This article forms part of this:
- Knowledge Base: Transitions from prior versions to using Lumion 2025
6. Technical Limitations:
6.1: Update on Technical Limitations
Lumion 2024 and its subsequent Updates provided significant feature level implementations for Ray Trace rendering, among others:
- Denoised Real time Ray-traced Preview using NRD.
- Improved Quality and Faster Video Rendering with the Temporal Denoiser NRD, and MIS for Multiple importance sampling techniques to improve light distribution to produce a higher accuracy result.
- Providing NRD as an option in Movie Mode for Clip rendering allowing for much, much faster Ray Trace rendering and with the option for lower Samples.
- Ray Traced Subsurface Scattering.
- Fully Ray-Traced Nature.
- Fully Ray-Traced Glass.
- Ray traced Landscape Grass.
Lumion 2025 improvements for Ray Tracing see these feature level limitations removed.
- Water Material.
- Volumetric Fog.
- Ray Trace rendering performance and quality - real time previews: using Radiance Cache.
There remain certain constraints in the integration of the Ray Trace rendering pipeline with the Rasterization rendering pipeline that still require further development, should they be the best course of action. Those include:
- Full integration for Ray Tracing for 3D Grass Materials.
- Full integration for Ray Tracing for the Ocean and Water Planes.
- Animated Content: Wind for Nature, 3D People.
- Full Ray Trace rendering for the 360 Panorama Mode for VR and MyLumion(* see at end of section 6.2).
Please also refer to the Roadmap for Lumion.
- Lumion website: Lumion Product Roadmap
6.1: Impact summary on some Projects
As in Lumion 2023/2024 if the Object or Material is not yet in the Ray Trace rendering pipeline then it is rendered using the Rasterization rendering pipeline.
This means their shading (along with possibly some shadowing) and reflections may be inaccurate or not displayed.
In one case, the difference in shadowing may be related to the AO Ambient Occlusion shadows which are specific to the Rasterization process and will be different from Ray Traced shadows. For example, 3D Grass Materials receives Ray Traced sun shadows but no AO Ambient Occlusion, so the darkness at grass depth can be different in some Scenes depending on the lighting and Material used.
6.2: What is left/planned to do
Where there is an important need.
The Rasterization rendering pipeline serves well for a number of content assets.
In some cases there are limitations integrating that content or asset into the Ray Trace rendering pipeline. For example, in some cases it might be that there are no reflections (if and when reflective materials are in view with the assets).
(*) Some Projects are possible using the Ray Tracing Effect.
- Knowledge Base: How do you render using Ray Tracing for 360 VR Panorama?
6.3: Table Tracking the Changes for the Ray Trace rendering pipeline integration
| Limitation in Lumion 2023 | Change in Lumion 2024: | Change in Lumion 2025: |
| 1: Objects | ||
| Animated Objects (Trees and Animated Characters) and Decals are not converted to the Ray Tracing engine. |
All Nature Objects are now converted. They currently do not animate for Wind. Impact: Nature Objects are now seen correctly in reflections. Are rendered using Ray Tracing when rendering with the Ray Trace rendering pipeline (Ray Trace Effect).
Animated Characters and Decals are yet to be converted. Static Characters work. Impact: These Objects are rendered using the Rasterization pipeline. Main: no reflections in Ray Traced materials /surfaces receiving Ray Traced reflections. Animated characters will cast sun shadows but not shadows from artificial lights.
Use the workarounds suggested in:
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Animated Objects (Nature): They currently do not animate for Wind.
Animated Characters and Decals are yet to be converted. Impact: These Objects are rendered using the Rasterization pipeline. Main: no reflections in Ray Traced materials /surfaces receiving Ray Traced reflections. Animated characters will cast sun shadows but not shadows from artificial lights.
Use the workarounds suggested in:
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| Static 3D Characters might render with FireFlies when in an indoor space. | No longer observed/Fixed. | |
| 2: Materials | ||
| Subsurface Scattering, although fully functional is not optimized for Ray Tracing. This will be fixed in an upcoming release. |
Upgraded to fully work and have Subsurface Scattering with Ray Tracing. See: above, section Materials: Ray Traced Subsurface Scattering
Section 1.4: Ray Traced Subsurface Scattering:
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The Glass and Water Materials have Ray Traced reflections but are not fully converted yet to the Ray Traced engine. The following articles should assist in case you require a fully Ray Traced Project:
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Glass Material: fully Ray Traced reflections, fully included in the Ray Trace pipeline.
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Water Material including Ocean and Water Plane: no change, planned for Ray Trace inclusion for version 2024.x. Impact: those surfaces will not be visible in reflections only. They are visible in render views. Use the workarounds suggested in:
If you have old Projects you want to complete in Lumion 2024, then see this article to help with transitioning the materials to the new version:
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The Water Material is now fully Ray Traced and in the Ray Trace rendering pipeline. Impact: Water surfaces are visible in reflections. The water surface receives full Ray trace rendered reflections and shadows.
Ocean and Water Plane: no change, planned for Ray Trace inclusion for version 2025.x. Impact: those surfaces will not be visible only for reflections. They are visible in render views. Use the workarounds suggested in:
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3D Grass Materials, Foliage, Fur: Landscape Grass: applied in Landscape Mode or as a Material: Shadows are calculated using the rasterization pipeline when using Ray Tracing. Those materials are not yet in the Ray Tracing and bindless materials pipeline so will not be visible in reflections.
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No change. Planned for Ray Trace inclusion for a later version/update. Impact: those materials will not be visible in reflections. They are visible in render views. Except where you use the Ray Trace setting of Fully Ray Traced Glass and that surface is between the camera and the grass area. In this case, turn off Fully Ray Traced Glass and use Standard Ray Traced Glass (this would cover most usage cases). Use the workarounds suggested in:
Landscape Grass: update version 2024.4.0 Now visible in reflections, fully integrated with Ray Tracing pipeline:
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3D Grass Material, Foliage, Fur (same system): No change. Planned for Ray Trace inclusion for a later version/update. Shadows are calculated using the rasterization pipeline when using Ray Tracing. Those materials are not yet in the Ray Tracing and bindless materials pipeline so will not be visible in reflections.
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| 3: Photo, Movie, and Panorama Modes | ||
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Poster resolution is currently disabled when using Ray Tracing.
1.2.2: Photo Mode:
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No change. |
Poster Resolution (8K) is available via AI Upscaling (2025.0)
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| There can be noise/glimmering in movies with Ray Tracing, depending on the lighting of the scene and camera movements. Low light conditions and fast camera movements are known to cause this. |
Significant improvements through to completely resolved via the implementation of MIS and NRD. See sections: 4.2.3: Multiple Importance Sampling (MIS)
Section 1.1 and 1.7:
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| Denoising in RT Panoramas only works at the lowest output resolution settings. |
The Ray Trace Effect has been disabled until 360 Panorama rendering and inclusion of NRD/MIS can be fully completed. Planned Ray Trace inclusion for version 2024.x. Impact: you can still render high quality 360 Panoramas including MyLumion using the Rasterization renderer. |
No change. Planned for inclusion for a later version/update.
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| 4: Effects | ||
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Artistic Effects are disabled when using the Ray Tracing render pipeline. See section: 3.3: Post-Processing Effects |
No change. | |
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Global Illumination is disabled. This will be addressed in a future update.
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Global Illumination Effect has now been deprecated and removed form the Effects Library.
For Rasterization rendering, see same recommendation as for Lumion 2023: Please use the HyperLight Effect as this provides a more modern approach to global illumination. |
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| 5: Landscape | ||
| Landscape Grass is calculated using the Rasterization pipeline when using Ray Tracing. |
No change (see Update below). Planned for Ray Trace inclusion for version 2024.x. Impact: Affects only the reflections. Visible in render views.
Use the workarounds suggested to get the Rasterization reflection in glass when Ray Trace rendering:
Update: Ray Tracing implemented in 2024.4.0
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