3D Tips and Tricks on How to Speed Up the Rendering Process in 3ds Max

Top 3D tips and tricks to use in setting up specific features in the rendering process

Below you will find our 3D tips and tricks to use when creating specific features in the interior, exterior, or Archviz rendering.

3D rendering done with 3Ds Max is one of the fundamental and final processes that yield the finished image with all the textures, graphics, lights and shadows. Although it is the final stage of rendering, it can be quite a time-consuming step. Why is that the case? There are many reasons for long 3D rendering time, ranging from inefficient hardware to bulky file formats.

Fortunately, there are plenty of 3D tips and tricks to help you speed up rendering operations without the need to replace your hardware. And they are precisely what we are going to share with you today.

In-scene polygon count

Our next 3D trick concerns the copying process in your interior design or archviz rendering. If you need to reproduce a large number of identical objects in the scene, apply “Instance” to them instead of “Copy” – so the program views the c

Polygon number in the scene is one of the most common causes of long rendering time and poor performance. So, it is the first 3D trick we want to cover.

It is handy to keep track of the polygon count in each model when you load objects into the scene. You can do this by clicking the “7” or “+” button in any scene window (viewport) and moving to statistics. Models with a high number of polygons require extensive calculations by the CPU – while more calculation translates into longer rendering time. 

So, what to do then? In such a case, you can replace the models or use the “ProOptimize” modifier – designed to reduce the polygon count. In the case of large scenes with the camera at a considerable distance, accurate detail may not be necessary, as not all the fine details would be visible from afar. Nevertheless, such detailed models also add to the 3D rendering time. The same applies to close-up scenes – therefore, you can remove objects that are not in the camera viewport. 

Textures

Texture weight significantly slows the 3D rendering speed and object movement in the scene. The higher the pixel count (resolution) of the texture the more computer resources it uses up. 

What is the best solution to overcome this? In this case, you have two options: 

• compress the image used using additional software or web pages without losing the same quality, 
• use lower-resolution textures. 

The second option can be used when the rendered object is far enough away and does not play a major role.

If displaying textures in the viewport at a good quality is not necessary and the material editor or viewport works poorly, you can use the following settings: 

F10 key – System – System settings – Material editor – Viewport quality put less than 1.

Duplication

Our next 3D trick concerns the copying process in your interior design or archviz rendering. If you need to reproduce a large number of identical objects in the scene, apply “Instance” to them instead of “Copy” – so the program views the copies as one large model rather than many small ones. Such action reduces the weight of the object group in your project.

Modifiers

The next issue on our 3D tips checklist concerns modifiers. What is it about? The presence of many modifiers in a model makes it several times heavier.

When the model is finished, and you do not plan to modify it, you can transform it into an EditablePoly or EditableMesh (at the bottom of the list), thus clearing the list of applied modifiers. 

You should also pay attention to the Turbosmooth modifier. When downloading a model from websites, Turbosmooth may appear in the modifier list with additional iterations. If this occurs, you can reduce the number of iterations and move the model to EditablePoly or EditableMesh.

Object clustering

Many small elements are usually grouped in one model so that you do not lose the ability to fine-tune each group level later on. Yet having multiple group levels in one model makes it heavy, and an application can start to crash if there are many such models in the scene. 

How can you minimise this hassle in your 3D rendering project? If this happens, you are better off working on the model as much as possible and merging it into one large group or merging all the parts into one model using Attach in the EditablePoly settings. You can also use the Quick Attach script.

Corona Proxy and Corona Scatter tools

Corona Proxy is a tool that allows you to convert any 3D model to a proxy format in 3Ds Max. Such conversion allows you to minimise the number of polygons of an object and thus increase performance within the scene. Before using this script, make sure that the model is not drastically changed and only then start the conversion to a proxy. 

That script is usually used in conjunction with Corona Scatter, which helps to place selected elements on a given plane. This method of inserting elements into the scene helps save a lot of computer resources and time for the 3D rendering artist.

LightMix

LightMix is a tool in CoronaRender that allows you to interactively adjust the presence, intensity and colour of exposed light sources in a single window both during and after rendering. However, it takes up a lot of memory, thus slowing dow

LightMix is a tool in CoronaRender that allows you to interactively adjust the presence, intensity and colour of exposed light sources in a single window both during and after rendering. However, it takes up a lot of memory, thus slowing down the rendering process. 

Hence, our next 3D trick covers solutions for just that. What to do with it? Nothing complicated! Once all the lights are adjusted, so no further manipulation is required, it is necessary to click the “Scene” button to transfer all the settings from LightMix directly to the scene and thus “bake” them. As a result, the final rendering saves all previously set light values, and image processing is much faster.

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Denoiser

Before we move on to the bonus 3D tips, it is worth touching on one more feature, the
Denoiser. You can use this function to accelerate 3D rendering.

Before we move on to the bonus 3D tips, it is worth touching on one more feature, the Denoiser. You can use this function to accelerate 3D rendering. 

When you run Denoiser, you can significantly reduce rendering time while smoothing out the graininess. With Denoiser, you do not have to wait for all rendering passes to complete before you get the desired result. The feature works directly with the engines, so you can turn it on or off during 3D rendering.

Bonus ready-to-use mini 3D tips and hacks list

• Clean up before 3D rendering

Remove all trash that is not used before rendering. You can do this manually or with the Pure Scene plugin.

• Everything in one place

All textures must be in the same folder – it speeds up rendering time as the program counts fewer image paths.

• CoronaBitmap beats Bitmap

When working with CoronaRender, you are better off using CoronaBitmap instead of Bitmap.

• Advantages of CoronaReySwitchMtl

When creating interiors, we recommend passing all materials through CoronaReySwitchMtl.

• Turn off the displacement card

The displacement card complements the Bump card by simulating extrusion and volume. Nevertheless, it consumes a lot of resources. It is best not to use it, especially if you are pressed for time.

You can turn this feature off by going to F10 > Common > Options > Displacement.

• Tulle hack

If you have tulle in your scene, you can disable Cast and Obtain Shadows in the object settings. It makes it easier for sunlight to pass through the material.

• Reflection and refraction 

The presence of reflections in the scene increases the overall 3D rendering time. It is because shiny objects need to be cleaned up as much as possible to achieve the desired “shiny” effect. Turning them off does a fine job for shots where these effects do not play a significant role.

• Albedo feature

Correct setup of this function also reduces rendering time. 

Use F10 > Render Elements, and in the list of suggested masks, you can select the Albedo mask, indicating errors in the material colour settings – make sure that there’s no pure black or white material

3D rendering speed-up – conclusions

Rendering with 3Ds Max takes quite a while. Deliberations on this time reduction have been going on for many years, and still, each specialist has their ways. 

For the most part, this article focuses on the speed rather than the quality of the rendering, making the process easier in the intermediate scene phase. Nevertheless, by following the above recommendations, you may significantly optimise the 3D rendering time.