Render Settings
If you are experiencing long render times using glass surfaces, select the mesh and disable 'enable_internal_reflections' in the Advanced section of the standard_surface shader.
Transmission Depth
Correct transmission_depth settings are important for achieving realistic glass and water effects. Bear in mind that higher values will increase render time.
By default, Arnold uses a transmission_depth of 8.
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| 2 | 4 | 8 (default) |
The scene below contains many glass surfaces. Increasing the transmission_depth reveals more detail in the refracted glass.
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| 2 | 4 | 6 |
Total Depth
When increasing ray depth settings, make sure that the total depth is set high enough to include the transmission_depth.
The total depth specifies the total maximum recursion depth of any ray in the scene (diffuse + transmission + specular < Total).
Final Render
Here is the final image. The transmission_depth has been left at the default value of 8. Higher values may be required to reduce further areas in the splashed water where the render appears solid black.