Summary
Render settings guide covering scenes section and subsections: viewport settings and render settings, focusing on the render section.
Six render settings: "Usage of Nice Threshold," "Threshold Value," "Max Samples," "Mean Samples," "Time Limit," and "Denoiser."
"Noise Threshold" enables Adaptive Sampling for higher quality results; lower value = better quality.
"Max Samples" determines rendering passes; higher value = more passes, but may not be necessary with enabled noise threshold.
"Mean Samples" sets minimum samples before denoising; helpful for reducing noise at low thresholds.
"Time Limit" sets rendering time for animation reviews; 0 means no limit.
"Denoiser" removes noise, reducing rendering time, but insufficient samples may blur details and cause flickering in animations.
Types of 3D scenes: exteriors, interiors, and studio setups; rendering considerations differ based on open space and complexity of objects.
Optimal settings: high values for "Max Samples" for large images, universal values for final render; be cautious of flickering in animations when using denoiser.
Render settings apply to both the viewport and final render; viewport settings can be simplified based on scene complexity and desired outcome.
Tutorial contents
Greetings and welcome, fellow creators, to a short but comprehensive guide about render settings in 3ixam. First, let's take a look at the scenes section in render settings. Here, we can find settings responsible for the quality of the final render. Small notice: we are using a real render engine for this video.
In the scenes section, we have two subsections: viewport settings and render settings. Viewport settings relate to the image quality in the viewport of our main window, while render settings are related to the quality of the final image during the rendering process. For this guide, we will focus on the render section.
We have six render settings in total: "Usage of Nice Threshold," "Threshold Value," "Max Samples," "Mean Samples," "Time Limit," and "Denoiser." Let's go through them in order.
When the "Noise Threshold" checkbox is enabled, the rendering uses an Adaptive Sampling system. This system allows for filtering out areas of the image and pixels that are already cleaned enough for the final rendering. The lower the threshold value, the higher the requirements for noise reduction in the final image. In other words, the lower the value, the higher the quality of the result. Setting the value to zero allows the rendering system to automatically choose settings based on the scene complexity.
The next parameter is "Max Samples." This parameter determines the number of passes the rendering system makes on the image. The higher the value, the more passes are made. However, there is a certain point to consider: if the noise threshold is enabled, rendering stops when a certain noise threshold is reached, and any remaining samples are not calculated. If the noise threshold is disabled, all samples are calculated equally, including areas where it may no longer be necessary.
The "Mean Samples" parameter is only available when the threshold is enabled. It allows us to set a minimum number of samples for the image before the denoising sequence kicks in. This can be useful if a certain amount of noise remains, even at low noise threshold values.
Next is "Time Limit," a setting that allows us to set a time limit for rendering a single image or shot. This value is specified in seconds. This can be useful for rendering animation reviews. For the final image of the best quality, it's not recommended to use this parameter. Setting it to 0 means no limit.
"Denoiser" is a filter that helps remove noise from the image, thereby improving its overall appearance. This is a very important parameter that can significantly reduce rendering time with minimal loss of quality in certain situations. However, there are some considerations. This parameter is best used for smoothing and removing noise from the final image, but I want to warn you that an insufficient sample count can lead to blurring of fine details in the render. In the case of rendering animation, there may be flickering elements in the render. This can happen for several reasons, primarily due to insufficient Max Samples and improperly configured materials.
Now, let's briefly discuss the types of 3D scenes and 3D graphics in general. They can be divided into three types: exteriors, interiors, and studio setups. In 3D graphics, interiors and exteriors differ in the amount of open space in the frame. For exteriors, we can see a lot of sky or HDRI, while in interiors, we usually have artificial lighting without any background maps. This fact makes rendering more time-consuming because samples are calculated per pixel, whereas in the case of open skies, the calculation stops.
In the case of studio setups, there may be variations towards exteriors or interiors, but generally, studio scenes have fewer objects in the frame, which positively affects rendering speed. To achieve high-quality renders, several points should be taken into account: the complexity of objects or groups of objects in the frame, properly configured materials, the desired size of the image, the amount of open sky or background in the image, and the desired outcome - whether it's a single image or an animation.
Now that we know what needs to be considered, we can set optimal rendering settings. As practice shows, for large images such as full HD or higher, high settings are recommended. Good values for "Max Samples" would be [specified in the video]. For the final render, universal values would be [specified in the video]. When rendering animations, it would be important to consider potential flickering in frames when using the denoiser. To check if the quality of settings for rendering is working correctly, we can make a render series of frames sequentially and check for flickering.
In conclusion, it's worth mentioning that the rendering settings are equally applicable to the viewport section. Viewport settings can be set relatively simpler, depending on the scene complexity and desired result.