KARLSRUHE, Germany, May 13, 2026 – Chaos announces V-Ray 7, Update 3 for SketchUp, Rhino and 3ds Max , delivering real-time rendering directly inside the V-Ray viewport, alongside new AI-powered tools and collaboration improvements that streamline projects from first concept to final delivery. Architects, designers, and artists can now explore and iterate on scenes in real time at final-frame quality, without switching tools or breaking their workflow.
“By bringing real-time ray tracing directly into the V-Ray viewport, artists can iterate faster while maintaining the quality that V-Ray is known for, all within a single, unified workflow,” said Vlado Koylazov, Head of Innovation at Chaos.
Real-time ray tracing technology in Chaos Vantage has transformed how archviz teams work, handling complex lighting, large-scale geometry, and detailed materials without slowdown. Now, with V-Ray 7, Update 3, users with a Vantage license can tap into its real-time rendering power without leaving their V-Ray workflow.
More Realism, Less Complexity
New workflow improvements remove the technical overhead traditionally associated with complex rendering tasks, so architects and designers can focus on the work itself.
- Parallax Interiors — Architects can now add realistic interior depth and lighting to exterior renders without modeling or heavy geometry. Using parallax interior shaders from Cosmos, the effect holds from any camera angle and can be varied across a façade to avoid repetition, bringing convincing life to every window, especially in night scenes.
- Quick Caustics — The new quick caustics are easier to control and faster to render. This removes the complexity traditionally associated with photon-based setups and makes it easier than ever to create realistic surface reflections and refractions in both production and interactive rendering.
- Gaussian Splats Relighting — Users can adjust the lighting of Gaussian splats to better match a scene, so assets integrate naturally into V-Ray projects.
- Node Material Editor (V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino) — Users can now build and adjust V-Ray materials visually using a node-based editor, making it easier to understand material logic and create complex shaders with greater control. The node editing workflow offers a more intuitive and visual alternative to traditional material creation and editing. The tool is now available as a preview, with more possibilities to come in future releases.
Powerful AI Tools
V-Ray 7, Update 3 brings AI deeper into the production process, accelerating the steps that slow teams down without sacrificing the creative control that final-quality work demands.
- AI Mood Match — Users can now use a reference photo to automatically align a scene’s lighting with the look and atmosphere of the image, reducing manual setup and reaching the desired outcome faster. AI Mood Match is available now in V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino, and is coming to more V-Ray integrations soon.
- AI Enhancer: Large Surfaces Coverage — Architects can add more realistic details to large surfaces, such as floors, walls, asphalt and terrain, adding natural variation at the correct scale without manual re-texturing.
- AI Enhancer: Improved Accuracy and Single Object Creative Enhancement — Users can achieve more precise results across the board, with new support for applying creative enhancement to individual objects.
- AI Materials: 4K Support — AI-generated materials support 4K resolution output, ensuring they hold up in close-ups and final presentation deliverables.
Smoother Workflow and Collaboration
For the best user experience, getting from render to approval shouldn’t require leaving the platform. New collaboration tools bring review, feedback and sign-off into one place, keeping projects moving and reducing the back-and-forth that costs teams time.
- Chaos Cloud Reviews — Design approvals can now happen directly inside the Chaos Cloud platform, with comments, decisions and timestamps captured in one place.
- Video Collaboration — Chaos Cloud becomes a professional-grade video review platform for animations and render sequences, with precise commenting tied to timestamps, ranges and visual annotations.
- Cosmos Sets and New Assets — Cosmos sets provide a fast and simplified way to populate scenes with grouped assets that naturally work together. This update adds 700+ new Cosmos assets, including 400 high-poly Globe Plant models and new branded models.
To learn more and explore what’s new, visit the V-Ray Collection page on chaos.com.
Pricing and Availability
Launching first on V-Ray for SketchUp and Rhino, real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport is available to users with an active Chaos Vantage or V-Ray Collection license. AI Mood Match and real-time rendering in the V-Ray viewport are expected to be introduced to V-Ray for 3ds Max.
Pricing can be found on the Chaos website.
About Chaos
Founded in 1997, Chaos provides world-class visualisation and design solutions that empower creative minds to bring ideas to life.
The company serves multiple industries, including architecture and design, media and entertainment, and product e-commerce, providing an ecosystem of accessible tools that support every stage of the design and creation process. Its innovative solutions help architects, designers, VFX artists/animators, and other creative professionals share ideas, optimize workflows and create immersive experiences.
Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, Chaos has offices in 11 cities worldwide. For more information, visit chaos.com.
