Migrating from Previous Versions

This page provides information on how the latest version of V-Ray handles scenes saved with previous versions of V-Ray.

 

Overview

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V-Ray Next adds a number of rendering optimization features. However, for compatibility reasons, some features and workflows have been adjusted and are discussed in detail below.

V-Ray for SketchUp is not forward-compatible, meaning projects done with V-Ray Next are not guaranteed to work with V-Ray 3.6 or older versions. If a project is opened using an older V-Ray version than the one it was created with a prompt message will offer wiping all V-Ray data to ensure file stability.

V-Ray Next for SketchUp licenses also work with V-Ray 3.6, allowing anyone who purchases an upgrade to complete unfinished projects using V-Ray 3.6 if needed.

Opening a Scene

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When a scene saved with an older V-Ray version is loaded in SketchUp an upgrade script will go through all the scene assets and features to account for incompatibilities. V-Ray lights and special objects will be upgraded from groups to a new component definition system. This upgrade can take some time, but only happens the first time the scene is opened in SketchUp with V-Ray Next.  When the scene is saved, the updates are saved with it.

With V-Ray Next, Update 1 a message box appears notifying when data migration is taking place. Note that this occurs only when opening projects. Importing projects with outdated V-Ray data triggers the migration process without any prompt.

Materials

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Material Structure

The internal material structure used in V-Ray for SketchUp is updated and modernized. This in turn leads to the material asset UI being updated.

Reflection, Refraction and Diffuse material layers' Transparency parameters are switched to Opacity controls for consistency. Any old materials containing such layers will be migrated automatically to the new internal structure.

Material Environment Overrides

The material Environment Overrides rollout has been removed. This functionality has been shifted to the Override material which now contains an Environment map slot.

Stochastic Flakes material

The Stochastic Flakes material can no longer be created from the Asset Editor’s Create menu. Create a Generic material, remove its default V-Ray Mtl layer and add a Stochastic Flakes layer to use it.

VRScene files

Due to the deprecation of the MtlASGVIS plugin VRScene files exported with V-Ray 3.6 or earlier are missing material options such as displacement/bump.

Proxies

The new built-in material(s) make the use of Multi-materials for proxies obsolete, simplifying the workflow process and storing proxy meshes.

Old projects that contain proxy meshes will retain their multi-material and sub-materials, but newly created or loaded proxies will utilize the new ones. There is no automatic migration. However, manually editing the proxy file settings, e.g. toggling the Proxy's "Materials" section off and on, will populate an old proxy list.

Randomize Project Material ID Colors Tool

Found in Extensions > V-Ray > Tools, this tool allows you to assign a random color ID to your materials. This provides a workaround for materials from v2.0 scenes which all have black color IDs.
Note that it will not affect Material ID numbers, which by default are set to 0.

Preset Library Assets

The Preset Material Library location in V-Ray Next is changed, which may result in UI markers about missing files of associated Bitmap textures. Despite these warnings, V-Ray automatically resolves each incorrect library file path to make sure the render output remains the same.

Legacy ASGVIS Plugins

In V-Ray Next, Update 1, the legacy TexFalloffASGVIS, TexNoiseASGVIS and MtlAngleBlend plugins are automatically migrated. Some minor blend variations from the original result is expected.

The legacy Two Sided material from V-Ray 2.0 is also migrated automatically to a newer plugin. Functionality remains the same. If a material visible only from one side has previously been achieved by leaving the 2-sided "Back material" slot empty, from V-Ray Next, Update 1 onwards, this is done by leaving the "Front material" slot empty instead.

Material .vismat files

There are two types of legacy .vismat files. The ones created prior to V-Ray 2.0 are in binary format, while the more recent ones are in xml. With V-Ray Next for SketchUp, update 2 support for .vismat files is dropped. Nevertheless, the newer type of .vismat files can be loaded in V-Ray by renaming their file type extension from .vismat to .vrmat

Textures

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Triplanar texture

Triplanar texture is now affected by SketchUp material size.
In previous V-Ray versions, it was projected at a UV size of 1x1 inch and multiplied by its Size parameter (default value 10). To restore the same way it looked in version 3.6, adjust either the SketchUp material size to 1 by 1 inch or decrease the Triplanar's Size value accordingly.

Lights

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Lights viewport widgets

 The viewport widgets for all V-Ray Lights and the V-Ray Infinite Plane are updated. They now come with additional lines to help with snapping, positioning or rotating. To switch back from their new look to the old solid display a new toolbar button is implemented - The Enable Solid Widgets button.

Lights Intensity Tool 

The Light Intensity tool is no longer available. Its functionality is now part of the new V-Ray Scene Interaction Tool. 

Render Elements

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Render elements are now treated as assets - they can be created or deleted in the Assets list.

Glossiness Channels

The Reflection Glossiness, Refraction Glossiness and Reflection Highlight Glossiness render elements can no longer be created. V-Ray 3 scenes with these channels will still render them correctly.

Denoiser

The Denoiser is now treated as a render setting and not a render element. Find its options in the advanced render settings panel in the Denoiser rollout. The ‘Effects Update Frequency’ control is moved to the Denoiser section for convenience - now called Update Frequency. It still affects both the Denoiser and the VFB Lens Effect updates

Render Settings

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The quality slider presets are changed in V-Ray Next, Update 2.1 for SketchUp to ensure consistent results between CPU, CUDA, and RTX engines, and between the Progressive and Bucket image samplers. The presets count is increased to six and the new preset labels are: Low, Low+, Medium, Medium+, High, and High+. All of them provide better quality than their older counterparts.

Camera

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Advanced Camera Parameters rollout is introduced to the advanced settings panel. All the physical camera controls like F-Number, Shutter Speed and ISO (previously listed in the Camera rollout ) are now located there.

Environment

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Scenes from v3.6 opened with V-Ray Next may contain an extra Environment texture in the Textures category. It is not plugged in any map slot. It can be safely removed or purged.

VFB

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Lens Effects

The Lens Effects were updated with version 4.1 of V-Ray Next. Lens Effects from scenes saved with previous versions of V-Ray will not be loaded and rendered.

Quality Setup

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Lights (V-Ray 5) 

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The Portal Light option in V-Ray Rectangle light is no longer exposed in the UI. Files saved with previous V-Ray versions and this option enabled get a warning that this is legacy option, but consider it.