The reflections and lighting look good at this point, leaving us with only a few artifacts to tend to. This would be a good time to try a render with Final Gather. Close the Render window. Hit F10 to bring up the Render Scene panel, click the Indirect Illumination tab and slide down to the Final Gather rollout. Enable Final Gather by clicking the option box, reduce the Samples value down to 200 and click Render.

This will take some time to finish. See below:



This is a definite improvement. The light leakage and splotches are far less pronounced and the texture of the stucco walls has become more visible. If you look closely at the ceiling you will see that the color from the floor has bled back onto it, but like the first time it's hardly enough to concern ourselves with and even adds some character to the scene. Let's finish this scene by increasing the Filter value in the Final Gather area to 2 and render again. See below:


Despite a slight problem at the base of the stairs which could be quickly corrected with some post production work, this is where I would finish. Attempting to correct such a minor problem with Max and mental ray would take far more time than the few minutes it'd take to correct it with a good graphics editing program. Take the time to experiment with this scene by changing values in the Render Scene panel, using your own maps/materials or adding your own models into the scene. Refer to the User Reference under Help on the menu bar and use the tutorials that come with the program. Good Luck and Happy Maxing....
 
Rick Timmons
DigitalPrizm