[VRay] How to render in a night scene

Based on my experience, when i adjust the time at late night and during rendering, it doesnt look like night scene… Somewhat sunset looking… Is there a way to render on a night scene? Im using Vray 2.0

Hello! Are you rendering an interior or exterior?
If you’re rendering interior, it’s easier. You can turn off the Environmental lights like in the following screenshot.

This way you’ll get a black screen. SketchUp night time won’t affect the render, and you won’t get the yellow lighting. You’ll have to use artificial lights (Omni, IES, Rectangular etc.) to light your environment. Here are some examples:

As you can see, there’s nothing outside the windows, as the GI is turned off. The only light sources are the artificial lights.

If you’re rendering exterior, it’ll be more difficult. Same method will work but won’t produce photo-realistic results.

A good workaround is to use HDRI maps on the Background. HDRI is a bit tricky to learn but it’s worth the effort. Here’s a great website offering some free HDRI maps - sIBL Archive
You can download them and apply to the Background and GI to get a nice night sky. Also try searching Google for HDRI photos.
Here are some YouTube tutorials on HDRI Mapping in SketchUp: SketchUp HDRI V-Ray

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In some cases, you may also benefit turning physical camera off.
but use it with care as it will dramatically effect your view.
I find this useful when times I am just trying to show the interior scene without much of actual lighting effects.

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