Render with global illumination

To render global illumination

1. First, make sure at least one light source in your scene emits photons (see Turn on photon emission for a light source).
2. Select the Rendering menu set.
3. Open the Render Settings window.

   Select Windows > Rendering Editors > Render Settings or click the Render Settings window icon.

4. Select the mental ray for Maya render.
5. Click the Quality tab.
6. From the Quality Presets drop-down list, select Preview: Global Illumination.

   Global illumination (in the Rendering Features section of the Features tab) is automatically enabled.

7. Render with the default settings.

   If the default settings are not sufficient to achieve the look you want (or to reduce render speed), tweak the global illumination settings until you achieve the look you want. See Caustics and Global Illumination for more information.

   Tip:

   If your scene contains caustics, global illumination or final gather, and you would like to see those effect during mental ray IPR, in Render View select IPR > IPR > Render Settings.

Related topics

• Global illumination.
• Troubleshoot global illumination doesn’t work or looks incorrect.