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mental ray supports a number of diagnostic modes that help visualizing
and optimizing the rendering process. They modify the output image to
include grid lines or dot patterns that indicate coordinate spaces or
sampling or photon densities. These graphs allow simple detection of
insufficient or excessive sampling densities, and help to tune
parameters such as numbers of photons or sampling and contrast limits.
- Grid Mode
This mode renders a grid on top of all objects in the scene,
in object, camera, or world space. It's useful to get an idea
of the scene scale and to enable rough estimates of distances
and areas.
- Photon Density Mode
This mode replaces shows a false color rendering of photon
density on all materials. This is useful when tuning the
number of photons to trace in a scene, and to select the
optimum accuracy settings for estimation of global illumination
or caustics. It also works well in combination with the Grid
Mode described above.
- Samples mode
This mode shows how spatial supersamples were placed in the
rendered image, by producing a grayscale image signifying
sample density. This is useful when tuning the level and the
contrast threshold for spatial supersampling.
Diagnostic modes are enabled with the -diagnostic option on the
command line, or the diagnostic statement in the options block
in the scene description file.
Next: 2. Scene Description Language
Up: 1. Functionality
Previous: 1.28 Global Illumination in Media.1
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