Mental Ray comparison to Accurender in Revit Architecture 2009

This is from the 2009 help menu. Click on the photo to see a closeup of the new Mental Ray Dialog Box within Revit.

Migrating Rendered Images in a Project

Rendering Enhancements

Navigating 2D and 3D Views

Revit Architecture 2009 User's Guide > What's New in This Release > Rendering Enhancements >

What's Changed for Rendering?

The following table lists rendering features and functions in 2008, and describes how these have changed in Revit Architecture 2009.

Revit 2008 Feature	In Revit 2009...	For more information
AccuRender radiosity and raytracing	Revit Architecture 2009 now performs these functions automatically when it renders an image. You no longer need to perform these functions as separate steps.	Rendering an Image
AccuRender environment settings, sun and sky settings	When you define render settings, you specify whether the sky is cloudy or hazy (or both), or a solid color. For the sun position, you can select from predefined settings, or define a sun position based on date/time/location or azimuth/altitude.	Controlling Lighting in a Rendered Image, Specifying the Background for a Rendered Image
Render scenes	You define render settings for each view. To apply defined render settings to other views, create a view template. Then apply it to the desired 3D views.	Defining Render Settings, View Templates for Render Settings
AccuRender backface culling, view culling	Revit Architecture 2009 now performs these functions automatically when it renders an image. You no longer need to specify these settings.
External material libraries	Material definitions are stored as part of the project file. Render appearances are stored in a local, read-only library. If you make any changes to render appearances for materials, the changes are stored as part of the project. To share changes to render appearances with team members, use File menuTransfer Project Standards.	Materials, Rendering Appearance Library, Transferring Project Standards
AccuRender procedural trees	ArchVision RPC trees	Plants and Entourage
Seasonal settings	For many plants, you can now select a render appearance that shows a standard version of the plant or a fall version of the plant. You specify this in the plant family. The plant season is no longer a render setting.	Specifying a Render Appearance for an RPC Family