What are the system requirements of Corona?
Basic Facts
- Corona is entirely CPU-based (with optional GPU denoising which requires a compatible NVIDIA GPU)
- Offers unbiased and biased rendering
- The two commercially available plugins work with 3ds Max and Cinema 4D
Hardware Requirements
- Corona requires a CPU that supports the SSE 4.1 instruction set.
Only very old CPUs don't support it: Here is a list of compatible CPUs. - To use our optional Fast Preview Denoiser (NVIDIA OptiX), you need an NVIDIA GPU with Maxwell or newer architecture and the newest GPU driver. Not all mobile GPUs are supported.
Note: this denoiser type is optional, and Corona works fine even if it's not installed (for example if you are using an AMD or integrated GPU). We also offer a High Quality denoiser, which utilizes purely the CPU, and this denoiser can be used on any computer which can run Corona. - There are no further specific hardware requirements.
Software Requirements
3dsMax version
- Autodesk 3ds Max version 2016 or newer
- 64-bit Microsoft Windows 8 or newer
- Installation requires administrator privileges
- Distributed rendering also requires Autodesk Backburner, available for free from Autodesk
Cinema 4D version
- MAXON Cinema 4D R17 or newer
- 64-bit Microsoft Windows 8 or newer, or macOS 10.14 or newer
- Installation requires administrator privileges
GPU Denoiser
- To ensure smooth operation and best performance of our Fast Preview Denoiser (NVIDIA OptiX), please make sure you are using the newest driver available for your graphics card. The drivers can be downloaded from nvidia.com.
What hardware do you recommend?
Corona is a CPU-only renderer, so the more powerful CPU you use, the faster renders you get. You can compare the performance of various CPU models here: https://corona-renderer.com/benchmark/results
Another well-known website with various CPU benchmarks is https://www.cpubenchmark.net/
The above benchmark results are proportional to the rendering performance in Corona, so you can define your budget and pick a CPU with the highest score within that budget.
You will also need a decent graphics card, however, it's only needed for good viewport performance in your host software (3ds Max or Cinema 4D). To use the NVIDIA Optix denoiser, which is integrated into Corona (but optional), you will need an NVIDIA graphics card.
You will also need as much RAM as possible. Nowadays, 32 GB is the bare minimum and 64 is the standard. If you can get even more, you will be able to render even more complex scenes without running into any issues.
We do not really have any recommended hardware manufacturers or partners. You are however welcome to post on our forum, where our users can suggest you some specific hardware manufacturers and models: https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php?board=32.0