Kray

Name: Kray
Price: 190 EUR

Free plan APIMacWebWindows

What Kray is

Kray is a hybrid global-illumination renderer for turning 3D models into photorealistic images. It supports reflections, refractions and caustics, with photon mapping, path tracing and irradiance caching among its illumination methods. A node-based material system, linear workflow, tone mapping and multi-buffer output support material creation and postprocessing. The renderer lists multithreaded, multicore and multi-CPU support, while GPU Z-buffer ray tracing through OpenCL remains work in progress. Its LightWave plugin provides scene synchronization, real-time preview, Layout and LWSN controls, and standalone rendering of basic .lws and .lwo information. The LightWave 2015 version is described as stable and production ready; versions for LightWave 2018 and later are in progress. Kray3 Demo is free and functional but adds a watermark. Paid editions cost 70.00, 190.00 or €435, paid once, with VAT excluded.

Who it suits

Kray suits 3D artists and developers working with LightWave or integrating a renderer into modeling applications. Its SDK also targets programmers using C++, C, Ruby, Pascal, JavaScript or JNI.

What it does well

Supports reflections, refractions and caustics
Offers several global-illumination algorithms
Includes node-based materials and multi-buffer output
Provides LightWave synchronization and preview
Free demo is fully functional

What to know first

Demo renders display a watermark
OpenCL GPU ray tracing is work in progress
LightWave 2018+ versions remain in progress
Listed prices exclude VAT

Limits

The free Kray3 Demo is fully functional but places a watermark on renders. The listed paid options are one-time licenses priced at 70.00 EUR, 190.00 EUR, or 435.00 EUR, with VAT excluded.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Kray3 for LightWave, upgrade from Kray2	190* EUR per Unit · upgrade from Kray2 · VAT excluded	€190, paid once
Kray3 for LightWave	435* EUR per Unit · VAT excluded	€435, paid once
Kray2 for LightWave academic license	70* EUR per Unit · academic license · VAT excluded	€70, paid once

As kraytracing.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the Kray website
Choose a paid plan or the free Kray3 Demo
Create or use an account for forum access and purchased downloads
Log in to download the product and unlock codes
Run Kray on Windows or macOS
Connect a LightWave scene through the plugin or use the renderer through its SDK

Verdict

Kray provides a feature-rich renderer with LightWave workflows, a developer SDK and a functional demo. Check version compatibility and the demo watermark before choosing a paid edition.

Questions

What does Kray do?

Kray renders photorealistic images from 3D models as a global illumination renderer.

Is there a free version?

Yes. Kray3 Demo is free and fully functional, but rendered images include a watermark.

What are the paid prices?

Kray2 academic license costs €70, paid once, Kray3 upgrade from Kray2 costs €190, paid once, and Kray3 for LightWave costs €435, paid once. VAT is excluded.

Which platforms are supported?

Kray lists Windows and macOS support. Its platform facts also include API and web access.

Does Kray work with LightWave?

Yes. The plugin provides scene synchronization, real-time preview, Layout and LWSN controls, and standalone rendering of basic .lws and .lwo information.

Is Kray open source?

The developer SDK provides C++ API source and wrappers for C, Ruby, Pascal, JavaScript, and JNI.

Facts from Kray's own pages

Algorithms: Its listed global illumination methods include photon mapping, path tracing and irradiance caching. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Compatibility status: The maker describes Kray for LightWave 2015 as stable and production ready, while versions for LightWave 2018 and later are in progress. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Developer platforms: The developer page lists client binaries for Windows and macOS and developer versions for Android and Unix-like systems, and describes a JavaScript version running in modern web browsers. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Developer SDK: Kray's developer libraries let programmers connect modeling applications to its rendering engine, with C++ API source and wrappers for C, Ruby, Pascal, JavaScript and JNI. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Downloads: Purchased product downloads and unlock codes require logging in; the download page also lists free tutorials, a benchmark tool, SDK files and other files. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free demo: Kray3 Demo is available for free and is fully functional, with a watermark displayed on renders as its stated limitation. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
LightWave integration: The LightWave plugin supports scene synchronization, real-time preview, rendering controls in Layout, LWSN, and standalone rendering of basic information from .lws and .lwo files. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Maker and location: The contact page names MindBerries, Grzegorz Tański, and gives a contact address in Ostrołęka, Poland. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Materials and output: Features include a node-based material system, linear workflow, tone mapping and multi-buffer output for postprocessing and composing. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Performance: Kray lists multithreaded, multicore and multi-CPU support; GPU Z-buffer ray tracing via OpenCL is described as work in progress. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: Kray renders photorealistic images from 3D models as a global illumination renderer. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Rendering: The renderer supports global illumination, reflections, refractions and caustics. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Security and compliance: The pages reviewed provide no security or compliance claims; the site links to a privacy policy. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026
Support and community: The site links to Kray forums, a Discord channel and tutorials, and says an account enables forum use. · kraytracing.com, 11 Oct 2026

Where Kray stands on Freedom251

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