V-Ray Light Mix

The V-Ray Light Mix render element provides adjustment control to the lights in the scene from inside the V-Ray Frame Buffer. When a V-Ray Light Mix render element has been added before rendering, the intensity and color of the lights and light emitting materials can be changed directly from the VFB during and after rendering; lights and self-illuminating materials can be enabled or disabled on the go, without the need of re-rendering your final output, or navigating to individual lights parameters during IPR. Furthermore, modifications made in the LightMix can be transferred back to the actual lights and materials in the scene with a single click. This feature can handle individual lights and emitting materials as easily as light groups, layers or custom selections.

To set the LightMix for use:

• Add a V-Ray Render Elements node in the out Network.
• Add a V-Ray Light Mix Render Element to your scene from ||out Network|| > V-Ray Render Elements node > V-Ray > Render Channel > V-Ray Light Mix (RE).
• Add the V-Ray Render Elements node to V-Ray Renderer node > Images tab > Render Elements section > Network.
• Then, render the scene.
• In the new VFB > Layers, set the Source to LightMix.

• Tweak the lights.

Light groups – Specifies how to group the lightning information.

Manual Mode – Render channels are created based on the existing Light Select render elements in the scene. Lights that are not specified there, are collected in a single render channel called Rest;
Instanced Lights – If there are instanced lights in the scene, each group has its separate channel. All unique lights in the scene are stored in their individual render channels;
Selected Objects – Lighting information of each light is stored in a separate channel;
Grouped Lights – Lighting information of each group of lights is placed in a separate channel. All lights that are not attached to any group in the scene are stored in Rest.

Light Pattern – Available when Light groups is set to Selected Objects.

Light Group Count – Available when Light groups is set to Group Lights. Specifies the number of group patterns.

Material Group Count – Available when Light groups is set to Group Lights. Specifies the number of group patterns.

Group Pattern – A pattern to group lights in a LightMix channel.

When the Source is set to LightMix, you can enable/disable lights and adjust light intensity and color during and after the render. The modifications can be saved as light mix presets and reused. V-Ray Light Mix automatically creates Environment and Self Illumination render elements.

Reset – Resets all changes made to default values.

Save – Saves the changes as light mix preset.

Load – Loads a light mix preset.

To Scene – Applies the current VRayLightMix changes to the scene. This sends all changes to colors/intensities back to the scene lights.

To Composite – Sends the Light Selects from LightMix to Composite for additional post adjustments.

Recent – Shows a list of recent light mix presets.

Checkbox – Enables/Disables the selected light.

Multiplier – Specifies an intensity multiplier.

Color Slot – Specifies a color for the selected light.

All – Turns on/off all lights.

Environment – Contains the emitting effect of any map placed in the Environment node (||out Network|| > V-Ray > V-Ray Environment).

Self Illumination – Contains either all parts of the scene which have a self illumination material, or only the parts of the scene which haven't been included in any groups specified by Light Selects. Some parts of the scene might also be present in this category if the individual number of self emitting materials exceeds the maximum range of 62 for all the Light Selects.

Rest – Includes all the individual lights that are not part of any group defined by a Light Select or exceeding the limit of the list (the limit of the list is 62 individual lights or Light Selects).