HDRI skyboxes for V-Ray

Load an HDRI in V-Ray 7 for 3ds Max

1. In the Create panel, open Lights > V-Ray, click V-Ray Dome Light, then click and drag in a viewport to place it.
2. Open the Modify panel and expand the Intensity rollout.
3. Enable the Map checkbox next to Texture, then click the map slot and choose Bitmap in the Material/Map Browser to load an .exr or .hdr file.
4. Set the Multiplier value in the same rollout to control how bright the dome lights the scene.
5. Enable Lock texture to icon so rotating the Dome Light icon in the viewport rotates the HDRI instead of only the light.

V-Ray for SketchUp uses the same Dome Light object with a Texture slot and Multiplier, so the steps above carry over with only the panel names changed. V-Ray for 3ds Max also lets you drop the same Dome Light into a scene created for the Autodesk Arnold-free 3ds Max 2026 pipeline without extra conversion.

Which resolution

For lighting and reflections only, a 4096x2048 to 8192x4096 HDRI is enough, since the Dome Light resamples the texture for importance sampling regardless of source size. For a dome that is visible behind glass or in a reflective render, use 16000x8000 or the 20000x10000 files so horizon detail and clouds stay sharp.

Sun and shadows

An HDRI with an unclipped sun disc keeps the true intensity of the sun pixel instead of clamping it to white, which lets V-Ray trace a defined shadow straight from the Dome Light. 52 of the outdoor HDRIs on HDRI Hub are unclipped for this reason, and none of them need a separate V-Ray Sun or Sky added to the scene.