Iray Organized References

Novica

Threads are a mangled mess of posts from users of varying experience levels. Don't have time to wade through hundreds of posts? Me neither, but I'm going to plug away at it and add links and information as I go. This is time permitting. I am not covering every aspect such as all the trial and errors. You still need to surf the threads.  I am only covering one question regarding CPU vs GPU, see Graphics Card.

Starting with Tips and Tricks for Iray Users:  Through Page 22. Then somewhat repetitive, so this will get you a good start. Stopped due to repetitive questions.

AoA's Atmospheric Camera:  Does it work in Iray?

Anosotrophic:   Definition

Atmospheric Effects:  Using Emitters/Bloom

Architectural Sampler: Uses

Background Image:  And getting light from it

Banding on Skin:  How to remove

Black Preview:  How to fix

Black Renders:  How to fix    How to fix    Consequences of that method    What worked

Candles:  Suggestion

Canvases:  Tutorial and Clarification on tabs

Caustic Sampler: Uses

cd/cm^2    Explanation   Explanation

Computer Crash    Getting renders

Creating and lighting a scene:  SickleYield Video Tutorial

Default:  How To Return To Default Settings

Diffuse Map:  Used with Emission Color

Dome:   How to scale  General questions, tutorial with backgrounds, domes (excellent thread)   Rotating (SnowSultan's Tutorial)

Easy Environments:  How To Make Them Work In Iray

Emitter: (casting light) Turn any surface into an emitter      How high a setting?    or this method

Example of one emitter        Example- 6 large panels         Adding a map       Emissive, shaders, and textures

Maclean's Example of Emissive Shader-Monitor

Environment Mode: Dome And Scene With Environment Map    Dome and Scene Vs Dome 

Dome and Scene for Photometric and Mesh Lights

Exposure Value:  What is it?  (see also Tone Mapping)   Technical explanation (Wiki)    Not Working Correctly! 

Eye Sclera:  Change the bright white

F Stop / DOF:  What is it?  (see also Tone Mapping)      Relationship with ISO        Discussion-Shutter Speed, F Stop, ISO      Another Discussion Shutter Speed, F Stop, ISO, Lighting Temperatures     Depth of field (note aperture relates to F Stop)

Getting DOF to work (render tab F Stop is for light only- go to Parameters/Camera for DOF)

Film ISO:  What is it?  (see also Tone Mapping)

Firefly Filter:  What is it?    Minimalizing Fireflies

Gamma:  Leaving at 2.2 (For Linear Workflow)

Glass:   Etched

Godrays:  Setup (several posts, be sure to scroll down)

Graphics Card: Nividia Required? (Covers GPU and CPU) No other discussions will be linked. 

Ground Plane Textures:  Fixing Blurry Ones

Headlamp:  Turn it off to avoid overlighting your scene. Render>Editor>General>Auto Headlamp>Never

HD Morphs:  Use Render SubD Level

HDR Map:  Where do you put it- what Environment Mode to use with it.      Intensity Setting       FREE HDRI Sets   How to position HDRI Maps (by SnowSultan)

HDR Sets With Iray by Dumor3D (Important-See Sky Domes, can use those using this method)     HDRI vs jpg

Iray Surfaces and What They Mean:  Sickleyield's Explanation

Iray Uber Shader  Daz Documentation Center   Where is it?

kcd   How much is that?

Lamp: How to do a typical floor lamp (dome lighting)    Typical Lightbulb settings

Light Presets:  Design Anvil's Free Light Presets

Look At My Hair:  Using it in Iray

Lumens:  Lumens and temperature  (white is 6500)       Great List!

Nodes:  Definition

Noise Filter:  What is it?

Nvidia Iray View:  What is it? (A view in your viewport, round ball has dropdown. It's to the left of Perspective etc dropdown)

PBR Metallicity/Roughness and PBR Specular/Glossiness    General  

Photometric Lights:   The difference from Spot Lights and Distant Lights      Using Scene Only

Macleans Promo Scene Settings

Pixel Filter: What is it?

Primitive Area Light:    Example/Settings

Refraction:   Definition

Renders:   3 Things which end renders (change these settings off the default!) 

Render Engine:  How do you select Iray instead of 3 Delight?  Render>Editor> then Engine dropdown menu. 

Samples: What is it- how many do you need?

Save Render: Cancel render. Go to File>Save Last Render. (You can also Resume, it's there by the Cancel)

Scales:   Example/Settings

Select Tool:  Turning it off

Shaders:   Metal

Shutter Speed:  What is it? (see Tone Mapping)

Skin:  Skin and Lights Tutorial by Sickleyield

Sky Domes:   How to use in Iray 

Specular Highlights:   Topcoat Color/Weight

Specular Map: Lightening with LIE

SS Haze:    Softer Shadows

SS RGB Unit Conversion:  Casting strong shadows

SS Sun Node: Using it to set a Distant Light as your sunlight angle

Subdivision (SubD)   Explanation  and  Clarification

Sun: Setting a null to act as Sun  or this method      Sun Dial

Sun Sky   And Environment Map

Temperature Color:   Technical Explanation (Wiki)      List of colors

Texture Maps:  Optimizing for previous generations   Do you need to hold Ctrl?   Unwanted grid squares and texture compression  (read several posts on how to remove the problem)

Tiling:  How to not tile a normal map

Tone Mapping: Daz Documentation of all settings

Top Coat:  Always white? (several posts)

UE2 (Uber Environment 2)  Compatible with Iray?

Uber Shader:   Settings

Vault Rustler:  Iray Materials

Viewport / Draw Styles Option Menu    For Previews

Window Glass:  Refraction

 

Novica

When messing with the Uber Base shader settings over in Surfaces pane, you'll run into this word. I'll put it in the alphabetical list above, so you can click and zip down to this post. 

anosotropic: 

1. (of an object or substance) having a physical property that has a different value when measured in different directions. 
2 (of a property or phenomenon) varying in magnitude according to the direction of measurement.

A simple example is wood, which is stronger along the grain than across it.

****************************************************

refraction:

A change of direction that light undergoes when it enters a medium with a different density from the one through which it has been traveling — for example, when, after moving through air, it passes through a prism.

Novica

When you are first starting out with Iray, there are several tutorials. Here's the first ones I would start with: (since I know a bit about Iray now, I am choosing these as they are easy to follow and will easily get you going.)  All links keep you on this thread, another window will open and when done, you X out.

Environment and Dome Setting Explanations

Daz Studio Iray Tutorial For Beginners (thinkdrawart.com)

Sickleyields YouTube Channel

Merits of Using HDRIs (Dimension Theory)  

Using Light Sources In Iray: tips

Novica

Inserted into the References:

Gamma 2.2 and Linear Workflow- why leaving Gamma at 2.2 is a good idea. That was based on this post.

Vault Rustler materials for Iray (love that outfit!) 

Uber Shader Settings

BTW, I created a Tiny URL for that atrociously long URL for the Uber Shader over in documentation. type http://tinyurl.com/ (then here put pb7so8a)  If you want to do links to it, then you don't have to copy that mile long URL. In case anyone didn't know about tinyurl, it's really helpful when doing links.

Novica

What are "nodes in the scene?"

Answer from Fixmypcmike: Lights that you add to the scene, e.g. mesh lights, spotlights, point lights -- any lights other than the Iray environment dome and Iray sun-sky.

Novica

FYI- I am constantly adding to this thread, putting things in the first post. Today, if you want to know how to return to the default render settings, you go to the Render Settings tab and click "Default" which is in the upper right corner, it will reset. I put that under "Default Settings" in the references. 

You won't get a notification when things are added to the first post, even when subscribed. So I'll try to post when I add something. If you find a great post explaining something, feel free to post and I'll insert it in the references (if, in my opinion, it's very clearly explained. 

Novica

Curious about HDRI lighting, and Draw Dome?  Here's a great post explaining about HDRI images and lighting.

 

Novica

Here's a great explanation from Flipmode on how to use his Easy Environment products with IRAY. Be sure and keep reading to the next page of the thread, as someone else gave more tips and actual settings. (Thanks Awesome!)  I will put this in the first post under Easy Environments.

Novica

Don't change the Exposure Value until you read this thread.  I had asked about Exposure Value (which led to being directed to the linked thread.) Here's what to do instead of messing with the Exposure Value: Shutter Speed

Novica

Here is a link to Free collection of 328 Iray-ready Daz Texture Presets made from Nobiax’s Freebie Textures! v0.99   (It's a large file, several GBs)