"Speed" modelling

Well... I've never been particularly fast a modelling in Max, but practice makes perfect.  Here's the beginnings of a dining chair for a challenge on Maxforums:

The reference image comes from here...
http://cozyhomeinteriors.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/dining-chair-upholstery-project.html

Vray interior

I've  reworked the hotel suite visuals for vray in order to learn the renderer and I'm seriously impressed with how much more user-friendly it is compared to mentalray.  Smooth GI solutions are far easier to achieve with the light cache and irradiance map.

Rugs again

I've been playing with vray for a change and followed some tutorials by the amazing VisCorbel.  Austris does some fantastically realistic work and is kind enough to share his tutorials.

Vray displacement seems to be ridiculously fast compared with my experiences of mentalray displacement.  I'm going to have to go back to mentalray and experiment a bit more - maybe I was doing something fundamentally wrong..?

Road-testing!

I've been creating procedural textures for tarmac to lay the ground work (more puns, sorry) for some exterior visuals.  Also been putting together a trees and foliage library.

Rug repaired

Error-free re-styled rug

Well, it turned out it was nothing to do with lighting samples.  I'd made an error when styling the hair&fur modifier.  Pop selected and restyle.  Job done.

mentalray mrprim or final gather problem?

mrprim hair and fur, with archdesign shader applied

close up of artifacts (reduced by higher fg setting)