After my brother tested out NeatImage with radiosity, i wondered what jitter could also do for the renders. After testing for about an hour, i found that you can crank up jitter to 10000% with the smallest allowable final gathering samples and virtually destroy all photon anomalies created when lights are too close to geometry; I also found that with this drastic increase in jittering, the render time is not effected at all. Imagine that! The main killer in Final gathering is the number of samples. The best part about all of this is that with them set at 50 the render times are incredibly quick but one can still get awesome looking renders.

Radiosity Settings
Photons Cast: 10,000
Sample Area: 1,300
Photon Samples: 100
Max Bounces: 15
Samples: 50
Jittering: 20%
Render time: 14:33

Artifacts O'Plenty in this 20% jitter render


Radiosity Settings
Photons Cast: 10,000
Sample Area: 1,300
Photon Samples: 100
Max Bounces: 15
Samples: 50
Jittering: 10000%
Render time: 14:35

10000% Jitter: Before NeatImage (Artifacts are now scrambled)


10000% Jitter: After NeatImage


Just thought I'd share that with everyone.

cool nice info but...whats neat image

"Thank you" to you and your brother for all of the testing, Dan. Very cool stuff.

After some time testing, it seems that no matter how high one sets final gathering samples, how many photons one casts, nor how high one sets the photon samples, you will never be able to rid a scene of all artifacts. The main area We see the artifacts are under the lever. As it comes closer to the floor, there is a high concentration of random bright artifacts causing a strobe-like anomaly. Superjitter isnt perfect, but it does a great deal to disperse artifacts.

Here's two videos. The first is with minimalist settings except for 10000% jitter. The second is the maximum radiosity settings available with animation master.

neatimage is noise reduction software.
Dan: This looks great. Have you tried neat video to see how it works on an AM animation?

yup The program would be greate for removing the noise, but it wouldnt get rid of the strobe-like anamoly like the one you see under the lever.



hm... I didnt know there was even a NeatVideo. What application takes it though? I know NeatImage runs with Photoshop, but does NeatVideo run with Premier or something? Still, I dont know if that would help the artifact problem.

It's After Effects. Premier and one other, I'll see if Digital Fusion can use the After Effects Plugin and take it for a spin.

John, those expensive programs are great, but I'm certin that they wouldn't get rid of the pulsing light underneath the lever. Programs like NeatImage would make Dan's first animation cleaner looking resulting in a much faster render.

Have you tested increasing the Photon sampling area? Doubling it, even tripling it? This should help reducing of the strobing effect.