Obviously, the problem with Octane is the interface... it's not very easy to use. For someone like me, new to the use of 3D software, it's taken me a lot of time (many hours) just to figure out how to do the basics. I had no trouble with Keyshot. It was much simpler to understand. Only took me a couple of hours to lean. Octane has taken me weeks and I'm still uncomfortable with it most of the time.
1. improve the interface. Make settings window larger and expandable.
2. Make the render window show a full 1920 x 1080 size image at any size. So when working on a shot in HD, I can see the entire image. Not just part of it.
3. Visual materials window instead of a group of settings. (Like the stand alone version) Which is why I like Keyshot's interface.
4. Better Lighting parameters, which give more photo quality results quicker. Making it less work tweaking the settings. Example: HDR lighting setups.
With the help of Paul, I was able to correct the materials importing issue, but the materials just don't look very good. I know it's a matter of adjusting the settings, but it would be better if I didn't have to adjust anything.
Okay, I may not be an expert user, but it's not about that. It's about how easy it is to get good results with little effort. I know this is a Beta version, but it's difficult to get the same results as I get with Keyshot which allows me to drag and drop materials onto the model and see results instantly. Having to "tweak" the little dials and fumble with the settings in a undersized plug in window is very time consuming to say the least. If I work with a model in Poser/Octane it takes many hours of adjusting the settings, and I still have not gotten the same kind of results I get with Keyshot in less time.
All I would like to see is an easier interface. One that allows me to use the power that Octane has to it's fullest without wasting my time fiddling with a lot of settings. If the model would export to the rendering engine EXACTLY as it looks in Poser, then that would solve 99 percent of the problems. I think this software has a LOT of potential, but it's not there yet. There is a lot of room for improvement. If the Poser settings would transfer directly to the plug in, that would make things simple. What you have in Poser would be what you have in Octane. I think that is the biggest problem. If Octane would use the Poser settings, there would be no need to "Tweak" the settings in Octane.
I'm making a movie, and I've done some test renders Using Keyshot and Octane. There is a page on Face Book.
www.facebook.com/Outpost731 if anyone is interested. I would like to be able to rely on Octane to do all of my renderings and get good Photo quality renders, but I'm not sure if that will be as easy to do. I will accept all the help I can get.
I hope that those improvements come quickly... I'm in need of a rendering engine that fits into my workflow.