V-Ray for Rhino Manual - Rum

Fresnel Reflections
Fresnel Reflections are a naturally occurring phenomenon that states that an object becomes more
reflective the greater the angle at which it is seen. An example of this principle would be a window
that is seen from straight ahead as opposed to at an angle. Through manipulating the Index of
Refraction (IOR) the reflective characteristics of an object can be changed. A lower IOR means
that a larger angle is needed between the observer and the surface before the object begins to
reflect. A higher IOR means that a smaller angle is needed, which in turn causes the object to
reflect sooner. To have your renderings be more physically correct it is recommended to have the
IOR of an object correspond to its actual IOR.
Below are six rendered samples each with a different Fresnel IOR. The last one is a rendered with
full reflection to creae a chrome material.
Reflections and Highlights
Wondering why V-Ray rendering engine doesn't have the highlight option built into it as previous
rendering engine Flamingo? The truth is that the highlight is created by reflecting a very bright
object or light in the scene. It also called lightsource.
Some rendering engines use Highlight to create lightsource if there isn't any lightsource in the
scene. But current V-Ray for Rhino version does not support this option. SO you must create
Rectangular Light or other self lit object as lightsource for the scene.
28
V-Ray for Rhino