What were they
thinking?
Throughout the history of 3ds Max and VIZ there have been a number of default settings that were probably set during programming and testing and then never changed for optimization. The Max Quadtree Depth setting that I discussed in a previous blog is a good example and the fact that Texture Correction is not enabled in this day of fast graphics cards might fall into that category.
Reducing the overhead
of reflections
Keeping in mind that some of the biggest drags on productivity are shadows and reflections, we'll start looking at the reflections as a source of optimization.
In the Rendering pull-down menu you can click on Raytracer Settings to find the Raytracer Global Settings rollout. In the Ray Depth Control area you'll see that the Maximum Depth setting is 9. For most situations a setting of 3 is sufficient and can result in significant performance improvement in typical scenes.
What is Maximum Depth?
When you have reflecting materials that reflect other reflecting materials the Maximum Depth sets the number of repetitions of reflections. A good example of where a depth of 9 might be appropriate would be an elevator car with mirrored walls. As you look at your reflection in the mirrors you would see yourself nine times receding into the distance.
However, you'll also notice that you're hardly recognizable from reflections 6-9 because you're so small. A Maximum Depth of 6 might be all that you would need, but it would require a little testing.
Generally speaking, a Maximum Depth of 3 will be sufficient and once the reflections have been calculated for a given material the program can go on to calculate the next set of reflections. This saves time.
You'll also see a Color to use at Max. Depth swatch and radio buttons that I'll explain in more detail in the future blog on Raytrace reflection attenuation.
Experiment a bit with the Maximum Depth settings in your typical scenes and see what might work for you, start at 3 and work your way up from there. If you're working on scenes that might contain shiny equipment or glass display cases you may need higher settings, for example.
