enjoyMentalRayStringOptions, a UI to easely use MR string options

#81

I’ve sent you a PM with more recent iRay related DLL’s, as I think you might be using outdated ones for the version of mentalray that is in SP1. Hopefully that was the problem… Because I can’t think of anything else.

Although, what does it say in your “Output Window” when you try to render?
The only error I get is basically just a warning:
“IRAY 0.12 error: CUDA device 1: SLI is in use, may render slowly or behave erratically. It is strongly recommended to disable SLI with iray.”
Works better for me in SLI so I ignore that haha.

#82

Thanks a bunch mate.

Now with the new files it’s working.
Iray is working well, still in my view the scene handling is slow.
Can you confirm this?

But still my main problem exists. I can not use the “normal” progressive rendering mode"
When i switch of Iray, nothing gets rendered until i check the export state shader parameter.
Then it looks good until i rotate the scene - then BANG - maya crashs again.

Can you confirm this behaviour also?

Thanks for your support buddy, really appreciate it!

cheers

naik

#83

I can’t confirm the behavior… Unchecking iRay, and rendering with IPR works fine, Export Shader checked or not. And doesn’t crash when I rotate…

And yeah, when in GPU mode, iRay will slow down scene interaction quite a bit, since Maya needs to use your GPU for that also. That’s why if you have multiple GPU’s, there is a Iray Device setting for you to define which one to use. That way one GPU sticks to only dealing with iRay and the other handles Maya and the rest of your computer stuff.

And if you’re just rendering in CPU mode, just lower Iray Threads setting.

#84

@Kakkoii

that’s really strange mate.
I can’t do that without a crash.
Would it be possible to send me the file you have created with the settings to
just use the IPR and nothing else?

In other words, no FG , no sun&sky - i just want to test the IPR?

Thanks for your help bro

#85

Yeah, nevermind… I was talking about just the stock IPR… Enabling the fully progressive one in the string options does result in a crash when stropped or changed… But black if Export State Shader is off =/ Might just have to wait for Autodesk to address that issue, probably when they choose to fully release these features, if ever…

#86

Cool, thanks for clarification bro - really appreciate it!

I really hate it to say, but more an more i have to switch to Vray
although i really love mental ray , but the downsides are really
gettin bigger and bigger. It’s really a pity.

cheers

naik

#87

Hi Narann, Thanks for this great script. But progressive rendering doesn’t seem to work in Maya 2012 SP1 (64-bit). Just renders using the Mental Ray default blocks.

(I’m not interested in iRay until Autodesk integrate it better)

#88

Did you try this? http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=7107990&postcount=55

#89

Thanks for link…I just tried that code, but I just get a black render (I have a few scene lights and using IBL)…Also, I never use the default light.

#90

Try to unactivate miExportShadingEngine on every shading group.

#91

Try to unactivate miExportShadingEngine on every shading group.
Done! But just keeps crashing Maya when I try to render. :expressionless:

#92

This scene work for me. The reason scenes render black it’s because you need to also use “pure” mental ray light (“suppress all maya shader”).

#93

Hello all,
I’ve been reading up on Unified Sampling and thought I’d give this a try. The script executes properly, but when the panel comes up almost all the options are grayed out, un-checkable… And my main Render Settings now come up blank entirely. I’m certain your script isn’t intended to replace the main Render Settings though…

I’m sure there’s something I’m doing wrong here? I’ve never used string options before really, so it’s most certainly user error on my part.

#94

Haha! Yes, the problem is how Maya deal with string options that “should” exist.

My string only create/remove string options. it don’t do anything else (I think this is how it should work).

If you remove some string options that should be there (mainly Irradiance Particle options), you can “destroy” you’re Render Setting panel and have to recreate the miDefaultOption node.

The checkbox on the left create/remove the stirng option. Thoses on the right activate/unactivate the string option.

What I think is the good way is to just create string options you need.

You just open the script and it break your Render Setting panel? If it is this, could you post the error messages?

Could you post a screenshot of what you have when you open enjoyMentalRayStringOptions?

#95

Thanks for your prompt response!

I tried it again and perhaps one needs to close/restart Maya to make it all work, because it worked this time just fine. My main Render Settings also still works concurrently, and a test render verified that Unified Sampling is working as well!

Am I correct then in surmising that whatever the main Render Settings are set to, the String Options are overriding them? That is to say, using Unified doesn’t “gray out” the Adaptive Sampling areas in the main Render Settings, but they are being overridden anyway?

So far so good, thanks a heap for this tool and your support. I’ve read so much from you and Bitter about Unified, and figure if it even saves a few minutes a day and/or increases my quality it will be very useful indeed.

#96

When you open Maya and my tool for the first time, just look at which string options are already present and don’t remove them (or let them back) or your Render Settings will be destroyed.

About Unified doesn’t “gray out” the Adaptive Sampling, remember my tool doesn’t have callbacks Maya had. So you can potentially activate every string options but this will be mental ray which will choose. :slight_smile:

String Options doesn’t “override” things. It’s mental ray that choose what to do depending on string options.

From what I know, priority changes are write in mental ray change log (something like: Unified override Adaptive if on, etc…).

So the best advise I could give you is spend some time doing test reading your mental ray output. It describe what option will be used and you will understand which option are effective and which are not used.

My tool doesn’t make relation between every options. :slight_smile:

Unified sampling (and even progressive rendering) is a great jump in image quality. :thumbsup:

#97

If you activate Unified Sampling in the script it begins using the Unified Controls.

Unified is named Unified because it can control Adaptive Rendering, Progressive, and the Rasterizer.

This means that Unified Controls allow tuning of:

Progressive
Raytraced Rendering (the regular adaptive controls are negated at all times with Unified = on)
Rasterizer

These settings change meaning for the Rasterizer. But for progressive you can now control it through Unified but simply switch Progressive “on/off” It renders similar to Unified Sampling

Take care that an occasional bug with unfinished tiles in Progressive can still happen. It has been fixed some time ago but not included with Maya SP1. Progressive can be used to fine tune a scene. Once it is acceptable, simply turn Progressive “off” leaving other controls the same and render like normal for final frames.

#98

Seems like I really need to research Unified Sampling itself more to know what’s going on with these string options. When I start the script, it automatically put IP settings into my scenes and nullified my FG? Is there a way to start it with no options checked at all, as I’d only be using the Unified section?

Or would one simply open Maya, open the string options panel, then mark up the check boxes one needs, then open a project file after? Is Unified Sampling somehow tied to IP, or are they simply various options in the same panel?

Your script works great, my ineptitude has no excuses!

#99

IP is not tied to Unified Sampling or Controls.

I did not have this problem when using this script previously. IP should not auto “turn on”.

The indirect lighting options in this script can be destructive if you’re not careful. (The UI has callbacks to mental ray that can complicate things by switching things on and off, etc automatically)

So I just rely on it for Unified and ignore the other controls.

#100

Yes indeed Bitter. I had to uninstall the script to salvage a scene, in which the IP defaults broke my FG lighting and whatnot. I’ll reinstall it tonight and play around, see if I can’t figure out why IP is on by default when I run the script.