Table of Contents

This page provides information about the Live Link tools in Rhino and Grasshopper.



Overview

The Start a Vantage live session tool helps you send your Rhino scene to Chaos Vantage with a click of a button. Any changes you make in the scene are sent instantly to Vantage without the need to reexport the scene.

The V-Ray Live Link component offers an analogous tool to the Start a Vantage live session and is available in V-Ray for Grasshopper. While this component is running, it interactively shares the input V-Ray scene on the specified port with Chaos Vantage.

The Configures and starts a Vantage live session tool sets specific settings for performance.



Installation

The installation of the tools comes with the installation of V-Ray 5 for Rhino, update 2 and later.

For detailed instructions on installing and setting up Live Link from Rhino and Grasshopper to Chaos Vantage, see the Live Link from Rhino tutorial.



UI Path

To access the Start a Vantage live session tool, in Rhino go to:

||V-Ray menu|| > Rendering > Chaos Vantage

||VRay Live Linking toolbar|| > Start a Vantage live session


To access the V-Ray Live Link tool, in Grasshopper go to:

||V-Ray tab|| > Render (dropdown menu) > V-Ray Live Link



To access the Configures and starts a Vantage live session tool, in Rhino go to:

||VRay Live Linking toolbar|| > Configures ands starts a Vantage live session





Usage in Rhino

To start the tool in Rhino, just click the Start a Vantage live session button. This initializes a Live Link session between Rhino and Chaos Vantage.

The tool automatically:

  • Starts Chaos Vantage if it is not already running;
  • Sends the scene to Chaos Vantage on 20701 port;

Always make sure you are using the same port in both Rhino and Chaos Vantage!


To stop the tool, click again the Start a Vantage live session button.

Learn more on the Live Link from Rhino page.



Usage in Grasshopper

To start the tool in Grasshopper, add a V-Ray Live Link component and plug the Scene output from a V-Ray Render component to the Scene input of the V-Ray Live Link component.

Right-click on the On input > Set boolean > True to initiate a Live Link connection between Grasshopper and Chaos Vantage.

The tool automatically:

  • Starts Chaos Vantage if it is not already running;
  • Sends the scene to Chaos Vantage on 20701 port;

Always make sure you are using the same port in both Grasshopper and Chaos Vantage!


To stop the tool, right-click on the On input > Set boolean > False.

Learn more on the Live Link from Rhino and the V-Ray Live Link page.


Access the V-Ray Live Link component's input parameters to specify port, IP address, and scene.

On (Boolean) – Specifies whether the scene changes are sent to the V-Ray server or not.

Address (Text) – Specifies an IPv4 address where a V-Ray server instance is or will be running.

Port (Integer) – Specifies a TCP port on which the V-Ray server instance is or will be connected on.

Scene (Generic Data) – The scene the V-Ray server will be rendering.




Live Link Supported Features

The following changes made in the V-Ray compatible DCC are propagated through Live Link:

  • Editing, creating and deleting of:
    • Camera
    • Geometries
    • Lights
    • Materials
    • Textures
    • Environment



Known Limitations

The following actions can be done inside Chaos Vantage during Live Link:

  • create cameras;

  • create camera animation in the animation editor;

  • edit environment and fog;

  • add color correction effects;

  • Render:

    • snapshots;

    • HQ still image;

    • HQ sequence;

  • save .vantage file with the changes from above.

The following actions cannot be done inside Chaos Vantage during Live Link:

  • transform objects;

  • hide/unhide objects;

  • reassign materials;

  • edit lights;

  • import external(including cosmos assets) files;

  • animation playback.

The following requires a restart of the Live Link session in order to be updated properly.

  • Updating of:

    • animated V-Ray Proxy files (.vrmesh)


During Live Link session the UI in Chaos Vantage adapts to the limitations mentioned in the Known limitations section. The following is hidden from the Top Toolbar and Side panels:

  • Select, Move, Rotate, Scale, Move Pivot tools
  • Chaos Cosmos Browser,
  • Create Scatter, Fur, Decal, Lights, Camera and Scene State tools
  • Lights and Object tabs
  • Material lister in Material tab
  • Sun properties in the Environment tab if there is a Sun light already existing in the Host application

When in Live Link session, changes made to the camera, render resolution, environment and scattered fog inside Vantage will be reset to their values or states in the host platform when:

  • playing animation/scrubbing the timeline in the host platform
  • navigating or camera manipulating
  • using Render animation with Chaos Vantage tool (available in 3ds Max and Maya)

When the Live Link session is closed, the scene is still loaded inside Vantage but it is considered dirty and the aforementioned limitations are still in effect. A .vrscene file from the host application needs to be exported and loaded inside Chaos Vantage to enable full manipulation, editing and playback.

If a .vantage file is saved in an active Live Link session, it can be loaded in a next session or applied to a loaded .vrscene.


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