I Didn't Realize How Good KeyShot's Render Times Were... Till Now...

Started by Will Gibbons, November 18, 2015, 05:20:33 PM

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Will Gibbons

Hey all. Just a little aside, but as I'm learning MODO (mostly to speed up my modeling and offer more complex particle and dynamic animations) I've learned how slow it is as a renderer.

I started rendering my first image out with it at 4K. Not sure of all the settings now, but not maxed by any means. My rendering has been rendering for more than 24 hours and it's at 96.19%... that's absurd in my books. Also, my computer has run out of RAM during this process, so I had to 'save progressive render', reboot, then 'load progressive render' just keep it going. Maybe I've got things wrong, but this is messed up.

I can achieve the same quality in KeyShot in like... 4-ish hours?!

Just sharing this little 'discovery' as KeyShot is really the first and only renderer I've spent much time with in the past.

ErtanK

Hi Will,

such a difference in render times is unusual. Right now MODO's renderer is arguably the best native engine of all complete 3D packages with its quality and flexibility, maybe with the exception of Houdini Mantra (you should be Nodes and VEX savvy to fully use its potential though)
MODO can't compete with render times of GPU renderers like Redshift or Octane but w.r.t. to CPU renderers it's not slow at all. IMHO Keyshot is faster but not by such a big margin as you experienced.

There is a tool called XSR from MODO user Seth Richardson which automatically sets the optimal values for less experienced MODO renderer users. The current version 3.0 only supports MODO 801 but Seth said that XSR 4 for 901 is in development. Have a look at it as it helps to understand the optimal render setup.     

Will Gibbons

Quote from: ErtanK on November 18, 2015, 11:53:30 PM
Hi Will,

such a difference in render times is unusual. Right now MODO's renderer is arguably the best native engine of all complete 3D packages with its quality and flexibility, maybe with the exception of Houdini Mantra (you should be Nodes and VEX savvy to fully use its potential though)
MODO can't compete with render times of GPU renderers like Redshift or Octane but w.r.t. to CPU renderers it's not slow at all. IMHO Keyshot is faster but not by such a big margin as you experienced.

There is a tool called XSR from MODO user Seth Richardson which automatically sets the optimal values for less experienced MODO renderer users. The current version 3.0 only supports MODO 801 but Seth said that XSR 4 for 901 is in development. Have a look at it as it helps to understand the optimal render setup.   

This is very helpful. Thanks for all the info. I'm not bashing MODO because I plan on it becoming another 'tool in my bag' so to speak. I know it's capable of good work, but I chalk up my results to my inexperience. I am on 901, but I'll check out XSR as you mentioned.

I'm slowly learning more about the world of CGI and I feel like I'm trying to drink from a fire hose. I love it though. I would love for there to be more comprehensive non-biased resources for beginners (like me) to begin to categorize, situate and compare the software that's out there. My guess is that it's tough to do because of the constantly evolving technology.

End of that rant. Cheers and thanks for the comment!

Esben Oxholm

Quote from: willgibbonsdesign on November 19, 2015, 04:59:21 AM
I would love for there to be more comprehensive non-biased resources for beginners (like me) to begin to categorize, situate and compare the software that's out there. My guess is that it's tough to do because of the constantly evolving technology.
I've had the same thought, but i believe you answered your own question there. Also, there's always going to be personal preferences, workflows, purposes, etc.

Will Gibbons

Quote from: Esben Oxholm on November 19, 2015, 05:06:19 AM
Quote from: willgibbonsdesign on November 19, 2015, 04:59:21 AM
I would love for there to be more comprehensive non-biased resources for beginners (like me) to begin to categorize, situate and compare the software that's out there. My guess is that it's tough to do because of the constantly evolving technology.
I've had the same thought, but i believe you answered your own question there. Also, there's always going to be personal preferences, workflows, purposes, etc.

I hear you there. I'm guessing as long as you didn't go too deep down the rabbit hole, you could probably categorize the generally speaking by feature. ex. CPU vs. GPU, Node-Based vs. Non-Node-Based, Phys. Correct, Unbiased etc...

ErtanK

Hey Will, I don't know if you are into VFX but fxguide published a very detailed 2-part article about rendering technologies (part 1) and the dominant players in the rendering market. Unfortunately Keyshot wasn't mentioned but I guess this can be attributed to that fact that this article was more or less about the state of rendering in the VFX arena. Very insightful nonetheless.

https://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-state-of-rendering/ (part 1)
https://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-state-of-rendering-part-2/ (part 2)

Will Gibbons

Quote from: ErtanK on November 19, 2015, 06:16:24 AM
Hey Will, I don't know if you are into VFX but fxguide published a very detailed 2-part article about rendering technologies (part 1) and the dominant players in the rendering market. Unfortunately Keyshot wasn't mentioned but I guess this can be attributed to that fact that this article was more or less about the state of rendering in the VFX arena. Very insightful nonetheless.

https://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-state-of-rendering/ (part 1)
https://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-state-of-rendering-part-2/ (part 2)

I am! :D Thanks for sharing. Will make for some great weekend reading material.

KeyShot

The article is from 2013. While KeyShot is not focused on being plugged into the entertainment pipeline (very different needs) we have sold quite a few licenses to the entertainment companies mentioned in the article.

ErtanK

Quote from: KeyShot on November 21, 2015, 01:35:03 PM
The article is from 2013. While KeyShot is not focused on being plugged into the entertainment pipeline (very different needs) we have sold quite a few licenses to the entertainment companies mentioned in the article.
I bet you have. Having watched all ZBrush summit 2015 presentations nearly every concept artist was using Keyshot. And rightly so. It's a great renderer.

Will Gibbons

Quote from: KeyShot on November 21, 2015, 01:35:03 PM
The article is from 2013. While KeyShot is not focused on being plugged into the entertainment pipeline (very different needs) we have sold quite a few licenses to the entertainment companies mentioned in the article.

Awesome to hear this!