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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
 Posted - 05/22/2009 : 01:19:28
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| Start checking the gallery for images from the new 6.0. |
Edited by - MrChristopher on 05/22/2009 02:38:32 |
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mwick
Regularly Helpful
Germany
847 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 02:18:40
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Im checking, but nothing to see :-) ???
Markus
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• Strata 3D CX 5.5 Mac and Windows, RenderPro 5.5 Mac and Win
4 Machines with Core2Quad Q6600 @ 3.2 GHz, 6 GB, GeForce 7600GS
• Windows XP and OSX 10.5.6
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 02:38:51
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| Sorry, I meant to say GALLERY. |
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Hopper2
Regularly Helpful
USA
750 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 08:14:41
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There are tons there now! Pretty cool Chris! When will you be able to start reveal features?
Hopper |
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mwick
Regularly Helpful
Germany
847 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 09:11:23
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Yeah, Chris, the problem is: Your renderings are ALWAYS cool and way above the things I do. So theay are as good as I expect them fro you. What does 6.0 do that those pics are like they are? Maybe theres a "Render like Chris"-Mode in the rendering settings...? :-)
Markus
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• Strata 3D CX 5.5 Mac and Windows, RenderPro 5.5 Mac and Win
4 Machines with Core2Quad Q6600 @ 3.2 GHz, 6 GB, GeForce 7600GS
• Windows XP and OSX 10.5.6
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jpro
A Fountain of Information
USA
4991 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 09:30:56
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okay, we can't all render like Chris. but this is a wonderful new version for the rest of us, too.
First of all, I render like Jean in 5.x, and I still do in 6 ... but with 6 my renders are finished in 1/4 to 1/5 the time that they run in 5.6. (This is on an 8 core machine) and the image quality is at least as good, but usually better.
Besides that, we get a major upgrade of the material system, and some hot new features in the poly modeler.
as far as "render like Chris" mode is concerned, one of my favorite enhancements is the ability to save render settings to a text file for archiving or sharing. So if you are having trouble finding the right render settings, you can save them to a text file and post them here for others to load, adjust and send back.
I have been archiving render settings with my projects as I complete them since this feature has been introduced.
Jean |
Edited by - jpro on 05/22/2009 09:32:54 |
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 10:10:00
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Version 6 has a substantially updated rendering engine which is what I was hoping all the postings would show.
The new renderer has higher quality;
Is much faster;
has new material controls
For instance:
http://www.stratacafe.com/image.asp?galcat=0&imageID=27465
http://www.stratacafe.com/image.asp?galcat=0&imageID=27476
Both of these images wouldn't have been possible in 5.6. One took 8 minutes the other 12 to render. Both heavily use blurry reflections along with multibounce raydiosity AND more physically accurate reflections.
So look at all the images I was allowed to post with these things in mind.
Chris
quote:
Originally posted by mwick
Yeah, Chris, the problem is: Your renderings are ALWAYS cool and way above the things I do. So theay are as good as I expect them fro you. What does 6.0 do that those pics are like they are? Maybe theres a "Render like Chris"-Mode in the rendering settings...? :-)
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eg
A Regular
132 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 10:17:22
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wow those renders look hot!
so so glad to hear there are render time improvements
looks like allot of work was done on materials
was wondering what features are improved, and what features are new in 6.0
has bones been worked on
have anyone run the benchmark render with 6.0
happily looking forward
eg
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 10:30:54
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This release doesn't focus on animation. The focus was on updating the renderer and improving/extending the material system (oh, and the modeling tools are more powerful).
The new renderer is quite a bit faster than 5.6. And it's higher quality given the same parameters you would set in 5.6.
The renderer no longer has an Octree value you need to tweak to get maximum speed. It's been replaced by a more modern (and fast) mechanism that always optimizes the scene for the fastest rendering without any user interaction.
The raydiosity sampling system is improved which means higher quality. There is no distinction now between 'randomized' and non-randomized sampling. It's all handled 'under the hood' and produces better quality than 5.6.
The material system can do blurry reflections and transparency dramatically faster than 5.6 making possible many of the renderings I've posted.
The material system has new controls for determining how light reflects. The new Fresnel system produces much better materials like glass.
The modeling tools have been updated and revamped also. |
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MacSavers
A Regular
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 11:45:25
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| Hmm... nice info so far. Any ideas when they are going to release detailed information on the upgrade? New/updated features and what not? Maybe a release date? |
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Dasch
Regularly Educational
Canada
1164 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 11:46:18
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Thanks for the info. Can't wait to try it out.
Dasch
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J.I.Kim
A Regular
Korea
139 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 12:16:19
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I am very glad to see Chris Tyler's post. no headache for octree setting any more is very good progressing. and 1/4 reducing render time is awesome. also this will be good for my current projects.
if ok, could i get some sneak preview for new material system? i wonder, will 6.0 support mixing textures well as multiply,overlay mode with bump and image mapping?
thanks for sharing this news and keep going...
J.I.Kim
=======================
Albatross Design
www.illustbox.com
webmaster@illustbox.com
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Edited by - J.I.Kim on 05/22/2009 12:25:36 |
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Michael
Admin
Canada
2688 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 13:44:58
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New Texture Dialog in Strata Design 3D CX 6.
Image Insert:
69.96 KB
Michael Luscombe |
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Michael
Admin
Canada
2688 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 13:45:45
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New Render Dialog in Strata Design CX 6.
Image Insert:
55.51 KB
Michael Luscombe |
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Dasch
Regularly Educational
Canada
1164 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 13:58:48
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Neat new dialog windows!
Will 6.0 have UV-mapping?
Dasch
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 14:37:13
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This is one of the many nice things about the new renderer. The octree is gone. The new system is often twice as fast as the fastest octree setting you could find. It's a system called BVH (Bounding Volume Hierarchy). But you don't need to know that because it's handled automatically and each scene is optimized for fastest speed with it.
The material system uses the combine, multiply, etc. modes from 5.6, but there have been some refinements in the way the material dialog boxes work to make it easier to use them.
You can also design your own preview file for the material preview if you want. The product will come with 3 I have set up along with the default one.
Chris
quote:
Originally posted by J.I.Kim
I am very glad to see Chris Tyler's post. no headache for octree setting any more is very good progressing. and 1/4 reducing render time is awesome. also this will be good for my current projects.
if ok, could i get some sneak preview for new material system? i wonder, will 6.0 support mixing textures well as multiply,overlay mode with bump and image mapping?
thanks for sharing this news and keep going...
J.I.Kim
=======================
Albatross Design
www.illustbox.com
webmaster@illustbox.com
=======================
Image Insert:
75.03 KB |
Edited by - MrChristopher on 05/22/2009 14:42:38 |
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tbgriswold
Regularly Educational
USA
1454 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 16:33:29
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There are still many areas of the program that need extending and improving. This new release is a major overhaul of the rendering and texturing for the program. My understanding is that it sets the ground work for new imaging features in the future. Think of this as a Speed and Realism upgrade!
There is a new expanded use for Grids and Guides as tools for controlling the movement and placement of objects and in Poly modeling. New/easier to use Poly edit tools. A Very good improvement to the modeling experience.
More UV manipulation inside the program is not in this upgrade.
However, there is an interesting new program they are working on that is designed to take flat illustrator art for package design and allow you to fold it up in an illustrator plug-in and then export it in a 3D format that Strata can import. It is called Strata Enfold 3D. Is to be released some time after the 6.0 Strata is out the door.
Britt |
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eg
A Regular
132 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 17:03:14
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looking solid
I like the expander tabs on each setting , is this where the Micro-polish moved to?
(always had a hard time adjusting the Micro-polish for texture Mix)
what does the Shadow Cast Map do?
eg
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Edited by - eg on 05/22/2009 17:05:17 |
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jpro
A Fountain of Information
USA
4991 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 17:20:51
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The cast shadow map is what was formerly called the caustics map. It does the exact same thing, but this new name is more apt.
Micropolish settings are now accomplished with Smoothness settings. Inside the smoothness drawer are spots for a secondary smoothness, and for a mix ratio of the two smoothness settings.
Jean |
Edited by - jpro on 05/22/2009 17:48:24 |
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2009 : 20:48:50
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http://www.stratacafe.com/image.asp?galcat=0&imageID=27493
Here's a simple and common example of the speed differences between 5.6 and 6.0.
Not an interesting rendering but something I just threw together.
Note that 6.0 rendered this scene 4.4x faster than 5.5. And the nice thing is you don't have to fiddle with the octree variable to try and get the best times, the new BVH system handles this automatically and without you having to adjust anything.
So 6.0 is a big time productivity enhancer. |
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MrChristopher
A Fountain of Information
USA
2220 Posts |
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Topic |
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Strata Design 3D 6.0
