Chaos Group V-Ray Next, Update 2.2 (Build 4.30.02) for Autodesk Maya

The Chaos Group team is pleased to announce the availability of V-Ray Next, Update 2.2 (Build 4.30.02) for Autodesk Maya, the next generation of rendering with powerful V-Ray Scene Intelligence, fully redesigned IPR, and 2X faster GPU production rendering, V-Ray Next is smarter, faster, and more powerful than ever.

New features:
– V-Ray: Added V-Ray Scene export through the Maya export menu;
– VRayScene: VRayObjectProperties can now be used with VRayScene objects;
– V-Ray: Notifications for new V-Ray versions;

Modified features:
– VRayMtl/Viewport 2.0: Improved viewport performance;
– Maya Fluids: Ability to control the light emission of Maya fluids when rendered with the Phoenix shader;
– VRayHairSampler: Added output for the distance across the hair width;

Bug fixes:
– V-Ray: Fixed deep EXR always using 16-bit floats;
– V-Ray: Fixed scene resetting in mayapy when loading V-Ray;
– V-Ray: Fixed packing to vrscene to work when offline;
– VRayAlSurface: "Consider all objects" now only considers other objects with VRayAlSurface applied;
– VRayProxy: Fixed slow playback of proxies from network share;
– V-Ray IPR: Fixed a crash with RTX in IPR in the viewport when no devices are selected for rendering;
– VRmat: Fixed Vrmat not finding assets;
– VRayOSLMtl/VRayOSLTex: Fixed OSL shader ignoring a connected multiplyDivide;
– V-Ray GPU: Fixed a crash with GPU IPR with distributed rendering when unhiding an object;
– XGen: Fixed light linking not working for xgen hair with .vrscene cache;
– V-Ray IPR: Fixed a crash with debug shading when adding a texture to a Dome Light;
– V-Ray GPU: Fixed incorrect Anisotropy uvw transformation;
– Viewport 2.0: Fixed slow Viewport 2.0 performance on OSX;
– V-Ray: Fixed a slowdown with the ramp texture with textured ramp positions;
– VRayFastSSS2: Fixed back-to-beauty compositing for the VRayFastSSS2 material;
– VRayOSLMtl/VRayOSLTex: Fixed a crash when compiling OSL on i9 9980XE processors;
– VRayEnvironmentFog Fixed slow rendering with VRayEnvironmentFog with Scatter GI;
– VRayMeshLight: Fixed slow rendering with MeshLight in animation;
– VRayFur: Fixed a random crash with VRayFur;
– V-Ray GPU: Fixed a crash when rendering with NVLink with more than 2 cards;
– V-Ray GPU: Fixed black render with the Bucket sampler when the AA Filter size is set below 1.41;
– V-Ray GPU/EnvironmentFog: Fixed a crash with EnvironmentFog when switching from bucket to progressive rendering;
– V-Ray GPU/VRayProxy: Fixed a crash when rendering VRMesh files with more than 16 map channels;
– VRayProxy: Fixed V-Ray Proxy not working correctly with named UV sets;
– VRayVolumeGrid: Fixed relative cache paths not working as relative to the Maya project;
– VRayRectLight: Fixed fireflies when the light shape is set to disc;

V-Ray Next for Maya. the first sneak out shortly before the release of its sister product, V-Ray Next for 3ds Max.
Most of the new features in the update were previously rolled out in the 3ds Max edition, including the new ‘scene intelligence’ tools like automatic exposure and white balance and the new V-Ray GPU architecture.

Other features previously debuted in the 3ds Max edition include a new physically based hair shader and the integration of Nvidia’s AI-based OptiX render denoising technology.
However, there are also features unique to Maya, notably VRayToonMtl, a new toon shader with advanced options like anisotropy and glossy Fresnel effects.

The update also introduces a new
IPR architecture for faster feedback on complex scenes and support for animation Playblasts. The IPR now supports viewport denoising and texture isolation for shader debugging.
In addition, V-Ray Next for Maya incorporates a few GPU rendering features not yet supported in the 3ds Max edition, like bucket rendering – "coming in [future] dot releases" for Max, according to Chaos Group.

As well as the features listed above, the update adds a new metalness parameter to the standard V-Ray Material to support PBR workflows; support for layered Alembic files; and a new layered texture.

Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics technology, helping artists and designers create photoreal imagery and animation for design, television, and feature films. Chaos Group specializes in physically-based rendering and simulation software used daily by top design studios, architectural firms, advertising agencies, and visual effects companies around the globe. Today, the company’s research and development in cloud rendering, material scanning, and virtual reality is shaping the future of creative storytelling and digital design. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group is privately owned with offices in Sofia, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Product: Chaos Group V-Ray
Version: V-Ray Next, Update 2.2 (Build 4.30.02)
Supported Architectures: x64
Website Home Page : http://www.chaosgroup.com
Language: english
System Requirements: PC *
Supported Operating Systems: *
Software Prerequisites: Autodesk Maya 2017-2020
Size: 1.3 Gb

Please make sure that your system fulfills these requirements before installing V-Ray. Note that V-Ray is only supported for 64 bit operating systems and 64 bit versions of Maya.
Processor 1st Gen Intel Core or compatible processor with SSE4.2 support (x64)
RAM 4 GB RAM and 4 GB swap minimum – recommended 8 GB or more RAM, 8 GB or more swap file; (Actual amount required will vary with scene requirements.)
USB Port Required for customers using legacy hardware lock, preferably USB 2.0
TCP/IP Only IPv4 required for distributed rendering is supported. IPv6 is currently not supported
GPU Acceleration NVIDIA CUDA: Maxwell-, Pascal-, Volta- and Turing-based NVIDIA card(s) with with latest recommended video driver or at least version 441.20;
NVIDIA RTX: RTX cards with latest recommended video driver or at least version 441.28;
V-Ray Production Denoiser: AMD or NVIDIA GPU supporting OpenCL 1.2;
NVIDIA AI Denoiser: Maxwell, Pascal, Volta or Turing-based NVIDIA card with latest recommended video driver or at least version 441.20