Table of Contents
- How To Install Mental Ray Maya 2017
- Install Mental Ray Maya 2016
- Maya Mental Ray Download
- Mental Ray Maya Tutorial
Master the Maya 2016 interface, menus, and plug-ins; Begin building simple animations right away; Explore modeling, rendering, animation, and cloth motion; Add lighting, rendering, dynamics, simulations, and effects; If you want to work like the pros, Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 is the perfect primer for getting started. I'm working in Maya 2016 and I still can't find Mental Ray! This is a bug in Maya 2016. To fix it, you will need to download Maya 2016 Service Pack 3, which will solve this problem.
- Having Installation Problems?
Maya Installation Instructions
The Domemaster installer makes it easy to use the 64-bit Domemaster3D shader with Maya 2010-2017 on Windows and Maya 2011-2017 on macOS. The installer allows you to choose which versions of Maya you want to use with the fulldome rendering shader.
Note: You should quit Maya before you run the installer so the Domemaster3D shelf and mental ray shaders will be installed correctly.
Having Installation Problems?
If you have run the Domemaster3D installer and don't see the Domemaster3D shaders, custom shelf, or the Domemaster3D menu in the rendering menu set, it is probably due to a skipped step in the installation process.
You need to enable the installer checkboxes next to the specific Maya and 3DS Max versions you want to use with Domemaster3D.
Windows VC++ Runtime Library
The Domemaster3D v2.2 for mental ray and Arnold release for Windows has been compiled with Visual Studio 2012. If your system doesn't have the Visual Studio 2012 (VC++ 11.0) x64 Redistributable Package installed you can download it here:http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679
You can also find a copy of the Visual Studio 2012 (VC++ 11.0) x64 installer in the Domemaster3D 'bin' folder at:
C:/Program Files/Domemaster3D/bin/vcredist_2012_vc11_x64.exe
The Domemaster3D v2.2 for Vray release for Windows was compiled using Visual Studio 2013. If your system doesn't have the Visual Studio 2013 Visual C++ Redistributable Package installed you can download it here:https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40784
You can also find a copy of the Visual Studio 2013 (VC++ 12.0) x64 installer in the Domemaster3D 'bin' folder at:
C:/Program Files/Domemaster3D/bin/vcredist_2013_vc12_x64.exe
macOS Compatibility
The minimum macOS version required to run the compiled versions of the Domemaster3D mental ray shaders is now macOS 10.9 due to the version of Xcode used to compile the current .dylib library files.
If you need support for older versions of macOS, you can compile the shaders locally on a legacy macOS system using the included Makefiles and the shaders will run on systems as old as macOS 10.6.
Installer Software
The Domemaster3D installer software was created with the assistance of Bitrock InstallBuilder's open source developer program.
macOS Tip
The latest macOS version of the Domemaster3D v2.x installer, and the lens shader .dylib and .so files are digitally signed with an Apple developer certificate. This means you should no longer have to adjust your macOS Gatekeeper security settings when installing and using the lens shaders.
Domemaster3D Folder
The Domemaster3D installer creates a new folder on your hard drive to hold the Domemaster3D shader, scripts, documentation, texture maps, source code, and the uninstaller program.
On Windows the Domemaster3D folder is located in:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3D
On macOS the Domemaster3D folder is located in:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/
On Linux the Domemaster3D folder is located in:
/opt/Domemaster3D/
Check out the Bundled Assets wiki page for more details on the models and textures included in the Domemaster3D folder.
Check out the Maya Domemaster3D Presets wiki page for more details on the attribute presets included in the Domemaster3D folder.
Maya Module Approach
You can manually set up Domemaster3D using a new Maya Module approach to load the Domemaster3D lens shaders in Maya which has significant benefits on shared use computers and on render nodes.
If you are using Maya 2013-2017 you have the option of using the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file for setting up the Domemaster3D shader in Maya. This approach works well in multi-user environments like media labs.
Copy the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file to your user account's Maya modules folder:
Windows:C:Users<Your User Account>DocumentsMaya<Maya Version Number>modules
macOS:~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/<Maya Version Number>/modules/
Linux:$HOME/maya/<Maya Version Number>/modules/
On Windows the Domemaster3D.mod file is located at:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3DmayamodulesDomemaster3D.mod
On macOS the Domemaster3D.mod file is located at:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/Domemaster3D.mod
On Linux the Domemaster3D.mod file is located at:
/opt/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/Domemaster3D.mod
Note: If the modules folder doesn't exist yet, you should create it.
Linux & macOS Note: The ~/ and $HOME symbols are used in a file path to represent the location of the current user account's home folder. On a Linux system seeing ~/ or $HOME means the equivalent thing as writing in /home/<User Account>/. On a macOS system seeing ~/ or $HOME means the equivalent thing as writing in /Users/<User Account>/.
Maya Environment File
The Domemaster3D for Maya installer also places a Maya.env file in your user account's Maya Preference folder. If you have a pre-existing Maya.env file it is backed up with the name Maya.env.bak .
On Windows the Maya.env file is located in:
C:Users<User Account>Documentsmaya<Maya Version Number>Maya.env
On macOS the Maya.Env file is located in:
~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/<Maya Version Number>/Maya.env
On Linux the Maya.Env file is located in:
~/maya/<Maya Version Number>/Maya.env
macOS and Linux Note: The ~/ symbol is used in a file path to represent the location of the current user account's home folder. On a macOS system seeing ~/ means the equivalent thing as writing in /Users/<User Account>/. On a Linux system seeing ~/ means the equivalent thing as writing in /home/<User Account>/.
The Maya.env file is used to specify the custom shader path for the Domemaster3D mental ray shaders, the location of the Maya shelf, the scripts folder, the attrPresets folder, and the icons folders.
As an example, here is the contents of the Domemaster3D Maya.env file that is installed for Maya 2016 on Windows:
If you accidentally delete the Maya.env file there is a backup copy stored in the Domemaster3D folder.
On Windows the backup Maya.env files are located in:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dmaya<Maya Version Number>
On macOS the backup Maya.env files are located in:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/<Maya Version Number>/
How To Install Mental Ray Maya 2017
On Linux the backup Maya.env files are located in:
/opt/Domemaster3D/maya/<Maya Version Number>/
There are three Maya.env files included for each Maya version. You should select the appropriate environment file for your platform, rename it to Maya.env and copy it to your User Account's Maya preference folder.
The backup Maya.env files are named:
- Maya.env.win
- Maya.env.osx
- Maya.env.linux
Downgrading from Mental Ray 3.14 for Maya 2016 to Mental Ray 3.13
The NVIDIA Mental Ray 3.14 release added support for a feature called ray differential sampling which does a nice job at reducing the 'blurry streak' lens shader artifact in panoramic renderings so you don't need to use the custom mental ray native shading networks in the Domemaster3D shelf. This also means that Mental Ray 3.14 for Maya 2016/2017 based installations of Domemaster3D used an updated lens shader by default compared to previous Mental Ray 3.13 and earlier versions of the .dll/.so/.dylib shader libraries.
The following steps will explain how you can switch a Domemaster3D installation back to using the Autodesk provided Mental Ray 3.13 for Maya 2016 release from a previous NVIDIA provided Mental Ray 3.14 for Maya 2016 based lens shader:
If the automated Domemaster3D installer program sees the NVIDIA Mental Ray 3.14 files in your Program Files/Applications/opt folder it then places the updated Mental Ray 3.14 compatible Domemaster3D.mod file in your user account's Maya preferences folder.
There are custom versions of the Domemaster3D lens shaders on your workstation right now for both Mental Ray 3.13 vs 3.14 and you can switch to using the older mental ray compatible version by copying the correct Domemaster3D for Maya module file into your Maya user preferences folder using the following steps:
Step 1. Open up the Domemaster3D Modules folder on your system.
Domemaster3D Windows Modules Folder:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dmayamodulesmental ray 3.13 modules
Domemaster3D macOS Modules Folder:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/mental ray 3.13 modules
Domemaster3D Linux Modules Folder:
/opt/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/mental ray 3.13 modules
Step 2. Copy the Domemaster3D.mod file into your user account's Maya preferences 'modules' folder. (If the modules folder doesn't exist yet you can create it manually.)
Windows Modules Folder:
C:Users<Your User Account Name>Documentsmaya2016x64modules
Install Mental Ray Maya 2016
macOS Modules Folder:
/Users/<Your User Account Name>/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/2017/modules/
Linux:
$HOME/maya/2016x64/modules/
Step 3. Restart Maya.
Customizing the Maya OpenGL Realtime Viewport FOV
You can override the default 90 degree Maya viewport field of view setting by editing your Maya.env file and un-commenting the last //DOMEMASTER3D_MAYA_REALTIME_FOV=4 command at the end of the file by removing the two // characters.
For the Domemaster3D.mod module file you can edit the DOMEMASTER3D_MAYA_REALTIME_FOV=4 lines in the document with a 'Find & Replace' approach in a text editor to change interactive Maya viewport FOV value from using a 4mm focal length to a 35 mm focal length like this:
DOMEMASTER3D_MAYA_REALTIME_FOV=35
This DOMEMASTER3D_MAYA_REALTIME_FOV environment variable allows you to change the Domemaster3D cameras default focal length (in mm units) that is visible in the 'persp' viewport window in Maya. This control only effects the realtime Maya viewport and is a separate setting from adjusting the FOV value in the lens shader itself that is used at render time.
Moving the Installation Directory
If you want to install the Domemaster3D shaders to a different location on your system like a network drive, to your personal user account's documents folder, or run it of a USB memory stick you can change the DOMEMASTER3D_DIR location referred to in the Maya.env file.
As an example, enabling the following line (and copying the Domemaster3D files to the corresponding folder) will allow you to run the Domemaster3D shaders from inside a non-administrative user account:
This is useful if you want to run the shaders on a school lab computer where you might not have administrative privileges to install the Domemaster3D supporting files into the Program Files folder.
Render Farm Note
If you are running a commercial render farm service that offers Domemaster3D rendering for Maya, 3DS Max, or XSI, contact Andrew Hazelden ( andrew@andrewhazelden.com) and he will include you on the public list of Domemaster3D enabled render farms.
The Domemaster3D shader typically uses a Pre-render and Post-render MEL scripts to control the stereoscopic settings on the domeAFL_FOV_Stereo fulldome camera rig at render time.
If the Domemaster3D shader is installed on a render farm that does not allow jobs to be submitted with Pre-render and Post-render MEL scripts in the Render Settings window, render farm customers should remove any Pre-render or Post-render MEL script commands in their Maya render settings.
If the render farm customer is rendering a 2D fulldome Maya scene everything is ready.
If the render farm customer is rendering a 3D fulldome scene have them run the following MEL command on their personal workstation before sending you the maya scene file:
This will make sure the camera's field of view is correct and the stereo rig is ready to render.
Manual Install for Maya 2010 to 2017 on Linux
Step 1. Extract the ZIP file and copy the included 'Domemaster3D' folder to:
/opt/Domemaster3D/
Step 2. You can choose to use the classical Maya.env file or the new Maya Module approach to load the Domemaster3D shader in Maya.
Maya Module Approach
If you are using Maya 2013-2017 you have the option of using the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file for setting up the Domemaster3D shader in Maya. This approach works well in multi-user environments like media labs.
Copy the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file from /opt/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/ to your user account's Maya modules folder:
$HOME/maya/<Maya Version Number>/modules/
Note: If the modules folder doesn't exist yet, you should create it.
Linux Note: The ~/ and $HOME symbols are used in a file path to represent the location of the current user account's home folder. On a Linux system seeing ~/ or $HOME means the equivalent thing as writing in /home/<User Account>/.
Maya ENV Approach
Copy the Maya.env file to the user's maya version specific settings folder. A Maya.env file is used to specify the custom shader path for the Domemaster3D mental ray shaders, the location of the Maya shelf, the scripts folder, the attrPresets folder, and the icons folders.
The Domemaster3D shader's Maya.env files are located in:
/opt/Domemaster3D/maya/<Maya Version Number>/
The Maya.env files for each specific Maya version are named:
- Maya.env.linux
- Maya.env.osx
- Maya.env.win
To use the appropriate Maya.env file you need to select the right one for your platform, rename it to 'Maya.env', and copy it to your user account's 'Maya version-x64' folder:$HOME/maya/<Maya Version Number>/
Step 3. Make sure you have ImageMagick Installed. The Domemaster3D shader uses ImageMagick to power the DomeText and Dome Histogram tools in Maya.
If you don't have ImageMagick, you can install it on Redhat / CentOS / Fedora Linux using the following terminal commands:
If you are running Ubuntu / Debian Linux you can install ImageMagick using the following terminal commands:
Notes
The Domemaster3D shader v2.2 was compiled using CentOS Linux 7.
If there are any issues with running the shader, the developer can be reached at:andrew@andrewhazelden.com
Manual Install for Maya 2011 to 2017 on macOS
Step 1. Extract the ZIP file and copy the included 'Domemaster3D' folder to:/Applications/Domemaster3D/
Step 2. You can choose to use the classical Maya.env file or the new Maya Module approach to load the Domemaster3D shader in Maya.
Maya Module Approach
If you are using Maya 2013-2017 you have the option of using the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file for setting up the Domemaster3D shader in Maya. This approach works well in multi-user environments like media labs.
Copy the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file from /Applications/Domemaster3D/maya/modules/Domemaster3D.mod to your user account's Maya modules folder:
Maya Mental Ray Download
/Applications/Domemaster3D/<Maya Version Number>/modules/
Note: If the modules folder doesn't exist yet, you should create it.Maya ENV Approach
Copy the Maya.env file to the user's maya version specific settings folder. A Maya.env file is used to specify the custom shader path for the Domemaster3D mental ray shaders, the location of the Maya shelf, the scripts folder, the attrPresets folder, and the icons folders.
The Domemaster3D shader's Maya.env files are located in:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/<Maya Version Number>/
The Maya.env files for each specific Maya version are named:
- Maya.env.linux
- Maya.env.osx
- Maya.env.win
To use the appropriate Maya.env file you need to select the right onefor your platform, rename it to 'Maya.env', and copy it to your useraccount's 'Maya version-x64' folder:
~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/<Maya Version Number>/Maya.env
Step 3. If you are running macOS 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, or 10.12 you need to open your System Preferences and adjust the Security & Privacy settings to allow apps downloaded from 'Anywhere' to run. This will allow Maya to run the unsigned Domemaster3D shader.
Step 4. (Optional) If you are interested in using the DomeText tool or the Dome Histogram tool on macOS, the ImageMagick library has to be installed separately. This only has to be done on the artist's workstation system and is not required on render farm systems.
The Cactus Lab website has an Imagemagick for macOS build that works with Mac OS X 10.5 to 10.12. You want the first download item ImageMagick 6.9.1-0 for macOS 10.5 – 10.10 listed on the Cactus Lab webpage:
The Imagemagick Project also hosts a macOS build version of the library:
You can install ImageMagick using homebrew with the terminal command:
Mental Ray Maya Tutorial
For the technically inclined macOS user you can install ImageMagick using Xcode and the Mac Ports tool with the terminal command:
Manual Install for Maya 2010 to 2017 on Windows
Step 1. Extract the ZIP file and copy the included 'Domemaster3D' folder to:C:Program FilesDomemaster3D
Step 2. You can choose to use the classical Maya.env file or the new Maya Module approach to load the Domemaster3D shader in Maya.
Maya Module Approach
If you are using Maya 2013-2017 you have the option of using the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file for setting up the Domemaster3D shader in Maya. This approach works well in multi-user environments like media labs.
Copy the Domemaster3D.mod Maya module file from C:Program FilesDomemaster3DmayamodulesDomemaster3D.mod to your user account's Maya modules folder:
C:Users<Your User Account>DocumentsMaya<Maya Version Number>modules
Note: If the modules folder doesn't exist yet, you should create it.
Maya ENV Approach
Copy the Maya.env file to the user's maya version specific settings folder. A Maya.env file is used to specify the custom shader path for the Domemaster3D mental ray shaders, the location of the Maya shelf, the scripts folder, the attrPresets folder, and the icons folders.
The Domemaster3D shader's Maya.env files are located in:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dmaya<Maya Version Number>
The Maya.env files for each specific Maya version are named:
- Maya.env.linux
- Maya.env.osx
- Maya.env.win
To use the appropriate Maya.env file you need to select the right one for your platform, rename it to 'Maya.env', and copy it to your user account's 'Maya version-x64' folder:C:Users<Your User Account>DocumentsMaya<Maya Version Number>
Step 3. Add the Domemaster3D 'bin' folder to your Windows System path:C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dbin
This is done by opening the System Control panel, and selecting Advanced System Properties > Environment Variables and then editing the current 'Path' system variable.
Manual Install for Mental Ray Standalone and Maya Satellite
This process can be used for Mental Ray Standalone and Maya Satellite render nodes.
Step 1. Extract the ZIP file and copy the included 'Domemaster3D' folder to:
Linux Install Path:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/
Windows Install Path:
C:Program FilesDomemaster3D
macOS Install Path:
/Applications/Domemaster3D/
Step 2. Copy the .mi 'include' files to your mental ray include folder.
The Domemaster3D .mi include files are stored in the folder:
Linux include Path:/Applications/Domemaster3D/mr-standalone/include/
Windows include Path:C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dmr-standaloneinclude
macOS include Path:/Applications/Domemaster3D/mr-standalone/include/
Copy the include files to your mrsat or ray directories:
Windows Mental Ray Satellite include Install Path:C:Program FilesAutodeskmrsat<version number>-maya<version number>include
macOS Mental Ray Satellite include Install Path:/Applications/Autodesk/mrsat<version number>-maya<version number>/include/
or
/Applications/NVIDIA Corporation/mentalray-3.14-standalone-for-Maya-2017/shaders/include/
Linux Mental Ray Satellite include Install Path:/usr/autodesk/mentalraysat<version number>/include/
Linux Mental Ray Standalone include Install Path:/usr/local/mi/ray-<version number>/include/
Step 3. Copy the .so / .dll / .dylib 'library' files to your mental ray shader folder.
The Domemaster3D shader lib files are stored in the folder:
Linux Shader Lib Path:/Applications/Domemaster3D/mr-standalone/linux-x64/
Windows Shader Lib Path:C:Program FilesDomemaster3Dmr-standalonewindows-x64
macOS Shader Lib Path:/Applications/Domemaster3D/mr-standalone/mac-x64/
Copy the library files to your mrsat or ray directories:
Windows Mental Ray Satellite Lib Install Path:C:Program FilesAutodeskmrsat<version number>-maya<version number>lib
macOS Mental Ray Satellite Lib Install Path:/Applications/Autodesk/mrsat<version number>-maya<version number>/lib/
or
/Applications/NVIDIA Corporation/mentalray-3.14-standalone-for-Maya-2017/shaders/
Linux Mental Ray Satellite Lib Install Path:/usr/autodesk/mentalraysat<version number>-x64/lib/
Linux Mental Ray Standalone Lib Install Path:/usr/local/mi/ray-<version number>/lib/
Uninstaller Details
The installation program creates a start menu folder for the Domemaster3D shader. If you want to uninstall the Domemaster3D software you can use the item in the Windows Start menu or the uninstaller application in the Domemaster3D program folder.
Uninstall Start Menu Item
The Start Menu item is the easiest way to remove old versions of the Domemaster3D shader.
Uninstaller Program
You can uninstall all of the components in the Domemaster3D shader using the uninstall application in the Domemaster3D program folder.
On Windows the Domemaster3D uninstaller is located at:C:Program FilesDomemaster3Duninstall.exe
macOS the Domemaster3D uninstaller is located at:/Applications/Domemaster3D/uninstall.app
If you have run the installer multiple times you may notice a few rollback files left in the Domemaster3D folder after the uninstallation is complete. At this point you can can delete the rollback folders and the Domemaster3D folder without any issues.
- For Windows users, please install the release provided on this page and then update to the latest service pack using the Application Manager or by using the link below.
- For Mac and Linux users, please install the latest plugin from the following service pack page.
mental ray Plugin for Maya 2016
| mentalray_Plugin_for_Maya_2016_EN_Linux.tgz(tgz - 94.49Mb) |
| mentalray_Plugin_for_Maya_2016_EN_JP_ZH_Windows_dlm.sfx.exe (exe - 110.9Mb)* |
| mentalray_Plugin_for_Maya_2016_EN_JP_ZH_Mac_OSX.dmg(dmg - 83.71Mb) |
* Includes the Autodesk Genuine Service which tests for certain types of non-genuine Autodesk software. For more information click here.