RayScaper tryout

nlipovac

Well,
It surprised me quite a bit, it got me to the early days of using KT and later Thea, and I am amazed at what a great product this is.
This time around I do have a somewhat better computer but still it is quite fast in rendering with GPU (GI)
It does take some time to get going, especially if you used VRay, but it has a great web page with enough information to make it a painless tryout.

What I miss is the stop/start button for rendering, and I did not like that the rendering settings are not saved, so every time I start Rayscaper it needs to be repeated.
There are more things I would like to address, but those two would make me buy it, especially since I quit using Vray two years ago. For anyone who is looking for a standalone renderer, I do recommend Rayscaper since I think it will only get better with time.

I started with a small, simple scene, floor, wall, and comfy chair.
Used HDRI and three directional lights.
Picture is 1000x1000 px, GPU (GI), 1000 s/px, 1:10 min. RTX 4080 Super.
I do tend to continue my tryout with more complex scenes when I have more time on my hands.

Rich O Brien

@nlipovac Nice result.

Rayscaper has such potential. Its fast and feature rich already.

nlipovac

@Rich-O-Brien, totally agree with you.

ntxdave

@nlipovac Rich, I agree. You are 100% correct (IMO).

pixelcruncher

Hey @nlipovac

Rayscaper developer here. Thanks for trying out Rayscaper. Your post just made my day! I'm happy to hear you are enjoying it.

It does take some time to get going, especially if you used VRay, but it has a great web page with enough information to make it a painless tryout.

If you don't mind, can you elaborate on the biggest hurdles in getting you started? I want to make Rayscaper as painless as possible for new users.

What I miss is the stop/start button for rendering, and I did not like that the rendering settings are not saved, so every time I start Rayscaper it needs to be repeated.

Yes, I had a couple of requests for the start/stop button. I guess I should prioritize that as soon as possible.

I'm misunderstanding the part about saving settings. Everything you configure for your scene is saved when you save the SketchUp file. Are those settings not loaded again?

it will only get better with time.

It is still early days, so I'm working hard on improving it
.
That's a beautiful render. Please keep them coming! Do you mind if I use this one to showcase Rayscaper on social media? Marketing is not my strong point, so I take everything I can get

Cheers,
Thomas

ntxdave

@pixelcruncher Some good answers (IMO) Thomas.

As for the start/stop buttons, again IMO, I think you should have to click the start button before Rayscaper starts rendering. There are times when you want to make some settings, like the HDRI background and making some material selections/settings and camera/FOV and maybe some lighting settings, before you start rendering. Again, just IMO.

Looking forward to your next update(s).

nlipovac

@pixelcruncher
When I used VRay when opening Vray Asset Editor tool you have buttons to start/stop rendering with the ability to run real-time or non-real-time rendering (push and wait to see result).
And since I have used it for a long time I am accustomed to that UI, your is quite good, and like I said it is just a matter of spending some time with UI to get accustomed to it.
For me, it doesn't save scene settings when I am done with the rendering and after reopening skp it goes to CPU rendering and pic size of my Sketchup window.
I use Sketchup 2024 on Win 11.
Please, use my picture to promote Rayscaper, this, and any I post later.
It is made using a model from 3DSky and Quixel textures for wall and floor.

pixelcruncher

When I used VRay when opening Vray Asset Editor tool you have buttons to start/stop rendering with the ability to run real-time or non-real-time rendering (push and wait to see result).
And since I have used it for a long time I am accustomed to that UI, your is quite good, and like I said it is just a matter of spending some time with UI to get accustomed to it.

The start/stop buttons are a must, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I will make sure that happens soon.

It's not as feature-rich as Vray, but I hope the UI makes sense for users new to rendering and users with prior rendering experience like yourself.

For me, it doesn't save scene settings when I am done with the rendering and after reopening skp it goes to CPU rendering and pic size of my Sketchup window.

Another user (@Mike-Amos) reported the same bug. I can reproduce it and plan to have a fix for the next release.

Please, use my picture to promote Rayscaper, this, and any I post later.

Thanks!

Regards,
Thomas