Corona Renderer: 30-Day Trial for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D

Corona is a renderer built around how architectural visualization artists work. It aims for photorealistic interiors and exteriors with fewer settings to tune, so artists can spend time on composition, lighting and mood rather than render parameters.

Where Corona runs

Corona is a plugin, not a standalone program. Chaos makes two versions:

• Corona for 3ds Max, available only for Windows.
• Corona for Cinema 4D, which also runs on macOS. From Corona 8 onwards, it runs natively on Apple M1, M2, M3 and M4 chips.

What it offers

• Physically based lighting and materials for photorealistic stills and animation.
• Interactive rendering to test camera angles and lighting while you work.
• Access to 3D assets and materials for building scenes.
• Free in-depth courses through Chaos Academy.

How to start the trial

1. The Download button opens the Corona page on chaos.com.
2. Choose Get started under the 30-day free trial and sign in with a Chaos account.
3. Install the version for your host application from the Chaos download center.

The 30-day trial includes the full range of features, training resources and support. After that, Corona is sold through Chaos plans; the pricing section on the same page lists the current options.

Corona or V-Ray?

Both come from Chaos. V-Ray supports more host applications and is common in large studios and VFX, while Corona focuses on 3ds Max and Cinema 4D archviz with a simpler workflow. For live rendering inside BIM tools, look at Enscape instead.