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Same scene rendered with the mental ray renderer
The second rendering, done with the mental ray renderer, shows caustics cast by
refraction through the martini glass. Caustics are also visible in the reflection on the
cocktail shaker.
The mental ray renderer in 3ds Max supports the mental ray version 2 (mi2)
and version 3 (mi3) formats. It does not support the mental ray version 1
(mi1) format.
Differences Between the mental ray Renderer and the Default Scanline
Renderer
Compared to the default 3ds Max scanline renderer, the mental ray renderer
relieves you of the need to simulate complex lighting effects "by hand" or by
generating a radiosity solution. The mental ray renderer is optimized to use
multiple processors and to take advantage of incremental changes for efficient
rendering of animations.
Unlike the default 3ds Max renderer, which renders scanlines from the top of
the image downward, the mental ray renderer renders rectangular blocks called
buckets. The order in which the buckets are rendered can vary, depending on
the method you choose. By default, mental ray uses the Hilbert method, which
picks the next bucket to render based on the cost of switching to the next
6040 | Chapter 18 Rendering