CompuServe Thread

#raytrace renderer in MAX

15 messages in this thread
#185524From: WILLIAM B. COOKEAug 16, 1995 9:22 PM
Jonas, What's the possibility that Max is goiing to include a raytrace renderer? Brad
#185537From: Jonas Ruikis [ADESK]Aug 16, 1995 10:49 PM
Hi Brad, << What's the possibility that Max is goiing to include a raytrace renderer? >> MAX's open architecture will allow for Render Plug-Ins. jonas[adesk]
#186941From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 23, 1995 9:25 PM
<MAX's open architecture will allow for Render Plug-Ins> Ack. You mean a raytrace engine will NOT be part of the core MAX package? It's nice to hear plug-ins will be so easily obtainable, but I would think the time has come, with such advanced program architecture and advanced hardware MAX will be running on, for 3DS to finally include a corecomp raytracer. In any case, not a MAJOR worry, for, as you said, plug-ins will fill the gap where corecomps leave off. It will just mean more $$$
#186959From: Jonas Ruikis [ADESK]Aug 23, 1995 10:41 PM
Hi Jerome, << You mean a raytrace engine will NOT be part of the core MAX package? >> I mean that at this time, the only information announced is contained within the MAX files found in the 3DS section of the lib. I'm sorry but non of us are at liberty to discuss any issues outside of the uploaded files. 🙁 jonas[adesk]
#186978From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 24, 1995 12:41 AM
<<I mean that at this time, the only information announced is contained within the MAX files found in the 3DS section of the lib. I'm sorry but non of us are at liberty to discuss any issues outside of the uploaded files. 🙁 >> OK. <pout>… Well, at least remmeber the wishes from a while back for a raytracer that will be part of the core 3DS renderer.
#186994From: ALAN IGLESIASAug 24, 1995 2:45 AM
Jerome, I think you should realize that whether raytracing is included with the shipping version of MAX or not, it would still be as well-integrated and seamless as possible when offered. -Alan
#187104From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 24, 1995 2:26 PM
<< whether raytracing is included with the shipping version of MAX or not, it would still be as well-integrated and seamless as possible when offered>> True enough, especially if it's YG who offers it. It's not so much that I would see it as such great importance for it to be offered right ON the shipping date, but that it would be a quality product offered by YG, who knows their stuff about 3DS. That, and that I think its time has come, whenever YG has the opportunity to integrate it with the package…
#187187From: ALAN IGLESIASAug 25, 1995 1:47 AM
Jerome, I share your enthusiasm about the possibility of raytracing in 3DS. Here's what I suspect will happen: As there are many, many others who have written wonderful RT code, I wouldn't expect the Yost Group to re-invent the wheel, so to speak, and re-write a whole new raytracer when they can be doing other, more ground-breaking things. I'm hoping folks like Michael Bassier and Aleskey's Moscow-based magicians will see their way to providing MAX with some great, fully controlable RT CoreComp plug-ins to let us have some fun with the things raytracing is famous for. It would be wonderful to selectively RT certain objects in the scene, thereby preserving some of the speed of 3DS's fine scan-line renderer. Then again, if the YG *did* include it, I'm sure it would be great stuff!<g> -Alan
#187196From: Michael BassierAug 25, 1995 5:05 AM
I totaly agree with you. We had the luck that we were very early involved in the creation of the rendering API. And so it`s only a question of time until you see RayMan for MAX. I have a vision of a RENDER-TECHNIQUE button in the material editor. You click on the button and a queue list window opens. You can click on ADD and then you see a list of installed shading/rendering techniques (like SCANLINE, RAYTRACE, FUR/HAIR, CLOUD, TEXTILE). After selecting one or more shader a option windows for this special shader will be opened and you can set things like tracelevel, refraction level (for raytracing), hair thickness, amount of hairs (for the hair/fur shader) and so on… By selecting one or more shader for this material you can have the optimal speed and image quality for this single material. Of course you can mix all materials/shaders in your scene. And this is just a question of time until we have this. The very fast and optimized scanline renderer of 3DS, the extremly optimized RayMan raytracer (remember that RayMan 1.5 uses an additional Z-Buffer for speeding up rendering), the incredible cloud shader (we might release some day) and our new textile shader we`re going to develope. Yeah, that would be a killing render engine… Can`t wait to have it… Michael
#187236From: ALAN IGLESIASAug 25, 1995 10:49 AM
All of that sounds just great, Michael! Hmmm…that cloud shader sounds REAL interesting. Hope you go ahead and do it… -Alan
#187243From: Ralph F. FrantzAug 25, 1995 10:55 AM
RayMan for MAX Cloud shader… Textile shader… Michael, Your message leaves me very optimistic about the future of plug-ins for MAX! Looking forward to hearing more obout these products. I always hoped for more along the lines of shaders for 3DS. Ralph
#187274From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 25, 1995 2:22 PM
GOOD ideas. Similar to what I would have imaged for such a renderer. I look forward to seeing if this becomes reality…
#187271From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 25, 1995 2:14 PM
<< I wouldn't expect the Yost Group to re-invent the wheel, so to speak, and re-write a whole new raytracer when they can be doing other, more ground-breaking things >> Valid point… << Then again, if the YG *did* include it, I'm sure it would be great stuff!<g> >> Which was my point originally 🙂 That, and the fact that 3DS users won't have to wait for it to come out, as well as paying xtra $$$ for it. Also, 3DS users could then count on a basic system of ray-tracing coherent to all. Fancier, more innovate ray-tracing features could, indeed, be left to other developers, but I would like to see some basic raytrace abilities we can all know, and all count on. As I said, with the hardware MAX will be running on, as well as the level of work 3DS projects have come to, I indeed believe its time has come. There are too many times TRUE reflections of the scene would come in handy, as well as refractions beyond what refraction mapping can do.
#187051From: Yost GroupAug 24, 1995 11:08 AM
I can't answer your question about raytracing, but I want to clear up a misconception about "plug-ins" for MAX and "core components" (or "corecomps"). They're the same thing. Just about every function we showed at Siggraph was a core component plug-in. In the first two demos, we showed corecomps that ship with MAX, and in the third we showed a separate product that runs as a core component in MAX. Core components can be anything from a cylinder-create tool, to a bend tool, to a full animation application, like Biped. – Jack
#187109From: Jerome R. KaliszAug 24, 1995 2:31 PM
<<Core components can be anything from a cylinder-create tool, to a bend tool, to a full animation application, like Biped>> Ok.. slight misunderstanding of the terminology there. I had thought a "core component" was going to be a routine that YG has produced as part of the base product that everyone gets, and other components produced by others were still going to be considered "plug-ins", even though they worked in conjunction with, and at the same level as the other core components. (I had also thought biped was going to ship with MAX, too…) Thanx!