EcoShot uses V-Ray ray trace renders as an input for EcoShot. If the correct material settings are used, ray trace renders provide a more accurate visual representation than VStitcher’s 3D window and normal renders. This is because ray trace renders mimic how light works in real life and adds information that isn’t seen in the VStitcher 3D window or normal renders. Examples of this include self-shadowing, environment shadows, color bleed, and more. It is therefore important to set up your fabrics correctly for ray trace renders. This article gives some tips and suggestions to help you achieve the best ray trace results.
Check out this video for more information.
Utilize VStitcher’s V-Ray Real-Time Ray Trace feature:
VStitcher’s in-built integration with V-Ray allows you to generate ray trace renders in the application simultaneously while you make adjustments to your garment. When using this feature, you should use:
the same lighting used for EcoShot (‘EcoShot Studio v1.hdr’, for new models, or ‘EcoShot Studio v0.hdr’ for older models; check the Installation Guide if you haven't installed these lights yet)
the same Custom Camera Views used for EcoShot (‘M-V0-front’ and 'M-V0-back')
This will allow you to check how the fabric looks when ray trace rendered with V-Ray for EcoShot.
It is recommended that you use check the texture in this V-Ray preview against your physical sample.
Review the depth settings for each map of the fabric:
The depth of each of the maps under the Fabric Properties affects how the material looks in the V-Ray ray trace render. It is therefore important to check each of these depths.
It is particularly important to check the displacement map values. The displacement map is not used in VStitcher’s 3D window or normal renders. As a result, it can have a large impact on the look of the material in the ray trace render and create results significantly different to the 3D window and normal renders.
There are instances when VStitcher automatically sets the slider and depth for maps to a value of 1. In most instances, 1 is too large a value especially for displacement maps. If your displacement map is set to 1, you can experiment by dividing by 10 to 0.1 and checking the results in the V-Ray Real-Time Ray Trace.
Please note that the face and back materials have their own maps. If you are encountering strange results in the ray trace render, check the maps of the back materials and the displacement map in particular.
Allover prints, washes and textures:
Make sure to check “Use Lower Layer Maps” when using an allover print, wash or texture artwork. This correctly blends the artwork to the underlying materials by inheriting the maps of all the materials that are under the selected material (i.e. a lower z-index). Examples of when this setting should be checked include adding a special finish effect to jeans or for realistic display of knitted pieces.
Sheer fabrics:
If your fabric has some sheerness, it is recommended that the material is professionally scanned to ensure correct inclusion of the alpha map.
More resources:
Please refer to the final paragraph of this Browzwear article if you would like to learn more about the difference between what you see in VStitcher’s 3D window versus ray trace render outputs. It explains why ray trace rendered outputs are more accurate and best for final design decision purposes.
VStitcher also utilises a technique called Physically Based Rendering (PBR). PBR is a method of shading and rendering that provides an accurate representation of how light interacts with surfaces and can help achieve more realistic representation of materials. This Browzwear article contains more information about PBR and how the multiple layers of a VStitcher material combine to produce the final result.