V-Ray 2.0 for SketchUp on sale

Chaosgroup has released a new version of its V-Ray visualization engine for users of the popular 3D drawing program SketchUp. This gives users the ability to create photorealistic visualizations using the latest technologies, including real-time scene previews through the graphics card.

The new version of V-Ray for SketchUp builds on years of development of the V-Ray visualization engine for Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya platforms, where it is one of the most popular visualization products. SketchUp users now have access to a powerful and robust tool for creating photorealistic visualizations, including advanced tools for working with lights and materials, as well as optimized methods for rendering complex scenes. More detailed information about the product, including a demo version, can be found at vray.cz.

V-Ray RT

Among the most important new features in V-Ray for SketchUp is the implementation of V-Ray RT for real-time scene previews. V-Ray RT can use both the computer's processor (CPU) and the graphics card (GPU) for calculations. This significantly reduces the time required for detailed tuning of lighting and materials in the scene.

 

V-Ray Lights

The new Dome Light tool makes it easier to illuminate scenes using HDRI maps. Preparing such scenes is considerably shorter for users, and the quality of the output has also been improved thanks to more precise scene analysis and optimized light tracing calculations. V-Ray lights can also now be part of SketchUp components, further speeding up the insertion or replacement of light sources in the scene.

V-Ray Materials

The V-Ray material system is one of the most sophisticated in the industry. It allows the design and creation of photorealistic materials, including various physical effects such as transparency, light refraction, reflections, or shadows. A collection of pre-prepared materials is available for immediate use in scenes.

V-Ray Proxy

An invaluable tool for working with demanding scenes containing millions of polygons. V-Ray proxy objects are dynamically loaded from disk as needed, conserving system resources and allowing manipulation of scenes that would otherwise cause a complete loss of response while working in SketchUp. Proxy files are saved separately and thus do not increase the size of the original SketchUp files.

Rendering

New rendering presets allow even beginner users to utilize the program, as they do not need to understand all settings and options for individual computational methods. By simply sliding a slider, users can choose between preview or final visualization, thus speeding up and clarifying the entire visualization process.

Distributed Rendering

Among the traditional advantages of V-Ray is the ability to distribute visualization calculations across up to ten other computers on a local network. Demanding scenes can thus be computed in a fraction of the original time. Newly, the 64-bit mode is supported within both local and distributed rendering.

System Requirements and Licensing

V-Ray 2.0 for SketchUp requires 1GB of RAM (3-4 GB recommended), SketchUp 8 or 2013 (both free and commercial versions), Windows Vista/7/8, or Mac OS X 10.6 and newer.

V-Ray 2.0 for SketchUp comes with a USB hardware key. This can be operated on the local computer running SketchUp itself, or on any other computer on the network that will serve as a licensing server, dynamically allocating licenses to users over the network.

Trial Version

Those interested in V-Ray 2.0 for SketchUp can download a trial version for free from vray.cz.

Price and Availability

V-Ray 2.0 for SketchUp is now available immediately through the partner sales network of Chaosgroup. For users of the older version 1.4, an upgrade to version 2.0 is available. Discounted annual licenses are offered for students and schools. Prices and further information about V-Ray products can be found at vray.cz.

About Chaosgroup Chaos Group provides 3D visualization solutions for the fields of digital media, computer design, and the gaming industry. Its key product V-Ray has been recognized as the industry standard for over 10 years due to its speed, quality, reliability, and ease of use. V-Ray is implemented in a number of leading 3D applications such as Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk® Softimage®, Rhino®, and SketchUp®. For the 3D user community, it also offers other products like Phoenix FD™ for Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Phoenix FD™ for Autodesk® Maya®, and Pdplayer™. Chaosgroup is based in Bulgaria and has branches in the USA, Japan, and South Korea. More information about the company and the products offered is available at chaosgroup.com About Digital Media The official partner of Chaos Software for the Czech Republic and Slovakia is Digital Media s.r.o., which has been engaged in software distribution and providing services in the field of creative software tools since 1999. Digital Media is also a significant partner and distributor for companies such as Adobe, MAXON Computer, Pixologic, Nemetschek Vectorworks, and others. More detailed information about Digital Media and V-Ray products can be found at vray.cz.