IRender Tutorial - Getting Started

This IRender Tutorial will take you through the basic steps of Render nXt 's IRender rendering engine.

Contents

Downloads and Installation

There is a 30 day Trial Version for RPS products. This is a fully functional version, with watermarks or other text added to indicate that it is a trial version.

Follow the links on the Downloads Page to download the latest version.

Start SketchUp

When SketchUp starts,

  • Click "IRender_nXt load" from the Plugins menu.

The IRender_nXt should appear:

IRender full toolbar.jpg

If it does not appear, go to "View" on the "Toolbars" menu and make sure the IRender_nXt (or IRender_lite, if applicable) toolbars are checked.

  • Toolbars.jpg

Do a test rendering

Rendering Settings.jpg

With a very small drawing, or just "Bryce" in the empty drawing, click the "Render" icon.

  • Render24.PNG
    Render - starts a new ray trace of your current model and settings.

This will load the Rendering Settings dialog.

For now, ignore the settings and click Start Rendering


This should create a rendering of your drawing.

(It will not be very exciting because there are no lights or reflections.


Step 1 - Get Basic Room

Room-tutorial.jpg
  1. Click Open Sample Models ( Load sample icon.jpg ) to bring up the 'Load Sample Drawing' dialog.
  2. Pick 'Room-Tutorial.skp'.
  3. Click Render ( Render24.PNG ) to render the room.


Step 2: Make the floor reflective

Mat-reflective.jpg
Floor-reflection.jpg
  1. Right click on the floor and select Edit Material .
  2. In the 'Reflection and Highlight' box, slide the 'Intensity' slider to 0.75.
  3. Click OK
  4. Render again. ( Render24.PNG )


Step 3 - Adding a mirror

Create-mirror.jpg

Create Mirror will create a mirror component for you to place in the drawing.

  1. Select the Create Mirror Component icon: ( Ref24.PNG )
  2. Set the 'Reflection' slider to 95%.
  3. Click Create and Place to place the mirror in your drawing.
  4. Render the model.


Add mirrors to the drawing
Ray Trace image with mirrors


For more information on reflective materials, see the Reflection Tutorial .

Adding lights

IRender works with

  • Standard SketchUp lights.
  • Custom light fixtures created with the Light Fixture Wizard
  • In addition, you can make your own lights by placing lamps in these or other components.
Lamps.jpg


Step 4 - Create table & floor lamps

Lamp-wizard.jpg

First, add a table lamp:

  1. Click the Create Light Fixture icon ( Create-light-fixture.jpg ). The 'Light Fixtures' dialog will appear.
  2. Select the 'Table' tab to create a table lamp.
  3. On this tab, you can set the type and color of the shade and base, the physical dimensions of your lamp and its parts, and the intensity and color of the light emitted.
  4. In the 'Component Placement Mode' box, select 'Single'.
  5. Click Create Lamp to create the lamp component and place it in your model.

Now to add a floor lamp:

  1. Open the 'Light Fixtures' dialog again and select the 'Floor' tab.
  2. Here you can customize the lamp, as with the table lamp.
  3. Select single placement mode, click Create Lamp, and place a floor lamp.
  4. Render again. ( Render24.PNG )
Rendering with Lights


Step 5 - Create Spot and Point lights

To make it easier to see the spotlight and point light we are about to place, delete the lamps from step 4. First, we will create a spotlight:

  1. Open the 'Light Fixtures' dialog again and select the 'Spot' tab.
  2. Set 'Lamp Length' to 60 degrees. This will make it easier to see where the spotlight is pointed.
  3. Click Color and change the color to yellow. This will distinguish light cast by the spotlight from the point light.
  4. Click Create Lamp and place the spotlight on the side wall.

Next, make a point light:

  1. Open the 'Light Fixtures' dialog again and select the 'Point' tab.
  2. Click Color and change the color to white.
  3. Click Create Lamp and place the point light on the side wall, away from the spotlight.
  4. Render again. ( Render24.PNG )
Spotlight and point light
Spotlight and point light effect


Step 6 - Aim the spotlight

Aiming the lamp.
  1. To aim a lamp, right click on a lamp, and select IRender:: Aim Lamp
  2. The lamp will automatically point at the cursor position.
  3. Snap the cursor to a face, edge, etc. at which you want to point the lamp.
  4. Click the left mouse button to point the lamp, or click escape to stop the operation.
  5. Render to see the effect of the aimed lamp.


Step 7. - Create a ceiling light

  1. Add a ceiling and a left hand wall.
    Add-ceiling.jpg
  2. Open the 'Light Fixtures' dialog again and select the 'Ceiling' tab.
  3. Click Create Lamp and place the rectangular light on the ceiling.
  4. Render again. ( Render24.PNG )


Adding a ceiling light
Raytrace of ceiling light


Summary

This tutorial showed you how to add reflection and lights to a SketchUp model.

You can improve the final result by adding additional lights, placing a material on the walls, etc.

See the other tutorials below for more information on reflection and lights.

Documentation, Help and Forums

Video Tutorials

We have created a number of Video Tutorials which will help you get started.
Rendering with SketchUp
How-to-render.jpg How to choose a renderer
Sample-renderings-thumbnail.jpg Sample Renderings
First Exterior Rendering.jpg First Exterior Rendering

Video2.jpg Simple Rendering of an Object

Getting Started
Getting started video.jpg Getting Started with IRender nXt
Getting Started with nXtRender.jpg Getting Started with nXtRender

Interior lighting button.jpg Interior Lighting Basics
Reflections video.jpg Highlights and Reflections
IRender nXt Videos
IRender nXt Video.jpg IRender nXt Features
Version3-video.jpg Advanced IRender nXt Features
Pback2.jpg Position your Background Image
Position HDRi.jpg Position HDRi Sky

Glass transparency.JPG Fine Tuning Transparency
Button for edge lines vid.jpg Rendering with Edge Lines
Lighting-channels-video.jpg Lighting Channels

Material-channels-video.jpg Material Channels

Realistic Water Effects.jpg Realistic Water Effects
Create 3D PDF.jpg IRender nXt 3D PDF

Other SketchUp products

NprTools Video
  • Add non-photorealistic effects to your SketchUp Model.
  • Soft Shadows
  • Sketchy Shadows
NprTools-Video.jpg
RpTreeMaker Video
  • Add custom, fractal trees to your SketchUp Model.
  • Create a simple tree and see how to change the parameters.
Treemaker button.jpg

AccuRender nXt for Revit

AccuRender nXt Simple Rendering
  • Load and use AccuRender nXt for Revit
  • Render a model with default settings
Revit button.jpg

IRender Tutorials - click to see other Tutorials

Documentation

Help Systems

IRender reference guides

Help

Forums

Forum Support For additional support, visit the IRender nXt Forum

If you have any questions, post them on the Forum, or just visit to see what others have to say.

Video Tutorials

Video Tutorials

We have created a number of Video Tutorials which will help you get started.
Rendering with SketchUp
How-to-render.jpg How to choose a renderer
Sample-renderings-thumbnail.jpg Sample Renderings
First Exterior Rendering.jpg First Exterior Rendering

Video2.jpg Simple Rendering of an Object

Getting Started
Getting started video.jpg Getting Started with IRender nXt
Getting Started with nXtRender.jpg Getting Started with nXtRender

Interior lighting button.jpg Interior Lighting Basics
Reflections video.jpg Highlights and Reflections
IRender nXt Videos
IRender nXt Video.jpg IRender nXt Features
Version3-video.jpg Advanced IRender nXt Features
Pback2.jpg Position your Background Image
Position HDRi.jpg Position HDRi Sky

Glass transparency.JPG Fine Tuning Transparency
Button for edge lines vid.jpg Rendering with Edge Lines
Lighting-channels-video.jpg Lighting Channels

Material-channels-video.jpg Material Channels

Realistic Water Effects.jpg Realistic Water Effects
Create 3D PDF.jpg IRender nXt 3D PDF

Other SketchUp products

NprTools Video
  • Add non-photorealistic effects to your SketchUp Model.
  • Soft Shadows
  • Sketchy Shadows
NprTools-Video.jpg
RpTreeMaker Video
  • Add custom, fractal trees to your SketchUp Model.
  • Create a simple tree and see how to change the parameters.
Treemaker button.jpg

AccuRender nXt for Revit

AccuRender nXt Simple Rendering
  • Load and use AccuRender nXt for Revit
  • Render a model with default settings
Revit button.jpg

See also

External links