Here I will be collecting tools and methods for advanced rendering. I have another post focussing on the volumetric end of advanced rendering.
Link: www.indigorenderer.com --- blog
-- Tools --
Link: www.maxwellrender.com
Physically Accurate renderer, very slow, Can render very real SSS type surfaces and accurate Color Dispersion for effect like color splitting in glass or diamond, and thin film effects like coloration on Bubbles. Cannot render volumetrics
SSS - Subsurface Scattering
Can simulate a Camera Lens, Flare, Bloom, Bokeh very well (can work as a post effect on any HDR image you send it also)
Dispersion:
Accurate Caustics:
Accurate DOF and motionblur:
Link: www.indigorenderer.com
PC only, FREE, similar to Maxwell in It's goals.. plus It's also slow
Dispersion and Aberration:
Volumetric/SSS
Here It's rendering what appears like volumetric effect using SSS, which is an interesting idea as they are essentially the same thing when your computing it accurately:
Vray and Vray4C4D
Link: www.chaosgroup.com
Link: www.vrayforc4d.com
Vray is brilliant and my rendering engine of choice right now, but It can't yet do accurate dispersion, aberration or volumetrics
I think It's DOF and motion blur are fairly accurate (some things missing for C4D right now), and it can simulate bokeh
Volumetric rendering isn't added yet, but It's coming eventually if these examples are anything to go by:
