there is no way to use Rayscaper with animations. I think this is becoming very popular these days and I hope it is something you plan for the future.

Again, I really appreciate your feedback/comments.

ntxdave

@ntxdave OK, here is a second try.

ntxdave

Some more learning

Here is my latest render. Some progress I think but one thing I am still struggling a little with is setting the scene in SketchUp so that it will produce the view I want in the render.

pixelcruncher

Rayscaper has a ton of options which makes the learning process kind of hard at times. From that point of view, while Twilight Render may not have had as many options, the user interface, at least is some aspects was a little simpler and easier to learn. Hope you do not take this as negative comments. I do not mean it that way.

It was not taken as negative! It's all good feedback. I understand it's not easy to use, it's something we should work on by improving the UI. But when I remember Twilight Render, it has a ton more options and features than Rayscaper. Is that not the case?

I am still struggling a little with is setting the scene in SketchUp so that it will produce the view I want in the render.

@ntxdave Can you clarify so I understand better and see how we can improve this?

You should be able to match the exact view you have in SketchUp in Rayscaper:

ntxdave

@pixelcruncher said in Rayscaper Learning-Practice:

Rayscaper has a ton of options which makes the learning process kind of hard at times. From that point of view, while Twilight Render may not have had as many options, the user interface, at least is some aspects was a little simpler and easier to learn. Hope you do not take this as negative comments. I do not mean it that way.

It was not taken as negative! It's all good feedback. I understand it's not easy to use, it's something we should work on by improving the UI. But when I remember Twilight Render, it has a ton more options and features than Rayscaper. Is that not the case?

Maybe I have not done a good comparison of the two systems. I do find the UI in Twilight Render somewhat easier to comprehend and use. I will try to do some more detailed analysis and give you some more specific feedback about the features that I have found a little more complicated to use.

I am still struggling a little with is setting the scene in SketchUp so that it will produce the view I want in the render.

@ntxdave Can you clarify so I understand better and see how we can improve this?

You should be able to match the exact view you have in SketchUp in Rayscaper:

I have tried this option but had some problems when dropping the HDRI background and matching it to my model. Again, I will do some more experimenting and try to be more specific.

ntxdave

I am still struggling a little with is setting the scene in SketchUp so that it will produce the view I want in the render.

@ntxdave Can you clarify so I understand better and see how we can improve this?

You should be able to match the exact view you have in SketchUp in Rayscaper:

I have tried this option but had some problems when dropping the HDRI background and matching it to my model. Again, I will do some more experimenting and try to be more specific.

Here is what I see:
Match SketchUp Viewport.png
While I like the result, to me the image in Rayscaper does not match what I see in SketchUp. Maybe me expectations are a little off. I just need to be able to understand what to expect. I had to go back into SketchUp and adjust the view in order to get something I was satisfied with in Rayscaper. I was not able to get something where I could see the entire building in Rayscaper.

pixelcruncher

You are right, that doesn't match at all! That's a bug. I will have a look at it.

To work around this, you can manually increase the horizontal field-of-view (FOV) of your camera:

Navigate to the camera tab.
Tick the "Override FOV" button.
Increase the FOV slider to make the view wider.

ntxdave

OK, that works and I will do some more "playing around".

ntxdave

Just rendered another of my models with Rayscaper. I think this one will need a little more practice but thought I would share anyway.

pixelcruncher

@ntxdave Good progress.

The background HDRI looks a bit pixelated with the resolution you are using. I recommend using a high-resolution image. If this is a PolyHaven HDRI shipped with Rayscaper, you can configure Rayscaper to use higher resolution HDRIs:

Open the Rayscaper settings via the menu File > Settings....
Configure the PolyHaven HDRI size in the settings dialog.
Save the settings.
Restart SketchUp (I will remove the required restart in future versions).

Happy Rendering!

Cheers,
Thomas

ntxdave

@pixelcruncher will give that a look.

ntxdave

Some more "playing around" and working with the feedback I get.

ntxdave

@ntxdave When I reopen my model and start Rayscaper, I have some questions.

Is there a way to determine which HDRI I have loaded in my previous render/edit?
How do I save an HDRI in the Favorites?
Where are things like the HDRI files (and possibly some materials) stored? Also, is there a set of materials so I can use them in future models?

ntxdave

@ntxdave said in Rayscaper Learning-Practice:

@ntxdave When I reopen my model and start Rayscaper, I have some questions.

Is there a way to determine which HDRI I have loaded in my previous render/edit?

How do I save an HDRI in the Favorites?

Where are things like the HDRI files (and possibly some materials) stored? Also, is there a set of materials so I can use them in future models?

OK, I found the HDRI files. A dumb question on my part.

However, I do not see any materials. I do see a folder for "UnzippedMaterialPacks" but it is empty.

I also do not see how to use the textures. Do I drag them to a spot in the model? One of the things I looked at was concrete, but they are pretty dark.

pixelcruncher

@ntxdave

You can drag and drop the texture on the model in the Rayscaper viewport. Or on the material you want to configure with textures.

Currently, I'm not shipping any materials yet with Rayscaper, but I will make more available in the future. I already got a nice metal material pack from @Rich-O-Brien but haven't gotten around to sharing it.

You can create your materials and save them in the library.