Side by Side comparison?

[syrom]

Is this allowed? Im a dedicated maxwell render user and very proficient in it.  I have been trying key shot  lately since my co worker has a license and I have access to export some of my work and render using Keyshot. So for giggles I rendered a head model and wanted to push the limit using Keyshot  to see how good it compares to Maxwell. So... can I post both renders to show the results ? Or us it not allowed to show other renders on here? Just being polite and professional  about it.  If I can,  I'll post the work so purple can see the difference.  I can tell you that Keyshot sss is superior  due to its speed and easily  controlled specs. Anyways,  I'll see what the mods say.

[Will Gibbons]

I can't speak as a mod, but as a forum participant, I'd be interested in seeing the comparison. Good on you for asking.

[PhilippeV8]

You got me curious now.

I think if you add a watermark somewhere on your image showing clearly which is KS and which is Maxwell, I guess it'll be no issue ...

[Josh3D]

Hi Syrom, that's fine. Look forward to seeing what you share.

[syrom]

Alright! Glad to hear on the open freedoms! Ill work on the project  over this weeken to make the model as close yo each other. Right now I redid  the maxwell lighting on it to get sss to be more apparent  but thats not the best option to turn on in that particular renderer. Hehe. But look forward for this weekend.

[Martin Kamminga]

Nice to hear a comparison is coming, thank you!

[mertmg]

Looking forward to it!

[syrom]

Ok. Here it is.  Ran into some issues with keyshot. I couldn't get the hdri to load zoomed in like in maxwell.So I opted  out to a white background. I did use the same hdri for lighting   though.  Now. .. i had a hell of a time in matching the lighting so I just used keyshits hdri editor to illuminate as close to the maxwell setting. So this can't be a true exact comparison. I'll  rework the lighting  using planes like I did with naxwell hopefully  in the next coming days.  The maxwell has 4 planes for lighting and a hdri. The planes are placed almost directly in a square fashion but slightly angled. Front face plane, back plane and left and right. On the keyshot I eliminated the planes  and just used the same hdri but with edited spot lights  in the same  positions. And this is what I got. Also... i do like the dof better on maxwell but overwhelmingly  preffer the sss on keyshot.  Another note,  I used only 1 plane directly in front of the keyshot with a setting of 1.5 watts with a cool light blue tone to help bring out the eyes. In which I loved more than maxwells. I'll attemp another more accurate one soon.

Keyshot is the all white Background.

[syrom]

DL both and view high res. This screenshot does not do it justice.  :] hopefuly my gama is similar to everyone's monitor.

Also.... keep in mind I just started using KS. I'm in no way a expert but found the learning curve to be rather friendly.

I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. .. DL THE FILES AND VIEW IN FULL SCREEN! ! VIEWING THIS AS ITS POSTED AS SMALL THUMBNAILS DOES  NOT SHOW DETAILS ON THE MAXWELL VERSION LIKE KS.

[Despot]

I'm not a ' skin' guy, but visually, for me, there is too much specular on the KS one and too little on the MW one.

Maxwell's SSS is very capable in my opinion, I've been using it since the Alpha version 10 years ago, but the problem is the amount of time it takes to resolve.

Last time I tried complex SSS in MW, I could have gone for a short holiday in the Dordogne waiting for it to complete.

Whereas with KS, I barely have time to empty my bladder before the render is completed.

For me that's the deal breaker in favour of KeyShot

J

[PhilippeV8]

I think from what I can see, there's something to say for both.  But these are just 2 different renders.  Lighting is different, mood is different ... KS has harsh lighting setup, while MW looks under-exposed.
I have no idea but render-speed might indeed be a factor.

[syrom]

I'm not a ' skin' guy, but visually, for me, there is too much specular on the KS one and too little on the MW one.

Maxwell's SSS is very capable in my opinion, I've been using it since the Alpha version 10 years ago, but the problem is the amount of time it takes to resolve.

Last time I tried complex SSS in MW, I could have gone for a short holiday in the Dordogne waiting for it to complete.

Whereas with KS, I barely have time to empty my bladder before the render is completed.

For me that's the deal breaker in favour of KeyShot

J

Ha! Yes... its like a overnight  thing using sss on maxwell. It does produce incredible results but you pay the price with lots of time!  The angle is what kills the spec on maxwell.... if i turn it 20 more degrees any direction,  it pops out. I'll redo both eith a more angled  approached and using light planes  identical to both.

[syrom]

I think from what I can see, there's something to say for both.  But these are just 2 different renders.  Lighting is different, mood is different ... KS has harsh lighting setup, while MW looks under-exposed.
I have no idea but render-speed might indeed be a factor.

Your not going to believe me but maxwell rendered in about 1 hour 30 minutes.  And  KS took 6 hours. Buahahaha! No kidding. I used advanced default  render on KS. But let me explain my observations.  KS can render this exact setup in about 45 minutes.  What added the extra crazy 5 more hours  was the fact that I added a frontal plane with a light emitter on it to make the eyes come out better. Don't know why this does this but  it did in my case. Again. .. im a beginner at KS. I rendered a maxwell version again last night using a more side front  profile and it came out way better.And it does the spec nicely with wet lips. Now... I'm going to do the same with KS hopefully  tonight and match the lighting precisely and see the takes.  I will take down the spec by 50% to 60% aswell.

[syrom]

Btw.... anyone suggest me a hair solution.  What's the easiest app to render realistic hair. Ornatrix is great but can't buy it. Looking for a free solution if there is any. Thxs!

[syrom]

Also. .. im this system isn't the most advanced hardware unfortunately. Still using my once epic q6600 cpu with 8 gigs ram.  Here's another question for you guys that have used ks fir a longer time.  What's the best render setting ?  Advanced or biased? I find the preview screen to render faster  than advanced.