D5 Path Tracing looks not good compared to other renderers

[Smolak]

I don’t know which Path Tracing GI method D5 use but it looks bad compared to other renderers even GPU ones like Redshift.

D5 is darker in dark areas and produce very intense GI contact shadows ( like ambient occlusion) where all other renderers have much softer more natural GI on corners :

D5 :

Redshift :

D5_Redshift.zip (3.5 MB)

D5 wall looks better while using 0.25 emission and little metallic with high roughness to soften GI but still very hard contact shadows like AO.

It was rendered using custom settings :

Right is D5 :

[3d-ontwerp-visualisa]

i also hope PT is improved more in future update. not everything with AI

[ela]

Hi @Smolak

Thanks for sharing your thoughts — really appreciate the honest comparison.

D5’s current GI and path-tracing approach is still being refined, so what you’re seeing (darker indirect areas, stronger contact shadows, more AO-like corners) is something the team is actively working on. The goal is to soften those transitions and get closer to the more natural, diffused GI you see in engines like Redshift and others.

We’re continuously tuning the GI algorithms, so feedback like this really helps us pinpoint where the results feel off. It might also be best to post your observations in the Ideas & Requests section on the forum so the team can track it directly.

Thanks again for taking the time to point it out!