d.2 Ray Tracing
Ray Tracing is a high‑fidelity real‑time rendering mode in Style3D Studio. It delivers near‑offline‑render quality in very short time and greatly improves rendering efficiency.
I. What is Ray Tracing
Style3D Studio provides three rendering modes:
Rendering Modes | Calculation Mode | Features |
Normal Rendering | GPU Real‑time | Fastest speed, does not affect simulation calculation; for daily modeling work. |
Ray Tracing Rendering | GPU Real‑time | High‑fidelity, close to offline quality; takes only 1/120‑1/10 of offline rendering time. |
Offline Rendering | CPU | Best visual quality with long computation time, suitable for final image export. |
Core Advantages of Ray Tracing Rendering:
- Results closer to offline rendering — more realistic highlights, shadows, reflections and refractions.
- Light and shadow consistent with offline rendering — unified lighting system.
- Much faster than offline rendering — saves 98% of rendering time.
- Supports direct animation export — quickly generate animations with near‑offline quality.
� Ray Tracing Rendering requires NVIDIA RTX 2060 or higher graphics card.
Ray Tracing Rendering vs Offline Rendering Result Comparison:
Left: Ray Tracing Rendering Right: Offline Rendering
II. How to Switch to Ray Tracing Rendering
Step 1: Locate the rendering‑mode drop‑down menu at the upper‑right corner of the 3D viewport.
Step 2: Open the drop‑down menu and select [Ray Tracing Rendering].
Step 3: Wait for image convergence (usually several to more than ten seconds), then the ray‑tracing result will appear.
�After switching to ray‑tracing mode, the 3D viewport displays ray‑traced output in real‑time. The image will reconverge whenever you change the camera view.
III. Detailed Rendering Settings
Click [Rendering Settings] in the rendering‑mode drop‑down menu to fine‑tune rendering parameters inside the property‑editor viewport.
3.1 Render Post‑Processing
Ray Tracing Rendering supports comprehensive post‑processing effects for quick image adjustment without altering 3D‑model properties.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Rendering Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Render Post‑Processing ▶ Enable
▲ Before‑and‑after Comparison of Render Post‑Processing Parameters
Post‑Processing Parameters | Description |
Exposure Compensation | Adjust rendering brightness for underexposed or overexposed scenes. |
Texture Enhancement | Sharpen image clarity, suitable for printed fabrics. |
Saturation | Increase or decrease Color Vividness |
Color Temperature | Tune color warmth and coolness to match different lighting conditions. |
Contrast | Adjust brightness‑darkness difference to highlight fabric details and depth. |
3.2 Auto Exposure (V8.0 +)
Auto‑exposure correction is available under ray‑tracing mode to prevent over‑dark or over‑bright images.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Rendering Settings ▶ Render Post‑Processing ▶ Auto Exposure
� Works for minor exposure adjustments; limited effect in extremely dark or bright scenes.
3.3 Star Burst (V9.2+)
When Star Burst is enabled, spherical lights produce star‑shaped glow effects to enhance visual atmosphere.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Rendering Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Render Post‑Processing ▶ Star Burst
IV. Camera Depth‑of‑Field Effect
Ray Tracing Rendering supports physical‑camera depth‑of‑field effect, delivering realistic focal length and background blur for professional photographic quality.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Rendering Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Lens Effects ▶ Physical Camera
Parameter | Description |
Depth Of Field | Aperture mapped from 1‑100; higher value produces stronger blur effect. |
Focus By Click | When enabled, left‑click on 3D objects to set focus distance (enabled by default). |
Auto-follow focus | Real‑time distance calculation between camera and target, automatically updates focus distance. |
Focus Distance | Final focal distance value in use. |
�Depth‑of‑Field effect highlights key parts of garments and softens backgrounds for enhanced artistic quality and depth.
V. Light Settings
Ray Tracing Rendering and Offline Rendering share one unified lighting system, delivering consistent real‑time and offline results for easier lighting workflow.
5.1 Light Types
Operation Path: Assets ▶ Lights ▶ Select Light Type
Light Function Entry
Light types | Application Scenarios |
Area Light | Large‑area soft light, widely used for product shooting. |
Sphere Light | Point‑light source effect; produces glow when Star Burst is enabled. |
Directional Light | Simulate sunlight or natural daylight. |
Spot Light | Focused illumination to highlight local details of garments. |
IES light | Simulate real‑world luminaires using IES photometric files. |
5.2 Special Light Functions
- Area Light supports transparent texture mapping — customize light‑shadow shapes with alpha‑channel PNG images.
Operation Path: Select rectangular Area Light in scene ▶ In the right‑hand property panel, expand Others ▶ Image, click the plus icon, upload PNG with alpha channel. The software controls light transmission area via PNG Alpha channel to project custom‑shaped light and shadow.
⚠️ Note: This function only works for Spot Light and rectangular Area Light. Multiple built‑in presets (leaf, shutter, ring‑shaped light etc.) are available; custom PNG files are also supported.
- Light follow model animation — suitable for runway videos; fill lights follow body movement.
Operation Path: Render ▶ Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Lights ▶ Enable Follow for all lights, select Light Follow Model.
- Lock Light Position — prevent loss of target tracking point (V9.2+)
Operation Path: Select light ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Lock Target, to lock light aiming direction and avoid losing tracking point during adjustment.
- Light Templates — official resource library provides over 20 preset light templates (V8.0+)
VI. Advanced Materials & Effects Supported by Ray Tracing
6.1 Displacement Mapping (V7.0+)
Displacement mapping is enabled under ray‑tracing mode to generate realistic bump texture on fabric surfaces.
Operation Path: Rendering Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Ray Tracing Rendering ▶ Enable Displacement Effect.
�Grayscale black‑and‑white images required; RGB images are not supported.
6.2 Emissive Material (V7.0+)
Ray Tracing Rendering supports emissive materials with results fully consistent with V‑Ray.
6.3 Glass Material
Glass material delivers more realistic performance under ray‑tracing mode, consistent with offline rendering.
6.4 Hair / Fur Effect (V7.2+)
Ray Tracing Rendering supports hair/fur rendering for enhanced realism and detail of furry materials.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Ray Tracing Rendering ▶ Rendering Settings ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Enable Hair Effect.
� Hair rendering consumes high video memory; high‑end GPU recommended. Starting from V9.0, real‑time ray‑tracing preview and hair clumping are supported in Hair Editor.
6.5 Styling Lines (V8.1+)
Ray Tracing Rendering supports styling‑line display to clearly present garment structure and craftsmanship details in ray‑traced output.
Operation Path: 3D Viewport ▶ Garment ▶ Styling Lines
6.6 Blended Normal Map (V9.2+)
Similar to multi‑layer normal superposition. Two normal layers with adjustable intensity to create richer fabric surface details.
Operation Path: Fabric ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Normal Map ▶ Blended Normal Map
6.7 Woven Fabric Editor (V9.2+)
New Woven Fabric Editor. Customize warp‑and‑weft structure, density, color and yarn appearance with ray‑tracing preview.
Operation Path: Fabric ▶ Property‑Editor Viewport ▶ Open Woven Fabric Editor
VII. Complete Ray‑Tracing Image Export Workflow
Recommended workflow from project opening to final image export:
Step 1: Open garment project and switch to Ray Tracing Rendering in 3D Viewport.
Step 2: Adjust lighting — add or modify lights via Assets ▶ Lights (light templates can also be loaded from resource library).
Step 3: Adjust camera view — rotate and zoom to desired angle. Enable Physical Camera and set focus if depth‑of‑field is needed.
Step 4: Tune post‑processing — fine‑tune exposure, contrast, color temperature and other parameters inside Rendering Settings.
Step 5: Configure export parameters — go to Tools ▶ Render, set image resolution and file format (PNG, JPG, WEBP, AVIF, TIF supported).
Image Export Parameters
Step 6: Add render views — create multiple custom views and check which ones to render.
Step 7：Click Start Render and wait for completion.
� Medium render quality is recommended to balance speed and visual quality. Render views in batches when multiple outputs are required to save time.
VIII. Ray‑Tracing + AI Image Generation
Ray‑traced output can be sent directly to AI Image Generation (iWish), enabling one‑click workflow: 3D render → AI real‑human model.
Operation Path: Tools ▶ Render ▶ AI Image Generation
Workflow Description:
- Finish garment render setup under ray‑tracing mode.
- Select view and click AI Image Generation.
- AI generates images with real‑human models based on ray‑traced output.
- Supports 4K export, custom model characters, background replacement and more.
� For AI image generation from ray‑traced results, use Medium quality and resolution below 2K (disable 4K) for faster processing.
IX. FAQ & Tips
Q1: Slow progress when uploading images after switching to ray tracing?
- Check whether render quality is set to Ultra‑High; switch to Medium.
- Avoid checking too many views at once; render in batches.
- Keep export resolution below 2K.
Q2: What are hardware requirements for Ray Tracing Rendering?
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 or higher.
- Hair effect consumes large video memory; RTX 3060 or higher is recommended.
- Insufficient GPU specifications may cause crashes. Lower render quality or disable hair/displacement effect.
Q3: How to choose between Ray‑Tracing Rendering and Offline Rendering?
Scenario | Recommended Mode | Reason |
Daily pattern review and preview | Ray Tracing Rendering | Great visual quality with fast speed. |
Batch image export / animation | Ray Tracing Rendering | Saves 98% of rendering time with near‑offline quality. |
Final delivery / printing | Offline Rendering | Best visual quality with full support for all material types. |