Anker Soundcore Flare 2 Review: An Impressive Portable Speaker
With warm sound, good volume, competitive pricing, and useful extras, Anker’s Soundcore Flare 2 is an impressive midrange portable speaker.
V-Ray, developed by Chaos, has evolved from a 1997 debut into a cross-platform industry standard for photorealistic rendering. Since its major shift to a subscription-only model with V-Ray 6, it now offers "Solo," "Premium," and "Enterprise" tiers that work across 3ds Max, Maya, SketchUp, Cinema 4D, and more.
Below is the definitive version timeline and major feature breakdown. 🚀 Current Generation: V-Ray 7 (2024 – Present) Released October 31, 2024
V-Ray 7 represents a massive leap into AI-assisted workflows and real-world data integration.
Gaussian Splatting: Support for Gaussian Splats allows users to blend scanned real-world environments directly into 3D scenes.
V-Ray Luminaires: Faster, pre-computed lighting for interior fixtures via Chaos Cosmos.
AI Enhancements: Includes an AI Upscaler, AI Material Generator, and AI Enhancer to refine people and vegetation.
Virtual Tours: Built-in tools for creating interactive, hotspot-driven walk-throughs.
Sun & Sky: Adds nautical twilight for ultra-realistic sunrise and sunset renders. 🛠️ The "Modern" Era: V-Ray 6 (2022 – 2024) Released July 7, 2022
This version unified the platform and added world-building tools that eliminated the need for external plugins. Vray 7 / all NEW features overview
V-Ray 4.0 (2020) – Chaos Bridge
- Chaos Cosmos asset library (built-in).
- VRayDecal (projected decals without UVs).
- VRayLayeredTex (blend textures).
- VRaySwitchMtl (multiple material variants).
- VRayDistanceMap.
How to Identify Your V-Ray Version
In 3ds Max:
Rendering → V-Ray → About V-Ray
In Maya:
V-Ray → Help → About
In SketchUp:
Extensions → V-Ray → Help → About
In standalone:
Run vray -version in command line.
V-Ray 0.0 (1999) – Internal prototype
- Not publicly available.
- Developed by Vladimir Koylazov (Vlado) and Peter Mitev.
- Simple ray tracer for 3ds Max R2.
V-Ray Next (v4/v5 evolution depending on DCC) — Automation & Smarts (2018–2020)
- “Next” branded releases added AI denoising, automatic scene analysis, and camera-aware sampling.
- Faster out-of-the-box settings via scene intelligence.
- Continued GPU parity improvements; better memory handling; distributed rendering enhancements.
- Physically plausible materials matured; layered materials improved.
Key takeaway: Automation and AI began to simplify complex render setup, boosting productivity for both novices and pros.
V-Ray 1.5 (2006) – Game Changer
- VRayHDRI map (supports .hdr and .exr).
- VRayLight (sphere, dome, mesh lights).
- VRayFur (procedural fur/hair).
- VRayBlendMtl (layered materials).
- VRayEdgesTex (wireframe rendering).
My longtime favourite is Solomon’s Boneyard (see also: Solomon’s Keep!). I’ll have to check out Eternium because it might be similar — you pick a wizard that controls a specific element (magic balls, lightning, fire, ice) and see how long you can last a graveyard shift. I guess it’s kind of a rogue-lite where you earn upgrades within each game but also persistent upgrades, like magic rings and additional unlockable characters (steam, storm, fireballs, balls of lightning, balls of ice, firestorm… awesome combos of the original elements.)
I also used to enjoy Tilt to Live, which I think is offline too.
Donut county is a fun little puzzle game, and Lux Touch is mobile risk that’s played quickly.
Fun
Thank you great list. My job entails hours a day in an area with no internet and with very little to do. Lol hours of bordom, minutes of stress seconds of shear terror !
Some of these are going to be life savers!
I hope these help get you through! 😁
I’ve put hours upon hours into Fallout Shelter. You build a Fallout Shelter and add rooms to it Electric, Water, Food, and if you add a man and woman to a room they will have a baby. The baby will grow up and you can add them to an area to help with the shelter. Outsiders come and attack if you take them out sometimes you can loot the body to get new weapons. There’s a lot more to it but thats kind of sums it up. Thank you for the list I’m down loading some now!
Oh man, I spent so much time on Fallout Shelter a few years ago! Very fun game — thanks for the reminder!