Category Archives: MAXtoA

[MAXtoA] Denoising AOVs with noice

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First, set up your AOVs like this:

Then run noice like this:

set IMAGES="C:\Users\Stephen Blair\Documents\3ds Max 2020\renderoutput\denoiseme"

set ARNOLD_BIN=S:\solidangle\arnold\Arnold-6.0.2.0-windows\bin

%ARNOLD_BIN%\noice ^
-ef 2 -sr 2 -pr 2 -v 0.5 ^
-i %IMAGES%/AOVs0003.exr ^
-i %IMAGES%/variance0003.exr ^
-l diffuse ^
-l specular ^
-o %IMAGES%/denoised_AOVs0003.exr

The AOVs and variance AOVs are in separate EXRs
That’s necessary to be able to have different filters for the same AOV in MAXtoA

Tip: In the Windows command prompt, you can use ^ (Shift + 6) character to indicate line continuation, and break long commands into multiple lines. You can also use ^ in in a batch file.

[MAXtoA] Rendering XGen in 3ds Max

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You can export an ASS file from Maya (with the XGen primitives) and then use an Arnold Procedural to load the ASS file into 3ds Max.

You need to add these two folders to the system environment variable Path:
  • C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\plug-ins\xgen\bin
  • C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\bin

For example, you can copy this:

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\plug-ins\xgen\bin;C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2018\bin;

and paste it at the beginning of the current Path:

windows_sys_env_var

Restart 3ds Max after you do this.

Then add the MtoA procedurals folder to the Plugin Search Path:

maxtoa_plugin_search_path

 

Setting up Arnold render nodes

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I’ve seen several variations of this question recently. Usually there’s some confusion about “Arnold standalone” and what’s actually required on a render node.

If you rendering scene files from Maya, or 3ds Max, or some other 3d application, then you do not need Arnold standalone.

You need the 3d application (Maya, 3ds Max) and the Arnold plugin for that application (MtoA, MAXtoA). Download the Arnold plugin from https://www.arnoldrenderer.com/arnold/download

For example, let’s suppose you want to render Maya scene files.

  • You need to install Maya and MtoA on each render node.
  • You don’t need Maya licenses for batch rendering, and you don’t need Maya licenses to install Maya on render nodes.
  • You need Arnold licenses, which are a separate purchase. MtoA is free and unlicensed. Arnold, however, does require a license to render without the watermark. You need one Arnold license for each render node (for you CINEMA 4D users, a TeamRender client is an Arnold render node and requires its own license).
  • You need an Autodesk network license server running somewhere (not on a render node).
  • You need to connect Arnold to the Autodesk network license manager.

It’s the same thing for 3ds Max and MAXtoA.