Iray Programmer's Manual

Preface
getting-started | Getting started
- Release overview
- Example programs
- How to compile a program
- How to run a program
- Starting and shutting down the Iray API
- A first image
Library design
- API modules
- Shared library
- Naming conventions
- Include files
- Include file compile-time configuration
- Main API access point
- Version numbers and compatibility
- Interfaces
- Reference counting
- Handle class
- Resources
- Strings
- Error handling
- Database, transactions and scopes
  - Transactions
  - Database scopes
- Runtime configuration
Rendering
- Rendering overview
- Rendering and canvases
- Render mode selection
- Progressive rendering of a scene
- Instancing
- Own canvas class
- Asynchronous rendering
- Multiple render contexts
Iray Photoreal
- photoreal-introduction | Introduction
- System requirements
- Limitations
- Matte objects and matte lights
- Refractive objects and IOR handling
- Progressive rendering
- Caustic sampler
- Architectural sampler
- Light portals
- photoreal-options | Rendering options
- Mixed mode rendering and load balancing
- Timeout prevention
- Integrated noise reduction
Iray Interactive
- interactive-introduction | Introduction
- System requirements
- Limitations
- Progressive rendering
- Lighting
- Rendering options
- Path space filtering
- Output format
- Global performance settings
- Comparison with Iray Photoreal
Iray Realtime
- realtime-introduction | Introduction
- System requirements
- Limitations
- Rendering options
Iray Blend
- Introduction
- Rendering options
Scene database
- Overview of the scene database elements
- Creating a scene programmatically
Geometry
- Creating triangle meshes
- Creating polygon meshes
- Creating on-demand meshes
- Creating subdivision surfaces
- Creating freeform surfaces
Materials
- Material Definition Language
- Measured materials
- Editing and creating materials
Decals
Sources of light
- Emission distribution functions
- Light distribution from scene elements
Environment dome and implicit groundplane
- Environment function
- Environment dome
- Implicit groundplane
Camera
- Tonemapping
  - Photographic tonemapper
  - Custom tonemapper
- Bloom filter
- Lens
- Virtual backplate
- Motion blur
Physically plausible scene setup
- Recommendations for geometry preparation
- Recommendations for lights
  - Using photometric lights
  - Using environment and sunlight
- Recommendations for materials
- Recommendations for cameras
Networking
- Networking overview
- Networking modes
- Iray Bridge
Delivering an image from server-based rendering
- Running an HTTP server
- RTMP server
- RTMP client
- Running an RTMP and HTTP server with mouse interaction
Customization
- Extending the database with user-defined classes
- Extending neuray with plugins
- Extending supported file formats with plugins
Appendix
- Supported file formats and URI schemes
- Canvas names in render targets
- Light path expressions
Bibliography

Scene snapshots

In addition to cloud rendering, Iray Bridge also supports saving very efficient scene snapshots on the server. The snapshots are saved as very small files using the extension .cb and can be imported just like normal files from the server host where they were saved, as long as the cb importer plugin is loaded. Snapshots can be used for off-line batch rendering and can be either full or incremental. Incremental snapshots are ideal for batch rendering of animations since the import of each incremental snapshot will only update a few scene elements and then the next frame can be rendered without having to pay for the extra overhead that is incurred by loading and rendering a new scene.

Iray Bridge snapshots are created on the client by using a snapshot context. The snapshot context is designed to work analogous to an Iray Bridge render context, except that instead of rendering it will create snapshots on the server. The snapshot context will also automatically upload any required data to the server, only sending data that has changed since the last saved snapshot and also only sending data that is not already available in the server-side data cache. The snapshot context fires the exact same progress areas as the Iray Bridge render contexts when uploading data.

Snapshot contexts are created by looking up the mi::bridge::IIray_bridge_client API component and calling create_snapshot_context() which returns a mi::bridge::IIray_bridge_snapshot_context instance. This instance will be tied to the scene and the scope of the transaction it was created with and snapshots can be created by calling create_snapshot().

Snapshot data is saved in the data cache configured for the Iray Bridge application on the server, and the snapshot file with the extension .cb is stored in the server-side folder configured for the Iray Bridge application. The .cb file contains the ID of the snapshot and the address or path to the data cache where the data is stored. The .cb file can normally only be imported from the same host where it was saved.