Looking at Chaos V-Ray 7 Update 4

Chaos has been busy this year with rolling out updates to V-Ray 7. The latest is Update 4.

V-Ray 7 Update 4

This update has been rolling out incrementally across various deployment options, from Maya to Houdini, the latter coming out on 13 July 2026.

Overall, this update centers around deep AI integration, real-time viewport ray tracing, and smarter asset handling.

AI Ideation and Material Creation

The Veras AI architectural engine is now natively embedded directly into the V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFP) and host applications. This lets users use text prompts to test out their design and visualization ideas or material alterations.

Chaos V-Ray 7 Update 4 includes Vantage integration in the viewport. (see text below).

V-Ray also introduced machine learning tools that automatically analyze a single 2D reference image to generate fully textured, physically accurate PBR materials with proper displacement and scattering.

Real-Time Viewport Upgrades

For users with active Chaos Vantage subscription licenses, V-Ray users can now leverage Vantage in the viewport. You can now toggle 100% ray-traced, final-frame-quality real-time rendering directly within your core software viewport (like Maya, 3ds Max, etc.) without opening an external window. All geometry adjustments, light shifts, and material updates synchronize instantly.

Advanced Visuals and Camera Controls

Exterior renders can now leverage the new VRayParallaxTex system, delivering parallax interiors. This simulates deep, believable 3D interior rooms behind windows using lightweight 2D textures, removing the need to model complex interior geometry. Quick caustics and 3D Gaussian Splats that can be dynamically relit via V-Ray scene lights are also added.

New object-based autofocus is also added in this update, as well as per-camera visibility lists. This means, on a per-camera basis, you can exclude specific geometry from being visible.

V-Ray 7 is available for numerous host applications, including: Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, Maxon Cinema 4D, Houdini, Blender, SketchUp, Autodesk Revit, and Rhino 3D. To learn more about V-Ray for AEC, visit here.