Chaos Corona 15 New Features: AI Ideation, Glints & Smarter Workflows
Chaos has officially launched Corona 15, a significant update that transforms how architectural visualization artists and 3D designers approach their projects. While each version of Corona Renderer has focused on photorealism, Corona 15 shifts its focus to artificial intelligence, material science, and extreme workflow efficiency.
Available now for 3ds Max 2016+ and Cinema 4D R17+ , this release integrates the generative AI tool Veras directly into the rendering pipeline. Whether you are looking for rapid ideation or cinematic detail, here are the top Corona 15 new features you need to know.
1. AI Ideation Integrated: The Arrival of Veras
The headline feature of Corona 15 is the deep integration of Veras AI. Previously a standalone tool, Veras is now available across all Corona subscription plans at no extra cost .
Unlike traditional workflows where you export images to external AI tools, Veras lives inside the Corona Virtual Frame Buffer (VFB). Users can send a screenshot directly to Veras to generate dozens of concepts instantly. This allows for “rapid iteration” where you can swap materials, change seasons, or adjust lighting without rebuilding the 3D scene .
Turn Stills into Animation
One of the most impressive AI tricks in Corona 15 is the ability to generate short animations from static renders. This feature bypasses complex keyframe setups, allowing artists to produce high-quality video content for client presentations directly from a single rendered image .
2. Material Detailing: The New “Glints” Layer
Achieving realism often comes down to micro-surface details. Corona 15 introduces a new Glints layer within the Physical Material.
This feature simulates the sparkling effect of metallic flakes in car paint, the glitter of wet sand, or the reflective crystals in snow. It adds a high-frequency realism that was previously difficult to achieve without complex shader setups, helping eliminate the “plastic” look often seen in architectural renders .
3. Next-Level Lighting: Light Override Material
A technical gem in this release is the Light Override Material. This feature allows a single surface to react differently to different light sources.
For example, a wall could look white under natural sunlight but reveal glowing chalk markings or fingerprints under a UV blacklight. This opens up creative possibilities for interactive art installations, forensic visualization, or simply adding hidden artistic details to a scene .
4. Gaussian Splats Evolution
Gaussian Splats, used for capturing real-world geometry via photogrammetry, have received a major upgrade. In Corona 15, these splats can now bounce Global Illumination (GI) onto surrounding 3D models .
This is a game-changer for environment blending. If you bring in a drone-captured landscape splat, it will now cast realistic light and color onto your CG building, integrating the real-world capture seamlessly into your scene.
5. Workflow & Performance Boosts
Smarter Animation Rendering (3ds Max)
Rendering animations is now significantly faster. The engine no longer re-parses the entire scene for every frame; it only updates the elements that change between frames. This reduces render times and memory usage for animation heavy-lifting .
VFB & Scene Assembly
- Click-to-Place Sun/Moon: You can now click directly in the render view to position the Corona Sun or Moon, matching the background to the 3D lighting instantly .
- AI Semantic Search: Finding assets in Chaos Cosmos is easier with natural language search (e.g., “wooden office chair”) .
- Composition Guides: The VFB now includes classic guides (like the rule of thirds) to help frame the perfect shot without leaving the render window .
6. Collaboration and Cloud Updates
Corona 15 enhances the Chaos Cloud Collaboration platform. Teams can now share 3D streaming links—allowing clients to walk through a scene on any device via a browser, requiring no software installation. Furthermore, the platform now supports video file reviews, allowing teams to annotate and approve animations directly in the cloud .
7. Cinema 4D Specific Updates
C4D users are not left out. Corona 15 introduces initial support for native Cinema 4D particles, allowing for better integration with C4D’s native simulation tools. Additionally, viewport performance for Gaussian Splats and Corona Proxies has been drastically improved, making scene navigation smoother even with dense datasets .
Pricing & Availability
Corona 15 is a free update for all active subscribers.
- Corona Solo: $62.90/month or $414/year.
- Corona Premium: $72.90/month or $514.80/year.
All plans now include Veras AI ideation.
Conclusion
Corona 15 is not just a render engine update; it is a studio pipeline update. By integrating Veras AI for pre-visualization, enhancing shaders with Glints for final output, and optimizing animation for delivery, Chaos has created one of the most balanced releases in the software’s history.
Ready to upgrade? Download Corona 15 from the Chaos website and test the new AI ideation workflow today.
