Chaos has unveiled V-Ray 6 Update 2 for Maya and Houdini.
This update introduces MaterialX support and expanded USD compatibility, designed to facilitate seamless asset transfers between different departments, studios, and software tools. Users can now create and render MaterialX shaders, translate existing V-Ray materials, and preview changes instantly with IPR. The update also supports the latest official version of MayaUSD 0.26.0, ensuring a consistent workflow with Houdini and delivering workflow improvements.
Significant advancements have been made to Chaos Scatter specifically for Maya, providing much greater control over scattering effects. New include and exclude lists enable users to finely tune how objects are scattered, using curves or meshes for precise placement. The addition of light instancing and group instancing significantly expands the creative possibilities, while edge trimming ensures cleaner edges for scattered objects, resulting in more polished final renders.
GPU rendering in V-Ray for Maya has been upgraded with useful new features. These include V-Ray Enmesh to create tiled 3D geometry patterns, faster animation rendering through bitmap caching, and the use of system memory for textures to handle detailed high-resolution assets.
Enhancements for greater artistic control are apparent across both platforms, with new features such as Shadow Selects (Maya), V-Ray Decal Cylindrical Projection (Maya), Light Directionality Strength (Maya and Houdini), and Chromatic Aberration effects (Maya and Houdini).
The update also encompasses improved volumetric rendering, better viewport representation, and MaterialX support in V-Ray for Solaris. The V-Ray Hydra Delegate has been enhanced, compatibility with Houdini 20.0 has been introduced, and V-Ray Fur now supports displacement and motion blur. Material Overrides for Volumes and user interface enhancements further streamline the creative workflow, making V-Ray a more efficient and intuitive rendering solution.