The latest V-Ray 7, update 3 for SketchUp, Rhino, and 3ds Max, transforms the architectural visualization workflow by introducing real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport, advanced AI-powered tools like AI Mood Match, and streamlined, smoother collaboration. Achieve more realism with less friction than ever before.
Key takeaways:
- Real-time rendering in your V-Ray viewport: Access the power of Chaos Vantage directly within your primary workspace to explore scenes and make design decisions with immediate visual feedback.
- AI-powered tools: Instantly match the mood of any reference photo with AI Mood Match and add realistic variation to large surfaces using the improved AI Enhancer.
- Complex realism made simple: Achieve high-end effects like quick caustics and parallax interiors with significantly reduced technical setup, keeping your focus on the creative result.
- Centralized collaboration: Streamline client and team approvals with design tracking and professional-grade video review tools directly within Chaos Cloud.
Table of Contents:
- What’s new in V-Ray 7, update 3?
- Real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport
- More realism, less effort
- Powerful AI tools
- Smoother workflow, better collaboration
- FAQs
Precision. Now in real time
The new V-Ray 7, update 3, is here!
V-Ray 7, update 3, brings the most-requested features: real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport via Vantage, AI-powered tools like AI Mood Match, smoother, faster collaboration across the workflow, and more realism than ever before!
You no longer have to trade speed for quality. These improvements are designed to help you reach the finish line faster without compromising the production-proven performance you depend on.
Read more to discover what’s new and how to make the most of this update.
What’s new in V-Ray 7, update 3?
Discover how V-Ray 7, update 3, is changing the way you work.
Real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport
Explore and render your scene in real-time without leaving the V-Ray viewport.
Get immediate, real-time visual feedback at final-frame quality, without the friction of switching between windows. This unified workflow allows you to merge the speed of real-time exploration with V-Ray’s production-proven quality.
Powered by Chaos Vantage’s full ray-tracing technology, achieve stunning realism in real-time with real-life cameras, lights, materials, and global illumination - directly within the V-Ray viewport. This functionality is available with a Chaos Vantage license and launches first in V-Ray for Rhino and SketchUp, with additional V-Ray integrations coming soon.
© Chaos 3D Team
Real-time water rendering in Vantage
More realism, less effort
The new workflow improvements introduced in V-Ray 7, update 3, bring photorealism closer than ever. By removing technical complexities, you can achieve maximum efficiency and reach the highest quality results with less effort.
Features overview:
- Quick caustics: These are now easier to control and faster to render, removing the complexity traditionally associated with photon-based setups for pools and water features.
- Parallax interiors: Add realistic interior depth and lighting to exterior renders without modeling heavy geometry, keeping your performance fast and production-ready.
- Gaussian Splats relighting: Easily rebalance pre-baked illumination so Gaussian Splat assets integrate naturally into your broader V-Ray projects.
- Node Material Editor: Now available in V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino, this visual editor allows you to build and adjust complex shaders with greater control and intuition.
© Chaos 3D Team
Easily integrate Gaussian Splat assets with pre-baked illumination
Powerful AI tools
Add even more AI power to your workflow with tools specifically designed to handle time-consuming tasks for architects, designers, and visualization professionals.
- AI Mood Match*: Instantly align your scene’s lighting with the look and atmosphere of a reference photo. By analyzing the lighting conditions of your chosen image, V-Ray automatically configures your sun, sky, or image-based lighting to achieve the right look with total confidence.
- Improved AI Enhancer: Now featuring improved accuracy for single-object enhancements and a new capability for large surfaces. Add realistic detail, wear, and natural variation to expansive areas like floors, walls, and terrain without manual re-texturing.
- AI Materials with 4K support: Achieve production-ready quality with high-resolution 4K textures in the AI Material Generator. The enhanced 3D preview allows you to fine-tune normals, roughness, and tiling before saving them to your library.
*AI Mood Match is currently available in V-Ray for SketchUp and V-Ray for Rhino only. Other integrations are soon to follow.
© Chaos 3D Team
AI Mood Match
Smoother workflow, better collaboration
Best way to describe the latest V-Ray update? Efficiency at scale!
Your archviz workflow is now smoother, bringing improved collaboration, more efficient client approvals, and easier scene assembly.
- Professional-grade cloud collaboration: Design approvals move directly into Chaos Cloud, creating a centralized hub where you can track file status and request approvals without messy email chains. For animations and render sequences, Chaos Cloud Collaboration now serves as a high-end video review platform, enabling precise comments tied to specific timestamps and visual annotations.
- Cosmos sets & expanded asset library: Populate your scenes in seconds using Cosmos sets: ready-made groups of furniture and decorative details that naturally work together and can be placed as a single unit. This update also introduces new Cosmos assets, including 400 high-poly Globe Plant models and new branded models.
© Chaos 3D Team
V-Ray 7, update 3: Camera improvements
Explore V-Ray 7, update 3
V-Ray 7, update 3, brings real-time and final-quality rendering into one unified workflow.
Architects, artists, and designers can experience real-time rendering directly in the V-Ray viewport, achieve photorealistic results with less effort using Quick Caustics and Parallax Interiors, light scenes instantly with AI Mood Match, accelerate approvals with integrated collaboration on Chaos Cloud, and more.
FAQs
Do I need a separate license for real-time rendering in the viewport?
Yes, this feature is powered by the Chaos Vantage engine, so a Vantage or V-Ray Collection license is required to access real-time feedback directly within your V-Ray interface. This is currently available for V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino users, with support for other host platforms coming soon.
How does AI Mood Match work?
AI Mood Match lets you use any reference photo to automatically align your scene's lighting with the image's look and atmosphere. It analyzes the reference and configures V-Ray’s Sun and Sky or image-based lighting, helping you reach the right "mood" instantly without manual trial and error. Please note that AI Mood Match is currently available only in V-Ray for SketchUp and V-Ray for Rhino. Other integrations are soon to follow.
Can I use the new AI Enhancer on large areas, such as roads or terrain?
Yes, the improved Chaos AI Enhancer now features a "Large Surfaces Coverage" mode specifically designed to add realistic detail, wear, and natural variation to expansive, uniform surfaces like asphalt, walls, and floors.
Which platforms support the new Node Material Editor?
In this release, the Node-Based Material Editor is launching for V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino. It provides a visual way to build and manage complex shaders, offering more intuitive control than traditional material lists.