Autodesk Mental Ray

Generate high-quality images with unsurpassed realism. Take full advantage of parallelism on both multi-core and multiprocessor workstations or across networked computers to achieve scalable performance. Based on the principles of physically accurate lighting, the advanced rendering power of mental ray® technology allows you to output a wide range of looks-from photorealistic to stylized visualizations.

Although Mental Ray rendering technology is featured in Autodesk applications such as Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® VIZ, and Autodesk® ImageStudio, the standalone version is best suited when you have large volumes of data to process. It works independently of your 3D software of choice through a command-line interface, or acts as the foundation of your distributed rendering solution when used in conjunction with your Autodesk software. The choice is yours.

Autodesk Mental Ray offers you:

More Rendering Power, Speed and Efficiency

Enjoy major processing productivity. Augment your interactive Autodesk® 3D software rendering power by adding mental ray Standalone on additional rendering CPUs. This speeds up interactivity for standard and interactive rendering, and reduces the rendering-lag that can hinder creative workflow. Load balancing is automatically handled to reduce network bottlenecks.

Now Multi-Core Aware

Leverage the latest CPU offerings with Mental Ray multi-core aware licensing (version 3.4.5.8 for Maya® and 3.4.4 for 3ds Max® software products). Only one license is needed for a multi-core processor, which gives you even more rendering power for the dollar.

Parallel Rendering

Boost rendering from Autodesk 3D products when you export to the efficient. MI format and distribute rendering tasks over a network. mental ray automatically enables maximum rendering efficiency by minimizing network communications.

Comprehensive Shader Libraries

Proprietary shader libraries come bundled with mental ray to support all of your Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max content including fur, hair, and volumetric fluids.

NOTE: All versions of Mental Ray Standalone available through Autodesk DO NOT include shader libraries for all Autodesk products. Customers must specify the verson of mental ray required and the application with which it will be used (e.g., 3ds Max or Maya) to ensure proper compatibility.

Custom Shaders and Programmability

The Mental Ray advanced shading API and programming language (C and C++) run-time linking of user-created shaders allows the creation of geometry, procedural textures, materials, new lighting models, volume, and lens effects; control of global illumination simulation through photon shaders and the "Photon Map," as well as displacement maps.

64-bit Computing

When it comes to rendering, Mental Ray Standalone 64-bit gives you even more options once you've chosen the hardware and operating systems best suited to your production pipeline. Now, you can also leverage the expanded capabilities of 64-bit workstations for more addressable memory and larger and more complex scene handling. All this with the increased speed inherent in 64-bit architectures.