For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the V-Ray interface loaded.
His antivirus software immediately went berserk, throwing up red warning flags like a referee at a chaotic football match. Elias ignored them. He clicked "Download Anyway." He unzipped the file, copied the "crack" file into the program directory, and held his breath as he clicked the executable. For a moment, nothing happened
Elias let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It worked. He didn't have time to question his luck. He hit the "Render" button and watched as the software began to calculate the global illumination, tracing millions of simulated photons across his digital architecture. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of his laptop's cooling fan screaming like a jet engine. Elias ignored them
He tried to force quit the application. The computer didn't respond. He held down the power button, but the machine refused to die. It worked
A cold dread washed over him. He hadn't put his name anywhere in the SketchUp file.
Elias looked at his screen. The render was finished. He gasped. It wasn't just good; it was perfect. The glass looked real, the wood grain possessed a tangible depth, and the sunlight filtering through the digital trees looked indistinguishable from reality.