V-Ray for SketchUp is a rendering engine equipped with Global Illumination (GI), which helps the users setup the lighting for entire scene easily. So they don't have to spend a lot of time adjusting lighting location and brightness. The concept of GI is very simple. Imagine a room has a window but no light in it.
6 Easy Ways To Render Sketchup With V-Rray – V-Ray is an incredibly powerful renderer — but it’s also remarkably easy to use. The number-one* 3D renderer used in architectural visualization is battle-tested and industry-proven, used daily to realize world-class products, buildings and much more.
And if you like to spend the majority of your time being creative but still crave the highest quality images possible, V-Ray can help you easily and speedily render everything from your quickest concepts to your largest and most detailed 3D models.
What’s more, it works seamlessly with SketchUp’s versatile 3D modeling tools while also being built with a full set of creative tools for lights and materials. The best part, perhaps, is that you don’t need to be a rendering expert to get great results with VRay. This collection of six, simple, quick-start tutorials will help you learn how to use V-Ray Next for SketchUp — and give your renders a boost in no time at all.
- With V-Ray for SketchUp 2017 the users can save much of their precious time. Apart from the lighting features, V-Ray for SketchUp 2017 includes material editor with the built-in preview that opens the doors to tamper with color, transparency, refraction depth, texture and various other settings which affects the appearance of the final result.
- V-Ray Vision has got you covered. Explore your SketchUp models in a game-like environment with instant rendering capabilities and alternative viewports via a live link with SketchUp. Toggle, orbit, adjust lighting, and color-correct your models within seconds in the V-Ray Vision window while you work in SketchUp.
- V-Ray is the ultimate power-up for SketchUp. V-Ray and SketchUp are the perfect team. SketchUp is the world's most widely used 3D modeling software for architecture and design. And V-Ray is the world's #1 rendering software for architectural visualization. The two together are the perfect combo to take your designs to the next level.
6 Easy Ways To Render Sketchup With V-Ray
This first video walks through V-Ray’s simple UI and details just how easy it is to get started with a basic project. The video guide also covers the simplified VRay Asset Editor and shares how to manage your Materials, Lights, Geometry, Render Elements and Textures with ease.
V-Ray Tutorial 1: How to light an exterior day scene
In this first tutorial, you’ll learn how to quickly set up exterior lighting for a daylight scenario. The video also covers how to tweak various light settings of the Sunlight and Dome light features to achieve the desired lighting outcomes for your scene.
Read also : Best way to remove duplicate shadows in SketchUp
To help you follow along with this video guide, you can download assets for this tutorial here.
If you’re new to V-Ray, you can download a free 30-day trial for V-Ray for SketchUp here.
V-Ray Tutorial 2: How to light an exterior night scene
This next video guide takes you through the process of setting up a nighttime exterior render for an arch-viz workflow. The simple workflow showcased reveals how you can use a variety of V-Ray lights for great-looking night renders.
To follow along with the techniques in this video, download assets for this tutorial here.
V-Ray Tutorial 3: How to light an interior day scene
You’ll now discover how to light arch-viz interiors. This video builds on the concepts from the exterior lighting videos above, and by the end of the next two videos, you’ll have a solid understanding of the simple lighting workflow for rendering interiors in SketchUp.
To try out the workflow shown in this video, you can download assets for this tutorial here.
V-Ray Tutorial 4: How to light an interior night scene
This video tutorial now walks through how to set up an interior project for nighttime lighting. The guide will show you some quick examples of how to easily simulate moonlight as well as how to adjust your lighting and colors for maximum realism.
Real also : AutoCAD vs SketchUp, Which One is the Best?
To follow along, simply download assets for this tutorial here.
V-Ray Tutorial 5: How to create and use materials
This next tutorial details the basics of materials in V-Ray Next for SketchUp. This simple video demonstrates how to use the Material Library to create, edit and apply various realistic materials, as well as how to edit preset materials and create new materials from scratch.
You can follow along with this video: Simply download assets for this tutorial here.
Tutorial 6: How to create fog and atmosphere
In the last video tutorial in this series, see how Environment Fog can be used to quickly simulate fog, dust, and smoke. You’ll quickly understand how to add depth to your images using volumetric environment effects and learn how to use Aerial Perspective to simulate atmospheric haze to illustrate distance.
You can download the scene file here to follow along with this tutorial.
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Table of Contents
Getting Started
Landing pages for V-Ray for SketchUp
Where can I learn more about V-Ray for SketchUp?Chaos Links:SketchUp Links:
Technical Support & Licensing
Contact Options
Can I login to Chaos’s forum using the same login detail for SketchUp forum?Chaos (the makers of V-Ray for SketchUp) hosts and supports their own community which is unrelated to the SketchUp forum. You’re free to create a login on their forum, but it has no connection to, nor is it inherited from, the official SketchUp forum.
Alternatively, you can visit the V-Ray for SketchUp sub-category on the official SketchUp forum here. This subcategory is for users of V-Ray for SketchUp to ask questions, share techniques or just show off what you’ve done. You’ll be able to use your Trimble ID on the SketchUp forum.
Which forum should I go to for posting my questions about using V-Ray for SketchUp?You’re welcome to post in either forum as there are knowledgeable users in both locations. For official support of V-Ray for SketchUp, you should post your questions on Chaos’s forum here.
You can visit the V-Ray for SketchUp sub-category on the official SketchUp forum here. This subcategory is for users of V-Ray for SketchUp to ask questions, share techniques or just show off what you’ve done. You’ll be able to use your Trimble ID on the SketchUp forum.
I need support for V-Ray for SketchUp, how do I get support?If you’re having an issue with your SketchUp Studio subscription, or if V-Ray for SketchUp isn’t authorizing properly, please contact SketchUp Support via this form.
If you’re having an issue installing or using V-Ray for SketchUp, please contact Chaos using the following information:
- Chaos/V-Ray Phone Support: +359 2 422 422 1
- Chaos/V-Ray Email Support: support@chaosgroup.com
Licensing
What are the differences between V-Ray for SketchUp included in my Studio subscription and V-Ray for SketchUp obtained directly from Chaos?There are no features or UI differences between V-Ray for SketchUp Studio and V-Ray for SketchUp. However you can use Trimble ID to log in V-Ray for SketchUp Studio.
With V-Ray for Sketchup from Chaos, there is no account linking between Trimble and Chaos. And you will need to create a Chaos user account for using V-Ray in addition to a Trimble ID to authorize your Sketchup subscription.
What if I want to automatically renew SketchUp, but not V-Ray?This is a downgrade case, you are downgrading your Studio subscription to a Pro subscription. If you wish to downgrade your subscription, please contact SketchUp support team via this form.
What if I want to automatically renew V-Ray but not SketchUp?If your V-Ray for SketchUp license is due as part of your Studio subscription then you can’t renew ONLY the V-Ray subscription.
If you wish to renew V-Ray but not SketchUp Studio, you’ll need to downgrade your SketchUp subscription to a SketchUp Pro and then sign up for a standalone V-Ray for SketchUp subscription.
What happens if the account linking failed? Whom do I need to contact to get help?In most cases, the account link fails because you did not log in with your TID to activate the V-Ray license after you installed the V-Ray extension to your machine. Following the installation steps, you will see a page where you are asked to sign in with your TID. If the problem persists, and you are certain that you have logged in correctly, you should contact Chaos support team support@chaosgroup.com with a note explaining you are accessing V-Ray as part of Sketchup Studio offering.
If you accidentally close the page below before you login with your TID, you will be prompted to login again when you open V-Ray in the desktop client. See the in-app message below.
If you sign in successfully, you will see a page like this and you can close this page or go to the landing page to learn more about V-Ray for Sketchup Studio.
Upgrade & Version Compatibility
Can I run V-Ray for SketchUp on an older version of SketchUp?The current version of V-Ray for SketchUp will work with SketchUp 2019 and SketchUp 2020.
How will I get notified about the newer version of the V-Ray for SketchUp?If you have downloaded V-Ray on your Sketchup, you will get notified whenever there is an updated version via desktop client's notification mechanism just like other extensions.
V-Ray for SketchUp Usage
Cloud Rendering and Cloud Credits
Can Cloud Render work on an older version of SketchUp?Cloud rendering comes with your SketchUp Studio subscription and you will always get the most recent versions of SketchUp and V-Ray for SketchUp in Studio. Currently V-Ray for SketchUp provided with SketchUp Studio will work in SketchUp Pro 2019 or SketchUp Pro 2020.
I see Chaos offers 20 free cloud credits for the trial users. How do I get their free credit offer?If you’re currently using the SketchUp Pro trial and wish to also try out V-Ray for SketchUp, you’re able to do so with both.
If you’re using V-Ray for SketchUp provided with your SketchUp Studio subscription then you already get 20 credits and you’re not eligible for their trial based credits.
What is the workflow for saving my SketchUp project on Trimble Connect, my V-Ray project with cloud credits, and the fully rendered project ? Where are they get saved, Trimble Connect or Chaos Cloud?You can upload your SketchUp project to Trimble Connect either directly from inside SketchUp by using the Trimble Connect extension OR by first signing into Trimble Connect and uploading the project directly through it. Connect does not work with Vrayscene. The fully rendered project (via Chaos Cloud) will be hosted in Chaos Cloud and you can then download the assets once the render batch is complete. There is no connection to Trimble Connect.
How many projects can I render with 20 cloud credits?It depends on the nature and complexity of the scene you are rendering. For example, 10 credits might get you 2 images of a bee and flower, 5 images of a night-time archviz scene, 20 images of an interior, 30 images of a diamond ring or 250 images of a balloon.
Check out the Chaos page what to expect with Chaos Cloudhttps://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/scenes
One way to estimate how many credits you’ll need for a job is to render a test image with your trial credits and note how many credits it consumed. Then expand that cost by what your final job will take in terms of the final resolution, quality, frames, etc.
Alternatively, you can check out the Chaos page what to expect with Chaos Cloudhttps://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/scenes
Chaos does not offer cloud storage for files. We recommend that you either save your files to your local machine or store it in the cloud using Trimble Connect. Trimble Business Connect, included with your SketchUp Studio subscription, has unlimited storage for projects.
What happens to any files stored in the cloud if I end my SketchUp subscription?You will continue to have write access to your project up to the limits allowed by a Trimble Connect Personal subscription. If you’ve exceeded the data storage limit, you still have read access to all your data but will not be able to upload any more files. You’ll always have the option to download your files stored on Trimble Connect.
What happens if I am in the middle of a rendering process and my trial expires?The trial will expire at midnight, you’ll be able to finish the render, if it was started before the expiration.
What happens to my render if I finish my credits in the middle of a job?If you run out of credits in the middle of a job, you’ll be unable to finish the job. You will be directed to a Chaos page to purchase more credits.
Can I pause my current rendering process?Yes, you can pause the rendering process both, whether it’s a Cloud Render or if you’re rendering on your local machine.
Can I save my renders on my machine? How can I share my renders in the cloud with my clients?Yes and yes. You can save the render (images and or render setting) as vrscene files on your machine. For sharing cloud render outputs like EXR and JPG images can be saved in OneDrive/GDrive and shared with clients from there. More info is here.
How do I purchase more cloud credits?You can buy more Cloud Credits directly from the Chaos web page here; https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/buy
As a SketchUp Studio subscribe how do I check on the status of my monthly Cloud Credits for V-Ray?There are several options for checking your available Cloud Credits:
- cloud.chaos.com - that UI will show you the total balance of credits in total. If you have Studio + you bought additional credits, you’ll see the total amount.
- my.chaosgroup.com - that UI will show you a breakdown
System Configuration
Will V-Ray for SketchUp run on my MacBook’s default graphic card setting?V-ray For Sketchup Adv
By default V-Ray is set up to run on the CPU of the machine. You'll be able to use the full functionality and there will be no warnings, though performance will not be as great as in a system intended for 3D rendering.
If you decide to switch from using the CPU for rendering to “CUDA” or “RTX” you'll have to select the hardware devices to be used for rendering.
On a Macbook;
- In CUDA mode - you'll see only your CPU listed and you can select and use it.
- In RTX mode - you'll see no devices listed and you'll not be able to render.
V-ray For Sketchup
The following are options available within V-Ray for SketchUp, make adjustments based on your available hardware:
- This means that even if you have a Mac machine you can still render using GPU CUDA, however only the CPU will be used.
- GPU RTX - This mode takes advantage of the newest NVIDIA cards in an optimal way.
- It can only run on NVIDIA RTX GPUs and will utilize the RT (raytrace) cores of these cards.
You still will be able to use the V-Ray GPU render engine but it will run only using the CPU on your device. For more information please read this FAQ Article on Chaos’s website.
How would I know if my machine can operate with the latest version of V-Ray for SketchUp?You can use the V-Ray Benchmark Tool to measure how well particular hardware will operate with V-Ray and also find out whether the hardware is supported or not. There is even a results page where you can search results shared by other users and compare the result from their tests with those from the others.
When I try to use the default setting of V-Ray and my SketchUp keep crashing, what can I do to prevent this or improve the experience?This is a broad topic, since a crash could be caused by a diverse set of factors.
On one side, it could be a workstation related cause:
- Hardware - If the minimum requirements are not met (e.g. old components - no SSE4.2 support (x64) on the CPU) or there is a malfunctioning component;
- Overheating - highly uncommon, but it's a possibility, mainly during rendering;
- Software - In the case of V-Ray 5, if it's a Windows workstation, only Win 8.1 and Win 10 are supported. On macOS, to my knowledge M1 chips are currently emulated, so it should work, but it's not a bad idea to keep it in mind as a potential cause;
Additionally, issues with the OS could potentially cause a crash, or perhaps missing drivers but this is something that cannot be summarized; Aside from the Windows requirements and M1 chips, it was extremely rare to encounter any of the other factors.
As for strictly SketchUp and V-Ray related factors:
- Corrupted installation of either of the softwares;
- Anti-virus/Firewall permissions (unlikely, but still not a bad idea to be kept in mind);
- Leftover files from previous installations;
- Leftover crack file from a pirated SketchUp or V-Ray;
- Incompatible plugins (e.g. two render engines). Very unlikely to cause a crash, but rather a fault in the way the applications function (still, not a bad idea to be checked);
Project related (high likelihood);
- Corrupted project file;
- Corrupted materials or assets;
- Potentially, assets with high amount of complex groups and materials applied to some groups (we had instances where a couple of 'Explode' actions resolved the issue with such an asset);
- Not likely, but perhaps a custom template might have data that's causing a crash;
- Other scene specific reasons.
It's best to ask if it's happening with a specific project and if it is, to urge the customer to share it through the Extensions > V-Ray > Pack Project function with the Chaos Support.
V-ray For Sketchup Tutorial
Acceptable Device Usage
I have V-Ray for SketchUp installed on my work machine, am I allowed to run V-Ray on my personal machine as well? On how many machines am I allowed to authorize V-Ray?You can install and authorize V-Ray on the same 2 computers where you authorized SketchUp.
If I have a new machine, do I have to remove V-Ray from my old computer before authorizing it on the new computer?You should always de-authorize SketchUp on your old computer if you plan to move to a new system.
At this time there isn’t a mobile version of SketchUp that supports V-Ray for SketchUp.
Where can I find the End User License Agreement for V-Ray?You can view the EULA on the Chaos website here.
If I am using V-Ray for SketchUp under a Studio subscription, which Terms of Service (TOS) or End User License Agreement (EULA) is applicable?All terms are application specific. In this situation both the SketchUp EULA and Chaos TOS apply since both apps are being used.
Trial Questions
How often will I need to sign into V-Ray? What’s the offline mode of V-Ray for SketchUp?V-Ray for Studio can be “borrowed” for offline use for up to 28 days on 1 machine at a time.
For day to day usage the V-Ray license is “auto-borrowed” for 24 hours at a time on all machines that V-Ray license has been authorized. i.e. If you open V-Ray on your personal and work machine both licenses are automatically borrowed for 24 hours on these machines.
How will I get free cloud credit as part of Studio Trial?There are no free cloud credits offered as part of Studio Trial. However you will get 20 cloud credits if you purchase the Studio subscription. You can always purchase cloud credits via the page in https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud#pricing
Policy Questions
Where can I find info on V-Ray Workstation license and Universal Render node?You can find relevant info in the EULA link here.
What's the policy on using V-Ray SWARM?You can find relevant info in the EULA link here.