Chaos has announced the release of V-Ray 7, the latest version of its rendering software for 3ds Max. Here is a breakdown of the key features included in this release.
- Gaussian splats support: Users can now import and render Gaussian Splat objects that can be seen in reflections and refractions (although cannot be relit or accept shadows at this point)
- Virtual tours: V-Ray 7 introduces the ability to generate immersive virtual tours directly from its interface. Integrated with Chaos Cloud, it simplifies the creation of panorama tours with features such as automatic hotspot generation and customizable transitions.
- Custom-shaped render regions: Users can define and refine specific areas for rendering within the V-Ray Frame Buffer, making it possible to focus on only the necessary sections of a scene without re-rendering the entire image.
- Vignette Layer: A new Vignette Layer has been added to VFB. Users can easily customize its intensity, shape, and position for a range of different effects.
- Color correction presets: This addition allows quick experimentation with different color grading styles, which can be further refined to match the user’s artistic vision.
- Chaos Scatter improvements: Already available in the latest Corona release but now bundled in V-Ray, the Instance Brush provides fast manual adjustments to scattered object placement by painting with your mouse. New in this version is a library of distribution maps to add different planting patterns, a similar concept to that seen in ForestPack Pro.
- Faster scatter-heavy scene export: Optimized for efficiency, scatter-heavy scenes are now exported more quickly to Chaos Cloud or V-Ray render farms.
- Firefly removal: A new algorithm automatically removes bright pixel artifacts during rendering, cutting down the time needed for post-render adjustments and accelerating final image production.
- Improved V-Ray Sun & Sky: The Sun & Sky system now offers more realistic animations and still images. The updated PRG sky model supports rendering at higher altitudes and includes realistic transitions between different times of the day.
- V-Ray Luminaires: Chaos Cosmos has expanded to include complex light fixture assets that can be easily added to scenes. Not only do they provide more realistic lighting, but this new light type renders significantly more quickly.
- Asset variants support: Selected vegetation assets in Chaos Cosmos now include seasonal variations, with plans for additional types and stages.
- Hundreds of new assets: The Chaos Cosmos library continues to grow, featuring a wide range of assets like people, vegetation, furniture, and fabrics to to help users quickly build scenes and reduce expenditure on 3rd party libraries.
- V-Ray Profiler: This new feature offers detailed reports on rendering performance, identifying time-intensive processes to help optimize workflows. It pairs with the Memory Tracker to provide comprehensive data analysis.
- V-Ray Lister Geometry tab: Improvements to V-Ray Lister make it easier to manage and adjust settings for V-Ray geometry objects like Proxy, Fur, and Decals. New filtering tools improve user control over complex scenes.
- Redesigned V-Ray Scene Converter: The tool has been updated to simplify scene conversion, with options for selective object conversion and automatic material updates to .TX files for better performance.
- Faster GPU rendering: V-Ray GPU sees major speed improvements, including a new caustics solver optimized for GPU hardware, leading to faster and more efficient rendering with accurate light effects.
- Out-of-core textures: Handling texture-heavy scenes is now more efficient, as out-of-core textures allow high detail without sacrificing shading quality.
- Extended USD support: V-Ray now aligns with the latest version of USD for 3ds Max, ensuring compatibility and access to new features from this open-standard file format.
- OpenPBR support: V-Ray introduces support for OpenPBR in 3ds Max 2025.3, which enables consistent shading results across multiple platforms and reduces the need for manual adjustments when switching between different apps.