LuxRender using GPU with SmallLuxGPU for Architecture
In a few months the use of GPU power to render scenes will be just like a global illumination render is today. Almost all tools specialized on rendering offers some kind of GI method to improve rendering. I still remember that a few years ago it was quite expansive to get GI renders. By the end of the 90’s only a bunch of tools had that. A couple years on the future we may have the same happening with GPU render.
Today I will talk about SmallLuxGPU, which is an experiment to implement GPU Render in LuxRender.
The first time I mentioned the use of LuxRender to render scenes with GPU Power, SmallLuxGPU was still an experiment from David Bucciarelli. In the past few weeks the tool was upgraded and it is now in version 1.50, showing some amazing render speeds and managing complex scenes. The video below is a demo of SmallLuxGPU rendering a few scenes, including some of the scenes used to show Arion Render and even iRay from mental images.
SmallLuxGPU v1.5 (OpenCL) from David Bucciarelli on Vimeo.
Visit this link to know more about SmallLuxGPU. By the time we see LuxRays, we may have a dramatically decrease on Render times for projects using LuxRender. For me, I think it’s time to upgrade my GPU. I only have 112 cores to render! It’s not enough.
Book Review: Blender 2.49 Scripting
One of the things that I keep saying to all my students is that if they want to work with big and complex projects in Blender, they must learn how to work with Python to create custom tools and scripts to accelerate the creation process. This is a rule for all kinds of environment scenarios, no matter what software you choose to use. It can be either Blender, 3dsmax, Maya or Softimage. You should learn how to create your own productivity tools. The downside of learning the scripting languages behind each one of those tools is that almost all reference material is not designed to teach scripting for 3d computer graphics.
For instance, by the time I learned how to work with Python, I had to try it first with something completely different like data manipulation, and then only later I tried to apply that knowledge with the Blender API.
Wouldn`t it be great if we could learn how Python work already using Blender? A new book released by Packtpub a few weeks ago offers this solution, and it is called Blender 2.49 Scripting written by Michel J. Anders. During these past few days I spend quite some time reading and going through all examples and exercises of the book. And I can say now that this is the book I wish I had back on my first experiments with Blender and Python.
The book teaches how to work with Python using the Blender API to demonstrate all topics regarding scripting for 3d projects. For me, this is the highlight of the book. You will learn how to create scripts for Blender with Python, going straight to the practical side of the task. For instance, the author shows how to select Poles in a 3d Mesh by using a for loop. If you try to learn Python from a different source, most authors will deal with numbers or database tables.
Another great thing about the book is the amount of practical examples and exercises that can be used to learn, and at the same time demonstrate lost of things that could be accomplished with Python in Blender. For instance, a user that never had the chance to work with PyDrivers will find almost a full chapter on the subject with examples on how to use it for animation.
Here is the chapter list, which is spread along almost 300 pages:
- Extending Python with Blender
- Creating and Editing Objects
- Vertex Groups and Materials
- Pydrivers and Constraints
- Acting on Frame Changes
- Shape Keys, IPOs, and Poses
- Creating Custom Shaders and Textures
- Rendering and Image manipulation
- Expanding your toolset
If you wish to create your own tools and scripts to speed up projects, or simple help the community with the development of new tools, I strongly recommend this book. I did learn a lot in the past few days and will use that knowledge for future projects, developing tools for Blender and architecture.
Modeling for architecture: Modeling a chain link fence
In architectural visualization we can find lots of objects that can be represented with the use of simple patterns like the floor tiles. For this type of 3d object we can use the Array modifier to create large surfaces based on a single and simple 3d pattern. The only thing we have to do before go to the Array modifier, is to prepare the pattern to connect the sides of the pattern and make a seamless 3d object.
If you never tried this type of modeling in architectural visualization, I just found a great example of how it can be achieved with the Array modifier. A user called mrzeon posted a tutorial on how to create a chain link fence at the Blenderartists forums.
A chain link fence is not a so common object for architectural visualization projects, at least not the projects that deals with residential projects, but it can help to understand the concept and use it for other types of surfaces.
Indigo Renderer using GPU to speed up rendering
The demand for better and faster renderings is always growing, and to speed up the render of any type of project we can always turn to GPU based renderings. Today we have a lot of options to use GPU based technology to create renderings almost in real-time, depending on how powerful your video card is, we can get really fast renderings. There are options like VRay RT, iRay, Arion Render and Octane Render. And now we will have another renderer entering in the GPU supported render engines. It is Indigo Renderer, which will start to use a hybrid solution by mixing both CPU and GPU power to speed up the rendering.
From the CPU point of view, Indigo is already really fast, and in my opinion it is the fastest Unibased render compatible with Blender. So far, there isn’t much info about how the GPU version will work, but it will be another great option for architectural visualization with Blender.
Rendered in only 2 minutes
By now there is only a form to be part of the beta test group that will be the first users to try the new renderer options. But, it is always nice to get more options to work with realistic render for Blender based projects.
Tips to create better renderings with YafaRay
As an architectural visualization artist and also a teacher, I know how important the workflow required to achieve realistic images can be for architects. Every time I have the opportunity to talk with other architects, they always ask me for templates or presets to speed up the creation of good renderings in Blender. That is one of the reasons they like SketchUp or Podium so much, it is because of the presets. I also know how important it is to be able to change settings in order to improve a scene or reduce rendering time.
Last week I found an interesting article containing tips and listing good practices about rendering with YafaRay. The author lists some of the YafaRay settings that can make the difference in render quality and speed.
For architectural visualization artists, the tips will cover the AA settings that can be confusing for new users and Photon Mapping for interior design visualization. Since, Photon Mapping can be tricky to setup, it is always nice to have a good set of tips to improve light quality.
If you still don’t know much about how YafaRay settings work, try to fine tune your scenes using some of the tips from the article!
