Env. Light Visibility Cache

[Fox]

I also wonder, why is the sunlit area noisy? Shouldn't that part be like instant clean?

I guess, it's how simple path is, it may be visible for bidir.
Still the cache does good job and with MLT and PhotonGI even better.

[B.Y.O.B.]

I also wonder, why is the sunlit area noisy? Shouldn't that part be like instant clean?

Might be caused by the lightstrategy - my guess is that with "Power" or "DLSC" it would be clean much faster?

[Dade]

I also wonder, why is the sunlit area noisy? Shouldn't that part be like instant clean?

Might be caused by the lightstrategy - my guess is that with "Power" or "DLSC" it would be clean much faster?

It is more related to this HDR and resolution of the visibility map: the HDR has a single pixel with a HUGE value (i.e. the sun) and having a map resolution high enough to aim the single pixel is not trivial. Using sun+infinite light (i.e. "extracting" the sun pixel from HDR) would produce an instant noise free rendering (this process could be done even automatically ).

[B.Y.O.B.]

Ah, I assumed it was sun + HDRI.

[lacilaci]

Ah, I assumed it was sun + HDRI.

Me too, or sky+sun. Kinda didn't even think that this is hdri only.

[lacilaci]

So does this mean that the artifacting around sunlight is cause envlightmap cache being built from limited resolution? Would I avoid these artifacts by using sun&sky or constant color + sun?

[Dade]

So does this mean that the artifacting around sunlight is cause envlightmap cache being built from limited resolution? Would I avoid these artifacts by using sun&sky or constant color + sun?

Yup.

If Simon add the enable flag to Blender, you can try it.

[B.Y.O.B.]

Does the cache replace the old visibility map, or should both still be available in the UI?

[Dade]

Does the cache replace the old visibility map, or should both still be available in the UI?

It doesn't, it is an additional option (the pre-processing require far more time and memory than the old visibility map, so the old could be still useful).

[Dade]

To give you an idea, this is the same scene with sky only light source, normal:

with the new cache:

It is really like night and day.