Comics VN I am a newbie asking about VRAM.

[greenapplex]

Rendering Still Images from DAZ3D, HS2, and Blender - VRAM Question
Hello everyone,

I'm currently learning how to render 4K still images primarily using DAZ3D, HS2 Studio (Studio Neo), and Blender (for post-processing or specific scenes), and I have some questions regarding VRAM (Video RAM) requirements.

1. Is 8GB of VRAM sufficient for 4K rendering when dealing with complex scenes, high-resolution textures, and extensive lighting/post-processing effects across these three applications?
2. If 8GB of VRAM is generally insufficient (from question 1), if I render a single-layer, 4K resolution image with two characters interacting , will 8GB of VRAM be sufficient?
3. If 8GB of VRAM is insufficient for the scenarios above, what is minimum VRAM requirement

Any insights from users with experience in these programs would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[AllNatural939]

I can only speak for DAZ, but I think DAZ is what takes the most from everything you mention...
There is no simple answer because the question is badly formulated.
The real question must be: Are 8 gigs of VRAM enough to render with comfort?
And for that the answer is a big NO.
Can you render anything with 8 gigs of VRAM? Yup, but not with comfort... Actually I used to render scenes with more than 10 characters on screen having a GTX 1050 with 2 gigs VRAM.
If you wanna add several characters in a scene, hit one single button and render without any problems, you’re gonna need at least 16 gigs probably, and if the scene gets complex you’re probably gonna fall short.
If you only have 2 gigs you can render, but forget about just hitting a button. You gotta optimize everything first, push things to the limit, spend extra time looking after details and rendering by layers... but yeah, it’s doable. Whatever you wanna do, you can get it done.
So going back to the question, are 8 gigs enough... Yes and no, sometimes yes and sometimes no... and since you can’t know it for sure it’s better to assume they’re not.

 

[Tara Dayglow]

There's a reason features like spot rendering and layered rendering exist. Almost anything is doable, even on a potato rig, if you're creative enough with how you optimize your renders.

 

[greenapplex]

I can only speak for DAZ, but I think DAZ is what takes the most from everything you mention...
There is no simple answer because the question is badly formulated.
The real question must be: Are 8 gigs of VRAM enough to render with comfort?
And for that the answer is a big NO.
Can you render anything with 8 gigs of VRAM? Yup, but not with comfort... Actually I used to render scenes with more than 10 characters on screen having a GTX 1050 with 2 gigs VRAM.
If you wanna add several characters in a scene, hit one single button and render without any problems, you’re gonna need at least 16 gigs probably, and if the scene gets complex you’re probably gonna fall short.
If you only have 2 gigs you can render, but forget about just hitting a button. You gotta optimize everything first, push things to the limit, spend extra time looking after details and rendering by layers... but yeah, it’s doable. Whatever you wanna do, you can get it done.
So going back to the question, are 8 gigs enough... Yes and no, sometimes yes and sometimes no... and since you can’t know it for sure it’s better to assume they’re not.

Thank you for your answer.
I understand. Let's assume if we have 100 GB, we could just place everything we want and hit the render button.
But if we have limited VRAM, we need to optimize and manage the scene carefully.
I have another question: Can 8 GB of VRAM be used to create beautiful scenes, similar to those made by professional artists, if we have enough experience?

 

[MeatMarble]

It all depends on how many, and how detailed the textures are, geometry doesn't really increase VRAM usage that much.
Get LOD System v1.3 if you're able to, as it will be able to tell you the estimated VRAM usage, and can scale textures by distance from the camera, if it doesn't fit your GPU's capacity.