pixelperfectg

See #21 in my mental ray FAQ here: http://jeffpatton.net/2010/12/mental-ray-faq/ Bottom line: It's just a difference in light intensity and your exposure settings.

Save yourself some time by: 1. Render the properly exposed interior to 32-bit floating point format (like .tif, .hdr, .exr). 2. Render some b/w masks for the windows or use render elements and object ID's, etc. 3. In Photoshop: Adjust the exposure on the windows (using the masks) to make the outside visible. Same method applies to animations, just use something like AE, Composite, Combustion, etc.

Doesn't work for me either.

"I am currently using Max 2013 and Vray 2.0 and am trying to conquer Light Volumes using an mr Area Spot Light" - Whoa, stop right there. Why would you use a mental ray light with vray? They are two completely different applications that do not share features. Use VRay lights with vray, mental ray or photometric lights with mental ray. As for the volumetric effect in VRay, there's a VRay forum right here at CGA that has some info on that. For example, see this: http://forums.cgarchitect.com/68293-want-create-volume-light-vray.html it links to a good tutorial on the topic by Peter Guthrie. Also be sure to review the VRay documentation on it's volume effects: http://www.spot3d.com/vray/help/150SP1/examples_vrayenvironmentfog.htm

There's a Pop-up note feature built-in, you just have to activate it via the user interface. Go to customize user interface and add the "Add a Pop-up Note" action to either a toolbar or menu to see if that will work for your needs. There are also scripts you can download from places like scriptspot, etc. to do various note options. I'm not sure if those stay with the file like the Pop-up note option if the file is sent to someone without the script (I've never personally tried that).

No, iray in the SAP that the original poster is using DOES utilize the new active shade option. Link: AFAIK his issues have been resolved (see post above yours).

Using outdated GPU drivers possibly. When's the last time you updated your video card drivers? If not recently then you may need to do so before iray will use the GPU.

Odd, I could have sworn I explained in post #4 some days ago that it sounds like you didn't install the 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack...

Sounds like the Subscription Advantage Pack for 2012 that contained those features isn't installed. You may want to double check your installation of the Advantage Pack.

See #18: http://jeffpatton.net/2010/12/mental-ray-faq/

GPU's will only help with rendering when you use a GPU accelerated rendering application like VRay R/T, iray, Octane, etc.. The GPU will not assist with rendering on non-GPU accelerated applications like VRay or mental ray. As for the viewport performance, I would ask on the hardware forum because rendering with a GPU and viewport performance with a GPU are two different animals all together. I try to steer clear of viewport discussions because they are highly subjective. I've seen people using almost identical rigs have completely different viewport experiences due to the different types of work they do and perhaps different drivers, etc. That being said, if you're planning on trying out rendering with a GPU by using something like VRay R/T or iray then I'm not sure the Quadro FX1800 would be a good choice for that. It only has 768mb of ram with 64 CUDA cores so it won't be blazing fast and depending on what you work on you may hit the 768mb memory limit pretty quickly. You may want to look into the GTX type cards as you can get them with several hundred CUDA cores and up to 3gb of memory. Just stay away from the 590 series for rendering because they are dual systems that split their on-board memory. If you consider this route, please be advised that it's been said the GTX GPUs weren't designed with rendering in mind and all the heat they produce when rendering (a LOT) can cause them damage. Some feel that's just marketing B.S. so they can sell more quadro units. I don't believe that as I've seen the heat produced by a 460 GTX I used for a while and it was very intense. I know heat + electronics = bad so I think it's a legitimate concern to consider. However, things like a good cooling system and perhaps lowering the clock speeds will help with the longevity of the GTX cards. So to summarize: * Check around in the hardware section for info on which cards are best for viewport performance. * For rendering, I would probably pass on the quadro fx1800 in lieu of a 2gb to 3gb GTX based card. If you go the GTX route try to do everything you can to make sure the GTX card is kept as cool as possible when rendering to help it's longevity.

Well, kind of. You're using the daylight system that far exceeds a 1.0 intensity value (assuming 32bit frame buffer) of a .jpg backplate. You'll either need to adjust the exposure control settings accordingly, or adjust the intensity of the mrSun/mrSky down to 1.0 to match the backplate, or use a different light source like a mrAreaSpot with a matching HDR environment, etc.. As with everything in 3ds Max there are many ways to get to the same end result. FWIW I made you an example scene of a comp with the MSR material, backplate, using the daylight system. I used an adjusted unitless exposure control value to try and match the intensity of the mrSun. However, as I already stated there are a number of ways to handle the intensity mismatch issue when combining the HDR mrSun with a LDR backplate image. Scene output: DOWNLOAD FILE

Typically when your rendered output is lighter or darker than expected it boils down to a gamma mismatch. Make sure you have your gamma settings configured properly for your workflow.

You don't need that because you have access to a full 360 hdr that you you downloaded from hdrilocations. You'll only use that if you have created (or already have on hand) a HDR/EXR compiled from a chrome sphere. Again I stress that you first go through all of the material I've supplied. I've provided links to documentation, videos, and I even supplied a .max file that you can open and see how it's setup with the files you have on hand if needed. So review it all to get the whole picture and you should gain a thorough understanding of what you need to do with the files you have at hand.

I wouldn't say it's based off watching those videos since the production shaders have been out for a while prior to that & I am already somewhat familiar with mental ray. I posted a link to those videos because they are from Zap therefore I know they compliment the existing documentation and will get you up to speed quickly (and efficiently) with using the production shaders...plus they are free..