V-Ray Tip: Lens-accurate Depth of Field with VRayPhysicalCamera

For credible, lens-accurate focus falloff, drive depth of field with VRayPhysicalCamera—not post blurs.

• Start with real-world scale
  • Ensure scene units are correct (meters/centimeters). DOF is physically based; wrong scale = wrong blur.
  • Match camera’s film/sensor size to the real lens you’re emulating; it directly affects the circle of confusion and DOF strength.
• Frame with optics, not cheats
  • Use focal length and sensor size to set FOV. Avoid extreme “dolly-zooming” as a framing fix—move the camera to preserve realistic perspective.
  • Keep a lens kit mindset: 24–35 mm for wide interiors, 50–85 mm for portraits/products, 100–200+ mm for tele compression.
• Control DOF with the exposure triangle
  • F-number (aperture) sets blur amount: low f-numbers (f/1.8–f/4) = shallow DOF, high f-numbers (f/8–f/16) = deeper DOF.
  • When you change f-number for DOF, compensate exposure via shutter speed or ISO to maintain brightness. Consistency beats guessing.
  • Use Auto Exposure/White Balance early in lookdev, then lock values for repeatable results.
• Nail focus precisely
  • Set Focus Distance numerically or with the VFB focus picker on the exact subject feature (eyes, logo edge, leading surface).
  • For macro shots, measure from camera to subject and keep subject flat to the sensor plane to avoid unintended plane-of-focus issues.
• Shape bokeh deliberately
  • Blades and Rotation: define polygonal highlight shapes and orientation; more blades ≈ rounder bokeh, fewer ≈ stylized.
  • Center Bias and Anisotropy: push brightness toward center or stretch bokeh for anamorphic flavor.
  • Optical vignetting can add lens realism; use subtly to avoid choking edges.
• Tame DOF noise efficiently
  • Lower Noise Threshold (e.g., 0.005–0.01) or raise Max Subdivs for the image sampler to clean defocus grain.
  • Leverage the V-Ray Denoiser after convergence; DOF-friendly models (e.g., NVIDIA OptiX on GPU) can save time.
  • Test small regions over high-contrast edges and specular highlights—these reveal DOF noise fastest.
• Work smart while iterating
  • Use material override (clay) to evaluate DOF and focus without shading noise.
  • Keep DOF off for lighting/blocking, then enable it for lookdev and finals.
  • Render a Z-Depth pass for previs focus pulls in comp. For hero shots, prefer in-camera DOF for correct occlusion and highlight behavior.
• Combine with motion blur carefully
  • DOF + MB increases sampling demands. Lock shutter first for the desired blur and budget more for the sampler.

Pro tip: Build a camera preset library (sensor, focal lengths, bokeh settings) to match your studio’s real lenses. Consistency across shots reduces guesswork and client revisions.

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