V-Ray 7 Update 3: Faster, Smarter Rendering

Chaos has recently launched V-Ray 7 Update 3. The latest update for the rendering software available for Rhino, SketchUp, and Autodesk 3ds Max aims to address many of the community’s most requested features. The update introduces a wide range of enhancements focused on real-time rendering, AI-powered tools, interoperability, and collaborative workflows.

This article explores how V-Ray 7 Update 3 is reshaping the workflow of architects and designers.

Real-Time Rendering

Real-time rendering has become one of the most requested features in architectural visualization software. As discussed in our previous article about real-time rendering workflows, the ability to iterate instantly inside the scene has become increasingly important for designers.

For this reason, Chaos integrated real-time rendering directly into V-Ray 7 Update 3 through the integration with Chaos Vantage.

Designers can now preview scenes at near final-frame quality while editing geometry, materials, lights, and cameras directly inside the viewport. This creates a much more fluid workflow without constantly switching between applications.

At the moment, the feature is available for SketchUp and Rhino, while support for 3ds Max is expected in future updates.

New AI Tools

Artificial intelligence continues to be one of the major trends in architectural visualization software. As a result, V-Ray 7 Update 3 expands several existing AI tools while also introducing completely new features.

• AI Mood Match: A new lighting tool for V-Ray in SketchUp and Rhino that adjusts the atmosphere of a scene based on a reference image. This allows designers to quickly match a specific visual mood or lighting style.
• Improved AI Enhancer: The updated AI Enhancer can now recognize different objects inside a render, giving users more control over which areas of the image should be enhanced. Chaos also introduced a large-surface enhancement mode designed to reduce flat tones and repetitive textures.
• AI Materials 4K Support: Chaos developers redesigned the AI material generation interface to support 4K textures, making it easier to generate unique materials without building them entirely from scratch.

These additions clearly show the direction Chaos is taking with AI integration. During a recent Ask Me Anything session, Chaos co-founder Vlado Koylazov also discussed future AI-oriented developments, including the possibility of introducing an AI assistant directly inside the workflow.

Parallax Interiors

Another important addition in V-Ray 7 Update 3 is the introduction of native parallax interiors.

Until now, adding believable interiors behind windows without modeling complete rooms usually relied on OSL shaders, a workflow that often lacked proper support inside V-Ray integrations such as SketchUp and Rhino.

The new system introduces a set of native parallax textures directly inside V-Ray, fully compatible with Chaos Vantage. These shaders preserve the illusion of depth from different camera angles while supporting variations that help avoid repetitive facades.

This feature provides architects and visualization artists with a much faster way to populate large buildings while maintaining convincing visual depth.

Quick Caustics and Gaussian Splats

Update 3 also introduces Quick Caustics, a lightweight approximation system designed for users who do not have hardware powerful enough to handle V-Ray’s full caustics engine.

This feature quickly approximates the caustic effects created by sunlight passing through water surfaces and works particularly well with displaced maps. It offers a faster alternative to traditional photon-based caustic setups.

Another important addition is Gaussian Splats Relight support. This feature allows Gaussian Splats to receive illumination directly from scene lighting so they blend more naturally with the surrounding environment. Designers can also fine-tune how lighting affects the splats through dedicated parameters.

We already explored some practical uses of Gaussian Splats in our previous article about interoperability between V-Ray and Revit.

Workflow Enhancements

Alongside rendering and AI improvements, Chaos also focused heavily on collaboration and interoperability between designers, teams, and clients.

Three new features particularly stand out:

• Cloud Review: A collaborative review system inside Chaos Cloud that allows teams and stakeholders to comment directly on renders and 360-degree scenes. Designers can upload updated versions of the project and continue the review process seamlessly.
• Video Notes: This feature introduces timeline-based annotations for video reviews. Users can place markers and comments tied to specific timestamps, making feedback easier to organize and communicate.
• 3D Streaming Annotation: Designers can now stream scenes directly through the cloud, allowing clients and collaborators to navigate environments in real time, switch between cameras, and explore lighting variations interactively.

These tools represent an important step toward more collaborative and presentation-oriented workflows. However, because they rely heavily on cloud infrastructure and connection quality, their effectiveness may vary depending on hardware and network conditions.

Frame Buffer and Camera Improvements

V-Ray 7 Update 3 also introduces several quality-of-life improvements for Autodesk 3ds Max users.

• Designers can now manage per-camera object visibility directly inside the scene, making scene variations and view management much easier.
• Chaos also improved the V-Ray Frame Buffer with a new histogram widget for exposure analysis, alongside better controls for reference images, watermarks, and background alignment.

Minor Updates

V-Ray 7 Update 3 also includes several smaller but useful improvements.

• Anima 6 Parking Lots: A new system that automatically populates parking areas with vehicles and traffic behavior, including brake lights and turn signals.
• Cosmos New Assets: Chaos added more than 700 new assets to Cosmos, including over 400 plant models and additional scanned assets.
• Node Material Editor: A node-based material editor preview is now available for SketchUp and Rhino users.

– article by G. D’Ambrogio