Hello all,

I am new to Rendorsity, but have been purusing the site recently to try to find some answers to some questions I have.  I am currently using the latest edition of Rhino and vray as my rendering engine.  I work for an architectural firm and am going back to school in the fall.  I am really interested in learning the best option for terrain modeling, vegetation modeling, etc. for the platform I am using.  I know Vue is compatible with Rhino models via exporting as .obj, but that would take the place of vray for my rendering?  I am reluctant in that I have an extensive material list for vray and am really happy with how vray works and the results I get with the two working together, but am limited with setting up a whole environment.  I would also definitely like to be able to import data from USGS maps and be able to make terrain from that as well.  Does Vue do that? 

Also, is it common, for example, to render a building in rhino using vray, then render the scene in vue and then photoshop them together?  How good is vue at rendering buildings, I guess that is a material database question.  Are there accesible materials in vue or something that allows flexibility in rendering architectural constructs? Thanks all!

Vue can import USGS data for terrains.

Vue scenes can only be rendered by the Vue renderer, even when used as a plugin for other apps (Max, Maya, C4D, LW and XSI). The Vue rendered is compatible with VRay for Max (and Maya, but I'm not sure of the latter) when used as a plugin, but it still uses its own render engine.

Vue can export render passes to be comped with your VRay renders (Pro versions only, namely Infinite and xStream) in Photoshop.

Vue can render anything that can be imported into Vue. It's renderer isn't the fastest around.

You can create elaborate shaders in Vue using the Function editor (node based shader tree), it ships with limited material libraries when it comes to arch viz materials.

Vue ships with a comprehensive vegetation library, and vegetation can be customized TO SOME EXTENT with the plant editor. Vue vegetation reacts to wind.

Any other plant model can be imported in Vue, but it won't react to wind.

Hope this helps.

Another opinion on some of the points Bruno makes.....

In just my personal opinion, it is difficult to get great architectural materials with the Vue Material Editor. Particularly metals. Tony Mezaros has put out an extensive package of Vue metals, and I've also spent quite a lot of time trying to work up some of them. But I think neither of us are quite able to re-create architectural metals to the standard of Maxwell Render or Vray. V-Ray and the Max and Maya rendering engines (or Maxwell Render) seem better in this area of architecture.

(I'm a Maya and Max modeller, and use Maxwell Render for the most part for product work.)

If I already had a substantial investment in VRay, I'd stick with it.

However, that being said, the Vue Material Editor can create some unsurpassed materials useful to architects, such as moss, rubble, stone and the like. Not terribly good with wood, a little better with brick, but I like my professional wood and brick texture libraries better.

If you are returning to school, you probably should acquire Autodesk MAX and learn to use it with VRay, as well as Vue Infiinite or Xstream. Vue is directly compatible with MAX and can operate inside it (for the Vue Xstream version). VRay, of course, works with MAX. And MAX is kind of the architectural standard. (Nothing wrong with Rhino - it is great. But there is a serious need to master polygon modelling as well as NURBS modelling for architectural work.) Max would resolve your common "environment" situation - be the central workspace for Rhino - Vue - Vray.

If you are returning to school, then it would be relatively inexpensive for you to acquire MAX, and possibly Vue as well. Personally, I like Maya better, and it is a shorter learning leap between Rhino and Maya, than it is between Rhino and Max. But if you are going to continue in the architectural biz, you really need some familiarity with MAX.

As to speed, the Vue 9 rendering engine certainly is as fast as Maxwell Render 2, and seems just about as fast as Vray in Maya, for the most part.

Agree, Pam, I can't for the life of me, create "real" anisotropic reflections in Vue.

Give the free Vue 9 PLE version a try.