This page provides some details on how to get V-Ray up and running.
Installing V-Ray
V-Ray for Houdini can be downloaded from the V-Ray | Downloads section of the Chaos Group website (please make sure you use your login credentials to ensure access to the download links). It's recommended that you make sure your computer meets the System Requirements for running Houdini with V-Ray before installing V-Ray.
To run V-Ray for Houdini, first extract the contents of the zip file.
Windows
Instead of launching Houdini from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut, simply double click the provided hfsxx.x.xxx.bat file.
Linux and Mac OS
In Linux or Mac environment, run the hfsxx.x.xxx.sh file found in the extracted folder.
Linux
Mac OS
This will set up the necessary environment variables and launch Houdini with V-Ray loaded.
For detailed information on how to run V-Ray for Houdini, see the QuickStart Guides Introduction tutorial.
Please note that V-Ray is only supported on Qt 5 versions of Houdini. If you run into trouble starting up V-Ray for Houdini, please make sure you operate a Qt 5 version of Houdini before contacting us.
Licensing V-Ray
Once V-Ray is installed you will want to make sure that your V-Ray license is properly configured. The Set Up Your V-Ray License page includes everything you need to get V-Ray licensed and running properly. You can download the License server installation pack from Chaos Group's website > Downloads.
Loading the V-Ray Shelf
When starting V-Ray for Houdini for the first time, you will need to manually load the V-Ray shelf. From the Houdini shelf, click the plus + icon, navigate to Shelves, and select V-Ray from the list.
Selecting a Renderer
To render with V-Ray, simply press the Render button from the V-Ray Shelf. This will automatically create a vray_renderer node in the Network Editor (if one is not already present) and launch the V-Ray Frame Buffer.