This page gives an overview of the Reflection Filter Render Element and explains how it is used.
Overview
The Reflection Filter Render Element stores reflection information calculated from the materials' reflection values in the scene. Surfaces with no reflection values set in its material(s) will contain no information in the render pass and will therefore render as black.
While the VRayRawReflection Render Element gives the full reflection of objects reflecting in the scene, VRayReflectionFilter shows how much of that reflection should come through in the composite. In other words, the filter defines the strength of the reflection, while the raw image defines what is being reflected in the image. When these two elements are multiplied, the true level of reflection is given and produce VRayReflection. Using these component parts of the reflection, you can better fine tune the reflection in your final composite.
The Reflection Filter element is a sub-component in the main Beauty Pass.
UI Path:
||Render Setup window|| > Render Elements tab > Add button > VRayReflectionFilter
Parameters
This render element is enabled through the Render Elements tab of the Render Setup window in 3ds Max and displays its parameters in a rollout at the bottom of the window:
vrayVFB – When enabled, the render element appears in the V-Ray Virtual Frame Buffer.
deep output – Specifies whether to include this render element in deep images.
multiplier – Sets the overall intensity of the render element, where 1.0 is the standard multiplier.
denoise – Specifies whether to denoise this render element.
Common Uses
The Reflection Render Element is useful for changing the appearance of Reflective elements after rending in a compositing or image editing software. Below are a couple of examples of their use.
The Reflection Filter Render Element
The Original Beauty Composite
Increased Contrast of Reflection Filter
More reflective objects have increased reflections
Less reflective objects have less reflections
Colorized Reflection Filter
More reflective objects tinted orange
Less reflective objects tinted green
Underlying Composite
The Reflect render element is a product of VRayRawReflection x VrayReflectionFilter.