Hash-like distortion when rendering using real flow mesh and caustic materials

[ACars441]

hey guys.... very new to this forum. I'm kinda stuck with a problem that neither my teacher nor anyone else i have talked to seems to know how to fix. I'm working with caustic photons and dielectric materials in maya... after importing a mesh from real flow. i keep getting a hash-like distortion on the final render. any idea what might be going wrong?

i'll post the most recent render picture with this post. maybe someone can help.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575743_10150744732064844_501599843_9407201_1057480 317_n.jpg

[joverall22]

Hard to tell without seeing your render settings. Is this Mental Ray? do you have any noise or blur attributes on? It looks like some of the liquid is going through the glass on the bottom left or is that suppose to be a splash over? What are you using for a light source?

[NextDesign]

It could be that the realflow mesh is actually penetrating the glass. Put a lattice on it, and scale it down a bit so that it isn't intersecting. Then give it a render, and see if you still get the artifact.

[ACars441]

First off, thanks for responding! I really appreciate it.

-Joverall22: Yes this is in mental ray, and no, I don't have any noise or blur attributed to that material. Bottom left is a splash over. as for a light source, i have an hdri dome for the scene lighting, and a spot light with no intensity, but it is emitting caustic photons. I'll try to post my render settings after the rest of my classes today.

-Next Design: originally i thought that as well. however, i did animate the real flow mesh, so when i scrubbed back my timeline to before the glass was full, and did a render, i was also getting the artifacts in the empty glass.

i want to try to put this in my demo reel, but i think i'm going to have to toy with the viscosity of the mesh in real flow again... its looking kind of jello-y lol. but first i have to get this distortion figured out.

[NextDesign]

I have some time, send me the file and I'll take a look. Make sure you bake the mesh into the scene.

[honestdom]

Sorry can you point out the distortion? i'm not sure what's the problem and what's just low-res compression. :)

[NextDesign]

Look at the black areas near the stem.

[honestdom]

ah cool, i zoomed in.
does the glass have a thickness?
how is it lit?

[ACars441]

Ok, I'll bake the animation. And where do I send the file?

Honestdom: yes it has thickness, and refer back to my second post about the lighting.

[NextDesign]

Either PM me a link, or PM me, and I'll send you my email address.