Arnold Renderer
Maya's default path-traced renderer
Also known as: Maya Arnold · Arnold render · Maya aiStandardSurface · Arnold GPU · Autodesk Arnold
Definition
Arnold is a path-traced renderer, built into Maya as its default, that simulates light physically to produce realistic images. It supports global illumination, soft shadows, reflections, refraction and subsurface scattering, and runs on the CPU, with a GPU mode in newer versions. It is used in film, animation and for portfolio renders of game models, as it needs little setup for good-looking results, though renders can be slow and noisy at low sample counts.
In production
Light with an HDRI and a few area lights, use the aiStandardSurface material and raise camera samples until noise disappears, using the denoiser to save time. Arnold results differ from a game engine, so for game assets use it for turntables and beauty shots, and test the real look in the engine or in Marmoset Toolbag. Render passes (AOVs) make compositing easier.
Tools that use Arnold Renderer
See also
Hypershade
Maya's material and shading network editor
Global Illumination
Light bouncing between surfaces
HDRI
High Dynamic Range Image lighting
Eevee vs Cycles
Blender's real-time and path-traced renderers
Noisy Renders in Blender Cycles
Grain and white dots in Cycles renders
PBR
Physically Based Rendering
Path Tracing
Physically accurate light with random sampling
Render Passes (AOVs)
Separate layers of a render for compositing