Maya 2011/2012 Global Illumination Render Basics Tutorial by Stuart Christensen
Global Illumination rendering with Mental Ray in Maya can yield some stunning images and impart an awesome sense of realness to a scene. There is a process to using this render technique and this tutorial by Stuart Christensen should help de-mystify Global Illumination (GI), and show you how to control the various elements to minimize render time. GI has the potential to create unusually long frame renders and you need to start small and work your way up. Remember, every surface and color effects the render so choose your textures and shaders carefully! Enjoy.