Rendering Workflow in Revit 2010

Rendering Workfl ow

In this blogpost, you will learn about various methods and techniques used in a rendering workfl ow. A rendering workfl ow is a process chart that shows the fl ow of the rendering process to achieve the end result in the form of high quality rendered image.

Step 1 - Creating a Three-Dimensional View

To start with the rendering process, the fi rst step is to generate a three-dimensional view of the exterior or interior of the building model that you have created.

Step 2 - Specifying Render Appearances and Applying Materials

A material defi nes the exact look and finish of elements present in a building model. In Revit Architecture, you can create your own material or use in-built materials from the Render Appearance Library to apply to specific elements. The Revit material defi nes the texture, color, and exact appearance of an element and also allows you to control various parameters required to define specific materials; for example, to defi ne a glass, you can define its transparency, reflection, color, and so on.The materials provided in Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 have been assigned the mental ray material properties, and therefore, they appear more realistic than the standard materials in the previous version. The materials and their applications are discussed later in this blog.

Step 3 - Applying Lights

You can light a three-dimensional model by using natural illumination from daylight or using artificial light sources such as electric lights, gas lights, lamps, candles, or oil lamps. While placing artificial lights in a three-dimensional model, you can define lighting fixtures and their light sources to attain the best effect. As you render, Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 provides you the facility to control the visibility of these lights in a particular rendered image while defining the setting for rendering the scene. Details about lighting in Revit Architecture are discussed later.

Step 4 - Using Entourages and Decals

In Revit Architecture, you can use entourages to add additional features such as trees, people, cars, and so on. These features do not represent the main model but contribute toward making

the rendered image more realistic. The entourage objects are defi ned as families and include Archvision’s RPC (Rich Photorealistic Contents) objects that can add more realism, when added in a model and rendered

Similarly, you can use decals to place images on the surfaces of a building model. Decals are generally used to depict signage, paintings, and signboards in a rendered image. In Revit Architecture, you can place decals only on a fl at or cylindrical surface.

Step 5 - Defining Render Settings

After applying materials, lights, entourages, and creating a three-dimensional view, you need to start the rendering process. To do so, choose the Show Rendering Dialog button from the View Control Bar or type RR; the Rendering dialog box will be displayed. In this dialog box, you can specify the view area for rendering, lighting controls, background, render quality specifications, and size of the rendered image.

Step 6 - Creating the Rendered Image

After specifying all parameters for the rendering, you need to run the render engine using the Rendering dialog box to create a rendered image. To do so, choose the Render button from the Rendering dialog box. You will learn the process of rendering an image using the options in this dialog box later in this chapter.

Step 7 - Exporting the Rendered Image

After finishing the rendering process, you can save it in a file or as a project view. To export the rendered image to a file, choose the Export button from the Image area in the Rendering dialog box; the Save Image dialog box will be displayed. You can save the image file to the required location using the appropriate fi le format. Alternatively, if you want to save the rendered image in your project view, choose the Save to Project button from the Image area in the Rendering dialog box; the Save to Project dialog box will be displayed, where you can specify the name of the rendered image by entering a name in the Name edit box. Next, choose OK to save the image and exit the Save to Project dialog box.

To open the rendered image in the project, you need to select the image by choosing Views (all) > Renderings in the Project Browser.