LuxCoreRender v2.4

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Dade
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LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by Dade »

Downloads:

Standalone: https://github.com/LuxCoreRender/LuxCor ... ender_v2.4
Blender Addon: https://github.com/LuxCoreRender/BlendL ... xcore_v2.4

Note for Windows users: you have to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 and Intel C++ redistributable.

Changelog:

https://wiki.luxcorerender.org/LuxCoreR ... Notes_v2.4

A user-friendly version of this changelog is available at https://luxcorerender.org/new-features-in-v2-4.

LuxCore

New Features since v2.3
  • New OpenCL code to evaluate textures and materials. It doesn't require kernel re-compilation anymore
  • LuxCoreUI "Fill kernel cache" menu option now pre-compile all possible GPU kernels
  • LuxCore API KernelCacheFill() is now available for Python
  • New 2-levels Env. Light Visibility Cache (ELVC)
  • Added the support for a new ".sharpness" (default value 0.1, range [0.0, 1.0]) Intel OIDN parameter to blend original and denoised output
  • Removed LuxRays support for virtual devices and hybrid rendering (old LuxRender GPU doing ray intersections and CPU everything else)
  • Geometry vertex and triangle AOVs (arbitrary data associated to mesh vertices and triangle usable by textures)
  • Removed the support for Triplanar texture .uvindex (side effect of the above new feature)
  • New hitpointvertexaov and hitpointtriangleaov textures
  • Pointiness shape can now assign curvature values to vertex AOV with .aovindex property (a 4294967296 value will force the use of alpha channel instead, default value for compatibility with the past)
  • LuxCore API has now SetMeshVertexAOV() and SetMeshTriangleAOV() methods to set geometry vertex and triangle AOV
  • Added the support for new Random texture
  • Added the support for the new IslandAOV shape
  • Added the support for RandomTriangleAOV shape
  • Accelerated duplicate vertex detection in pointiness shape (from 6.7 seconds to 0.016 seconds on a 100k vertex mesh)
  • LuxRays API reworked to support generic hardware devices (now OpenCL, potentially CUDA, Vulkan, Metal, etc.)
  • Added the support for light groups to PhotonGI
  • New LuxCore API RenderConfig::HasCachedKernels() method to check if a (long) kernel compilation time is required
  • Glossycoating material on GPUs now supports bump mapping exactly like CPU version (issue #307)
  • Mix material on GPUs now supports bump mapping exactly like CPU version (issue #307)
  • Added processor group support to enable LuxCoreRender to use more than 64 logical processors on Windows
  • Added the support for CUDA rendering
  • Added the support for out of core CUDA rendering (i.e. to render scenes larger than GPU ram available)
  • GPU rendering now uses 64bit image map pixel indices (i.e. removed the limit of 8 * 4GB of scene image maps)
  • New cache and out-of-core friendly mode for Random/Sobol samplers
  • Added the support for denoising baked light maps with Intel ODIN
  • pyluxcoretools merge now supports saving film AOVs via new --aov-output option
  • New improved Metropolis sampler warmup period
  • Added thin film interference option for many materials
  • Added the support for a new color re-mapping image pipeline plug-in using .cube files (issue #81)
  • LuxCore API now support unicode UTF-8 strings and files
  • luxcore::KernelCacheFill() now supports opencl.devices.select, scene.epsilon.min and scene.epsilon.max properties (issue #374)
  • LuxCoreRender can now be compiled without OpenCL/CUDA SDK and it will load OpenCL/CUDA at run time (one executable can now be used for all types of installations)
  • RTPathOCLRenderEngine::WaitNewFrame() takes is not more synchronous with rendering refresh
  • The use of more than 64 logical processors on Windows is now extended to all render engines
  • It is now possible to render scenes without light sources (!)
  • The use of more than 64 logical processors on Windows is now extended to all pre-processing tasks like caches, etc.
Fixed Bugs since v2.3
  • Fixed a rendering difference when using/not using geometry negative scale transformations (issue #309)
  • Fixed an out of bound access in BAKECPU
  • Fixed a problem when using path.forceblackbackground.enable and env. lights
  • Fixed a problem with scenes with very hard light paths and Metropolis sampler (issue #312)
  • Sampler shared data are now reseted at the end of a scene edit (issue #312)
  • Fixed a problem in automatic cache radius estimation of PhotonGI when using Orthographic camera (issue #324)
  • Fixed an OpenCL compilation error when using large number of objects on some old GPUs
  • Fixed a problem with BlendLuxCore when parsing more than 9 image pipelines (#336)
  • Fixed a bug causing fireflies when using light tracing for caustics in some case (#329)
  • Fixed a crash when using RemoveUnusedTextures() with Volumes (issue #377)
  • Fixed a banding problem when using sphere light sources with very small radius (issue LuxCoreRender/BlendLuxCore#477)
  • Fixed LXS parsing of UV inlined coordinates (issue #392)
  • Fixed a bug when using RTPATHOCL with multiple CUDA devices
  • Fixed a bug when using shadow transparency (for Path tracing)
  • Fixed a LuxCoreUI crash when GPU rendering is not available (pull request #406)
  • MacOS OpenCL/CUDA kernel cache directory is now created in user home directory to avoid to be erased when in /tmp
  • Fixed the serialization of Intel OIDN plugin sharpness parameter
  • Film NOISE channel (used for adaptive sampling) is now correctly reseted after a scene edit
Note: due to Glossycoating updated support for bump mapping on GPUs, some old scene using this kind of material/bump map combination may require some fix.


Blender Addon

New Features since v2.3
  • Optimize viewport update checks in scenes with many particles/duplis
  • Replaced the Eevee lookdev (which required Cycles materials) with an albedo render mode that is intended as a fast texture preview for both Lux and Cycles node trees
  • Node editor quality of life (support for muting nodes and some node wrangler functions)
  • When using PhotonGI debug modes, disable light tracing and use an exposure compensated tonemapper
  • Support for custom split normals, weighted normals etc. (only in Blender versions 2.82a and 2.83)
  • Reworked statistics, added some sub-stats about export time (mesh conversion time, hair conversion time) as well as information about which caches are enabled/disabled
  • Use Cycles nodes on linked materials without Lux nodes (so materials on Cycles assets automatically try to use Cycles nodes, unless you create a Lux material on the assets)
  • Limit max. subdiv in material previews to 1
  • Add support for indirect only collection visibility mode
  • Support for manta flow smoke export in blender 2.82
  • New triplanar normalmap node
  • Add triplanar projection mode to imagemap node, general rework/polishing of the imagemap node
  • Add support for transparency in the denoised result (both viewport and final render)
  • Emulate Cycles material UI in Lux material node editor (material and slot dropdown instead of node tree dropdown)
  • Thin film coating support for glass and disney materials
  • Cycles node reader:
    • Add support for nested Cycles node groups
    • Add support for principled emission, alpha and transmission sockets
    • Add support for geometry node outputs: position and normal
    • Add support for object info node outputs: object index, material index, random
    • Add support for refraction shader
    • Add support for blackbody texture
  • LuxCore Online Library is now integrated in Blender (3D view > N-Panel > LuxCoreOnlineLibrary tab)
  • New addon preferences:
    • GPU backend (OpenCL/CUDA)
    • Option to enable/disable image node thumbnails on new nodes by default
    • LuxCore Online Library preferences
  • Support for new sampling patterns and out-of-core rendering
  • Amount of light tracing samples is now shown in statistics (image editor > N-Panel > LuxCore tab)
  • Support for COLOR_LUT imagepipeline plugin, allowing to load .cube LUT files
  • New material presets:
    • Hybrid glass (regular refractive glass with white shadow color, as an alternative to architectural glass)
    • Colored smoke
  • New interactive render settings guide
  • New maximum input to invert node
  • New "Visible" setting for area lights, disabling hides the light not only for the camera, but also for shadow rays
Fixed Bugs since v2.3
  • Fix world volume ui panel drawing
  • Fix material presets panel not showing without a material
  • Fix remesh panel in mesh data properties not showing up
  • Fix bugs in 3D mapping node UI (the controls were disappearing when the selected object was of type "CURVE", "SURFACE" or "FONT")
  • Fix export of metaballs with shared data
  • Fix shapes being added to cached meshes over and over in viewport render
  • Fix check for UV maps on curve, surface and font objects being broken
  • Fix shapes not working on hair
  • Fix possible key collision in image exporter after undo (fixes #431)
  • Fix color tint not working for sky and HDRIs
  • Put Blender post processing panel in the right place (output props instead of render props)
  • Fix wrong view layer visibility check
  • Fix possible config export error if film opencl device was not set
  • Fix "compiling kernels" message shown before viewport render even if kernels were already cached
  • Fix duplicate texture math node category, leading to errors when unregistering the addon
  • Fix invert node compatibility code not being used, leading to errors when old node trees with invert nodes are exported
  • Fix brick bond and carpaint presets not working
  • Render settings helper: fix photongi cache not being enabled even if caustic cache is enabled
  • Fix wrong sampler dropdown being shown when device is set to GPU and engine to Bidir
  • Export objects with displacement always as instances to avoid discrepancies between viewport and final render
  • Fix LOL preview images being too bright in Blender 2.83
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mib2berlin
Posts: 53
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 6:29 pm

Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by mib2berlin »

Hi, to read this list you need more time than to render a 4K image with the new Luxcore engine, hehe.
Impressive!
Tanks to all developers.

Cheers, mib
zuljin3d
Posts: 76
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 12:13 pm
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by zuljin3d »

Best render engine
Best developers

many thanks!
Actualy sorry for my google translate english :)
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Odilkhan Yakubov
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by Odilkhan Yakubov »

@Dade, definitely, a lot of features has been added and fixed bugs too. Of course, need some tests on how to use "RIGHT" LuxCore now like never before because that POWER is coming more responsiveness and stocked all together by gathering community as well too😊.
Short therm in short version is still need to understand the core of the Monster.😉
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BigGoga
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by BigGoga »

Hi guys
I don't know how, but you fixed it!
Now all 72 cores are working when rendering.
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Dade
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by Dade »

BigGoga wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:05 am I don't know how, but you fixed it!
Now all 72 cores are working when rendering.
Yes, it is listed in the release notes:

Code: Select all

Added processor group support to enable LuxCoreRender to use more than 64 logical processors on Windows
The use of more than 64 logical processors on Windows is now extended to all render engines
The use of more than 64 logical processors on Windows is now extended to all pre-processing tasks like caches, etc.
The original patch was submitted by an AMD guy, I guess they are interested in promoting the use of high core count CPUs :mrgreen:
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by FarbigeWelt »

Dade wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:43 am The original patch was submitted by an AMD guy, I guess they are interested in promoting the use of high core count CPUs :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Theo_Gottwald
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Re: LuxCoreRender v2.4

Post by Theo_Gottwald »

Of course, what would you do if you sell this stuff?
Rendering and Video Editing (Blender does both) are the number one reason to use CPU's.
In Neural Networks (Deep Learning) i guess NVIDIA has an large advantage.
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