Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
If you choose Multilayer EXR as the output format for your render, the files you render to will also contain
all the render pass information to be used later in compositing. For this reason, Multilayer EXR is an extremely
convenient format. A disadvantage of working with Multilayer EXR is that it is more difficult to preview and is
not supported directly in many 2D editors such as GIMP.
As with render layers, render passes are primarily useful in compositing. You'll learn much more about
render passes and how they are used in Chapter 9.
Rendering with Cycles
As of Blender version 2.61, a new option for rendering has been introduced, the Cycles render engine. Cycles
makes use of an improved, physically based shader and material system and is intended to produce realistic
renders while still offering a substantial amount of control to artists. At the time of this writing, Cycles is not a
completereplacementforBlenderInternal.ItstilllacksanumberoffeaturesofBlenderInternal,includingsub-
surface scattering, support for particles and strand rendering, and volumetric shaders. Some shading “cheats”
that are possible in Blender Internal are not available in Cycles. For what it can do, however, Cycles is a great
improvement over Blender Internal and can achieve much more realistic renders.
Cycles and Sampling
Cycles works by following the paths that light would take as it passes through a scene and ends up on a pixel in
thefinishedimage. Aslightbouncesaroundascene,itsenergylevel changesbasedonthereflective, refractive,
andabsorptivepropertiesoftheobjectsithits.Forexample,whenlightbouncesoffagreensurface,ittakesona
green hue, which affects the way it contributes to the lighting of other objects. This interplay between reflected
light and objects makes Cycles renders appear much more realistic than renders made with Blender's Internal
renderer.
To use Cycles as your renderer, you must select it as the render engine in the Info window header, as shown
in Figure 4-15 . When you've done this, clicking Image or Animation on the Render properties panel will create
a Cycles render as output. In addition, a new option will appear in the Viewport Shading menu in the 3D view-
port header, called Rendered, as shown in Figure 4-16 . When you select this, Cycles will render your scene in
real time in the 3D viewport. Most modern video cards will be able to handle this, but faster video cards will
help speed it up a lot.
Figure 4-15 Selecting Cycles
 
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search