HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2: A Powerful New Lighting Workflow for VRED Artists and 3D Creators

POSTED 4th OF Nov, 2025, Posted by Summer

If lighting is your craft, HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2 is about to become one of your favorite updates yet. This release is designed to help automotive visualizers, product designers, CG artists, and lighting specialists work faster, think less about software switching, and stay fully focused on creating stunning renders.

The highlight? A brand-new Streamed Viewport for Autodesk VRED, giving artists the most seamless HDR Light Studio lighting workflow to date. And that’s just the start; this update also brings speed improvements, smarter lighting controls, UI refinements, and better color management across the board.

Let’s walk through what’s new, why it matters, and how to upgrade, and then we’ll share where to get HDR Light Studio through Motion Media.

Introducing the VRED Streamed Viewport

Real-Time Lighting, Direct Interaction, Zero Distractions

One of the biggest pain points in advanced lighting workflows has always been jumping between applications or juggling UI panels. HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2 eliminates that inefficiency for VRED users.

With the new Streamed Viewport, you can now light your live VRED scene directly inside HDR Light Studio with no app switching.

What this unlocks for VRED artists:

Light inside HDR Light Studio’s optimized interface
Directly interact with your live VRED scene
Use all available LightPaint tools (Reflection, Illumination, Rim, Shade & Shadow)
Drag-and-drop lighting presets onto the 3D viewport
Switch between VRED cameras instantly
Work comfortably even on a single-monitor setup

This delivers the most integrated VRED lighting workflow available today.

It’s lighting design with fewer interruptions and more creative flow.

And don’t worry if you prefer the classic HDR Light Studio + VRED workflow; it’s still available. This streamed viewport is an optional enhancement, not a replacement.

LightPaint Gets More Powerful

Precision Lighting With Direct Scene Interaction

LightPaint already gave artists intuitive control over light placement, and now it’s even more capable.

With Drop 2, LightPaint now allows you to:

Place lights and sun positions directly from the viewport
Position highlights on reflective surfaces with ease
Set reflection axes when mirroring HDRIs
Control direction for motion blur effects
Add Lumi-Curve points interactively in 3D

This is especially impactful for automotive, jewelry, and glossy product surfaces, where reflections tell the story.

LightPaint methods in VRED Streaming View

Drag-and-Drop Lighting Presets

Lighting Made Faster

Sometimes the quickest way to light a scene is to drop a preset and refine. Now, you can drag presets directly into the streamed viewport and let LightPaint position them automatically.

This eliminates trial-and-error placement and removes guesswork from starting a lighting setup.

Dragging and Dropping lights

Performance & Workflow Enhancements for All Users

This release isn't just about VRED; every HDR Light Studio user benefits from performance and usability upgrades.

Faster Startup

Presets now load after launch. That means a dramatically faster startup, especially for users opening HDR Light Studio repeatedly throughout the day.

Seconds saved add up, and this update helps keep your momentum.

LightPaint the Sun

Need to nail sun highlights on a reflective surface? You can now place the sun in Sky content using LightPaint directly on your canvas or render.

Perfect for automotive visualization, architectural exteriors, and polished product renders.

LightPainting sun position on the car

OCIO Color Improvements

Color accuracy matters, especially in a color-managed pipeline.

Drop 2 extends OCIO to:

Color pickers
Gradients
Swatches

And it fixes false missing-colorspace warnings.

What you see is truly what you get.

Showing two different view colorspaces affecting HDR Light Studio interface

Streamlined Gradient Editing

You can now drag the first and last pegs in the gradient graph directly, reducing clicks and making gradient ramp adjustments more intuitive.

End points can now be moved directly

UI Refinement for Custom Layouts

Resize one side of the interface without accidentally scaling panels on the other side. Small detail, big relief during layout tweaks.

Compatibility & Installation Notes

Requirements for Streamed Viewport:

Autodesk VRED 2025.2 or later
HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2

Setup Steps:

Upgrade to HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2
Install the new VRED streaming plug-in
Launch VRED, connect to HDR Light Studio, accept the UI layout
Click Play to stream your viewport

Full documentation and a setup guide are available through Lightmap.

Who Can Update?

Active subscription holders
Permanent license holders with active maintenance

For full plug-in compatibility details, check Lightmap’s official compatibility chart.

Get HDR Light Studio from an Authorized Reseller

You can purchase HDR Light Studio directly through Motion Media, an authorized Lightmap Studio reseller.

Choosing Motion Media gives you:

Verified licenses
Industry-experienced support
Streamlined purchasing for studios and pro teams
Guidance on VRED workflows, hardware needs, and licensing
Priority customer service

Instead of buying direct, get trusted service and expertise with Motion Media.

Purchase HDR Light Studio from Motion Media, the recommended authorized reseller for professionals upgrading to Drop 2.

See the New Features in Action

Watch HDR Light Studio 9 Drop 2 Tutorials

Explore official HDR Light Studio tutorials and walkthroughs to master techniques, tools, and real-world workflows.

Perfect whether you're a new artist or stepping up your lighting precision.