Rhino 6 - Basic workflow and transition from the plugin for Rhino 5
What you can and cannot expect in this version.
You may have noticed the Scene Manager is missing and there is only one toolbar. In this version of the plugin, we have tried to integrate our options into Rhino panels, which comes with the benefit of a more intimate connection between Rhino and Maxwell.
You will be able to set all the general settings (previous output tab) in Rhino’s Rendering tab. Here you will be able to set Maxwell as render engine, set engine and render settings, Multilight, Extra Sampling, Denoiser, Output options, Channels (without custom alpha), Globals, Tone Mapping, Simulens and Overlay Text options.
Main tools inside Rhino interface
In Rhino’s Environment tab you will be able to create as many Maxwell Environments as you want. All the environment options are implemented and Rhino options like Solid color or Gradient are translated to Maxwell if used and you will be able to preview Maxwell Environment in the viewport if it is set to Rendered, Raytraced or Maxwell FIRE modes. Rhino’s sun can also be used to set the time and date as well as location; if so, you will also be able to preview the sun in Rendered and Raytraced modes; if you don’t use Rhino’s sun you will only be able to preview the sun in FIRE.
Maxwell Environment options
You can currently launch FIRE only in a viewport like any other visualization mode, although you can have it in a floating Rhino’s viewport. The bottom bar is active and you can pause or start Fire by clicking on the right icon; also you can open Fire preferences by double-clicking on the bar on Maxwell Fire (CPU Draft) and you can also change the maximum SL.
Maxwell FIRE selection
Maxwell FIRE active area
At Rhino’s Materials tab you can add Rhino materials (which will be translated to Maxwell at render time) as well as referenced Maxwell materials. Currently, there’s no integrated material editor yet, but you can access MXED from within Rhino to edit the materials. The materials will show their preview in the list and the geometry in the viewport will show the main texture of the material projected onto it if the viewport is set to Rendered, Raytraced (Cycles) or Maxwell FIRE modes. Regarding Rhino materials, all of them are translated as well as Rhino procedural textures.
Maxwell referenced material inside Rhino materials tab
At Rhino’s Properties tab you can check both camera’s and object’s properties depending on if there’s none or any object selected. The camera properties section is complete except for the parameters of the stereo lenses (which have not yet been added).
Maxwell’s camera properties.
Additional settings like search paths, mxm gallery download folder or Fire settings can be tuned in Rhino’s Document Properties window:
Maxwell general settings
What you won’t find in the plugin yet: extensions, like grass, scatter, sea or volumetrics. Custom alphas have not yet been implemented, as well as the material assistants or an integrated material editor. Some secondary features like blocked emitters, material override, etc. are still pending.
We also have in mind adding several new features that were not available in the previous plugin, but we will try to match or improve the features of the previous plugin first.