V-Ray 7 coming soon to Blender

Chaos has told CG Channel that it is launching a new version of V-Ray for Blender in beta later this year with a stable release due in early 2025, making this the first major update to the integration in five years. According to the report, it will be built around the V-Ray 7 core but lacking some advanced tools like V-Ray Enmesh. Previously, V-Ray for Blender supported scene export to V-Ray Standalone but had not been updated since 2019, leaving it behind recent Blender releases.

It will be licensed using the current standard V-Ray subscriptions, which cover software like Maya and 3ds Max, as well as a new Blender-specific tier with features such as Chaos Cloud access.

The first update to the V-Ray Blender integration for five years

V-Ray actually already has an integration for Blender: just not a current one.

The plugin, which exports scenes from Blender to V-Ray Standalone, became an official Chaos product in 2014, but has been in limbo for years.

The last new nightly build came out in 2019, and supports Blender 2.79: 19 releases and four entire release series behind Blender 4.3, the current version of the software.

Since then, Chaos has periodically hinted that a new version was in development, most strongly in its Chaos Unboxed livestream in February.

Includes core features from V-Ray 7

• The new V-Ray for Blender is a brand new – and more conventional – integration.
• Chaos tells us that it is based around V-Ray 7, the latest version of the renderer, currently available in beta for 3ds Max.
• The initial release will be based around the V-Ray 7 core, but will not have V-Ray 7’s complete feature set.
• In particular, the initial release may not have all of V-Ray’s ‘scene-building’ tools, like geometry replication system V-Ray Enmesh.
• Pitched as an alternative to RenderMan for Blender for VFX and animation work
• While V-Ray has both CPU and GPU render engines, Chaos told us that it expected a key market for the new edition to be studios looking for a CPU-based production renderer.
• The sector is currently served by Blender’s native Cycles renderer, and RenderMan for Blender, the new-ish Blender integration for Pixar’s heavyweight VFX and animation renderer.
• Available via a unique single-product subscription
• V-Ray subscriptions currently provide access to all of the current integrations of the software, which include Maya, Houdini, 3ds Max and Cinema 4D.

On its release, the new Blender integration will be added to that list.

However, it will also be available via its own unique single-product subscription.

Chaos told us that Blender would be a “first-class citizen” in the V-Ray product line, and that the single-product option would include the same additional features as standard subscription plans, such as access to online rendering platform Chaos Cloud.

Price, system requirements and release dates

The new V-Ray for Blender is due in beta later in 2024, with a stable release in early 2025. Chaos hasn’t announced exact system requirements yet.

V-Ray is rental-only, with node-locked V-Ray Solo subscriptions priced at $84.90/month or $514.80/year, and V-Ray Premium subscriptions priced at $119.90/month or $718.80/year.

Chaos hasn’t announced pricing for the new Blender-only subscription plan.