How to Integrate FluidRay RT with Modo for Easier Rendering

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FluidRay RT Tutorial on how to quickly get started with the integration plugin for Luxology Modo.

Using the integration plugin will allow you to conveniently render models directly from inside Modo using FluidRay RT technology. This video will cover:

  • How FluidRay RT interconnects with Modo
  • Edit and render models in real-time
  • Applying materials & and changing surface appearance
  • Applying environment lighting

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

3dsMax to FluidRay step by step for easier rendering

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In this tutorial we are going to cover step by step the process of taking a 3dsmax scene, exporting it in .fbx, and rendering it using FluidRay RT. The following are a couple of examples of the results achieved. The original scenes were taken from Evermotion Archexteriors collection and originally came as 3dsmax scenes with textures, materials and cameras setup for VRay. Note that this tutorial applies to all 3dsmax scenes, not only those setup in VRay.

AE22_07-release

FluidRay RT Archexterior

Scene Preparation

Before exporting, we need to make sure that the scene is setup correctly, so that most of the information is retained in the process. There are a few things that need special attention, in particular:

  • XRefObjects proxies (we want the full resolution mesh exported)
  • Objects that are not part of the standard 3dsmax installation (such as VRayCamera, VRayMaterial, VRayProxy) and for this reason are not handled by the standard 3dsmax exporter
  • Complex texture networks that are not supported by the export format

For XRefObjects, make sure to uncheck the “Enable/Use local” checkbox, so that the full resolution mesh is used (see screenshot).

Max XRef

For VRay objects, we need to convert them to standard 3dsmax equivalents, so that they can be properly exported.

For textures, there are some nodes that are not handled by the exporter, such as color correction nodes or texture mixing nodes. In those situations, we need to remove the color correction nodes and connect the bitmap textures directly to the material.

We provide a Maxscript that does all this work automatically. Right before exporting, load the script in the Maxscript editor and press Ctrl+E to execute the script. You can get the script in the Addons Page.

Exporting

We are going to use the Autodesk .FBX format to export the scene to FluidRay RT. In the FBX exporter options, make sure that the to select “Preserve Instances”, “Y-Up”,  “Binary” (see screenshot).

Max FBX Export

The “Preserve Instances” options allows to keep instanced geometry as it is in 3dsmax, instead of duplicating the mesh information an wasting a lot of memory. FluidRay RT will then preserve the instanced geometry as well.

The “Y-Up” option converts the axis orientation from the “Z-Up” 3dsmax convention to FluidRay RT‘s “Y-Up” convention.

The “Binary” option is suggested to keep the exported files to a manageable size.

Importing

Just start FluidRay RT, then go to File->Import and select the exported .fbx file.

Tweaking the scene in FluidRay RT

There are a few things that need to be adjusted to get the best results: Bump Mapping, Organic Materials and Cameras.

Bump Mapping – The bump mapping texture is exported correctly, but the amount of bump needs to be adjusted. Select the material, then in the Displacement section adjust the “Amount” parameter until it’s visually satisfying. You can use the browser preview to make the process easier.Max-Bump

Organic Materials (Leaves, Flowers and Plants) – The exported material is not the best suited for plants. To achieve the best result, we need to change the standard scattering of the material to “Glossy Diffuse Translucent”. In order to do that, select the material, then, in the Graph Editor, right click on the scattering input of the material and click on Connect to a new -> Glossy Diffuse Translucent. If the original scattering had a texture attached to the diffuse input, you need to connect the texture to both the Diffuse input and Transparency input of the Glossy Diffuse Translucent node. You also probably want to increase the Roughness parameter to 0.1. Scattering

Cameras – The camera position and orientation is exported, but, due to some limitation in the .fbx import library, you will need to adjust the FOV and Camera Shift/Camera Tilt if present.

Conclusions

We shown the process of converting a 3dsmax scene to FluidRay RT. The process is pretty straightforward and normally doesn’t require much tweaking. Once you get the hang of it, it should take no more that 20-30 minutes to have a fairly complex scene ready to render in FluidRay.

If you want a more in-depth knowledge about FluidRay RT, check out the Help Page.

Also, if you have further questions, fell free to post on the Discussion Forum.

How to Use Node Containers in FluidRay RT to Organize Your Scene

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FluidRay RT Tutorial on how to organize your scene using container nodes.

When rendering complex scenes, the number of materials and objects can become very large. In FluidRay RT you can organize your assent into containers to make your project easy to manage. Containers can also be used to add multiple nodes all at once into the asset library. This video will cover:

  • Creating new container nodes in the Graph Editor
  • Entering and exiting container nodes
  • Adding and removing nodes from containers using drag & drop

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Use Normal Mapping to Add Surface Detail to Materials

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FluidRay RT tutorial on how to apply surface perturbation in real-time using normal mapping.

Real surfaces are almost never perfectly flat, but present small variation on the surface orientation. To add small scale surface detail, normal maps can be used. This video will cover:

  • Import a normal map image into FluidRay RT
  • Apply Normal Mapping to an existing material
  • Change the amount of surface detail

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Mix Complex Materials for Photo-Realistic Renderings

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FluidRay RT Tutorial on how to mix the scattering properties of different materials, based on a texture.

In real-life, materials change scattering properties depending on the point on the surface. In FluidRay RT you can mix different scattering properties and select between them based on a texture. This video will cover:

  • Use the “Mix Scattering” node to mix different scattering types
  • Use a checker texture to select between them over the surface

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Edit FluidRay RT Materials for Complex Transparency

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FluidRay RT Tutorial on how to use an alpha mask texture to make an arbitrary material (in this case metallic paint) transparent in certain areas.

To create a highly detailed scene, sometimes it is necessary to make a particular material transparent in certain areas, to obtain effects such as holes or wear due to rust. In FluidRay RT you can create arbitrary complex transparent materials using a combination of “Mix Scattering”, “Null Scattering” and a texture mask. This video will cover:

  • Use the Material Testbench to create custom materials
  • Use a combination of “Mix Scattering”, “Null Scattering” and a texture mask to achieve transparency

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Edit FluidRay RT Material Scattering for Real-Life Look

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FluidRay RT tutorial on how to change material appearance by changing the scattering properties.

In real-life, one of the biggest difference between materials is how they scatter light in all directions. A diffuse surface scatters the incoming light uniformly in all directions, a glossy surface scatters incoming light in only a small cone of directions, and a perfectly specular surface (such as a mirror) scatters incoming light in only one direction. Every material in FluidRay RT can choose from a large set of scattering types. This video will cover:

  • Change material scattering types
  • Apply a texture image to the scattering type to make the color change over the surface

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Import Models into FluidRay RT Asset Library for Quick Scene Setup

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FluidRay RT tutorial on how to add imported objects to the asset library with a nice image preview.

Having a rich set of pre-made models ready to be dropped into your scene can speed up your workflow considerably. FluidRay RT makes it easy to import models into the asset library and apply them to the scene on the fly. This video will cover:

  • Importing a model from file into the scene
  • Creating new user folders in the asset library
  • Importing a model from the scene to the asset librarty
  • Quickly creating an image preview of your model
  • Adding models to the scene using drag & drop

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Import Materials into FluidRay RT Asset Library for Material Reuse

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FluidRay RT tutorial on how to add custom materials to the asset library with a nice image preview.

Creating your custom materials and having them easily available is crucial to speed up your workflow and achieve the desired rendering style. FluidRay RT makes it easy to create custom materials and add them to the the asset library for later reuse. This video will cover:

  • Using the Material Testbench to quickly create new materials
  • Add materials to the asset library
  • Quickly create a preview image of your material
  • Apply materials using drag & drop

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.

How to Import Textures into FluidRay RT Asset Library for Richer Renderings

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FluidRay RT tutorial on how to quickly import multiple texture images into the library.

Having a rich set of texture is a great way to achieve an appearance of high detail in your renderings. FluidRay RT makes it easy to import textures contained in a folder in the hard drive all at once into the asset library. This video will cover:

  • Creating new user folders in the asset library
  • Import multiple textures all at once
  • Quickly apply textures using drag & drop

For more tutorials, check out the Tutorial Page.