Rendering software...
The other day, one of my students asked me if different 3D software rendered at varying speeds.
Although renderers can be integrated into the code of an editing program, they're often stand alone packages which run over a range of application. However whichever package you use they all fight the same key issues: features, speed and cost.
So to help you choose the renderer for you, I've created a list of current key software (it's not complete, especially if you also consider real-time/game engines, cloud based solutions or other novels rendering approaches which are beginning to come about and depend less and less upon polygon counts...). i.e.:-
Mental-Ray/iRay -VRay - Corona - Octane - Maxwell - Arion - Cloud Rendering - Fox Engine...
More details below, with links to their websites and a range of videos showing off some of their features... (I'll start with the Corona Renderer as it really dose have a very impressive video - watch all the way through and I think you might be impressed)
Corona Renderer
- CPU interactive rendering...
VRay
Mental Ray & iRay
Octane
Maxwell
Arion
Cloud Rendering
An interesting article from some time ago related to offloading rendering into the cloud, http://raytracey.blogspot.co.nz/
Game Engines..
This is only a taste of the detail which is now possible with real time game engines.e.g. The FOX Engine realism
http://www.ripten.com/2013/03/21/fox-engine-created-joakim-mogren-would-crush-quantic-dreams-ps4-tech-demo/
