Chaos Vantage is revolutionizing the way artists and designers visualize their projects by offering real-time ray tracing technology that brings unprecedented speed and accuracy to the creative process. With its intuitive interface and seamless integration with V-Ray, Chaos Vantage allows users to instantly explore and present their 3D scenes with breathtaking photorealism. The software’s key features, such as real-time navigation, dynamic lighting adjustments, and GPU acceleration, make it an essential tool for professionals looking to enhance their workflows and deliver stunning visual results.
One of the standout aspects of Chaos Vantage is its ability to handle complex scenes without compromising performance. In this article, we’ll explore the key features of the latest update, showing how these enhancements streamline the design process and empower creatives to experiment with lighting, materials, and camera angles for more impactful visualizations.
Rendering
Real-time rendering
Render your scenes in 100% ray traced real-time through the power of DXR-compatible GPUs. Enjoy physically accurate cameras, lights, and materials while retaining game-like interactivity.
Live Link animation rendering
Get a live raytraced view of your scene, and render animations with a live link from 3ds Max, Maya, SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, and Cinema 4D. Changes you make in your scene will instantly appear in Chaos Vantage.
Denoising
Employ the Vantage native denoiser for real-time noise reduction, leverage the NVIDIA AI DLSS 3.5 Denoiser for high-quality output, or enhance denoising capabilities with the option of Intel Open Image Denoise.
Batch rendering
Easily queue camera views and animation sequence jobs in the render queue.
UI
Live link
Instantly sync changes done to the scene in your DCC without exporting vrscenes.
Material workflow
The material tab lets you easily preview, assign, replace, and search materials for an interactive workflow.
3D navigation
Navigate and direct your cameras using the popular 3DConnexion SpaceMouse controller.
HDR Monitor support
Make your projects extra radiant with HDR monitor support.
Quality presets
Quickly choose between quality and interaction speed with a single slider, allowing you to set Vantage for high-quality rendering or faster feedback.
Animations & special effects
Animated vegetation
Vantage “Wind” parameter makes supported Cosmos vegetation assets sway realistically, adding realism to your scenes.
Deformed meshes
Animate people and vegatation and create richer animations for your project presentations.
Animation Editor
Easily create animations by dropping cameras, adjusting length, adding transitions and exporting video or image sequences.
Extended animations
Take even more .vrscene animation effects into Vantage. From flickering and fading lights to animating the tiling offset, your animated materials, textures, and lights now work seamlessly in Vantage.
Scattering fog
Set the mood for your scenes with realistic environmental effects such as god rays, light shafts through windows, streetlights, with volumetric fog with realistic light scattering.
Lighting
Global Illumination
Vantage GI is developed to provide maximum lighting accuracy at interactive rendering speed.
Ambient occlusion
Add detail to your renderings with contact shadows using raytraced ambient occlusion.
Geolocated time of day
Perform accurate light studies by quickly and easily setting up the sun for a given date, time and location. Create daylight time-lapse animations with minimum effort.
Sun & Sky
Render realistic daylight for any hour of the day and create any type of cloudy sky with the user-friendly yet powerful procedural cloud system.
Accurate lights
From physically accurate Area lights, to IES lights with real world measured light distribution, to simplified point and spot lights, Vantage renders your lights with raytraced accuracy.
Light instancing
Light instances are preserved and can be controlled easily.
Light creation and placement
You can now create various types of lights directly in Vantage. Use the advanced placement options to achieve lookdev directly in Vantage without any DCC dependency.
NVIDIA RTXDI
Add plenty of dynamic lights to your scene without worrying about performance or resource constraints. Vantage implements NVIDIA RTXDI with its Direct light reservoir sampling feature.
Camera
Virtual reality
See your world from a whole new perspective. Vantage supports head tracking and rendering to HMD headsets, enabling exciting interactive experiences.
Scene states
Assign different light setups, materials, object transformation, and post-process looks to different cameras. Add animations for smooth transitions between different states. Easily recall and send them for batch rendering.
Real-world cameras
Use real world camera parameters and work like a virtual photographer — add depth of field and motion blur to your renders.
Auto Exposure
The camera exposure adjusts automatically as you navigate in your scene.
Bloom effect
Add the popular lens effect to simulate the real-world interaction between the light sources and the camera.
Overlays
Composition guides overlays make it easier to find the perfect frame.
Orthographic cameras
Easily create top-down or facade renderings with the orthographic camera projection.
Materials & textures
Rounded edges
Vantage smoothes sharp edges, eliminating those harsh lines that don’t look quite right.
Decal with cylindrical projection
Easily add stickers, labels, and other graphics to flat surfaces or cylindrical objects like bottles and jars. Adjust the Decal’s projection to perfectly align with the object’s surface curvature in just a few clicks.
UDIM texture support
With UDIM texture support, UV mapping and texturing workflows become easier, simplifying UV map generation and texture assignment. Additionally, Vantage is now capable of rendering UDIMs.
Refraction glossiness
Create realistic frosted glass effects using the refraction glossiness parameter in V-Ray Material.
Shading support
Support for Clear coat in V-Ray Material, V-Ray 2 Sided Material, Glossy Fresnel reflections, Substance textures, VRayBlendMtl, V-Ray MultiSubTex, MultiTexture, ForestColor, Normal maps, and more.
One-click clay override
The powerful Clay option significantly streamlines the material overrides process when setting up lighting or presenting early designs.
Material Coat
Add reflective coating to your material to achieve effects like varnished wood or metallic paint.
Multiple UV channels
Enrich your projects by creating sophisticated materials such as stacking labels or adding decals with newly added support for multiple UV channels.
Dynamic textures
Vantage automatically resizes the scene textures and uses the most optimal size. This greatly improves memory efficiency and allows you to load even larger scenes.
Normal maps
Add depth detail like bumps and dents to improve the realism of your surface material.
Image sequences as textures
Turn the TV on or light up the fireplace by using image file lists to animate textures.
Randomizer
Remove repeating patterns and add more realism to your textures using randomization controls.
Geometry
Chaos Cosmos integration
A collection of high-quality, render-ready 3D assets, HDR images and materials that quickly add believable entourage to your interior or exterior scene.
Chaos Scatter
Populate your scenes with millions of objects in just a few clicks. Our new scatter tool allows you to quickly and easily create forests, fields, crowds, and more.
Support for Anima4D assets
Chaos has partnered with AXYZ to provide support for its high-quality 3D library of animated 4D people and crowds.
Mesh Lights
Turn any geometry into a direct light source for even more artistic lighting. Mesh lights are now rendered much faster than before.
Hair & Fur
Create realistic carpets, rugs, animal pelts and even grass with Vantage’s support for V-Ray Fur. You can also achieve lifelike hair with precise highlights and customizable glint and glitter controls with the support for VRayHairNextMtl.
Displacement
Create intricate geometric details from textures, ideal for designing bas-reliefs, pavements, brick/stone walls, and similar structures that are challenging to model manually.
Post production
Render Elements
Add the most popular render elements, as well as object and material masks to fine tune your images in post.
Filmic Tonemapping
Simulate different real-world films’ color gamma to color correct images.
Color correction
Remap the image colors using present color corrections from a LUT file.
If you would like to purchase Chaos Vantage, please contact us at chaos@microsolresources.com.
If you are not sure about upgrading your licenses, you can request a free 30-day trial, to get an overview of its new features and functionality. You can test it out with your team and find out how this product will improve your workflow.
Chaos Vantage is an essential tool for Archviz artists and VFX professionals, offering real-time ray tracing capabilities that revolutionize the way 3D scenes are visualized. With Vantage, you can navigate complex scenes with ease, making it possible to explore and refine your work in an interactive environment.
Its seamless integration with popular 3D modeling software ensures that your renders are not only stunningly realistic but also achieved with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Whether you’re working on architectural visualizations or high-end visual effects, Chaos Vantage provides the power and flexibility needed to bring your creative vision to life with remarkable accuracy and detail.
Use Chaos Vantage as an Archviz artist
1. Explore & present unlimited design variations.
Switch between design options, material schemes, and lighting configurations to compare, explain, and explore all the possibilities you have for your design or its presentation.
2. See every aspect of your scene as you model.
A real-time companion view, unaffected by scene size, that gives you a highly realistic perspective of your scene as you adjust materials, lighting, and geometry.
3. Render incredibly fast
Produce high-quality renderings and animations in record time at a quality level that makes approval easy — including all the render elements needed for post-production.
Use Chaos Vantage as a VFX professional
1. Playblasts at exceptional quality
Playblasts that convey the actual materials and lighting of your production for far more meaningful review and approval.
2. Previz with full-size scenes, that can be reused in production
Ray tracing in real-time without scene simplification or baking, using the same materials and lighting as your production team.
3. Real-time reference
A real-time ray-traced view that closely matches your production rendering results as you finalize your scene. Also perfect for over-the-shoulder discussions while making decisions.
If you would like to purchase Chaos Vantage, please contact us at chaos@microsolresources.com.
If you are not sure about upgrading your licenses, you can request a free 30-day trial, to get an overview of its new features and functionality. You can test it out with your team and find out how this product will improve your workflow.
Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term that encompasses other immersive visualization technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). It integrates digital information with the real world in real-time, creating environments ranging from slightly augmented to entirely virtual.
In the construction industry, XR technologies are becoming increasingly useful, not just as visualization tools but as comprehensive solutions for enhancing productivity, safety, and collaboration. Now, with the recent releases of state-of-the-art AR headsets like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3, there has never been a better moment for construction companies to adopt XR into their daily workflows. Let’s take a look at some of the specific benefits that design and construction firms can expect by adopting XR into their daily workflows.
Benefit 1: Enhanced Visualization and Planning
Extended Reality provides the incredible ability to create and interact with 3D models, leading architects, and engineers to a better understanding of spatial relationships and the impact of their designs within the actual environment. Augmented reality (AR) overlays project detailed architectural designs directly onto the construction site, providing a live, interactive view of how proposed structures interact with existing landscapes. This immediate, on-site visualization helps identify and rectify potential design conflicts early, reducing costly reworks and ensuring structural integrity.
Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with XR technologies allows all project stakeholders to visualize complex structures in detailed virtual environments. Stakeholders can inspect architectural elements from multiple perspectives, simulate different scenarios, and see the real-time effects of changes, enhancing collaborative decision-making and planning accuracy. This level of detail and precision extends to assessing how new construction projects will affect existing buildings and infrastructure, an essential component for planning approvals and community relations.
Benefit 2: Improved Collaboration
Effective collaboration is essential for engineers, architects, contractors, and clients. XR tech significantly enhances the way these parties communicate and coordinate, moving past traditional barriers like physical distance and differing technical backgrounds. By utilizing mixed reality headsets, team members can enter a shared virtual environment where they can interact with a project’s digital twin. This virtual representation includes real-time updates and data overlays, providing a comprehensive and common understanding of the project’s progress and challenges.
This immersive XR environment facilitates real-time problem-solving and decision-making, allowing changes to be visualized and assessed instantly by all stakeholders.
For example, in a group review session, if an engineer spots a potential issue with the HVAC system’s layout, adjustments can be made immediately, and the architect and client can review their implications simultaneously. Interactions like these streamline the design and construction processes and foster a more cohesive project environment, leading to fewer misunderstandings and delays.
Benefit 3: Streamlined Progress Capture
Keeping track of a construction project’s progress is crucial for managing timelines, budgets, and labor. XR technologies are transforming how progress is monitored and recorded, offering tools that allow real-time comparison of the actual construction against its digital twin. Managers can virtually walk through the construction site, viewing overlaid 3D models that highlight deviations from the original design, enabling immediate corrections and updates.
Digital twins also serve as an important tool in this process, providing a detailed virtual replica of the construction site that can be analyzed at any time. This continuous virtual presence on-site helps identify discrepancies early, preventing minor issues from becoming costly overruns. The ability to document and share progress in a virtual format also streamlines reporting processes, ensuring all stakeholders stay well-informed and can quickly make decisions based on the most current data.
Benefit 4: Enhanced Safety and Training
Safety is another top concern in the construction field. Extended reality offers practical tools to enhance safety protocols and training programs. Immersive XR technologies simulate various site conditions and potential hazards within a controlled, virtual environment.
New employees can experience realistic work scenarios before ever stepping foot on-site, from navigating complex construction landscapes to handling emergency situations. These simulations are designed to closely mimic real-world conditions, providing practical training that prepares workers for the physical and mental challenges of the construction environment.
Additionally, ongoing safety training can be conducted regularly with XR to address new risks or procedures, reinforcing safe practices without exposing workers to actual danger. This approach helps reduce workplace accidents and ensures compliance with safety regulations, ultimately fostering a safety-first culture within the workforce.
Challenges of XR Implementation in Construction
Adopting extended reality in construction offers substantial benefits but also presents several challenges. Overcoming these challenges requires both financial investment and a significant shift in organizational culture to fully embrace digital transformation.
Initial Investment Costs: The initial expenses for VR and AR hardware can be substantial, which may deter some construction companies, especially smaller firms, from investing in these technologies.
Specialized Training: Effective use of XR tools requires specialized training. Workers need to be proficient in handling advanced technological tools, which can add to project costs and complexity.
Integration with Existing Systems: XR technologies should seamlessly integrate with existing systems and workflows. This integration can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring updates or replacements of current systems.
Cultural Shift: Construction and design firms must undergo a cultural shift to adopt and adapt to new technologies. Resistance to change can be a significant barrier to leveraging the full potential of XR technologies.
FAQ’s
What Is Extended Reality Development?
Extended Reality development involves creating applications that blend virtual and real environments. This process includes programming, designing, testing, and deploying construction software that can run on various XR hardware like headsets and AR glasses.
What Is the Difference Between XR and AR?
XR, or extended reality, is the overarching term that includes all forms of combined real and virtual environments (including AR and VR). AR, or augmented reality, specifically refers to a technology that overlays digital information onto the real world, enhancing a user’s perception of reality.
Can XR Technology Improve Project Sustainability?
Yes, XR technology can significantly enhance construction sustainability. By enabling precise simulations and virtual visualizations, XR helps optimize material usage and minimize waste. It facilitates energy-efficient building designs through advanced modeling techniques. Additionally, virtual meetings and site visits reduce the need for travel, lowering carbon emissions. Together, these practices ensure better adherence to environmental standards, contributing to more sustainable construction outcomes.
What are the Best XR Programs for Design and Construction?
Enscape and Autodesk Workshop XR are two great options for enhancing design and construction processes with XR.
Enscape: This real-time rendering and VR plugin works with popular modeling software like SketchUp and Autodesk Revit. It allows for easy creation of immersive 3D walkthroughs, helping designers and clients visualize projects in a realistic environment without complex programming.
Autodesk Workshop XR: Workshop XR focuses on collaborative project review and management within a first-person virtual environment. It allows construction teams to interact with their models in a shared virtual space, facilitating real-time adjustments and discussions, making Workshop XR ideal for complex project coordination.
How Does XR Benefit Cost Management in Construction?
XR can significantly impact cost management by reducing errors through improved visualization, enhancing communication to prevent rework, and streamlining the monitoring of project timelines and resources. These efficiencies ultimately lead to better budget adherence and reduced financial risk.
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