Chaos Group

V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp Open Beta Announced

Today, we are announcing the biggest expansion to SketchUp’s rendering capabilities – the V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp Beta Program is now open!

This massive upgrade to V-Ray for SketchUp includes a series of new feature introductions that enhance visualization workflow and render quality (V-Ray RT®, V-Ray Dome Light) and streamline scene complexity (V-Ray Proxy).

You can view the full feature list here.

The Beta program will run for approximately 3 months. The official release is expected in early August.

Learn more and apply at V-Ray for SketchUp Beta page.

Chaos Group FMX 2013 Program Announced

At FMX 2013, we will demonstrate how V-Ray encourages artistry across every stage of a user’s career through a series of presentations that target the needs of VFX professionals and students.

Check out the special website we’ve prepared for our FMX 2013 participation. Those who are planning to go to FMX can find out details about our workshops and booth program. Students can register in a draw for a chance to win 6 student passes.

And for all who can’t make it to Stuttgart, we will stream live Niklas Jakobson’s workshop on the visual effects in Norwegian feature film Kon-Tiki.

Learn more at http://fmx2013.chaosgroup.com

Industrial Light & Magic and Important Looking Pirates will be joining us at FMX!

We have a great line up in store for FMX 2013. Industrial Light & Magic and Important Looking Pirates will be on hand to present their latest feature film work rendered in V-Ray. Plus, we will be hosting Student Day, a Master Class workshop, and showing a sneak peek of the upcoming animated short - Portals.

For conference details visit the FMX website, and stay tuned for the launch of our FMX 2013 event website, where we’ll share up to the minute details and provide a chance to win some great prizes!

Vlado Koylazov to present at EUE 2013!

V-Ray creator and Chaos Group cofounder Vlado Koylazov will be a featured speaker at this year's End User Event. EUE 2013 is a must-attend event, but don't just take our word for it, as the organizers put it, "Be there or be an alien!"

EUE 2013, June 27-28, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Chaos Group Supports Student Work by Sponsoring New 3D Challenges

To celebrate young talent and support the educational community, Chaos Group has joined two great CG challenges that will help students gain international visibility for their work – the 3DArtist CG Student Awards and the CGArchitect 3D Awards.



The 3DArtist CG Student Awards is an international event showcasing top student projects. The awards represent a tremendous promotional opportunity for all young artists to share their work with the world.





The CGarchitect Architectural 3D Awards are the largest awards event for the architectural visualization industry. Now in its 10th year, the awards attract entries from top studios, freelancers and students from around the world. Chaos Group is proud to sponsor the newly established Student Image category.

We wish all students taking part in these challenges the best of luck and endless inspiration!

Pdplayer Update

An update to Pdplayer is now available featuring various optimizations and improvements. The update is free for Pdplayer users and can be downloaded from the Chaos Group downloads page. See the full list of optimizations in Pdplayer 1.0.6.35.

Chaos Group Website Maintenance (16-17 March)

Our website will be undergoing routine maintenance this weekend (16-17 March 2013). During this time it may be unavailable or its performance interrupted. This includes the Chaos Group forum and Downloads page. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

V-Ray for 3ds Max Update Available

Chaos Group is pleased to share an update to V-Ray for 3ds Max featuring several optimizations and new features.

With this service release V-Ray adds support for rendering hair created with HairFarm 2.0 and V-Ray Proxy support for Alembic .abc files.  There are also several new features and optimizations within V-Ray RT such as support for instancing, support for Forest Pro instancing, and faster update in ActiveShade rendering with the CPU engine when adjusting VrayLights. V-Ray RT GPU now offers CUDA speed optimizations and optimizations for GK110 cards. Check out the full list of new features, improvements, and fixes in build 2.40.01.

This update is free for V-Ray 2.0 customers and can be downloaded from the Chaos Group website.

V-Ray 1.6 for Softimage Available

V-Ray 1.6 for Softimage contains several bug fixes, optimizations, and new features, including:


- Improved ICE support

- Distributed rendering

- New noise texture

- Alembic import

- Improved mapping of multi-cluster geometry to V-Ray proxies

- Improved exporter performance

- Property overrides

- Multimatte improvements, including material IDs

- Environment fog gizmo

- Sphere fade support


V-Ray 1.5 for Softimage customers may access the update at Chaos Group downloads.  To purchase V-Ray for Softimage, please contact your local reseller.

HDR Light Studio 4 Adds Live Connection for Autodesk 3ds Max and V-Ray

The new HDR Light Studio 4 Live connection for Autodesk 3ds Max with Chaos Group V-Ray launches today. Artists can now light their scenes with real-time feedback using V-Ray RT as the ActiveShade renderer and HDR Light Studio’s innovative interactive HDR canvas. Sophisticated lighting environments can be created in moments to perfectly light and reflect in your shot. It’s a great new approach to light V-Ray scenes, seeing the lighting interact with your materials in your final shot.

Learn more about pricing and availability and watch the first demo