KS6 New gem / dielectric material

[Ed]

KS6 New gem / dielectric material:

According to Thomas Teger, KS6 build 152 includes "a small optimization with a more raw sampling technique which separates the colors of the spectrum a little better at the cost of an increase in sampling noise."

This means that initially your gem scene will look more noisy, but will then resolve quickly.

I tested with four different HDRI's below. The HDRI has the greatest influence in rendering the diamond material, so each scene has a different feel.

GrabCAD ring model by tecnojoyas

My conclusion:  The new gem / dielectric material has improved dispersion with greater clarity and less noise and less bleeding of colors.  Compared to KS5, it works well with a greater range of HDRI's, and so finding a sweet spot in the lighting to bring the diamond alive is easier.  The abbe number, as before, allows you to choose the desired amount of dispersion (fire).  I think everyone can get their desired results with this improved material.

Ed Ferguson

[TpwUK]

These are definitely looking better than v5 Ed - Thanks for posting this

Martin

[guest84672]

Very cool. Thanks for testing, Ed.

[Chad Holton]

Looking good, Ed!

[Despot]

Hey Ed, nice renders... those gems do look better than previous ones I've seen, didn't think so initially, but I do now

J

[Ed]

Thanks John - Every KS improvement, no matter how minor, contributes to the overall realism of our renders.

I think with the KS6 improvements in materials and lighting, I'm going to have to go back and re-do a lot of my renders!

I'm just guessing here, but I think with the typical speed of today's computers compared to when KS was first introduced, the developers can now use more complex algorithms without degrading performance. 

Ed Ferguson