For
Maya software and mental ray for Maya, use depth map shadows instead
of raytraced shadows.
For
surfaces that do not need to cast shadows, turn off Casts
Shadows.
To
make depth map shadows render faster
Do
any of the following:
Set the Resolution to
the lowest value that produces acceptable results. (For shadow casting
spot lights, first reduce the Cone Angle to
the lowest value that produces acceptable results.)
Turn on Use Auto Focus (or
set the Focus to the lowest value that
produces acceptable results. See Focus, Width
Focus) and set the Resolution to
the lowest value that produces acceptable results.
For Maya software rendering, set the light’s Filter
Size to the lowest value that produces acceptable results.
A Filter Size value of 2 or more
is usually sufficient. For mental ray for Maya, adjust the Resolution, Samples,
and Softness settings under the
light’s Shadow Map Overrides section.
For Maya software rendering, Set Fog
Shadow Samples to the lowest value that produces acceptable
results.
For Maya software rendering, set Disk
Based Dmaps to Reuse Existing Dmap(s).
For Maya software rendering, if a point
light does not have to produce shadows in the light’s positive or
negative X, Y, or Z directions, turn off the appropriate attributes
in the Depth Map Shadow Attributes section: Use
X+ Map, Use X- Map, Use
Y+ Map, Use Y- Map,, Use
Z+ Map, or Use Z- Map.
For
Maya software rendering, if the scene contains NURBS surfaces, in
the Memory and Performance Options section
of the
Render Settings: Maya Software tab,
make sure Reuse Tessellations is on (the
default setting).
To
make raytraced shadows render faster (for Maya software rendering
and Maya hardware rendering)
Do
any of the following:
If the Light Radius (or
the Light Angle for directional
lights) is greater than 0, set Shadow Rays to
the lowest value that produces acceptable results. See Shadow
Radius, Light Radius, Light
Angle for details.
Set Ray Depth Limit to
the lowest value that produces acceptable results.