Make Rendering Easier

[Bruce Kieffer]

I will refrain from getting into specifics, but trying to figure out which rendering method works best for each drawing and each view is slow and hit or miss. I need a fast, clean, accurate way to render furniture concepts to separate the individual parts. Artist Renderworks cartoon is the closet to the way I need to render drawings, but it is not accurate. Lines are goofed everywhere with some lines showing that should be hidden, and others hidden that should be showing.

[Dave Donley]

Hello Bruce:

One technique you may like is to stack two viewports, one underneath shaded in some render mode, and a top one rendered with hidden line with sketched lines. The lines will be more accurate with hidden line with sketch than with ArtRW, and they will print higher res because they aren't made from pixels.

HTH,

[CipesDesign]

Hi Bruce, There is a pretty easy method of "stacking" viewports which might give you what you're looking for. Here are the simple steps:

1) Create a viewport (VP) of the view you wish to show. Place the VP on a sheet layer. Set the rendering mode to Open GL (or if you need realistic shadows, use Final Quality RenderWorks).

2) Select the VP and duplicate it in place. (Two ways to do that: either use the duplicate array command with zero offset, or Option-Click). Now you should have an exact copy of the first VP located exactly on top of the original VP.

3) Select the second (duplicate) VP and change the rendering mode to Hidden Line. Also, if desired you can increase (or decrease) the line weight (and other) by clicking on the "advanced properties" tab in the Object Info Palette (OIP).

4) Select both VP's and click UPDATE in the OIP. Wait for the update to finish and,

5) Voila!

I use this method to create exterior elevations (and other things). Let me know what you think ;-)

[Bruce Kieffer]

Dave & Peter,

I tried your suggestion and it works, but I have two questions for you: How do I get a higher resolution Renderworks rendering? It looks real chunky. And, how do I easily choose which viewport I'm working on? I still hope that rendering is made simpler in future VW releases.

[CipesDesign]

On a sheet layer the DPI setting controls the resolution. This setting can be changed in the LAYER SETUP dialog. Do to the fact that the higher the DPI setting is the longer it takes to UPDATE a VP, I usually leave all my sheet layers set to the default (72 dpi) until I'm ready to print the final version. Then I bump them up to 300 DPI for the final output. Selecting "stacked" VP's is tricky. I often move one temporarily so that I can be sure to select the correct one. One other way you could try is to add an object to the annotations of a given VP, but add it off the printed page. That will increase the snapping bounds of the VP so that you can just click on the annotation (without being *in* the annotations). Hope that helps.

[propstuff]

Selecting "stacked" VP's is tricky.

Hi Peter,

VP's -like most VW objects, respect the "stacking order".

Select 1 and check its render mode in the OIP. If it's the wrong one, send it to the back and select again. you should get the next one. :-)

cheers.

[CipesDesign]

Nic, yes I know. A VP is just a (special type of) object. However with stacked VP's I always need the HL to stay in front. It is extra steps to send it to back , select the other VP, then send to back again. Also in some cases I stack more than two VP's (like for site plans) and I don't really want to have to remember their stacking order. Usually when I am selecting a VP all I want to do is something simple, like change the lighting intensity. So it is fewer steps (or clicks) to select it, change the setting and click "update".

[Bruce Kieffer]

Got it. Thanks.

[Bruce Kieffer]

I've been using this technique with a new drawing this afternoon and it's working nicely. I named the hidden line rendered viewport "Lines", and the textured viewport "Textures". I find it's easy to switch between them by selecting the viewport in the navigation palette, control click and select "Activate" (or select "Activate" from the drop down menu), then click "Update" in the OIP.

[CipesDesign]

Yeah, cool idea. I use the nav palette a lot but (for some unknown reason) I've never used it select VP's. Duh ;-0 Thanks Bruce

[Christiaan]

Yup, the Nav Palette rules.

[Bruce Kieffer]

RenderWorks rendering is better when used on non-VPs. Even with the sheet layer is set to 300 DPI, the VP RenderWorks rendering appears a little chunky. Am I expecting too much, or is there a possible solution?

[CipesDesign]

Hmm. I'm not seeing a big difference. Is the VP the same scale as the design layer(s)?

[Bruce Kieffer]

I looked again. I think you're right. There's not much difference. I think the pixelization is more noticeable when the hidden line rendering is set on top of the RenderWorks rendering.