A Kernel is the central part of the rendering engine that interfaces with the rendering hardware. There are four major rendering KernelsBy definition, this is the central or most important part of something. In Octane, the Kernels are the heart of the render engine. in OctaneRender®: Direct Lighting, Path Tracing, PMC and Info Channel. Each Kernel has its own strengths and weaknesses, so deciding the best Kernel to use is determined by the types of MaterialsA set of attributes or parameters that describe surface characteristics. and lighting in the scene, how you want the final image to look, and how fast you want to render the scene.
The properties are located in the Octane Kernel rollout of the Render properties.
Figure 1: Octane Kernel rollout