[Nicolas Rivera]

USing Sketchup Maxwell i left this one render to reach SL22 wondering how long will it take to get the fireflies off the image, but it seems they just won't go away!! Is this normal for the draft mode? or for the engine for Sketchup?

Thank you for your help.

[polynurb]

so you rendered this not using production engine?

this is normal for the draft engine. the noise you see is the result of unresolved caustics/reflections/refractions.
don't use draft for final images

-daniel

[Nicolas Rivera]

so you rendered this not using production engine?

this is normal for the draft engine. the noise you see is the result of unresolved caustics/reflections/refractions.
don't use draft for final images

-daniel

Thank you Daniel, yes i just wanted to make sure it was something to do with Draftmode because i will actually buy the $95 version as i have found this is a very very easy workflow for me and if i need HD renders i can just export it to the full version.

[Mihai]

There isn't any difference though between using the standalone SU or Render Suite plugin.

[hatts]

Do bear in mind however that sometimes those caustic fireflies don't show up until higher levels, because at the lower levels sometimes the caustics are absent, and then they start to appear at higher levels, and then if your setup isn't optimized enough, the fireflies may never resolve.

Generally this isn't a problem but I'm just trying to caution that it's not like using the production engine will necessarily solve caustics resolution issues in all cases.

[Nicolas Rivera]

Do bear in mind however that sometimes those caustic fireflies don't show up until higher levels, because at the lower levels sometimes the caustics are absent, and then they start to appear at higher levels, and then if your setup isn't optimized enough, the fireflies may never resolve.

Generally this isn't a problem but I'm just trying to caution that it's not like using the production engine will necessarily solve caustics resolution issues in all cases.

Interesting! So, what exactly do i have to optimize for this fireflies not to appear? I will render this image on the stand alone version tonight at the same resolution just to se what changes.

Overall its absolutely stunning the renders from Maxwell, perfect light balance, tones, shadows, sharpness etc. Love it.

[Bubbaloo]

Are your emitters behind glass? If so, change that glass to AGS (or just turn it off).

[Nicolas Rivera]

Are your emitters behind glass? If so, change that glass to AGS (or just turn it off).

No, they a a single face poly with an .ies file applied. And yes, all the glass in the model is AGS.

[Nicolas Rivera]

Ok, so i did the test in Stand Alone version, same resolution, same file.

I can clearly see this is an issue with Draft mode only, its a putty really, because to tell you the truth, at this resolution and with this specific Scene i can't really see the advantage of Draft mode rending besides reaching a SL 1.5 faster then production in the same time lapse, making the scene a bit sharper but full of fireflies.

So, if the fireflies where gone in draft mode, can't it be a better option to use over production at this resolution? Production do not seem better over Draft in this scenario.

SL reached in Production mode: 13.5
SL reached in Draft mode: 15

Time of render: 18 minutes.

[hatts]

It's really a workflow thing; I wouldn't take the Draft engine too seriously. Use it for realtime previews while you're working, and not much else. In some cases it really can be a more helpful tool than the production engine. But there's no reason to use it instead of the production engine, if you're making actual images.

[dariolanza]

Hello Nicholas,

Use the Draft just for visualization purposes, to get instant feedback while you are setting up the scene, or even to render a quick animation test.

But for final images (meaning when you want your renders to reach a high SL and look fine) use the Production quality mode. Draft mode is only good at first seconds (or minutes) but not at long term (just like the first gear in a car).

Cheers!

Dario Lanza