cebas recently released finalrender stage-1 release 2.0 for 3dsmax and i was simply amazed by the huge feature list which covers not only long standing issues but offers also mouth-watering ones which lets you rethink which renderer is your favourite one. next to the support for 3ds max 9 (32 and 64 bit) here are the most notable, new features:
- aqmc gi engine/ flicker free gi : it’s now easier than ever before to render flicker free, animatable gi.
- fr-physical sky : automatic hdri backgrounds on real world measurements.
- fr-skin : creating human skin is easier than ever before with this rendering effect.
- fr-architecture : a material emulating the arch & design material in 3dsmax, but with rendered with the splendid final render system.
- fr-light : a true light source, any surface in a scene can be turned into a real area light!
- fr-ambient occlusion : finally cebase takes the hassle out of creating ambient occlusion passes.
- fr-mtd : micro triangle displacement modifier which makes you go ‘wow!’.
- new render ui : general user interface enhancements to work faster and better.
- absorption : several enhancements and additions have been made to the finalrender materials for even greater control. to learn more about absorption, click here!
- automatic details detection : less samples and higher interpolation are still producing highly detailed gi renders now!
- fr-wax : with the new release the sss rendering effects supports unlimited network rendering now.
- fr-fillet : a new fr-fillet material allows to easily add rounded and soft corners on every sharp edge of an object.
- fr-dirt : many more advanced effects you won’t find in the texture map, including dirt placement based on a bump map and full render elements support.
… and a lot more! also check out this nice quickstart video.
also interesting: the remarks from the vray community (if you happen to have a forum account there).