Nemetschek RENDERWORKS GETTING STARTED GUIDE

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2011 Getting Started Guide

The contents of this guide and accompanying

exerciseV were originally created for Nemetschek

Vectorworks, Inc. by Daniel Jansenson.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. Published in the United States.

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For additional Vectorworks training information, or to purchase copies of this book, please call us, in the United States at (410) 290-5114 or visit Vectorworks.net/training online.

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Table of Contents

Introduction ...............................................................................................................5

Section 1: Exterior Building View............................................................................7

Task 1: Place Renderworks Cameras............................................................................ 9

A. Select the Renderworks Camera Tool .................................................................9

  B.Placetherstcamera ..........................................................................................9

C. Adjust the camera’s height ................................................................................10

D. Save the view .................................................................................................... 11

E. Place the second camera. ................................................................................. 11

F. Adjust the second camera’s height ...................................................................11

Task 2: Lighting & Light Quality Settings ....................................................................12

A. Place a Directional light (sunlight) .....................................................................12

B. Adjust the Directional light’s orientation .............................................................13

C. Adjust the light quality settings ..........................................................................13

1. Ambient lighting .........................................................................................14

2. Indirect lighting ..........................................................................................15

D. Add light from the sky ........................................................................................17

1. Set a HDRI background as a light source .................................................17

2. Select the desired HDRI background ........................................................17

Task 3: Apply Textures ..................................................................................................18

1. Landscaping. ......................................................................................................18

2. Hardscaping .......................................................................................................20

3. Building Walls .....................................................................................................24

4. Glass ..................................................................................................................29

Task 4: Add Sky .............................................................................................................32

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Task 5: Add Entourage ..................................................................................................32

1. Create and place image props ...........................................................................32

2. Place additional, premade image props .............................................................36

3. Place 3D symbols ..............................................................................................37

Task 6: Render and Export an Image ...........................................................................38

1. Render the scene. ..............................................................................................38

2. Render a viewport ..............................................................................................40

3. Export the image. ...............................................................................................42

Section 2: Day-Time Interior View .........................................................................45

Task 1: Place a Directional Light Representing the Sun ............................................46

Task 2: Lighting: Add Light from the Sky ....................................................................47

Task 3: Lighting: Set Lighting Options ........................................................................47

Task 4: Add a Graphic Sky Background ......................................................................48

Task 5: Create and Apply Textures ..............................................................................48

1. Rear wall ...........................................................................................................48

2. Mesh partition ....................................................................................................50

3. Wood paneling ...................................................................................................52

Task 6: Render using Custom Renderworks ..............................................................55

Section 3: Night-Time Interior View ......................................................................57

Task 1, Lighting: Place and Adjust Lights ...................................................................58

A.Rectangularuorescents ...................................................................................58

  B.Round,surface-mountxtures ..........................................................................59

C. Pendant lights at reception counter ...................................................................61

D. Fluorescent pendant light over conference table ..............................................62

E. Rear signage at the mesh partition (in front of the stairs) ..................................63

1. Create the texture .....................................................................................64

2. Apply the new neon light texture to the 3-D model of the neon tubing ......65

Task 2: Lighting: Set the Appropriate Light Quality Settings ....................................65

Task 3: Render using Custom Renderworks ..............................................................66

Task 4: Adjust Custom Renderworks Settings to Control Brightness .....................67

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Introduction

Basic information about Renderworks can be found in a variety of places. These include

third-party sources such as Jonathan Pickup’s Archoncad, this author’s own Remarkable

Renderworks book, and a large repository of resources in Nemetschek Vectorworks’ own

materials–including much excellent information in other Getting Started guides.

Kevin Lee Allen’s Spotlight Getting Started Guide has much valuable information about

Renderworks. And Tamsin Slatter has prepared an excellent Renderworks 2011 Migration Hints

and Tips guide that is a small manual in itself.

Familiarity with basic Renderworks techniques is one thing. Incorporating these basic skills into

anoverallrenderingworkowisthenextstep,andisthebasisofthematerialinthisguide.

This book uses three case studies as the underpinning for detailed, step-by-step tutorials. There

is no discussion of theory or high principles. Instead, the material uses an organized and logical

methodtodevelopeachrenderingexercise,fromopeningtheleatthebeginning,toexporting

an image at the end. The intent is to convey the fundamental methods of texturing, lighting and

rendering by describing the sequence of steps necessary to complete each rendering.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 5

Each section is divided into tasks, which are the organizing stepping stones of the process. Each task contains a number of sub-steps covering the details of texturing, lighting and

rendering.Acarefulandmethodicalapproachtothesestepsandtaskssimpliestheprocessof

preparing Renderworks renderings, and makes it easier to make adjustments and changes.

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Section 1:

Exterior Building View

A Vectorworks model is prepared for rendering using a three-step process. The sequential

F/L/R workow–File Prep/Lighting/Rendering–can consistently yield good-quality results when

followed carefully and methodically. Note that the settings for lighting quality are completely

separate from those of rendering quality, even

though they are closely linked. The workow

need not be completed in a specic order of

tasks, necessarily (except for the last step),

but it is important to view each step as a

separate action–a stepping-stone, as it were,

on the road to the nal rendering.

This exercise will describe six basic sequential

tasks, each adding a level of completion to the

rendering:

1. Place Renderworks cameras.

2. Arrange lights and light quality settings.

3. Apply textures.

4. Add a sky background.

5. Add entourage.

6. Render and export.

Open the le: building-new.vwx from the Exterior Building View folder. Take a quick

rst look.

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Make sure the entire model ts on the screen:

-click on the Fit To Objects button in the View

Bar. The view is in wireframe:

-Make a quick rst rendering using OpenGL:

View>Rendering>OpenGL. The white building in the middle of the screen is the subject of this rendering exercise. The large

gray buildings around it are massing models

intended for background purposes.

-Switch to Top/Plan view: View>Standard Views>Top/Plan.

-Change layer visibility to display the lower layer: View>Layer Options>Show/Snap

Others.

The layer Entourage Locations is now visible. Zoom in and take note of the information shown on this layer.

Note: This exercise will create and use a variety of scene accessories–image props

and cameras that will need to be placed in certain places on the drawing. The Entourage

Locations layer displays those spots as a kind of map, showing the exact locations of

the image props and cameras. When the

information is no longer needed, we will make this layer invisible.

Note: OpenGL is a suitable rendering method

when fast results are needed. Renderworks

can provide higher-quality renderings, and will

be discussed later in this chapter.

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Task 1: Place Renderworks

Cameras.

This exercise will use two Renderworks

cameras to generate views that will be used in

the renderings. One camera will show an

overall view of the building’s front. The other

camera will be oriented to display the building

at an angle, and from a closer distance.

We will place the cameras in the layer Site

With Buildings, which is currently active.

Before proceeding, zoom in to the area

marked in the diagram. The two camera

locations are in this area and can be seen

more clearly from a closer distance.

B. Place the rst camera.

-With the tool selected, click once in the center of the marker called Camera 1. Then

drag the cursor in the direction of the marker’s arrow to set a direction, and click again to

complete the action.

Zoom to here

A. Select the Renderworks Camera

Tool.

-In the Visualization Toolset, select the

Renderworks Camera tool.

The Object Properties dialog box appears. Click OK.

To see what the camera sees, leave the camera object selected, go to the Object Info palette (under the Shape tab) and click on the

Display Camera View button. The scene will

swtich to a perspective view as seen by the camera. Can’t see the perspective view? Click

on the Fit to Objects button in the View Bar.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 9

Note: the Entourage Locations layer is still visible. Make it invisible by changing the

Layer Options to Active Only: View>Layer Options>Active Only.

C. Adjust the camera’s height.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Fine Tune Camera View button. The Perspective View Controls dialog box opens. The rst slider at the top is the Camera Height control. In the white data eld, enter the height: 6’-0” [1830mm].

Is the image too small on the sheet? Is it off-center on the screen?

To make the image bigger on the sheet, go to

the Object Info palette. With the camera

object selected, go to the Clip Frame Scale % data box and enter 200. Then update the

view: select the Auto Update 3D View checkbox near the bottom of the palette.

The camera is now tilting down slightly. To correct this, go to the Look To Height slider,

and in the white data box enter the height:

6’-0” [1830mm]. Click OK.The camera’s actual height, and the direction in which it looks are now both the same, so the camera’s view is perfectly horizontal.

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To center the image on the screen, select the

Auto Center 3D View checkbox.

Before saving this view, make sure the

Entourage Locations layer is invisible:

View>Layer Options>Active Layer Only.

D. Save the view.

-View>Save View. The Save View dialog box

opens. Give this view a name: View 1. Click OK.

E. Place the second camera.

First make the Entourage Locations layer

visible: View>Layer Options>Show/Snap

Others.

-Switch to Top/Plan view and zoom in again

to the area shown earlier. Note the location of

the marker called Camera 2. In the

Visualization palette, select the

Renderworks Camera tool, and place a new

camera in the center of the Camera 2 marker.

Point, drag and click to nish as described

earlier.

Info palette and click on the Fine Tune Camera View button. The Perspective View Controls dialog box opens. Change the Camera Height and Look To settings to 6’-0” [1830mm]. Click OK.

Make the Entourage Locations layer invisible (View>Layer Options>Active Only or change visibilities in the Organization dialog box), and then save this view as well,

with the name View 2.

Note: We can access this camera’s view at any time by selecting it in the Saved Views drop-down box or double-clicking on the view

in the Visualization palette. We can also

access this camera’s view by going to Top/ Plan view and double-clicking on the camera

object itself, or by going to the Visualization palette and double-clicking on the camera

there (click on the Cameras tab of the palette to display the cameras in the le).

Note: The Object Properties dialog box didn’t

open this time; it only opens the rst time the

Renderworks Camera tool is used in a le.

F. Adjust the second camera’s height.

-With the camera selected, go to the Object

Congratulations! We’ve completed the rst task: placing cameras and saving views.

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Task 2: Lighting & Light Quality

Settings

This task will demonstrate a variety of lighting

settings and propose a suitable combination

for this exercise le.

In the Saved Views drop-down box, select View 2. The image on the screen will be in

wireframe (not rendered).

First a quick rst rendering in Renderworks:

-View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

by the program, mainly for working purposes. Once lights are placed in the scene (including a Directional light representing the sun), the

original default lighting is disabled and lights

can be adjusted as desired, resulting in a better quality rendering.

Note: Does the scene look a little rough and

unnished? The Fast Renderworks setting is useful for on-going work, rather than nal

quality renderings, which can take a long time to complete. With this Renderworks setting, low-level accuracy, quality and resolution settings make for a speedy rendering, albeit at the expense of image quality. More on adjusting these settings later.

What light sources will we use?

The nal lighting in this exterior scene will

come from two sources:

• a directional light representing the sun;

• a High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) background representing overall light coming from the sky.

Wait a few seconds until the scene nishes rendering. Notice that the scene is lit, even

though there are no actual light objects in the

le. This is due to the default lighting provided

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A. Place a Directional light (sunlight).

Now add the rst of two light sources used in

this exercise: sunlight. The light of the sun is

represented by a specic kind of light object: a

Directional light.

-View>Lighting>Set Sun Position. The Set

Sun Position dialog box opens. Leave everything as it is, and click OK to place a directional light–representing the sun–in the scene. We will adjust the Directional light’s

height and direction in the next step.

B. Adjust the Directional light’s orientation.

-In the Object Info palette, set the light’s Azimuth and Elevation settings:

Azimuth: 50° Elevation: 28°

Make sure the remaining settings are as shown below.

The Directional light now has the desired

height (Elevation) and direction (Azimuth) for this exercise. With the sunlight in place, we

will make adjustments to the light settings in

order to improve the quality of the rendering.

C. Adjust the light quality settings.

The scene’s light quality settings can dramatically affect the length of time required

to complete a rendering. In this exercise we

will rst use light quality settings that yield quick renderings, using Ambient lighting. Then we will improve the light quality settings by adding Indirect lighting, but at the expense

of longer renderings.

Before proceeding, open the Lighting Options dialog box (View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options) and take a look at the

various components of the dialog box:

• The Indirect Lighting drop-down box

controls lighting that bounces from one surface onto another. This is a feature

that provides great realism. The greater the number of bounces, the more realistic the image–and the longer the

rendering takes to complete.

• Ambient Info controls Ambient lighting, its brightness and color. Ambient

lighting is general, sourceless lighting that affects all surfaces equally. This lighting can be used by itself, for general lighting purposes, or in combination with other light sources (such as light objects). It can also be used as a

method of adding general light to a

scene that has already been lit using

other methods.

• Emitter Options sets the brightness and color temperature of light objects

that have been set to Use Emitter (none

of those are included in this exercise

le).

• Environment Lighting (HDRI) provides

access to Renderworks backgrounds

that can be used for lighting purposes,

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 13

as well as graphic representations of the sky. More on this later. Click OK to close the dialog box.

1. Ambient lighting

a. For the rst example, use only the illumination produced by the Directional light placed earlier–without Ambient lighting:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options.

The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

From top to bottom, arrange the settings as

shown in the image below and click OK.

-Now render in Fast Renderworks: View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

Note that the shadows are dark and lacking in detail. We can improve on this by adding

Ambient lighting and changing the default settings.

b. Add and adjust Ambient lighting:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Under Ambient Info, click On.

-Make sure the Brightness (%) box shows 35.

-Click OK and render in Fast Renderworks:

View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

c. For a smoother rendering, try rendering in

Final Quality Renderworks.

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2. Indirect Lighting

In the second example, we will modify the

light settings to include Indirect lighting. This

is a feature that provides much-improved realism by displaying lighting that bounces

from one surface onto another. We will also turn off Ambient lighting in order to enhance

the image’s quality.

a. Add Indirect lighting:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Click on the Indirect Lighting drop-down box and select Exterior, 1 Bounce. Click OK.

The image can be much improved by

switching Ambient lighting off.

b. Remove Ambient lighting.

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Under Ambient Info, click Off.

-Click OK.

To see the full impact of the change, render in Final Quality Renderworks.

Now render in Fast Renderworks:

View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

What is rst noticeable is the increased rendering time, compared to the previous light settings. More importantly, the effect of Indirect lighting can be seen clearly in places such as the left side of the entry area and the

joint between the main building and the angled portion to the right.

Note that with Ambient lighting turned off, the building’s entry area is now a bit dark. We can improve the rendering by increasing the

number of Indirect Lighting bounces. This

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 15

will increase the quality and realism of

rendered surfaces that bounce light from one

to the next, including the area near the building’s entrance. Increasing the number of

light bounces there will represent the bounced

lighting more accurately.

c. Increase the number of Indirect Lighting bounces:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Click on the Indirect Lighting drop-down box and select Normal, 2 Bounces. Click OK.

The le will automatically rerender in Final Quality Renderworks. Note that this new quality setting will result in a longer render, requiring a wait before nal results can be seen. If the wait is acceptable, we can obtain even better results by selecting Interior, 4

bounces in the Indirect Lighting drop-down

box, but this will result in a much lengthier render, and the results may not justify the

increased rendering time:

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To recap: We rst rendered the le using a Directional light representing the sun. Then,

to ll in the shadows, we added Ambient lighting. Finally, in order to improve the quality of the nal rendered image, we switched off

Ambient lighting, turned on Indirect lighting

and then increased the number of bounces. In

each case the rendering was better, but at the

expense of longer completion times.

We will now improve the quality of the rendering even further by adding one more source of light: the sky.

Before proceeding, render the le in

Wireframe: View>Rendering>Wireframe.

D. Add light from the sky.

In the real world the sun is not the only source of daytime exterior lighting. The atmosphere– or sky– itself is another. Think of the sky as a kind of dome covering the model, with a bright

light placed outside the dome. The glow of the

skydome is diffused throughout the le,

illuminating the model itself and casting shadows that are softer than those from the

sun. To represent this sky-light, Renderworks uses a special layer background that emits

light and helps illuminate the entire exterior scene.

-Under Environment Lighting (HDRI), click on From Selected Background.

2. Select the desired HDRI background.

-Click on the Renderworks Background drop-down box and select: HDRI Day.

This High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) background has a dual function: it can be used as a source of light and also as a great

background image, graphically representing the appearance of the sky itself. Each of these functions can be used separately, if desired. In this exercise le we will split those functions, using one HDRI background as a

light source and a separate one for its graphic

image of the sky.

1. Set a HDRI background as a light source.

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options.

The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Click OK.

-With the HDRI background selected, render the scene: View>Rendering>Fast

Renderworks.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 17

The scene may appear excessively bright.

This effect will moderate once textures are

applied, image props cast shadows, and a sky

image is used.

Make sure to try other HDRI backgrounds supplied with Renderworks, as sources of light. Several backgrounds provide interesting and, indeed, beautiful lighting effects that might be especially suitable for particular projects. It is also possible to edit HDRI backgrounds, once they are accessible in the Resource Browser, by modifying their

brightness and other features.

Until now we have been working with a simplied model of the building, containing no

textures or site accessories. In the next task

we will add those things to the scene, seeing a dramatic improvement in the appearance of

the building and its surroundings.

Task 3: Apply Textures.

Note: For best visibility, switch to Top/Plan view (View>Standard Views>Top/Plan), then to Right Isometric view (View>Standard Views>Right Isometric). Zoom in for a clear view, as in the following wireframe image.

Render in OpenGL (View>Rendering>OpenGL). As textures are applied, the scene will automatically re-render.

In this le textures will be applied to objects in four categories: landscaping, hardscape objects (including street paving), building walls and glass objects (windows, doors and window walls).

1. Landscaping.

In this model the ve rectangular landscaped areas are represented by simple rectangular extrusions, each receiving a grass texture.

The grass texture is made from an imported

image, and has already been included in this exercise le. It is available through the

Resource Browser.

18 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

a. Select the rst landscape element and

apply the grass texture:

-Click once on the rst landscape element.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

-Make sure that the Part drop-down box is set to Overall (None).

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select grass.

b. Select the remaining landscape elements and apply the grass texture:

-Hold the Shift key down, and select each of

the remaining four landscape elements. All of the remaining four elements should now be selected.

-Render the scene in OpenGL, and the rst

landscape element will display the grass

texture.

-In the Object Info palette’s Render tab, click on the Texture drop-down box and select

grass. The scene will rerender, and all the

remaining landscape elements will now

display the grass texture.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 19

c. Curious about the grass texture? Analyze the grass texture to understand its composition:

-With the landscape elements still selected,

go to the Render tab of the Object Info palette.

-Click on the Texture edit button, and then select Edit grass Resource.

The Edit grass dialog box opens.

-Click on the various shaders that make up this texture in order to observe the settings:

• The Color setting identies the image

that was used for this texture. Click on the edit button next to Color to display

(or change) the image.

• The Bump shader shows the noise

shader used. Click on the edit button next to Bump to display the noise settings.

Click OK and then OK again, to exit the dialog boxes.

2. Hardscaping.

The overall hardscaping around the building consists of low walls, concrete sidewalk paving, asphalt street paving and pebble stone trim arranged in long horizontal lines near the building. The textures have already been imported into the exercise le and are available via the Resource Browser.

a. Concrete sidewalk paving.

The concrete sidewalk paving is a simple 3D

extrusion/subtraction object with a texture applied.

-Still in Right Isometric view, select the 3D object representing the concrete sidewalk

paving.

20 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Note: the Object Info palette reports this object as a Solid Subtraction.

-Click on the Render tab of the Object Info palette.

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select the texture Conc Lighter Small.

Render in OpenGL to conrm that the texture has been applied.

apply the asphalt texture to the appropriate class. Then we will set the NURBS surface to accept a texture by class.

First apply the asphalt texture to the

appropriate class:

-Open the Organization dialog box: Tools>Organization.

-Select the Details option at the top right, and then click on the Classes tab to view the le’s classes.

b. Street Paving.

The street is represented by a NURBS

surface assigned to the class street paving.

The street object will receive an asphalt paving texture applied by class. First we’ll

-Select the class street paving, and then click on the Edit button.

The Edit Class(es) dialog box opens.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 21

-Click on the Other tab (about halfway down

the dialog box).

-Check the Use Textures at Creation

checkbox in order to apply the wall textures automatically.

-Check the Texture check box in order to

activate the texture for 3D objects in this

class.

-Click on the texture selection menu (just

beneath the Texture check box). The texture selection window opens.

-Select the texture Asphalt Small.

-Click OK to exit the Edit Class(es) dialog box.

Render in OpenGL to conrm that the texture has been applied.

-Click OK again to exit the Organization dialog box.

Now set the NURBS surface to accept a texture by class:

-Select the NURBS surface representing the

street.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select Class Texture.

22 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

c. River Stone Trim.

The hardscaping is punctuated by a series of linear trim objects, running parallel to the building’s front (and along one curved wall). In the model these objects are actually simple extrusions. In wireframe view they can be

identied by their light blue color. These linear trim objects will receive the texture river

stone, applied directly to each object via the Object Info palette.

Switch to Right Isometric view for easy visibility.

Now select the remaining objects and apply

the texture:

-Click on the next trim object, and then,

pressing and holding the Shift key, click on the remaining objects. There should now be three objects selected.

Select the rst object and apply the

appropriate texture:

-Select the linear trim object located furthest from the building.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

-Make sure the Part drop-down box is set to Overall (none).

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select river stone.

Render in OpenGL to conrm that the texture has been applied properly.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab if necessary.

-Make sure the Part drop-down box is set to Overall (none).

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select river stone.

Render in OpenGL to conrm that the texture has been applied properly to all the remaining

objects.

With the three objects selected, the Render tab of the Object Info palette should match the following:

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 23

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select Conc Lighter Small.

Now render in OpenGL to conrm that the texture has been applied properly to both

walls. This completes the hardscaping adjustments.

3. Building Walls

Some of the building’s walls receive a texture representing travertine stone panels. First we

will create the texture from an imported

image, and then we will apply the texture by

class. These are the steps:

d. Low Walls.

The two low walls, running parallel to the building’s front, receive the same texture as the concrete sidewalk paving: Conc Lighter

Small.

-Click on the rst low wall, and then, pressing

and holding the Shift key, select the second wall also. Both walls should now be selected.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the

Render tab if necessary.

-Make sure the Part drop-down box is set to Overall (none).

24 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

a. Create the travertine stone texture.

b. Select and then adjust the walls to

receive textures by class.

c. Apply the texture to the desired class.

d. Fine-tune the texture’s appearance.

The exterior building walls have all been

placed in the class main building wallstextured and will receive the texture

simultaneously.

a. Create the travertine stone texture:

-In the Resource Browser, click on the

Resource menu button and select New Resource in building-new.

-Drag the cursor to Renderworks Texture and select it.

The Edit Texture dialog opens.

-In the Name box, type a name for this texture: travertine.

Next, import an image to be used as a source

for this texture:

-In the Shaders area, click on the Color drop-down box and select Image.

The Import QuickTime Image Document dialog box opens.

-Click on the drop-down box at the top of the

dialog box, and navigate to the folder containing this exercise’s resources: graphics

support les.

-Select that folder and click Open.

-Select the image: travertine.png and click Open.

The Edit Image Color dialog box opens,

displaying a thumbnail picture of the image we’re selecting. Make sure that all the settings

are as shown in the screenshot below.

The Choose Image dialog box opens. Select Import an Image File, and click OK.

-Click OK.

We’re back in the Edit Texture dialog box.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 25

Now adjust the size of the texture:

-In the Size area at the bottom of the dialog

box, click on the Set By Image button. The Set Image Size window opens.

-Grab the little round handle at the upper left

side of the window and drag it over to the right

edge. The dimension we will enter in the next

step will match the size of this handled widget.

-In the Feature Size box enter the desired dimension: 11’0” [3350mm].

b. Adjust the walls to receive textures by class:

Find the correct walls to receive this texture. The exercise le includes a pre-made script that will instantly pick out those walls. The

script is located in the script palette shortcuts.

Note: Before proceeding, make sure nothing is selected.

-Open the script palette shortcuts: Window>building-new.vwx/Script Palettes>shortcuts.

-double-click on the script select main building walls-textured.

The walls are now selected and highlighted. The Object Info palette should report that 8 walls are selected.

-Click OK to exit the Set Image Size window, and then click OK again to exit the Edit Texture dialog box.

The new texture is now complete. Look in the Textures pane of the Object Info palette and see the new texture.

Next, we will apply the texture to all the walls

in the main building walls-textured class.

Once these walls have been set to receive their textures by class, all that remains is to assign an actual texture to that class, and the walls will then automatically display that

texture.

26 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

The walls must now be set to receive textures

by class in order to display that class texture:

-Click on the Render tab of the Object Info palette.

-Make sure the Toggle Multiple Selection

Mode button is set to multiple selections (it will display three dots).

-Set the Part drop-down box to Right (from Overall).

-Click on the Texture drop-down box and select: Class Texture. The Object Info palette will look like the following image.

c. Apply the texture to the desired class:

-Open the Organization dialog box.

-Select the Details button (top-right side), and then click on the Classes tab to view the le’s classes.

-Select the class main building walls- textured, and then click on the Edit button. The Edit Class(es) dialog box opens.

-Click on the Walls tab (about halfway down

the dialog box).

-Check the Use Textures at Creation

checkbox in order to apply the wall textures automatically.

-Click on the Right check box in order to

activate the texture for those wall parts.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 27

-Click on the Right texture selection tool.

The texture selection window opens.

-Select the texture: travertine.

-Click OK to exit the Edit Class(es) dialog box.

-In the Shaders area, click on the Bump drop-down box and select: Image. This means the bump shader is using an image as its source.

-Click OK again to exit the Organization dialog box.

For easier viewing, click on the Saved Views drop-down box and select the View 2. Now click on the Fit To Page Area button. Re-render the scene in Fast Renderworks:

View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

d. Fine-tune texture appearance.

The exterior walls selected earlier will show

the stone texture applied. They look, however, a bit at. How to improve their threedimensional appearance? By adding a three-dimensional quality to the image of the stone (a bit of shade and shadow). We do this by adding a Bump shader to the stone

wall texture:

-In the Resource Browser, nd and select the travertine texture (under Textures).

-Click on the Resource Browser’s edit button (or just right-click) and select: Edit...

The Edit Texture dialog box opens.

The Choose Image dialog box appears.

-Click on the Reuse an Image From Another Resource button.

-In the drop-down box, select: This Texture’s Color. This means that we will use the image

already selected for the texture as the source for its Bump shader (there are other choices available as well, but we’ll stick to this image as the source here). Click OK.

The Edit Image Bump dialog box appears.

-In the Bump Strength (%) data eld type:

2000.

28 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Click OK to exit the Edit Image Bump dialog box.

-Click OK to exit the Edit Texture dialog box.

Re-render the scene in Fast Renderworks: View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks. The

stone texture should have a more three-

dimensional appearance now.

How do the walls look? Are the textures on adjacent walls aligned? With the eight exterior walls still selected, make sure the settings in

the Object Info palette match those in the following image.

4. Glass

The glass texture used in the building’s windows, doors and storefronts is made entirely within Vectorworks and applied by class. In this exercise le the windows, doors and storefronts have already been set to receive the texture by class. All that remains is to make the glass texture itself, and then

assign it to the appropriate class.

a. Create glass texture:

-In the Resource Browser, click on the

Resource menu button, and then select New Resources in building-new. Then Renderworks Texture.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 29

The Edit Texture dialog box opens.

-In the Name box, type this texture’s new name: glass.

This glass texture uses three of the four

available shader types used to assemble

textures: Color, Reectivity and Transparency.

Color.

-In the Shaders area, click on the Color drop-down box and select Color.

- Click on the Edit button next to Color.

The Edit Color Shader dialog box opens.

-In the Color drop-down selection box,

select the color shown below, and

click OK.

Note: A very dark-gray color, nearly black, provides a very clear, clean appearance to the glass while adding just a touch of milky opacity.

Reectivity.

-Back in the Shaders area, click on the Reectivity drop-down box and select Mirror.

-Click on the Edit button next to Reectivity.

The Edit Mirror Shader dialog box opens.

-Click on the Color drop-down box and select the color white.

30 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Click in the Reection data eld and enter 80. Leave Blurriness at 0.

-Click OK.

Note: Consider experimenting with the Blurriness setting. An increased setting may

provide a signicantly more realistic

appearance by introducing a bit of blur–but at the cost of greatly-increased rendering times.

Transparency.

-Still in the Shaders area, click on the

Transparency drop-down box and select Glass.

-Click on the Transparency Edit button.

The Edit Glass Shader dialog box opens.

-Modify the settings to match the following

image:

-Make sure the Color setting (in the Edit

Glass Shader dialog box) matches the

following:

-Click OK.

Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, simply

leave all the other settings untouched, and

click OK.

b. Assign the Glass texture to the appropriate class:

Once the texture has been assigned to the

correct class, all the objects in that class will display the texture. The process is similar to the steps taken earlier, when we assigned the

travertine wall texture to the appropriate wall class.

-Open the Organization dialog box.

-Select the Details button, and then click on the Classes tab to view the le’s classes.

-Select the class Glazing-Clear, and then click on the Edit button.

The Edit Class(es) dialog box opens.

-Click on the Other tab (about halfway down

the dialog box).

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 31

-Check the Use Textures at Creation

checkbox in order to apply the wall textures automatically.

-Check the Texture check box in order to

activate the texture for 3D objects in this

class.

-Click on the texture selection menu.

The texture selection window opens.

-Select the texture Glass.

-Click OK to exit the Edit Class(es) dialog box.

Task 4: Add Sky.

In this le the graphic image of the sky is a

HDRI background supplied with Renderworks and applied as a layer background: HDRI Sky Day Mostly Sunny.

Note: HDRI backgrounds can also be used as lighting sources–they are actually dualpurpose backgrounds. But for this exercise le, the HDRI Sky Day Mostly Sunny layer background will be used only for its image of the sky (a different layer background is used here as a light source, as described in Task 1: Lighting).

-Open the Organization dialog box.

-Select the layer site with buildings and click Edit.

The Edit Design Layers dialog box opens.

-Click on the Renderworks Background drop-down box and select HDRI Sky Day

Mostly Sunny.

-Click OK, and then back in the Organization dialog box, click OK again.

-Click OK again to exit the Organization dialog box.

32 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

To see the new sky, click on the Saved Views drop-down box and select the View 1. Now click on the Fit To Page Area button. Re-render the scene in Fast Renderworks: View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

Task 5: Add Entourage.

This scene uses three types of entourage: one car symbol, several image props of people, and several of trees.

1. Create and place image props.

An image prop is, in essence, a threedimensional at object onto which an image has been mapped, similar to a billboard. The image prop can be optionally set to automatically rotate toward the camera in

order to enhance its appearance and

three-dimensionality. With this setting, it is not necessary to orient each image prop in a particular direction (unless desired). One need only place specic image props in the desired locations, and they will automatically point toward the camera in any 3-D view. Additional automated features are optionally available as well, such as the selection of certain colors for transparency, suitable for transparent

backgrounds.

This exercise le requires several image props to be installed at various locations,

representing trees and people.

a. Make an image prop from a tree image and place it in the scene.

Later we will add a number of pre-made

image props in various locations.

-Go to the command Model>Create Image Prop...

The Choose Prop Image dialog box will

open, prompting us to select an image to be

used in the image prop.

-Click on: Import an Image File, and then click OK.

The Import QuickTime Image Document dialog opens.

-Navigate to the folder containing this exercise and, once inside, to the folder graphics support les. The image le to be used for

this image prop is located in this folder.

-Select the image tree ve image.png and click on the Open button.

The Image Prop Options dialog box opens.

-In the Name data eld, type a new name for this image prop: tree ve.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 33

-Under Dimensions, change Height to 12’-0”

[3660mm], and make sure that the Lock Aspect Ratio checkbox is selected.

Now we’ll make the background color of the tree image transparent, so that only the image

of the tree itself will be seen.

-Under Mask Options, select Use Mask, and then click on the Create Mask button.

Color (if that is not the default selection, click on the drop-down box and select This Prop’s Color).

-Click OK.

The Create Mask dialog box opens.

-Select Transparent Color, and click OK.

The Create Transparent Color Mask dialog box opens. We will now select the color to be

used as a transparent color mask (anything in

that color will be transparent in the image

prop). Note that the original image has been

prepared with a uniform background of a

single color. When making an image prop, it is

simpler to pick out a single color and make it transparent.

-In the left window, click on the black background color.

The Choose Prop Mask Image dialog box

opens. To create the transparency mask (required in order to make a portion of the image transparent) we will reuse the image we have already selected:

-Click on Reuse an Image from Another Resource.

-Leave the drop-down box at This Prop’s

34 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Move the Color Matching Tolerance slider one notch to the right.

-Move the Mask Contrast slider one notch to the right.

-Click OK.

The completed image prop has now been

made into a symbol (which can be seen in the Resource Browser). A copy of it has been placed in the scene–at the origin point, where

it remains selected and highlighted.

We’re back in the Image Prop Options dialog box.

-Deselect Constant Reectivity. This setting

increases (or maintains) the brightness of the image prop, even when it is in the shade. Not

required for our example.

-Make sure the Create Symbol checkbox is selected. This will make the image prop into a

symbol that can be placed repeatedly

throughout the scene.

-Make sure the remaining options are as shown below.

b. Place copies of the new image prop at the desired locations:

-First switch to a Top/Plan view and turn on the Entourage Locations layer (View>Layer

Options>Show/Snap Others). This layer is a

pre-made map showing the desired spots for

image props and symbols, including the

just-completed image prop.

-In the Organization dialog box, make the

Entourage Locations layer visible and click OK.

-Zoom as necessary to include the right half of

the building.

-Make sure layer visibility is set to Gray/Snap Others (View>Layer Options>Gray/Snap Others).

-Now go to the 0-0 origin (turn on the rulers if necessary, to help identify the spot) and nd

the just-created image prop.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 35

-Snap the cursor to the center of the image prop and drag it to the location marked Tree Five.

Now we’ll place another copy of this image prop, alongside the rst.

-In the Resource Browser, under Symbols/ Plug-In Objects, nd the image prop named:

tree ve Image Prop Symbol.

-Click/hold on the thumbnail image, and drag/ drop the image prop symbol from the Resource Browser onto the drawing, at the second location marked Tree Five, right alongside the rst.

Now check to see that the image prop was placed properly.

-Switch to right isometric view:

View>Standard Views> Right Isometric.

-Render in Fast Renderworks. Note that the

trees do not appear at, but have rotated to

face the camera.

36 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Switch back to Top/Plan view. Make sure the

Entourage Locations layer is visible. Set rendering to Wireframe.

2. Place additional, premade image props.

A variety of premade image prop symbols are available in a library le supplied with this exercise. These symbols can be accessed and imported directly within the

Resource Browser.

-In the Resource Browser, click on the Files menu button and select Browse a Document.

The Select a Vectorworks Document dialog box opens.

-Navigate to the folder containing this exercise, and select the library le building-

resources. Click Open.

The Resource Browser will now display that le’s resources, including the image prop symbols that have been previously created for this exercise. Find these image prop symbols

under Symbols/Plug-In Objects. Drag/drop

these symbols directly from the Resource Browser onto the drawing, at the spots marked in gray.

-Select the rst image prop symbol, named

father and son.

-Click/hold on the thumbnail image, and drag the image prop symbol from the Resource Browser onto the drawing, at the location

marked Father and Son.

Note that we have imported a symbol from another drawing le, even though that other le is not currently open. The Resource Browser provides access to resources that are located both in the active le, and in other, non-active les as well.

-Now select each of the remaining image prop symbols, and move them one-by-one onto the

drawing at the locations marked. The location names match those of the image prop

symbols.

3. Place 3D symbols.

The Resource Browser should still be

displaying the resources in the library le

building-resources.

-In the Resource Browser, under Symbols/ Plug-In Objects, nd the pre-made automobile symbol Auto.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 37

-Click/hold on the symbol’s thumbnail image, and drag the symbol from the Resource Browser onto the drawing, at the location

marked AUTO, just in front of Camera 2.

Task 6: Render and Export an Image.

1. Render the scene.

a. Basic Renderworks Methods.

We have already used and reviewed a few

basic methods for rendering in Renderworks.

Fast Renderworks and Final Quality Renderworks represent two points on the rendering quality spectrum. The Fast Renderworks setting makes for a speedy

rendering, albeit at the expense of image quality. Final Quality Renderworks is a high-quality rendering mode, providing smooth accuracy and precise representation of lighting–but at the expense of rendering

time.

To put it simply:

• Fast Renderworks = Higher speed/

lower quality.

• Final Quality Renderworks = Higher

quality/lower speed.

These two settings will be satisfactory in the majority of cases.

To nish up, switch to view 1 (click on the

Saved Views drop-down box and select view

1). Make the underlying Entourage Locations layer invisible (by controlling layer visiibility: View>Layer Options) and render in Fast Renderworks (View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks).

This concludes the le-preparation portion of

the exercise.

The nal task involves rendering the le and

exporting an image.

38 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

b. Finer Adjustments using Custom Renderworks.

To adjust the Renderworks settings more

nely, access the individual components of these settings via the Custom Renderworks

Options dialog box:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks Options.

This example is just a starting point.

Experiment with the different settings to nd a suitable speed-vs.-quality compromise setting. Note the ve options at the very top: deselecting several of them (such as Textures or Anti-Aliasing) may signicantly increase rendering speed during interim development

of renderings.

The dialog box provides access to 13 different categories of quality and visibility settings. Once specic settings have been selected,

use Custom Renderworks as the rendering option:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks.

c. Example of a Custom Renderworks setting:

For a quick mid-level Custom Renderworks setting–better than Fast Renderworks and

faster than Final Quality Renderworks– arrange the Custom Renderworks Options as shown below:

Once we have arranged the settings as desired, render in Custom Renderworks:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks.

d. Save new Custom Renderworks settings by using the Saved Views command.

After rendering with Custom Renderworks, use the Saved Views command to save the new Custom Renderworks settings along

with the view.

-View>Save View.

The Save View dialog box opens.

-In the View Name box, enter a desired name

for the view. Consider a name that provides information about the settings, such as All Medium Settings, or No Textures.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 39

-Select the Save Render Settings checkbox

in order to preserve the Custom Renderworks settings just developed.

-Click OK.

Whenever we call up a saved view, the Custom Renderworks Options developed for that view will be implemented in the rendering. In this way it is possible to save a variety of Custom Renderworks Options settings, some providing faster rendering (suitable for works-in-progress); others higher quality.

Note: Custom Renderworks Options settings are also saved with viewports when viewports are rendered. More on that below.

A note about several Custom Renderworks Options:

• Blurriness refers to a setting used when creating textures containing Reectivity and Transparency shaders.

work-in-progress test renderings,

deselect the Blurriness setting

altogether, and just choose it at the very end, when the nal rendering is desired.

• Image Exposure (%) controls the

brightness of a rendering. Change the number in the Image Exposure box to

ne tune a rendering’s brightness. The

default brightness is 100%.

As a reminder, these settings only apply when

rendering with Custom Renderworks, and do not affect the appearance of images prepared with Fast Renderworks or Final Quality

Renderworks.

Blurriness will make those textures

appear, as the name implies, blurry to a greater or lesser extent. Clicking the

Blurriness checkbox in the Custom Renderworks Options can greatly

increase rendering times, but can also

increase the realism of a rendering. For

40 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

e. Compare the different settings by rendering a saved view:

-Click on the Saved Views drop-down box, and select View 1.

-Render in Fast Renderworks:

View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks.

-Now render in Final Quality Renderworks: View>Rendering>Final Quality Renderworks.

-Finally render in Custom Renderworks: View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks.

-Adjust Custom Renderworks settings: View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks Options. The Custom Renderworks dialog

box opens, revealing the different settings.

Make the desired changes and click OK to

nish.

2. Render a viewport.

Make a viewport of a saved view, and then render the viewport. Among other advantages, a viewport will save Custom Renderworks settings and make it easy to compare different settings between viewports.

Keep this in mind: each rendered viewport will need its own lighting and rendering quality settings.These are set via the Object Info palette. To compare the results of settings, duplicate the viewports, set them side by side,

and then alter the lighting and rendering

quality settings for each viewport prior to

updating.

a. Go to a saved view.

-Click on the Saved Views drop-down box, and select View 1.

The Object Info palette reports and controls

the viewport’s settings:

b. Make a viewport.

-View>Create Viewport. The Create Viewport dialog box opens.

-Leave all the settings in place, and click OK.

The New Sheet Layer dialog box opens (only

the rst time a viewport is created).

-Click OK.

The new sheet layer containing the viewport is immediately made active, and the new viewport is left selected on the screen.

c. Add HDRI lighting and adjust Indirect Lighting settings.

-Click on the Lighting Options button. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Make sure the settings are as shown and click OK:

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 41

Remember that directional light representing

the sun? In this le that light object continues to reside on the original design layer (not the sheet layer), and the viewport will incorporate

its lighting into the rendering without further adjustment.

d. Select rendering method.

-Click on the Background Render drop-down box and select Fast Renderworks.

e. Add sky.

-Click on the RW Background drop-down box

and select the visible, graphic layer

background HDRI Sky Day Mostly Sunny.

(Remember that we are using one HDRI background for lighting purposes, and a

different one for a graphic representation of

the sky.)

Why choose a Background Render prior to selecting a sky? Not all rendering methods utilize Renderworks backgrounds, and the

RW Background drop-down box will remain

grayed-out until a compatible rendering

method is chosen.

f. Render by updating the viewport.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Update button. The viewport will render.

The viewport resides on a sheet layer which has a default resolution of 72 dpi (Dots Per Inch). This resolution corresponds to that of many computer monitors, but it is often too coarse for printing, and may yield blurry

results on paper. For better printed results

increase the sheet layer’s resolution. For print purposes, 300 dpi is often a good setting:

-In the Organization palette, select the Sheet Layers tab, select the desired sheet layer, and click the Edit button. The Edit Sheet Layers dialog box opens.

-In the DPI data eld enter 300, and click OK.

-Back in the Organization palette, click OK.

42 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Important: increasing the sheet layer’s

resolution from 72 dpi to 300 will signicantly increase rendering times, because many more pixels need to be calculated, developed

and rendered.

3. Export the Image.

-File>Export>Export Image File.

The Export Image File dialog box opens. Arrange the settings as shown below.

• Marquee will allow us to draw a fence–or marquee–around the specic

portions of the rendering we wish to include.

b. Selecting options within Dimensions.

• Lock Aspect Ratio. This locks the relationship between height and width of the exported image. If we change the image width under Pixel Dimensions or

Print size, for example, the image height will automatically adjust in order to

maintain the original proportions.

• Resolution. This is the resolution of the exported image, which normally defaults to 72 pixels per inch. For print purposes, try 300 px/in. 72 px/in can look ne on most computer monitors but not always

in print.

Before clicking Save, please see the specic

notes below and then modify the settings as

desired.

a. Selecting options within Export Area:

• Current View will export the sheet with the rendering exactly as shown on the

screen. If the rendering is smaller than

the sheet and surrounded by white areas, that is exactly what the rendering

will include.

c. Selecting options within Format.

-Click on the File Type drop-down box, and select a le format for the image being

exported:

• JPEG is good for viewing on monitors.

• TIFF is suitable for printing.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 43

• Photoshop will export a le in native Photoshop format that will automatically

open in that program.

d. Selecting other options.

• Update visible out of date viewports prior to exporting. This will allow a

viewport that has not been updated to automatically do so just prior to the

render export.

e. Complete the image export.

-Click Save.The Export as Quicktime Document opens.

-Navigate to the spot in which the image le will be saved, and in the Save As eld, enter a desired le name.

-Click Save.

The Export Image File dialog box is still

visible on the screen. Do not click Save again. Simply wait for the image export to complete (it will take some time, as the le needs to render again). When the export operation is complete, the Export Image File dialog box will automatically disappear.

44 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Section 2:

Day-Time Interior View

Section 2 of this guide will focus on rendering an ofce interior, daylit through a window wall. The exercise le has already been partially set up with textures and cameras.

What will this exercise cover? We will install and adjust lighting and then add a layer

background, essentially a sky graphic, to be seen through the window wall on the left. We will apply textures to the rear-most wall behind the stairs, the partial-height mesh partition just in front of the rear steps and the wood paneling on the right, beneath the upper mezzanine. Finally, we will render in Custom Renderworks.

The exercise will focus on the following tasks:

1. Placing a sun-light and a HDRI background, adding light from the sky.

2. Setting the appropriate light quality settings.

3. Adding a layer background representing the sky (seen through the window wall).

4. Creating and applying three textures to interior surfaces.

5. Rendering using Custom Renderworks.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 45

Open the le: Interior-day.vwx. Take a quick rst look:

-Go to the Saved Views drop-down box and select view 1. The view will be in wireframe.

-Make a quick rst rendering using Fast Renderworks: View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks (seen above).

Task 1: Place a Directional Light Representing the Sun.

a. Place the light.

-View>Lighting>Set Sun Position. The Set Sun Position dialog box opens. Leave

everything as it is, and click OK to place a directional light in the scene.

b. Adjust the light’s settings.

-In the Object Info palette set the light’s Azimuth and Elevation settings:

Azimuth: -82° Elevation: 40°

46 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Make sure the remaining settings are as shown below.

Task 2: Lighting: Add Light from the Sky.

Task 3: Lighting: set Lighting Options.

a. Use a HDRI background as a light source (light from the sky) for the scene:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options. The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Under Environment Lighting (HDRI), click on From Selected Background.

b. Now select the desired HDRI background:

-Click on the Renderworks Background drop-down box and select: HDRI Day.

-Click OK.

Access the Lighting Options dialog box:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options.

The Lighting Options dialog box opens.

-Click on the Indirect Lighting drop-down box and select Interior, 4 Bounces.

Note: A good quality indirect lighting setting for interiors uses 2 bounces. Using fewer bounces can often yield unsatisfactory results. 4 bounces is the best setting for interiors but

at the occasional cost of lengthy rendering

times (depending on the le).

-Make sure the remaining settings are as shown below.

-Render in Fast Renderworks to see the

results.

-Click OK to nish.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 47

Task 4: Add a Graphic Sky Background.

Apply a High Dynamic Range Image background for its graphic sky image, to be

seen through the window wall to the left of the

image:

-Open the Organization dialog box.

-Select the layer Design layer-1 and click Edit.

-The Edit Design Layers dialog box opens. Click on the Renderworks Background drop-down box and select HDRI Sky Day Mostly Sunny.

-Click OK, and then back in the Organization dialog box, click OK again.

Task 5: Create and Apply Textures.

Create three textures and apply them to interior surfaces:

1. Rear wall

The rst texture is applied to the rear wall and represents textured plaster. This texture will take on the color of the wall, and recreates the plaster texture through use of the Noise bump shader.

a. Create texture.

First, create a new texture:

-In the Resource Browser, click on the Resource menu button, and then select New Resources in Interior-day.vwx, then Renderworks Texture.

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The Edit Texture dialog box opens.

-In the Name box, type this texture’s new

This plaster texture uses one of the four available shader types used to assemble textures: Bump, which adds a 3-D appearance to a texture:

-In the Shaders area, click on the Bump drop-down box and select Noise.

-Make sure the remaining settings are as shown below. Note some of the features that are particular to this specic Noise-based texture: Strength is only 15%, Detail is 6, and Cycles: 2.

- Click on the Edit button.

The Edit Noise Shader dialog box opens.

-Click on the Pattern drop down box and select Wavy Turbulence.

These last two settings are especially important in this shader. As an experiment, change each of these and observe the thumbnail image at the top of the dialog box to see the changes made.

-Click OK. We’re back in the Edit Texture dialog box.

Now change the size of the texture:

-In the Edit Texture dialog box, click in the Size data eld and enter 6’0”. (Why 6’0”?

Trial and error–it just looks good. Change it

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 49

and see if you prefer a different size.)

-Click OK.

Note: to change the size of a completed texture, right-click (or Control-click) on the texture in the Resource Browser and choose

Edit... . This will launch the Edit Texture

dialog box, and the texture’s size can be changed in the Size data eld.

b. Apply the new texture to the rear wall.

-Switch to Top/Plan view.

Select the wall:

-Click once on the rear, orange wall.

Now go to the Object Info palette to apply the texture.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

-Click on the Mode drop-down box. Select: By Object.

Select the wall part to which the texture is applied:

-Click on the Part drop-down box and select Overall.

Now choose the texture:

-Click in the Texture drop-down box and select the new texture, Plaster.

Now switch to the saved view and render to

see the results:

-Click on the Saved Views drop-down box and select view 1.

-Render in Fast Renderworks.

2. Mesh partition.

The second texture is applied to the partial-height wall in front of the stairs. This wall is actually a metal-mesh partition.

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a. Create Texture.

-In the Resource Browser, click on the Resource menu button, and then select New Resources in Interior-day.vwx. Then select Renderworks Texture.

The Edit Texture dialog box opens.

-In the Name box type this texture’s new

This mesh texture uses two of the four

available shader types used to assemble textures: Color and Transparency.

First we’ll decide on a mesh color to use in this texture:

-In the Shaders area, click on the Color drop-down box and select Color.

- Click on the Edit button.The Edit Color Shader dialog box opens.

-Click on the Color drop-down box and select the color shown below. Then click OK.

Now we’ll apply a patterned transparency to the texture (the pattern representing the mesh material itself):

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click on

the Transparency drop-down box and select Tiles.

-Click on the Edit button.The Edit Tiles Shader dialog box opens.

-Click on the Pattern drop-down box and

select Squares.

-Make sure the remaining settings match those shown below, and click OK.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 51

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click in

the Size data eld and enter the desired size for a single tile of this texture: 1’-0”.

-Click OK.

b. Apply the new texture to the wall in front of the stairs.

-Switch to Top/Plan view (View>Standard Views>Top/Plan).

-Select the partial-height wall just in front of the stairs.

Note: In the le the wall is actually made with

a simple extrusion.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

Now select the part to which the texture is applied:

-Click on the Part drop-down box and select Overall.

Select the texture:

-Click in the Texture drop-down box and select the new texture, Metal Mesh.

Switch to the saved view and render to see

the results:

-Click on the Saved Views drop-down box and select view 1.

-Render in Fast Renderworks (View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks).

3. Wood paneling.

The third texture is applied to a 3-D object (a Solid Subtraction) on the right side, representing wood paneling.

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a. Create the texture.

-In the Resource Browser, click on the Resource menu button, and then select New Resources in Interior-day.vwx, then Renderworks Texture.

The Edit Texture dialog box opens.

-In the Name box type this texture’s new

Note: This texture uses two of the four

available shader types used to assemble textures: Color and Reectivity. This texture also uses a graphic image le as the texture source. The next step will select the image le

to be used in this texture.

-In the Shaders area, click on the Color drop-down box and select Image. The Choose Image dialog box opens.

The Edit Image Color dialog box opens.

-Leave as is and click OK.

The wood paneling is intended to have a gloss nish, so we will add slight reectivity to the texture:

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click on the Reectivity drop-down box and select Mirror.

In this case we are importing an image le into our Vectorworks le:

-Select the rst item, Import an Image File. Click OK.

The Import QuickTime Image Document

opens. Select the image le to be imported:

-Navigate to the folder containing this le (Day-Time Interior View>resources) and select the image le wood paneling.png. Then click Open.

-Click on the Edit button.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 53

The Edit Mirror Shader dialog box opens.

Unlike a regular glass mirror, this texture is only slightly reective, so we will enter a low Reection percentage:

-Click in the Reection (%) data eld and enter the desired amount of reection: 20.

-Click OK.

Now adjust the texture size and complete the texture:

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click in the Size data eld and enter 2’0”[610mm].

-Click OK.

b. Apply the new texture to the 3-D object on the right.

-In the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

Now select the part to which the texture is applied:

-Click on the Part drop-down box and select Overall.

Select the texture:

-Click in the Texture drop-down box and select the new texture, Wood Paneling.

-Switch to Top/Plan view.

-Select the blue 3-D object on the right. The

Object Info palette will report it as a Solid Subtraction.

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Switch to the saved view and render to see

the results:

-Click on the Saved Views drop-down box

and select view 1, and then render in Fast Renderworks.

Task 6: Render using Custom Renderworks.

This exercise develops a Custom Renderworks setting as a compromise between Fast Renderworks and Final Quality Renderworks. By setting some

controls to Low and others to Medium, deselecting Blurriness and reducing the Max

Reections, we accomplish a compromise: relatively quick rendering speed with acceptable image quality.

a. Access the Custom Renderworks settings:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks Options.

b. Select the appropriate settings as

shown below:

c. Render in Custom Renderworks:

View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks.

Enlarged detail:

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 55

Notes

56 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Section 3:

Night-Time Interior View

The Vectorworks exercise le for this section has already been partially set up with textures, cameras, saved views and a layer background representing an urban night scene (viewed through the window wall).

The scene also has 3-D models of light xtures in place, but lacks actual Vectorworks lights. This exercise will focus on the following

tasks:

1. Placing and adjusting lights.

2. Setting the appropriate light quality settings.

3. Rendering using Custom Renderworks.

4. Adjusting Custom Renderworks settings to control the scene’s brightness.

Note that darker scenes (or night views) often require longer rendering times than fully-lit ones.

-Open the le: Night-Time Interior View>Interior-night.vwx.

-Switch to Top/Plan view. This will make it easier to modify each light xture.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 57

The xtures used in this scene are the following:

A. Ceiling-mounted lights: rectangular

uorescents above the mezannine to the right.

B. Round, surface-mount industrial xtures

over the two-story portion of the space.

C. Ceiling-suspended pendants: two

pendant lights over the reception counter, at center rear.

D. One uorescent xture suspended over

the conference table at the front.

E. Rear signage at the mesh partition (in

front of the stairs): neon lights outlining the logo’s letters.

This exercise will install light objects in each of the 3-D light models depicted in the scene and use them to illuminate the space.

Task 1, Lighting: Place and Adjust Lights.

A. Rectangular uorescents.

The ceiling-mount rectangular uorescent light xtures are located above the mezannine to the right. The 3-D model of this luminaire has been saved as a symbol. We will edit the rectangular uorescent symbol and place an Area light in it to represent the uorescent light’s lens. Once the symbol is modied, all instances of this light xture will automatically reect this change.

-Select one example of this xture on the drawing, and double-click on it in order to edit the symbol.The Edit Symbol dialog box opens.

-Select 3D Component, and then click Edit.

The le now goes into Symbol Edit mode, and displays the light xture in Top/Plan view.

-Zoom in on the object for clarity.

Now prepare an Area light:

-Using the Rectangle tool, draw a 2-D rectangle on top of the light xture. Give the rectangle a white ll, and make sure the rectangle ts within the boundaries of the xture.

draw rectangle

58 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

With the rectangle selected, convert it to an Area light:

-Modify>Convert>Convert to Area Light.

The Light Preferences-Area Light dialog

box opens. Make sure the settings are as shown below:

-Back in the Light Preferences-Area Light

dialog box, click OK.

Now adjust the height of the new area light:

-Switch to Front view and locate the area light (it will appear as a line).

-Move the Area light down to the location shown below:

-Exit the symbol. This xture is complete. Before proceeding, switch back to Top/Plan view and zoom out to show the entire drawing.

Note: Particularly important is the light’s strength, 7500 Lumens (in the Get

Brightness From: User Input data eld).

-Click on the Area Light Specs... button. The Area Light Data dialog box opens.

-Click on the Distance Falloff drop-down box and select Realistic.

-Click on the Quality drop-down box and select From Render Mode.

-Click on the Render Geometry checkbox and make sure it remains selected.

-Click OK.

B. Round, surface-mount xtures.

The ceiling-mount round xtures are located above the 2-story portion of the space. The 3-D model of this xture has been saved as a symbol. We will edit the symbol to place a Point light inside it. Once the symbol is modied, all instances of this light xture will automatically reect the change.

-Select one example of this xture on the drawing, and double-click to edit the symbol. The Edit Symbol dialog box opens.

-Select 3D Component, and then click Edit.

The le now goes into Symbol Edit mode and

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 59

displays the light xture in Top/Plan view.

-Zoom in on the object for clarity.

Now place a point light in the xture:

-In the Visualization tool set, click once on the Light tool.

-Up in the mode bar, select the Point Light Mode.

-Click once in the center of the light xture in order to place the light.

The Light Preferences-Point Light dialog box opens. Make sure all the settings are as shown below.

Note that the Use Emitter checkbox is selected, allowing more precise control over the light’s characteristics. The light’s strength is set to 11,000 Lumens (it is intended to be a metal halide lamp).

-Click on the Point Light Specs... button. The Point Light Data dialog box opens.

-Click on the Distance Falloff drop-down box and select Realistic.

-Click OK.

-Back in the Light Preferences-Point Light

dialog box, click OK.

Now adjust the height of the new point light so that it ts properly within the 3-D model of the light bulb, inside the xture:

-Switch to Front view, and locate the Point light.

60 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Move the Point light into position as shown below:

-Exit the symbol by clicking the Exit Symbol button at the top-right side of the drawing area. This xture is now complete. Before proceeding, switch back to Top/Plan view (View>Standard Views>Top/Plan) and zoom out to show the entire drawing.

C. Pendant lights at reception counter.

Two lights are suspended from the ceiling, hanging low over the reception counter. Each of these is a symbol of a 3-D model of a light. We will edit the symbol to place a point light within it.

-Zoom in to the reception desk area for clarity.

-Select one example of this xture on the drawing, and double-click on it in order to edit the symbol.The Edit Symbol dialog box opens.

-Select 3D Component, and then click Edit.

-Click once in the very center of the light xture in order to place the light. The Light Preferences-Point Light dialog box opens. Make sure all the settings are as shown below, and that the Brightness slider is at 60%.

The le now goes into Symbol Edit mode, and displays the light xture in Top/Plan view.

-Zoom in further on the object for additional clarity.

Now place a point light in the xture:

-In the Visualization tool set, click once on the Light tool.

-In the mode bar, select the Point Light Mode.

-Click on the Point Light Specs... button. The Point Light Data dialog box opens.

-Click on the Distance Falloff drop-down box and select Realistic.

-Click OK.

-Back in the Light Preferences-Point Light

dialog box, click OK.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 61

-Switch to Front view and locate the Point light.

double-click on it to edit the symbol.The Edit Symbol dialog box opens.

-Move the Point light into position in the xture as shown below:

-Exit the symbol. This xture is complete. Before proceeding, switch back to Top/Plan view and zoom out to show the entire drawing.

Note: prior to exiting the symbol, consider clicking on individual portions of the overall

light xture and reviewing them in the Object Info palette. Several components–such as the light bulb and the shade–have textures

applied (visible via the Render tab of the

Object Info palette), displaying complete or partial transparency and reection.

-Select 3D Component, and then click Edit.

The le now goes into Symbol Edit mode, and displays the light xture in Top/Plan view.

-Zoom in on the object for clarity.

Now prepare an Area light:

-Using the Rectangle tool, draw a 2-D rectangle on top of the light xture. Give the rectangle a white ll, and make sure the rectangle ts within the boundaries of the xture.

draw rectangle

With the rectangle selected, convert it to an Area light:

-Modify>Convert>Convert to Area Light.

The Light Preferences-Area Light dialog

box opens. Make sure the settings are as shown below:

D. Fluorescent pendant light over conference table.

A long uorescent light xture is suspended from the ceiling over the conference table. The 3-D model of the xture is a symbol. We will edit the symbol in order to insert an Area light representing the light’s lens.

-Select this xture on the drawing, and

62 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Note: Particularly important is the light’s strength, 20000 Lumens (in the Get

Brightness From: User Input data eld).

-Click on the Area Light Specs... button. The Area Light Data dialog box opens.

-Click on the Distance Falloff drop-down box, and select Realistic.

-Click on the Quality drop-down box, and select From Render Mode.

-Click on the Render Geometry checkbox and make sure it remains selected.

-Click OK.

-Back in the Light Preferences-Area Light

dialog box, click OK.

-Exit the symbol. This xture is complete. Before proceeding, switch back to Top/Plan view and zoom out to show the entire drawing.

Note: Since the Area light directs light in both

directions, its illumination can be seen both on the conference table and through the small slit

openings in the top of the light xture.

Now adjust the height of the new area light:

-Switch to Front view and locate the Area light (it will appear as a line).

-Move the Area light to the location shown below:

E. Rear signage at the mesh partition (in front of the stairs).

The mesh partition in front of the rear stairs contains a three-dimensional company logo, outlined in yellow neon. The neon lighting is actually a 3-D solid composed of three path extrudes, with a light-emitting Glow texture applied. Even though the model of this lighting emits light (because of the Glow texture), it is not technically a Vectorworks light object.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 63

The 3-D model of the neon tubing has already been created and placed. This exercise will focus on creating the light-emitting Glow texture and applying it to the 3-D model of the neon tubing.

a. Create the texture.

-In the Resource Browser, click on the

Resource menu button, then select New Resources in Interior-night.vwx, then Renderworks Texture.

-The Edit Texture dialog box opens. In the Name box, type this texture’s new name: Neon Light.

This texture uses two of the four available shader types used to assemble textures: Color and Reectivity.

First we will set the texture’s color:

-In the Shaders area, click on the Color drop-down box and select Color, then click on

the Edit button at the side. The Edit Color Shader dialog box opens.

-Click on the Color drop-down box and select the color shown below, and then click OK.

Click OK again to exit the Edit Color Shader dialog box. Now we will select the Glow setting, available in the Reectivity shader. This setting causes the texture to emit light, not unlike a light object:

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click on the Reectivity drop-down box, and select

Glow.

-Click on the Edit button to the right of Reectivity. The Edit Glow Shader dialog box opens.

-Click in the Brightness (%) data eld, and enter 100.

-Select Emit Light and then click OK.

64 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

-Click on the Part drop-down box, and select Overall.

-Click on the Texture drop-down box, and select Neon Light.

The texture is now applied to the 3-D model of the neon tubing. Task 1 is complete.

-Back in the Edit Texture dialog box, click OK to complete the texture.

b. Apply the new neon light texture to the 3-D model of the neon tubing.

-Switch to Top/Plan view and zoom in on the neon light model for clarity.

-Select the 3-D lettering model (outlined in blue), and in the Object Info palette, click on the Render tab.

Task 2: Lighting: Set the Appropriate Light Quality Settings.

Access the Lighting Options dialog box:

-View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options.

For the fastest, reasonable-quality results (with illumination from lights, not directional/ sun light or HDRI), try turning off Indirect Lighting and using Ambient lighting instead, set to about 30%.

For better results, turn off Ambient lighting, and use Indirect Lighting set to 2 bounces. This will increase rendering time by about one-third compared to Indirect lighting.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 65

For superior results, however, and a cleaner, lighter image (more light bounces send more light energy around the scene, increasing its brightness), set Indirect Lighting to 4 bounces. This will increase rendering time by about 40% compared to 2 bounces (your mileage may vary, depending on the le, number of lights, etc.).

-Once you have decided on your preferred lighting options, click OK to nish.

After setting some Custom Renderworks controls to Low and others to Medium, deselecting Blurriness and reducing the Max Reections, these settings yield relatively quick rendering speed with acceptable image quality. The settings shown here are merely a suggestion. Experiment with different settings to nd the combination that best suits your purpose.

Before proceeding, switch to View 1 (click on

the Saved Views drop-down box and select View 1).

a. Access the Custom Renderworks settings:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks Options.

b. Adjust the settings as shown below:

Task 3. Render using Custom Renderworks.

This exercise develops a Custom Renderworks setting as an optimal compromise between speed and quality of rendering. Try rendering in Fast Renderworks and Final Quality Renderworks to see the impact of those settings. Then modify Custom Renderworks settings as shown here, as an experiment.

66 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

c. Render in Custom Renderworks: View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks.

Task 4. Adjust Custom Renderworks Settings to Control Brightness.

If the scene’s brightness does not match your preference, it is possible to modify the overall brightness of the image by changing the

Image Exposure (%) setting in Custom

Renderworks.

a. Access the Custom Renderworks settings:

-View>Rendering>Custom Renderworks Options.

b. In the Image Exposure (%) data eld

enter a number greater or smaller than 100

(100 is the default setting, a smaller number makes the scene darker and vice versa).

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 67

Notes

68 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

About the Author

Daniel Jansenson is an architect in private practice based in Santa Monica, California. A longtime Vectorworks user, he teaches seminars in the use of Vectorworks and Renderworks,

presentation graphics and small-ofce project management. Author of the Renderworks Recipe Book and Remarkable Renderworks, Dan uses Vectorworks daily in his residential and small

commercial practice. His focus is on the daily joys of designing homes, and having as much fun

as humanly possible both in the design of buildings and in the creation of rendered presentations.

Dan can be reached via his rm’s web site: www.danjansenson.com.. His training activities are

available through www.vectortasks.com.

Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide | 69

70 | Renderworks 2011 Get ting Starte d Guide

Nemetschek RENDERWORKS GETTING STARTED GUIDE

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introduction