Mental Ray Is Back - And It's Free!

Mental Ray is back! 3D Render by Amaru Zeas

Mental Ray is Back! NVIDIA, makers of the classic ray tracer - it used to come bundled free with Autodesk Maya - have now released a version of their software which is free for student use.  This is great news for animation students, because Mental Ray has a number of advtantages over its successor Arnold.  In particular, you can achieve some very quick and attractive lighting setups in Mental ray using Physical Sun & Sky, the closest thing Maya has to a "Make It Look Cool" button.  So, how can our students get a free copy of Mental Ray?

Students can download Mental Ray for Maya absolutely free.  Although, obviously, you can't use it for commercial purposes without a commercial license. http://www.nvidia.com/object/download-mental-ray.html

To find out more about Mental Ray, see this blog post on how to make a batch render of your frames.

Also watch this free video below on how to use Mental Ray's Physical Sun and Sky in Maya. It's a great way to light your shots simply and quickly.




For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days, take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK.