V-Ray for SketchUp - Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started
Technical Support & Licensing
V-Ray for SketchUp Usage

Getting Started

Landing pages for V-Ray for SketchUp

Where can I learn more about V-Ray for SketchUp?
Chaos Links:

SketchUp Links:

Technical Support & Licensing

Contact Options

Can I login to Chaos’s forum using the same login detail for SketchUp forum?

Chaos (the makers of V-Ray for SketchUp) hosts and supports their own community which is unrelated to the SketchUp forum. You’re free to create a login on their forum, but it has no connection to, nor is it inherited from, the official SketchUp forum.

Alternatively, you can visit the V-Ray for SketchUp sub-category on the official SketchUp forum here. This subcategory is for users of V-Ray for SketchUp to ask questions, share techniques or just show off what you’ve done. You’ll be able to use your Trimble ID on the SketchUp forum.

Which forum should I go to for posting my questions about using V-Ray for SketchUp?

You’re welcome to post in either forum as there are knowledgeable users in both locations. For official support of V-Ray for SketchUp, you should post your questions on Chaos’s forum here.

Please Note, you’ll need to create a new login for the Chaos forum, as your Trimble ID is not natively supported there.

Where can I go to post my questions about using V-Ray for SketchUp on the forum?

You can visit the V-Ray for SketchUp sub-category on the official SketchUp forum here. This subcategory is for users of V-Ray for SketchUp to ask questions, share techniques or just show off what you’ve done. You’ll be able to use your Trimble ID on the SketchUp forum.

I need support for V-Ray for SketchUp, how do I get support?

If you’re having an issue with your SketchUp Studio subscription, or if V-Ray for SketchUp isn’t authorizing properly, please contact SketchUp Support via this form.

If you’re having an issue installing or using V-Ray for SketchUp, please contact Chaos using the following information:

Chaos/V-Ray Phone Support: +359 2 422 422 1
Chaos/V-Ray Email Support: support@chaosgroup.com

Licensing

What are the differences between V-Ray for SketchUp included in my Studio subscription and V-Ray for SketchUp obtained directly from Chaos?

There are no features or UI differences between V-Ray for SketchUp Studio and V-Ray for SketchUp. However you can use Trimble ID to log in V-Ray for SketchUp Studio.

With V-Ray for Sketchup from Chaos, there is no account linking between Trimble and Chaos. And you will need to create a Chaos user account for using V-Ray in addition to a Trimble ID to authorize your Sketchup subscription.

What if I want to automatically renew SketchUp, but not V-Ray?

This is a downgrade case, you are downgrading your Studio subscription to a Pro subscription. If you wish to downgrade your subscription, please contact SketchUp support team via this form.

What if I want to automatically renew V-Ray but not SketchUp?

If your V-Ray for SketchUp license is due as part of your Studio subscription then you can’t renew ONLY the V-Ray subscription.

If you wish to renew V-Ray but not SketchUp Studio, you’ll need to downgrade your SketchUp subscription to a SketchUp Pro and then sign up for a standalone V-Ray for SketchUp subscription.

What happens if the account linking failed? Whom do I need to contact to get help?

In most cases, the account link fails because you did not log in with your TID to activate the V-Ray license after you installed the V-Ray extension to your machine. Following the installation steps, you will see a page where you are asked to sign in with your TID. If the problem persists, and you are certain that you have logged in correctly, you should contact Chaos support team support@chaosgroup.com with a note explaining you are accessing V-Ray as part of Sketchup Studio offering.

If you accidentally close the page below before you login with your TID, you will be prompted to login again when you open V-Ray in the desktop client. See the in-app message below.

If you sign in successfully, you will see a page like this and you can close this page or go to the landing page to learn more about V-Ray for Sketchup Studio.

Upgrade & Version Compatibility

Can I run V-Ray for SketchUp on an older version of SketchUp?

The current version of V-Ray for SketchUp will work with SketchUp 2019 and SketchUp 2020.

How will I get notified about the newer version of the V-Ray for SketchUp?

If you have downloaded V-Ray on your Sketchup, you will get notified whenever there is an updated version via desktop client's notification mechanism just like other extensions.

V-Ray for SketchUp Usage

Cloud Rendering and Cloud Credits

Can Cloud Render work on an older version of SketchUp?

Cloud rendering comes with your SketchUp Studio subscription and you will always get the most recent versions of SketchUp and V-Ray for SketchUp in Studio. Currently V-Ray for SketchUp provided with SketchUp Studio will work in SketchUp Pro 2019 or SketchUp Pro 2020.

I see Chaos offers 20 free cloud credits for the trial users. How do I get their free credit offer?

If you’re currently using the SketchUp Pro trial and wish to also try out V-Ray for SketchUp, you’re able to do so with both.

If you’re using V-Ray for SketchUp provided with your SketchUp Studio subscription then you already get 20 credits and you’re not eligible for their trial based credits.

What is the workflow for saving my SketchUp project on Trimble Connect, my V-Ray project with cloud credits, and the fully rendered project ? Where are they get saved, Trimble Connect or Chaos Cloud?

You can upload your SketchUp project to Trimble Connect either directly from inside SketchUp by using the Trimble Connect extension OR by first signing into Trimble Connect and uploading the project directly through it. Connect does not work with Vrayscene. The fully rendered project (via Chaos Cloud) will be hosted in Chaos Cloud and you can then download the assets once the render batch is complete. There is no connection to Trimble Connect.

How many projects can I render with 20 cloud credits?

It depends on the nature and complexity of the scene you are rendering. For example, 10 credits might get you 2 images of a bee and flower, 5 images of a night-time archviz scene, 20 images of an interior, 30 images of a diamond ring or 250 images of a balloon.

Check out the Chaos page what to expect with Chaos Cloud
https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/scenes

Is there a way to estimate the cost of a cloud rendering job?

One way to estimate how many credits you’ll need for a job is to render a test image with your trial credits and note how many credits it consumed. Then expand that cost by what your final job will take in terms of the final resolution, quality, frames, etc.

Alternatively, you can check out the Chaos page what to expect with Chaos Cloud
https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/scenes

Can I store my projects in the cloud or I can use it only to process my renderings?

Chaos does not offer cloud storage for files. We recommend that you either save your files to your local machine or store it in the cloud using Trimble Connect. Trimble Business Connect, included with your SketchUp Studio subscription, has unlimited storage for projects.

What happens to any files stored in the cloud if I end my SketchUp subscription?

You will continue to have write access to your project up to the limits allowed by a Trimble Connect Personal subscription. If you’ve exceeded the data storage limit, you still have read access to all your data but will not be able to upload any more files. You’ll always have the option to download your files stored on Trimble Connect.

What happens if I am in the middle of a rendering process and my trial expires?

The trial will expire at midnight, you’ll be able to finish the render, if it was started before the expiration.

What happens to my render if I finish my credits in the middle of a job?

If you run out of credits in the middle of a job, you’ll be unable to finish the job. You will be directed to a Chaos page to purchase more credits.

Can I pause my current rendering process?

Yes, you can pause the rendering process both, whether it’s a Cloud Render or if you’re rendering on your local machine.

Can I save my renders on my machine? How can I share my renders in the cloud with my clients?

Yes and yes. You can save the render (images and or render setting) as vrscene files on your machine. For sharing cloud render outputs like EXR and JPG images can be saved in OneDrive/GDrive and shared with clients from there. More info is here.

How do I purchase more cloud credits?

You can buy more Cloud Credits directly from the Chaos web page here; https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud/buy

As a SketchUp Studio subscribe how do I check on the status of my monthly Cloud Credits for V-Ray?

There are several options for checking your available Cloud Credits:

cloud.chaos.com - that UI will show you the total balance of credits in total. If you have Studio + you bought additional credits, you’ll see the total amount.
my.chaosgroup.com - that UI will show you a breakdown

System Configuration

Will V-Ray for SketchUp run on my MacBook’s default graphic card setting?

By default V-Ray is set up to run on the CPU of the machine. You'll be able to use the full functionality and there will be no warnings, though performance will not be as great as in a system intended for 3D rendering.

If you decide to switch from using the CPU for rendering to “CUDA” or “RTX” you'll have to select the hardware devices to be used for rendering.

On a Macbook;

In CUDA mode - you'll see only your CPU listed and you can select and use it.
In RTX mode - you'll see no devices listed and you'll not be able to render.

How do I configure my hardware to get the best render with V-Ray for SketchUp?

The following are options available within V-Ray for SketchUp, make adjustments based on your available hardware:

CPU Engine - This is enabled by default and everyone can use the full V-Ray tool palette with it.

GPU CUDA - The CUDA engine can run in hybrid mode - utilizing the CPU and GPU (NVIDIA) of the computer at the same time.

This means that even if you have a Mac machine you can still render using GPU CUDA, however only the CPU will be used.

GPU RTX - This mode takes advantage of the newest NVIDIA cards in an optimal way.

It can only run on NVIDIA RTX GPUs and will utilize the RT (raytrace) cores of these cards.

I am a macOS user or only have an AMD graphics card, will V-Ray for SketchUp continue to support OpenCL and macOS?

You still will be able to use the V-Ray GPU render engine but it will run only using the CPU on your device. For more information please read this FAQ Article on Chaos’s website.

How would I know if my machine can operate with the latest version of V-Ray for SketchUp?

You can use the V-Ray Benchmark Tool to measure how well particular hardware will operate with V-Ray and also find out whether the hardware is supported or not. There is even a results page where you can search results shared by other users and compare the result from their tests with those from the others.

When I try to use the default setting of V-Ray and my SketchUp keep crashing, what can I do to prevent this or improve the experience?

This is a broad topic, since a crash could be caused by a diverse set of factors.

On one side, it could be a workstation related cause:

Hardware - If the minimum requirements are not met (e.g. old components - no SSE4.2 support (x64) on the CPU) or there is a malfunctioning component;
Overheating - highly uncommon, but it's a possibility, mainly during rendering;
Software - In the case of V-Ray 5, if it's a Windows workstation, only Win 8.1 and Win 10 are supported. On macOS, to my knowledge M1 chips are currently emulated, so it should work, but it's not a bad idea to keep it in mind as a potential cause;

Additionally, issues with the OS could potentially cause a crash, or perhaps missing drivers but this is something that cannot be summarized; Aside from the Windows requirements and M1 chips, it was extremely rare to encounter any of the other factors.

As for strictly SketchUp and V-Ray related factors:

Corrupted installation of either of the softwares;
Anti-virus/Firewall permissions (unlikely, but still not a bad idea to be kept in mind);
Leftover files from previous installations;
Leftover crack file from a pirated SketchUp or V-Ray;
Incompatible plugins (e.g. two render engines). Very unlikely to cause a crash, but rather a fault in the way the applications function (still, not a bad idea to be checked);

Project related (high likelihood);

Corrupted project file;
Corrupted materials or assets;
Potentially, assets with high amount of complex groups and materials applied to some groups (we had instances where a couple of "Explode" actions resolved the issue with such an asset);
Not likely, but perhaps a custom template might have data that's causing a crash;
Other scene specific reasons.

It's best to ask if it's happening with a specific project and if it is, to urge the customer to share it through the Extensions > V-Ray > Pack Project function with the Chaos Support.

Acceptable Device Usage

I have V-Ray for SketchUp installed on my work machine, am I allowed to run V-Ray on my personal machine as well? On how many machines am I allowed to authorize V-Ray?

You can install and authorize V-Ray on the same 2 computers where you authorized SketchUp.

If I have a new machine, do I have to remove V-Ray from my old computer before authorizing it on the new computer?

You should always de-authorize SketchUp on your old computer if you plan to move to a new system.

Note, if you’re forced to switch to a new computer without the option to disable your previous device, you can contact SketchUp support via this contact form.

Will I be able to run V-Ray on my mobile devices? If so, how many?

At this time there isn’t a mobile version of SketchUp that supports V-Ray for SketchUp.

Where can I find the End User License Agreement for V-Ray?

You can view the EULA on the Chaos website here.

If I am using V-Ray for SketchUp under a Studio subscription, which Terms of Service (TOS) or End User License Agreement (EULA) is applicable?

All terms are application specific. In this situation both the SketchUp EULA and Chaos TOS apply since both apps are being used.

Trial Questions

How often will I need to sign into V-Ray? What’s the offline mode of V-Ray for SketchUp?

V-Ray for Studio can be “borrowed” for offline use for up to 28 days on 1 machine at a time.

For day to day usage the V-Ray license is “auto-borrowed” for 24 hours at a time on all machines that V-Ray license has been authorized. i.e. If you open V-Ray on your personal and work machine both licenses are automatically borrowed for 24 hours on these machines.

How will I get free cloud credit as part of Studio Trial?
There are no free cloud credits offered as part of Studio Trial. However you will get 20 cloud credits if you purchase the Studio subscription. You can always purchase cloud credits via the page in https://www.chaosgroup.com/cloud#pricing

Policy Questions

Where can I find info on V-Ray Workstation license and Universal Render node?

You can find relevant info in the EULA link here.

What's the policy on using V-Ray SWARM?