Revamped Rendering: Important Updates to hdMoonRay
Table of Contents
The latest update to hdMoonRay, a popular rendering engine, boasts a range of improvements designed to boost efficiency and expand creative possibilities for users. These enhancements focus on streamlining workflows, improving performance, and adding new features that cater to a wider range of rendering needs.
Enhanced Build Processes and Workflow
Developers have significantly improved the build process for both Rocky9 and MacOS systems. The integration of updated CMake presets for hdMoonRay within Houdini simplifies the setup and configuration, making it easier for users to get started. Additionally, the introduction of field-of-view (FOV) controls for the spherical camera offers greater flexibility, allowing artists to render onto only a portion of a sphere, providing more precise control over their renders.
Accelerated Rendering with XPU Enhancements
The XPU, hdMoonRay’s innovative CPU/GPU rendering mode, has received a substantial performance boost. This update accelerates both standard rays and occlusion rays specifically for NVIDIA GPUs, leading to faster render times and increased productivity. Furthermore, the support for up to 16 motion blur steps/samples for meshes significantly enhances the realism and quality of motion-blurred elements in rendered scenes.
Expanded Feature Set: Cryptomatte and More
This update expands hdMoonRay’s capabilities with the addition of Cryptomatte support.This allows for more efficient compositing and post-processing workflows.the inclusion of reflected Cryptomatte data support further streamlines these processes. the addition of screen-space radius controls for curves and points provides artists with finer control over the appearance of these elements, enhancing the overall quality and precision of their renders.
These improvements represent a significant step forward for hdMoonRay, offering users a more efficient, powerful, and versatile rendering solution. The enhancements to build processes, XPU performance, and feature set are expected to benefit a wide range of users, from individual artists to large studios working on complex projects.
Interview with the hdMoonRay Development Team
Interviewer:
The recent update to hdMoonRay has generated a lot of excitement in the industry.Can you tell us about some of the key improvements that users can expect?
Development team:
Absolutely! We’re thrilled about this update and believe it represents a significant step forward for hdMoonRay. We’ve focused on three main areas: building processes, XPU performance enhancements, and expanded features.
First, we streamlined the build process for both Rocky9 and MacOS systems. We’ve integrated updated CMake presets for Houdini, making setup and configuration much easier for our users. Additionally, we’ve added FOV controls for the spherical camera, giving artists more precise control over their renders.
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Interviewer:
The XPU is a standout feature of hdMoonRay. What changes have been made to further enhance its capabilities?
Development Team: We’ve significantly boosted the performance of our XPU rendering mode, which leverages both CPU and GPU power. The update accelerates both standard rays and occlusion rays for NVIDIA GPUs, leading to faster render times and increased productivity.
We’ve also added support for up to 16 motion blur steps/samples for meshes,resulting in more realistic and high-quality motion-blurred elements in rendered scenes.
Interviewer:
You’ve also added a few exciting new features.Can you tell us more about those?
Development team:
Yes! We’ve added support for Cryptomatte,which greatly simplifies compositing and post-processing workflows. This includes the inclusion of reflected Cryptomatte data support, further streamlining thes processes.
We’ve also added screen-space radius controls for curves and points, giving artists finer control over the appearance of these elements and enhancing the overall quality and precision of their renders.
Interviewer:
These are impressive improvements! Who do you see benefiting the most from this update?
Development Team:
We believe this update will benefit a wide range of users, from individual artists working on personal projects to large studios tackling complex visuals. The enhancements to build processes, XPU performance, and feature set will empower everyone to create even more stunning and efficient renders.
