Alias|Wavefront's site says that when the final version of Mental Ray for Maya 1.5 is released, it will be included as Maya's standard rendering solution. Now, since I imagine a "standard rendering solution" would have to be able to render all of the features available in the software (makes sense, right?), does this mean that the final version of MR for Maya 1.5 will support such features as subdivision surfaces and fur? There are some work-arounds for both of those, such as Sub-D being converted to polygons before rendering, and fur, perhaps, having a light-map generated by the fur's base object applied to it (haven't actually tried this yet, but even if it does work, I am sure would be a severe pain for animations with moving objects and lights, where the GI solution is constantly changing). However, one would imagine that having MR for Maya as a standard Maya renderer would mean that it would fully support all of Maya's features, whithout the need for work-arounds. I am just curious if anyone has heard anything about this, or if I simply mis-understand Alias|Wavefront's decision to have MR for Maya be the standard renderer, and all that that entails. Thanks for whatever insight anyone can give me.
These are all very good questions but I think we've yet to see the answers to them.
It's been my experience with many programs is that the first implementation of a feature is ussually buggy and not fully integrated. Think the first release of Maya Sub-D's. I think developers want to work out more basic issues befor coding up the final details. And it takes time as well as user feedback to get it right. After all you can't forsee every situation that will arise, and leave it to users to find any situation that can mess it up. So I think in anouther release or two they will have it full integrated, and looking purty spiffy. Till then you'll have to bear with the signs that say under renovation. As much as they are a pain in the ass, its the only way to get construction done. But that's just my take on it.
When MRay will become Maya's native renderer ??
Martin
Well, i could be wrong but i think the SUBDs in maya could use a re-build from te ground up..
They don't work with have of maya , they render odd some of the time. They don't function with Mray and they really are the worst out of the ones that are out there.
Marai's. XSI's. Lightwaves ( well those are kinda sub-ds)
all seem easier to deal with to me anyway.
Though I havn;t used sub-ds that much,..manily becouse of a few of those issues listed..its jsut not worth the hastle when you run into work around every 5th tool.
Maybe if they do rebuild them on a different level programming wise they can get them to implament into MRAY, if this is the direction Alias is going.
I often heard Alias had some next gen rendering code laying around but due to the need for a renderer NOW, they caved in and handed off Mray.
Alias has never been one to give out tools everyone else has . So it did suprise me they went the mray route as opposed to coming out with some inovative new renderer...
but..
thats the state of Alias today. They seem to be following rather than leading.
But , whadda want for 2grand .