Control visibility/reflection per layer

User Guide > Rendering and Render Setup > Rendering > Visualize and render images > Visualize scenes and render images > Work with render layers >

You may want to have a render layer that contains only reflections and refractions of an object, but have the object not be visible on that layer. The primary visibility attribute in the Render Stats allows an object to reflect and refract, but the object itself does not render.

To do so, both the visible objects and the hidden objects (the objects for which you wish to show reflection and refraction) must belong to the same layer.

To hide an object but show its reflections and refractions

Select Window > Rendering Editors > Render Layer Editor.
In the Render Layer Editor, select the layer on which you want to hide the object(s).
Select the object. The Attribute Editor with the selected object’s attributes appears.
Uncheck Primary Visibility in the Render Stats section of the object’s shape node. The Primary Visibility attribute turns orange, indicating that visibility is overridden on this layer.