Some features have been modified in V-Ray 6.0 compared to previous versions of V-Ray. The sections below provide more details on what has been changed to help you transition to using the latest version.
A slight difference exists between renders containing textured fog with version 5 and version 6. The discrepancy can be fixed by lowering the Step size parameter.
VRayMtl's reflection now has a new GTR Compensation Energy option that affects the appearance of reflective and especially metallic materials.
VRayMtl's Double-Sided option is removed from the UI. Older scenes with this option enabled will render correctly. To disable the option, use the MEL command: setAttr "VRayMtl1.doubleSided" 0.
The Chaos Cosmos Browser replaces the V-Ray Material Library Browser. The old V-Ray Material Browser is still usable if downloaded with a previous V-Ray version. However, we recommend using the materials from the Chaos Cosmos Browser for any new projects. If the V-Ray Material Library folder has not been downloaded with a previous V-Ray version and its folder is empty, clicking the V-Ray Material Library Browser button from the V-Ray toolbar automatically opens the Chaos Cosmos Browser. The mtllib.exe tool is still available and downloads the V-Ray Material Library.
The Local space bump map type in VRayMtl and VRayBumpMtl is not supported in V-Ray 6. Opening an older scene, which uses a Local space bump map, converts the bump map type to its default setting.
The Stochastic bump filtering option found under the Overrides Textures rollout of the Render Settings is an option visible only for scenes created with V-Ray version 6.10.01 or earlier. It improves the bump texture sampling method, which fixes unwanted artifacts for high-frequency textures viewed from certain angles. For all newer scenes, the option is enabled by default and hidden.
Select devices for GPU rendering tool no longer offers command-line control. The VRAY_GPU_PLATFORMS environment variable can still be used. The vray gpuDeviceSelect MEL command is also still active in Maya.
The Trace Depth and GI Depth options are removed from the IPR settings. IPR rendering now uses the local reflection and refraction depths of materials.
The Global Max Depth parameter in the Materials Overrides tab can be used to override these values.
GI Depth is now controlled by the Brute Force Depth parameter when the GI Engine is set to Brute Force in the Brute Force GI tab.
With V-Ray 6, update 2 the default USD translator is Hydra compatible. This enables the asset transferring process between Houdini and Maya to go smoother, eliminating some differences in rendering. Hydra translator introduces some improvements of USD support with IPR - of transforms and materials. The default mesh subdivision method becomes Catmull-Clark. Old scenes exported with default set to Catmull-Clark instead of None can be manually adjusted.
Disabled V-Ray lights are rendered (temporary limitation). Instancing lights is not supported yet.
To revert to the previous USD translator, use the following environment variable VRAY_USD_HYDRA_TRANSLATOR=0.
Some features have been modified in V-Ray 5.0 compared to previous versions of V-Ray.
V-Ray 5 for Maya removes V-Ray Quick Settings from the user interface. If the V-Ray Quick Settings are used in older scenes, they will open with the correct parameters set. The default V-Ray settings are optimized to provide the best starting point, removing the need to use Quick Settings.
Local subdivs - V-Ray 5 automatically determines the shading sampling in the scene. The only settings that need changing are the image samples. With this change, the Local subdivs are hidden from the user interface for all lights and materials. Scenes from previous V-Ray versions will use automated shading sampling when rendered in V-Ray 5.
VRayHair3Mtl is no longer exposed in the UI but loads correctly with older scenes. It is recommended to use the VRayHairNextMtl material instead.
VRayFastSSS2 material no longer supports the Front and Back Lighting options, which are now removed, as they were only used for the already deprecated pre-pass-based illumination modes.
Glossy Fresnel option is removed from the UI of VRayMtl and VRayToonMtl. It is always considered enabled, even for older scenes with the option disabled.
Normal Opacity mode of VRayMtl is deprecated. The default Opacity mode Stochastic is considered for older scenes.
Reflection and Refraction Exit Colors are removed from VRayMtl and VRayToonMtl.
The Soften Edge option is removed from VRayMtl and VRayToonMtl.
The Invert Normal options in VRayDirt are now hidden from the UI. Old scenes with this option enabled will still show it. For newer scenes, the option can be enabled using the following MEL command: setAttr VRayDirt1.invertNormal 1
Starting with V-Ray 5, update 2, there is a new way to calculate anisotropy. The new physically-based anisotropy corresponds to an actual anisotropic micro-surface.
Sharp mipmap filtering is used by default for file textures instead of the previously default Smooth with mipmap. Note that adding the extra V-Ray Texture Filter attribute overrides the filter type.
When user attributes are used at the beginning of a file path, V-Ray treats the path as absolute. To mimic the old behavior, use the fake user attribute <PROJECT_PATH> that forces the path to be interpreted as relative.
Starting with V-Ray 5, update 1, Float textures previously accessible from Create V-Ray PluginNode > Texture can now be created from Create V-Ray PluginNode > Float texture.
Starting with V-Ray 52001, V-Ray Lens Effects are applied in the RGB channel together with other post effects. When a Denoiser render element, Source LightMix, or Composite mode is used, the lens effects are applied to the effectsResult channel. Alternatively, enable the Create effectsResult channel option.
Shade Map for Stereoscopy is obsolete, and its attributes can no longer be added to a camera. Although they remain present in older scenes, they cannot be exported.
The out-of-process option for IPR is removed from the UI. Historically, it was the first implementation of IPR in V-Ray for Maya, and it internally used DR with a locally spawned server to communicate and render the scene changes.
IPR is now always rendered in-process, which brings better interactivity and uses far less memory.
Irradiance Map GI Engine is no longer available for newly created scenes with V-Ray 5. Older scenes that use this method will render properly.
Brute Force GI Engine is always used for Primary bounces.
GI is now enabled by default for new scenes.
The Light Cache World Scale option is removed from the UI. Old scenes with this option enabled will render as expected.
By default, bitmap caching between renders is now enabled to speed up every render after the first one. This affects both new and old scenes.
Use Embree is always enabled. Use Embree, Use Embree for motion blur, and Use Embree for hair options are enabled by default now and removed from the UI. Old scenes with disabled Embree now automatically load with enabled Embree options.
Max tree depth, Min leaf size, and Face/level coeff parameters are enabled by default now and removed from the UI. These settings are only used when Embree is disabled. In V-Ray 5, Embree is always used.
Min Shading Rate is removed from the interface and always uses the default value of 6. This is the optimal value for V-Ray, and changing it usually comes at the expense of performance. Old scenes saved with a non-default value can still be adjusted.
The Linear Workflow option from the Advanced Color Mapping Settings in the V-Ray tab is removed from the UI. It is no longer available for new scenes. V-Ray 5 will automatically offer to migrate scenes with light portals to a compatible setup that adds gammaCorrect nodes. The migration can also be run manually from the V-Ray menu > Tools > Migrate Legacy Scenes. Read more about legacy Light Portal migration.
The Dynamic Bucket Splitting option for the Bucket Image Sampler is removed from the UI. It is always treated as enabled.
V-Ray 5, update 1 introduces some changes to the environment setup for zip installations.
There are changes to the PATH environment variable on Windows OS, DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH on macOS, LD_LIBRARY_PATH on Linux, and MAYA_RENDER_DESC_PATH on all operating systems.
For more information, see the Installation from the zip page.
Starting with V-Ray 5, update 1, the Sinc Anti-aliasing filter is removed from the UI. Old scenes using the Sinc filter will automatically be set to the default one - Lanczos.