Image rendering

Preparation

The following describes how to render a realistic image.

For a realistic light representation, it is recommended to use a 360° HDRI image. All light information is stored in these images.

These HRDI images can be found and downloaded for free at the following link: https://polyhaven.com/hdris

On this website there are a lot of HDRI images that are suitable for rendering. In this example, the following image was used.


HDRI images can have a very large file size. This is because the light information is stored uncompressed. For a good to very good result a resolution of 4k or 8k is recommended.
HDRI images can have a very large file size. This is because the light information is stored uncompressed. For a good to very good result a resolution of 4k or 8k is recommended.

To download the desired image go to the top right of the website, there you can choose the resolution and the file format. In this example the resolution 8k and the file format HDR was chosen.

Include HDRI image in visual-Store

To use the downloaded image in visual-Store, click the Environment button on the right side of the toolbar.

The loading time of the HDRI image depends on the file size and resolution.
After the HDRI image is loaded the real time light representation of your design will change, this is just a rough preview of how the light will end up looking in your design.

Now, in the environment setting, you can still optionally set the Rotation and Intensity Set.
In this example, the light intensity was set to 150 set to get more light in the planning.
To make the illumination of the room even more realistic, you can also add photometric light sources. These have a more natural light distribution.

It's always a good idea to do test renderings at a lower resolution before rendering the final image. This is just so you can quickly see how the light works in your design.

Render the image

When you have made all the necessary settings, the final image can now be rendered. To do this, go to Presentation in the upper tab and click on Image.
In the render window that opens, you can now set the resolution and renderer.
In this example, a resolution of 1280 x 720 was selected. As renderer please use the OSPRay renderer.
The following settings have been made for this image.

 

  • Processing:
    • Termination condition:

 

    Medium

  • Beam depth: 8
    This is particularly useful when rendering glass, otherwise 6 is sufficient.
  • Brightness threshold: 10
  • Light calculation: Medium
  • Hue Mapping:
    • Process: Filmic
    • Brightness: 1.75

    The brightness under hue mapping, was adjusted after the rendering, because the image still appeared a bit too dark. This step can be performed at any time and is independent of the rendering.

    Results

    Here you can see a few sample images rendered with the previously made settings.

    During the rendering process, the image is smoothed in the meantime. To shorten the rendering time, you can run the renderer two or three more times after the first smoothing and then cancel the rendering. This is because the image is only slightly improved in detail after it has been smoothed.