TheKitchenAbode

You want to reduce the number of cores used. It is likely displaying all your available cores, just set to half of them and then run another Trace.

Is it possible that your CPU is overheating. When running a Raytrace it will max out all of your cores. You can monitor your CPU with CUPID CPU-Z to see if the temps are getting too high. You could also reduce the number of cores in CA "Edit/Preferences/Ray trace", maybe drop it to half and see what happens.

Download GPUz, that's the program that is used by just about every graphics card tester. It will tell you what is really happening. The difference you are seeing may be due to the fact that Open GL will allocate whatever it can up to 4GB, it could be that for Open Gl it is unlikely to need more than that. As I said, you will likely be suprised at how little video card memory is actually be used. Also, allocate memory is differfent from actual memory used. Actual memory being used is what really determines functionality, problems will only arise when actual exceeds allocated.

These are not workarounds, they are program functions that allow you to control specific aspects related to what CA has to process and when. Programs such as CA, Excel, Photoshop, etc. are all susceptible to the fact that as one continues to add more data into the program and the program has to process this data it will eventually reach a point where the time to process this data will become noticeable. In Excel for example you have the ability to define the recalc operation so it is not doing this every time you enter a value, on large spread sheets this would be a huge problem and would result in a real lag. CA is no different, when processing lag starts to creep in you need to adopt methods to minimize this. The ability to control display layers and turn on or off auto rebuild functions are how you do this. That's not a workaround.

I believe what you are seeing is the amount of video card memory Open GL has set aside for it's use. Keep in mind that each running program, depending upon the total amount of available memory, will block out a certain amount of memory for it's exclusive use. Your video card has to service more than just CA, all of your other running programs are also using the video card and as such they also need memory. Things will be faster if they are not over writing each others data so they divide this up. I would not be concerned with this, it's normal. Download GPUz and it will tell you how much video card memory is actually in use. I think you will be surprised at how little of your 8 GB is actual being used.

Here's a cad block with a fill. Just used red cad lines packed side by side.

Since a fill will not work could you not create a fill using cad lines packed closely together, then convert to a cad block.

I believe the issue is that when these commands are issued that it forces a rebuild of the entire model and it is this process that results in a lag as the model becomes larger in size/complexity. From some experimentation the model rebuild is dependent upon the layer set display options, displayed layers are included in the rebuild while non displayed layers are ignored. The more layers displayed the greater the number of elements to rebuild. The only solution I can think of at this time would be for CA to develop a smarter way of doing this, maybe something were it only needs to rebuild the layer that changed and then only apply this to the existing model.

No problem with me. The new map thread looks very interesting.

Seeing that pic reminds me of an effect I was somewhat seeing on walls and ceilings. The odd thing was that sometimes they appeared to be correct(chandelier crystals) and then other times random grainy white splotches would just suddenly show up. If enough passes were run they would diminish, but took a long time. Not 100% sure what was the real cause but if caustics was turned off it would never reoccur.

Thanks Rene, I've not done much work with those parallel lights so I can't really comment much on them at this time. There's always something to explore and learn. No I do not have caustics turned on. It's another one of those things that slows down a Ray Trace. Have used it a couple of times but not enough to really be able to talk to much about the pro's and con's. I know it is designed specifically to deal with how light is altered(bent/warped) as it passes through a glass type of object. It's just my guess but I believe the effect is most apparent on close-up shots where another object is just behind something like a glass, say a close shot across a set table top.

Gentlemen - I set up this thread to focus on Ray Tracing so It might hopefully be a consolidated source for us to share examples, tips and techniques to benefit ourselves and others. Please try to maintain it's focus. I'm also interested in all of those other things but if possible could they be set up under another topic heading. Many Thanks.

Hi Rene, you are correct about the lack of shadows and it does appear that the island and stools are floating above the floor. Will see if I can correct this. These are being run with Photon Mapping turned "On". I'm now focused on upping the quality and will then see how fast I can do this without too much compromise. I'm sticking to my spot light only approach, if I were to be using point lights to the same extent that I'm using spots this scene would be impossible to run.

Just did a quick check on the Windows file explorer drag and drop command. If you hold down the "right" mouse button and drag the file it will ask you if you wish to copy or move the file.

If drag and drop is being used then that is a move command. If working in CA, then as Kirk describes you would do a Save As and specify the other directory. If working in a Windows file explorer window then you need to use the copy/paste function.

Here is a quick example of this exterior spot lighting effect. Scene with just the direct sun set at 4.0. Same scene with supplemental spot lighting. In the first scene the brightness and shadow depth across the structure is exactly the same, even the roof, lawn and the patio bushes. With the supplemental spot lighting the brightness and shadow depths now vary across the structure and landscaping. The effect is also evident in the roof. Just a quick example but I think it demonstrates the potential benefit that can be derived from using a technique such as this.

I'm using a similar approach except with spots. They can be placed at different elevations and angled to match the sun or by changing the angle & direction you can simulate a more scattered ambient exterior light effect. I find a mix to be very effective. I usually combine this with some direct sun so I can control both effects. On an exterior scene this can be used to reduce shadows or increase brightness on specific regions of the buildings face, say a situation where part of the structure is exposed to the full sun and some is in a shaded region. Here's the latest rendition using this technique along with some very welcomed tweaking advice from Jintu.

When you group select and open up the light DBX you need to look closely at the settings. There can be lights in the group that have different settings. Usually where this occurs the setting box will be greyed out as a way to indicate this. You can then enter a value which will set all the lights in the group the same or go back and hunt down that particular light. If there are different custom intensity settings in the group and you want to change them all to another custom setting then you have to first select one of the standard intensity settings first and then choose custom and put in your new % intensity setting. For some reason it will not allow you to go directly to the custom settings.

Would be interesting to see how this approach looks, would it be possible to post the scene so we can see the effect. Thanks in advance.

Mike, exteriors can be easier provided you do not feel the need for the interior to be a part of the exterior shot. However, incorporating the interior can really add drama to your exterior scene. Here is a quick exterior Ray Trace of the home that I have been posting those interior views of. This is just the exterior as done by CA in their sample gallery but with my interior lighting. Just added a different backdrop and some grass from the library.

Mick - Your making progress on this. If I may say so, you are allowing yourself to get off track by playing with the materials and their properties. You will find that when the lighting is right the standard default materials will render up quite well. Materials should only be tweaked after the lighting has been properly set. I see no shadows, are the recessed lights turned on? If you need to locate the types of lights in the scene then just open up the adjust light DBX and all the lights will be listed with their type and if shadows are on or off. This is the fastest way to get at your lights. Also, when in the list you can either select an individual light or you can group select lights by using the shift and ctrl keys. That way you can select a common light group and change them all at the same time making only one entry.

I would not do the crown & light valance with the same molding line. Use a separate one for each. The purpose of being able to have more than one molding on a single molding line is for situations where you are creating a built up molding using separate molding components. I usually do this for the crown where there will be a riser/fascia on top of the cabinet and then a crown to finish off from it to the ceiling.

Spend some time learning the Trim>Molding function. It is far more powerful and versatile than the cabinet DBX molding option. Just takes a bit of time but once mastered you will not use the cabinet one very often.

Exterior Lighting I have mentioned in past postings that on interior renderings the direct sun feature lacks the ability to simulate the effect of indirect light entering into the interior. This scene has the direct sun set at 15. This one is the same but with my indirect light simulator turned on. With this, the direction, spread, light color and intensity of the indirect exterior lighting effect can be controlled independently from the direct sun setting. This effect can't be accomplished using the environment lighting option. Environment lighting is intended as a means to control the exterior shadow depth only, it allows one to simulate softer exterior shadows with an overcast sky versus a clear sky. Using this to brighten an interior will lead to a washed out scene and some major light bleeding problems when foundations do not have floors or are slab on grade type.

Hi Mike, Thanks. Changing things like the recessed light fixtures did not take very long as I have those settings memorized. The pendants took a bit longer as I changed them to a spot light configuration and as each is a different height due to the sloped ceiling each one had to be done individually. Most of my time was consumed while I experimented with a new lighting technique to simulate indirect light entering the interior from the exterior. This of course is a one time effort as I can now save this to my library and just drop it into a new plan. I am also learning more as I experiment with these sample plans. The real test concerning time will be on a new plan where I just have to apply my lights and techniques without the need to experiment. Will keep you posted.