tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10415896509990538692024-02-20T10:43:46.271-08:00SketchUp rendering tips and tutorials for architects and designers.Tips for better Photorealistic Renderings.
These tips should be valuable for all users of rendering engines.Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-62550871286951453442012-07-11T15:24:00.002-07:002012-07-11T15:24:36.131-07:00Balancing Rendering Quality and Rendering Speed.<h2 class="date-header">
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A complex, high-resolution image takes time to render. Every 3D
designer has to live with this in-escapable truth. But that doesn't mean
you have to wait hours every time you want to render an image. Adapt
your workflow to include faster, lower-resolution renders at
intermediate stages of your design. This is a faster way to fine-tune
your settings before you commit to larger, high-resolution render.</div>
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Here are a couple strategies for balancing quality and speed in your design process. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Rendering Quality</b></div>
<div>
<br />
When you first create a rendering with <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/htm/irender_information_base.htm">IRender nXt</a>,
we recommend that you start with a small rendering, 600px width, and
just a few passes, start with 20. This will be enough for you to
evaluate your lights, shadows, reflections and special effects without
spending too much time watching a progress bar. When you are getting the
results you want with a 20-pass render, increase the rendering size and
add more passes.</div>
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</div>
<div>
<br />
Repeat
the process until you're rendering at one-half your final size and
one-half your final passes. When you're satisfied at this size you're
ready to run the final.</div>
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<b>Special Effects may require more rendering passes</b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/4/45/Ret_150_lower_left.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/4/45/Ret_150_lower_left.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Blurry
reflection, like the lights in the wet concrete in this image, require
more rendering passes. So, plan this into your workflow and know that
additional time will be needed to evaluate design with special effects. See: <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Exterior_Retail_Sample_Model_w.htm#Blurry_Reflection">Blurry Reflection</a> for an example.</div>
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<b>Rendering Quality vs Speed</b></div>
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Rendering quality is largely determined by two things:</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Image resolution - how many pixels wide and tall</li>
<li>Number of passes - the number of times the rendering engine processes the image</li>
</ul>
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Speed is the inverse of quality. Meaning the bigger the image and more passes you make, the longer it will take to render.</div>
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When
you increase the rendering width from 640 pixels to 1,280 pixels, it
will take 4 times longer to render - because there are 4 times as many
pixels. If you double the size again - from 1,280 to 2,560 pixels if
will take 4 times longer per pass again.</div>
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Similarly,
if a 20 pass rendering takes 20 minutes, then a 700 pass rendering will
that 700 minutes - or 12 hours. However, the higher the resolution, and
the more passes you allow - the better the rendering quality.</div>
<div>
</div>
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<br />
Many
of our users will use a workflow that includes several intermediatee
renders then, they will let the final, high-resolution, high-pass
rendering run overnight for the best quality. </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Rendering quality in the IRender nXt trial version</b></div>
<div>
<br />
Some
people notice the small rendering size, and limited passes which are
the default settings for the Trial Version and are concerned that
IRender nXt does can not create high quality renderings. This is not the
case.</div>
<div>
IRender nXt can produce renderings at any size and
quality you desire. But to encourage an efficient rendering workflow, we
set the defaults low so you can quick feedback on your designs. </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>The balancing act. </b></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Whether
your running the IRender nXt trial or rendering images for clients,
you'll always be balancing quality and speed as your develop your final
designs. But, if you plan a few smaller, intermediate renders into your
workflow, you will learn how to create beautiful images in less and less
time.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-18888977528291587122012-03-21T14:43:00.000-07:002012-03-21T14:43:17.182-07:00SketchUp TipsCheck out the SketchUp Tips and Tutorials at <a href="http://sketchuptips.wordpress.com/">SketchUp Tips</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5MBBPoVfMsDivno_IGwxTRMsnGV5DksIVTDL5bUyDIL7Ii9xn2wziJBuUs1QjWNwbykiR7sn-AVlfsLrdnDQUchwNH8bE1nWMG7mQPR6XtanQjk3ABBUKZeNWsY-JHZc9MIkrlehlh9p/s1600/SketchUpTips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5MBBPoVfMsDivno_IGwxTRMsnGV5DksIVTDL5bUyDIL7Ii9xn2wziJBuUs1QjWNwbykiR7sn-AVlfsLrdnDQUchwNH8bE1nWMG7mQPR6XtanQjk3ABBUKZeNWsY-JHZc9MIkrlehlh9p/s400/SketchUpTips.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-12506191663410124662012-02-19T14:22:00.001-08:002012-02-19T15:28:51.971-08:00Use images and textures for faster rendering<h3>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Use_images_and_textures_for_faster_rendering"><br /></span></h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="400" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/5/5c/Tree-editor.jpg/250px-Tree-editor.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="367" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="thumbcaption">
Fractal Tree created with RpTreeMaker</div>
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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SketchUp, and most renderers, do an excellent job rendering images and texture materials.
<br />
For background objects, and other objects for which 3D detail is not important, use images instead.
<br />
There is a free plugin for SketchUp -
<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/RpTreeMaker_Free_w.htm" title="RpTreeMaker">RpTreeMaker</a>
- which can be used to create tree images which can speed up your rendering time.
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tip_-_Use_images_and_textures_for_faster_rendering_w.htm" title="Rendering Tip - Use images and textures for faster rendering">Read more...</a>
</li>
</ul>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-69116884407579520372012-02-19T14:20:00.001-08:002012-02-19T15:28:36.968-08:00Use Panoramic Views to reveal entire model<h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="348" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/2/20/Panorama_Viewer.jpg/440px-Panorama_Viewer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SketchUp model by Boothy rendered as a Panorama with IRender nXt and
viewed in a web page. You can spin, zoom, look up and look down on the
entire scene.</td></tr>
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<br />
Create a full 360 degree panoramic image which can be turned into a movie and embedded in a web page.<br />
<br />
A Panoramic image is created by rotating the camera while rendering to create a full 360 x 360 degree image.<br />
<br />
You can create <b>Panoramic Views</b> by check the <b>make Panoramic View</b> check box on the
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/IRender_Render_Tab_w.htm" title="IRender Render Tab">Render Setup Tab</a>
dialog.<br />
<br />
Most software to process Panoramic Views requires that the aspect
ratio be 2:1 (e.g. 2000 x 1000) pixels. So the rendering resolution
will automatically be set to a ratio of 2 to 1.<br />
<br />
You can view the flash movie made from the Panoramic image here: <a class="external text" href="http://www.renderplus.com/pan/boothy4000/boothy4000.html">Panoramic Viewer</a>
<br />
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Panoramic_Views_w.htm" title="Panoramic Views">Read more</a>
</li>
</ul>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-31562226970292583092010-10-26T21:57:00.001-07:002010-10-26T21:57:44.041-07:00Rendering Tip - Use Lighting Channels for quick lighting adjustments<b><br />
</b> <br />
<b> <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Lighting_Channels_w.htm" title="Lighting Channels">Lighting Channels</a> </b> isolates the effect of light sources on the final rendering, so that: <br />
<ul><li>Balance illumination in scene without adjusting individual lights. </li>
<li>Create dusk and nighttime scene by quickly lowering the intensity of sun and sky. </li>
<li>Get results faster without having to re-render the scene. </li>
<li>Quickly adjust the final rendering to get the lighting effects desired. </li>
<li>Adjust both the sun and sky to create dusk, or nighttime renderings. </li>
<li>Add 'self glow' to objects - such as TV monitors, or illuminates signs, and adjust them the balance with the rest of the scene. </li>
</ul><br />
Balanced lighting using lighting channels. <br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 402px;"> <img alt="Balanced lighting using lighting channels." border="0" class="thumbimage" height="538" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/6/63/LCT-Balanced.jpg/400px-LCT-Balanced.jpg" width="400" /> <div class="thumbcaption"><br />
</div><div class="thumbcaption"> </div></div></div><br />
<b>Lighting Channels</b> is an important new feature of IRender nXt which lets you quickly adjust light sources - sun, sky and/or artificial lighting - individually quickly to balance the brightness and light balance of your rendering. (Now: <b>Fully Integrated</b> into the Batch Renderer.) <br />
You can quickly adjust the intensity of each channel with a slide bar and immediately see the effect on the final rendering. This will saves time both in determining the relative intensities to use for light sources and in fine tuning the final image before publication. <br />
While rendering, or after the rendering is completed, you can use the Lighting Channel Wizard to modify the rendered image by changing the intensities of the lighting channels. You can then adjust the intensity of the light sources, or save the Lighting Channel sttings to reuse the same channels in future renderings.<br />
<br />
See: <b><a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Lighting_Channels_w.htm" title="Lighting Channels">Lighting Channels</a></b>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-43758799671736803532009-11-21T09:21:00.001-08:002009-11-21T09:21:58.294-08:00Rendering Tip - Use Self Glow for backlit objects<img alt="Image" height="322" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/6/6a/Television-10%25-glow.jpg/400px-Television-10%25-glow.jpg" width="400" /><br />
(Self glow applied to television screen)<br />
<br />
Self Glow illuminates a surface as if it had light shining on it, without actually making it a light.<br />
<br />
* Balance illumination in scene without adding additional lights.<br />
* More realistic signs, monitors and projection devices.<br />
* Faster rendering times.<br />
<br />
* <a class="postlink" href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tip_-_Use_Self_Glow_for_backlit_objects_w.htm">Read more</a>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-5707868902567324912009-11-12T21:38:00.001-08:002009-11-12T21:39:05.540-08:00Use Procedural bump maps or materials for water<h3></h3><div class="floatright"> <img alt="" border="0" height="280" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/d/d5/Waterbump1.jpg/250px-Waterbump1.jpg" width="400" /> <br />
</div>if your renderer has special procedural bump effects they can be used to make realistic water which will reflect buildings, sky and other background objects realistically. <br />
<ul><li>Distorted reflections to represent water ripples. </li>
<li>More Realistic highlights from reflection of light. </li>
<li>Realistic transparency caused by ripples and reflection of light.</li>
</ul><ul><li> <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tip_-_Water_Effects_w.htm" title="Rendering Tip - Water Effects">Read more...</a> </li>
</ul>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-31747727685709318662009-10-28T21:55:00.000-07:002009-10-28T22:03:31.357-07:00Tip of the Week - Use 2 Pt Perspective for vertical alignmentDue to the type of default perspective that SketchUp use, sometimes buildings can become distorted. Using two point perspective can correct these types of distortions.<br />
<br />
Two point perspective, sometimes called ‘2D’ in SketchUp, will keep the vertical lines of your model parallel to each other.<br />
<br />
If your rendering software supports 2 pt perspective, use it for better renderings when ever you are looking up or down on models with vertical lines.<br />
<b> </b> <br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 402px;"><a class="image" href="http://wiki.renderplus.com/?title=Image:House2ptdone_copy.jpg" title="SketchUp image in 2 Pt Perspective. Vertical lines are vertical."><img alt="SketchUp image in 2 Pt Perspective. Vertical lines are vertical." border="0" class="thumbimage" height="241" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/2/2e/House2ptdone_copy.jpg/400px-House2ptdone_copy.jpg" width="400" /><br />
</a><br />
<div class="magnify"><span style="font-size: x-small;">SketchUp image in 2 Pt Perspective. Vertical lines are vertical.</span><br />
</div><div class="magnify"><br />
</div></div></div><a class="image" href="http://wiki.renderplus.com/?title=Image:Housewith1ptdone_copy.jpg" title="SketchUp image in normal perspective. Vertical lines angle out."><br />
<img alt="SketchUp image in normal perspective. Vertical lines angle out." border="0" class="thumbimage" height="241" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/4/4e/Housewith1ptdone_copy.jpg/400px-Housewith1ptdone_copy.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">SketchUp image in normal perspective. Vertical lines angle ou</span>t.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tip_-_Use_2_Pt_Perspective_w.htm">Read More</a><br />
<br />
See all <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tips_w.htm">Rendering Tips</a>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-29627671631481818062009-10-26T18:48:00.001-07:002014-05-20T13:12:49.457-07:00Use reflective surfaces for better detail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<img alt="Kitchen with reflections" border="0" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/c/c3/Bathroomglossdone.jpg/300px-Bathroomglossdone.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></div>
<div class="thumbinner" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 302px;">
<div class="thumbcaption">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>Not a photo. This Photo Realistic rendering was created using IRender nXt from a SketchUp model.</i>)</span><br />
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When making your first renderings you will probably think of adding mirrors and lights ,adding reflective properties to surfaces as well will make image even more realistic.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
A reflective floor can make the difference between a flat image and a Photo Realistic image. The same is true of metal, wood, plastic and other surfaces... <a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Rendering_Tip_-_Use_reflective_surfaces_w.htm" title="Rendering Tip - Use reflective surfaces">Read more...</a>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-81367069864697753762009-10-23T19:16:00.001-07:002014-05-21T12:38:25.796-07:00Use Section Planes for better interiors<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="image" href="http://wiki.renderplus.com/index.php?title=Image:Section_plane.jpg" title="Section plane.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="thumbimage" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/4/4f/Section_plane.jpg/300px-Section_plane.jpg" height="214" width="400" /> </a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Not a Photo. This is a Photo Realistic rendering created with IRender nXt from a SketchUp model.) </i></span></div>
<br />
When rendering the inside of a room it is sometimes a challenge to place the camera properly. <br />
<br />
You can use SketchUp <b>Section Planes</b> to cut sections enabling you to view geometry within your model.
<br />
If your renderer supports section planes, you can create realistic renderings of the room itself with a camera position outside of the room. <br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Tip_of_the_Week_-_Section_Planes_w.htm" title="Tip of the Week - Section Planes">Read more...</a> </li>
</ul>
Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-11829129535487078452009-10-17T14:24:00.001-07:002014-05-21T12:27:07.059-07:00Use Edge lines for better detail<div class="thumb tright">
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<h1 class="firstHeading">
Tip of the Week - Edge Lines</h1>
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<b>Tip of the Week - Use Edge lines for better detail</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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<b> Kitchen rendered with edge lines: </b></div>
<div class="thumbcaption">
</div>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<a class="image" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="278" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/b/b0/Imported_edgelines_copy.jpg/450px-Imported_edgelines_copy.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<i>(Not a Photo. This is a Photo Realistic rendering created with IRender nXt from a SketchUp model.)</i></div>
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</div>
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<b>Kitchen rendered without edge lines. Details are washed out </b></div>
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</div>
</div>
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<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 452px;">
<a class="image" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="278" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/7/7c/No_lines.jpg/450px-No_lines.jpg" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
</div>
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
The Edge Lines feature displays the edges of faces when rendered. This is
especially valuable with scenes which contain cabinets or furniture
where edge lines are necessary to bring out the detail of the
components. If edge lines aren’t used, the details can be washed out due
to lighting and material choices.<br />
<div class="thumbcaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Tip_of_the_Week_-_Edge_Lines_w.htm" title="Tip of the Week - Use Edge lines for better detail">Read more...</a>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1041589650999053869.post-56543913953778232992009-10-17T14:23:00.001-07:002009-10-17T14:23:18.584-07:00Use HDRi Skies to improve exterior renderings<h3> <span class="mw-headline"></span></h3><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 302px;"> <img alt="Camper rendered with HDRi sky." border="0" class="thumbimage" height="190" src="http://wiki.renderplus.com/images/thumb/8/83/Final_HDRi_sky.jpg/300px-Final_HDRi_sky.jpg" width="300" /> <div class="thumbcaption"> Camper rendered with HDRi sky.</div></div></div>HDRi skies are a great way to improve any scene you are rendering. It is a quick and accurate way to give the user a high quality background image and illuminate the scene using the HDRi light intensity and colors. <br />
<a href="http://www.renderplus.com/wk/Tip_of_the_Week_-_HDRi_Skies_w.htm" title="Tip of the Week - HDRi Skies">Read more...</a>Al Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717603335503071740noreply@blogger.com1