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712 • CHAPTER 13
RENDERING • RENDER SETTINGS • 713
You can also use Reection Depth to limit the render time for the picture. Often, only the rst
generation of reections is important. Further rays tend to add little to the image quality, but increase
the render time considerably.
A Reection Depth of 1 means that calculations for a pixel are nished once a ray hits something in
the scene. Reections therefore will not be visible. A value of 2 means that after a ray has hit a surface
a second ray is calculated for the reection. The higher the Reection Depth, the further rays are
followed into the scene and the results rendered. The results shown above contain reective objects
and have been rendered with reection depths of 2, 4 and 8.
Shadow Depth
Calculations are made to see if a surface point lies in the shadow of another object; additional shadow
rays are sent from the surface in the direction of the light source.
The value you enter for this setting determines for which generation of rays shadows are calculated.
For example, if you reduce the value to 2, shadows will not be rendered for reected, transparent
or refracted rays. The results shown above contain reective and transparent objects and have been
rendered with shadow depths of 2, 4 and 8
Threshold
This value helps to optimize render time. With complex scenes, particularly those containing many
reective and transparent surfaces, 90% of the processed rays contribute less than 10% to the
general picture brightness and color. With a threshold value of, for instance, 15%, the rays stop their
movement from the camera into the scene as soon as their brightness falls below this value.
What does this mean? When a ray hits a surface, the transparency and reection values are calculated.
For example, if Threshold is set to 15% and the surface material has 10% reection (Brightness slider),
the material will not reect. In order to render the reection in this case, Threshold must be set to 9%
or less, or the reection of the material must be set to 16% or higher.