Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1547068
24 cgw j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 6 c haos recently announced V-Ray 7, Update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Artists can now work with the same V-Ray scene from early look development and real-time exploration through virtual production and final ren- dering, with path-traced feedback available directly inside support- ed digital content creation applications. The release also introduces Gaussian Splat relighting, giving art- ists an easy way to blend scanned, real-world environments into 3D scenes; expands Chaos Arena's real-time toolset for virtual produc- tion; and delivers faster CPU and GPU rendering, more artist-friendly workflows, and broader hardware and platform support, including AMD GPU rendering and V-Ray for Blender on Linux. Used across visual effects, animation, product visualization, and advertising, V-Ray gives artists physically accurate lighting and ren- dering tools for developing shots and producing final images. V-Ray 7, update 4, connects more of that work inside the artist's existing application, allowing the same scene and assets to move through production with fewer conversions and less rebuilding. "Artists lose time when a scene has to be converted or rebuilt when it moves between tools," said Allan Poore, chief product of- ficer at Chaos. "V-Ray 7, Update 4, keeps the same asset moving from early exploration to on-set production and final rendering. That means faster feedback, fewer technical interruptions, and more time to focus on the shot." Real-Time REndering, Right in the Viewport Artists can now use Chaos Vantage to explore and assemble V-Ray scenes in real time inside supported DCC viewports, without ex- porting assets to a separate game engine. The workflow is available through a Vantage Hydra Delegate for Houdini and an enhanced Maya Live Link, with 3ds Max integration introduced earlier this year. Support for Blender is coming soon via Live Link, and Chaos is also developing an OpenUSD Hydra Delegate to bring Vantage's real-time and V-Ray's offline rendering into other host applications, including Nuke and Katana. gaussian Splat Relighting Scanned environments usually capture lighting as part of the original image, making them difficult to match to a 3D scene. Gaussian Splat relighting allows artists to adjust the lighting of captured environ- ments in Houdini, Maya, 3Ds Max and Vantage, so they can be used from previs through final delivery, without recreating the location or relying on complex workarounds. "Gaussian Splats have opened up incredible creative possibilities, but lighting has always been the hard part," said Vlado Koylazov, co-founder and head of innovation at Chaos. "Now artists can bring a real, scanned environment into their scene and light it exactly the way the shot needs, instead of being stuck with what the scan gave them." better control for virtual production The same V-Ray scene can also move into Chaos Arena for LED wall shoots, giving crews more control over materials, focus and colour while cameras are rolling. New features include: • Real-time material editing: Adjust shaders on the LED wall without interrupting the shoot. • Real-time depth of field: Match focus between physical and virtual cameras. • Decal color corrections: Adjust specific areas of the digital background to match physical props and set pieces. • Lens encoder support: Carry focal length and focus changes from the physical lens into the virtual camera. SHOWCASE CHAOS UNLEASHES V-RAY 7 UPDATE CONNECTING REAL-TIME WORKFLOWS WITH FINAL RENDERING