What follows are some brief notes on the fundamental process of creating photo rendered images and scenery. This process will enable you to present your design more realistically. The process can be compared to a photographer taking photo shoots using objects and lights within self-defined environments.
A photographer never gets
every aspect of the photo shoot right the first time, so don't be disappointed
if the first few renderings don't meet your expectations. You will need to practice and experiment with
every one of the settings described until you become familiar enough with the
complete PhotoRender process.
Before setting up Lighting & Rendering turn on Real Time Rendering in View – Display Settings… -- Model
Display… under the
Shade tab. Also check that Textures, Transparency are active.
To
bring up the PhotoRender application select View – Model Setup
– Render Control. A small window displaying all PhotoRender
components as icons will pop up.
The
complete rendering process involves the following steps:
·
Appearances
Your
model appearance is the focus of this step. Its color properties and texture
are controlled here. Start by giving your part some color, or apply a texture
to it select:
Select
or add a new color to the palette. You can then control brightness,
transparency and reflectivity. Or you can attach a texture to your parts
surface.
·
Lights
Here
you can create and control Point-, Direction- and Spot- light sources to illuminate your model.
·
Room
This step allows you to define the appropriate background, or “room” setting for your model.
·
Perspective
Controls the perspective
view of your model. This can have dramatic effect on your presentation,
particularly on complicated parts or assemblies.
·
PhotoRender Setup
The "Render
Setup"
dialog box is the place where you define final specifications in preparation
for the photorendered image. This dialog can be accessed by selecting the Modify
Rendering Settings icon from the "Photo Control" menu bar. The Options
tab which appears first has certain settings set as default. These settings are
useful with creating a "first-off" rendered image. You will want to
experiment with these attributes to see what is best for your final
photorendered image. If you want your model to appear very realistic, you will
ultimately want to set the following as active:
o
Transparency: Check this to show models with transparency
assigned.
o
Appearance
Textures: Check this if you have
placed textures on the model.
o
Self Shadows: Unless the model is well lit from every direction,
there should always be self shadows.
o
Reflec Room: Use this if
you want the model to reflect the walls of the room.
o
Render Room: This is On as default to place the model in a
room environment. You can turn this Off if desired. If the room is not
active, it will not be displayed but all other user assigned attributes will
remain in effect. The model will be rendered with a featureless black
background.
o
Reflect Model In Floor: Use this if you want the floor to appear shiny and
reflect the model which may be resting on the floor surface.
o
Shadows On
Floor: If your model "sits"
on the floor, you should have this as active. If your model is
"floating" in an environment (or in space) where the floor is not
visible, there is no need to have this active.
o
Geometric
Texture Sharpen: This is useful if
you have a geometric type texture such as grids or stripes that are not
displaying clear in a trial photorendered image. This option will also enhance
the appearance of decals and bump maps.
o
Light Room: If you have
not defined your own lights, make this selection active. The completed rendered
image will not look as customized but it will still produce an image that can
be used for evaluation or presentation purposes.
Please note: Each of
these settings will enhance the final rendered image. They will require
Pro/ENGNEER to perform additional calculations however, and a longer rendering
time may result. Therefore, it is not recommended that you set many of these
until you are prepared to create the final rendering.
·
PhotoRender
At this time you have set almost everything necessary
to get a first look rendering. Select the Render final imagel icon, and
the rendering process will start. Rendering time will be based on model
complexity and render parameters discussed above. Once your model is rendered,
and if the visual results are satisfactory, return to the "Render
Configuration" dialog box Options tab and set the Render Quality
to High or Maximum. This will increase model rendering time, but the final results will
be worth it. Once the rendering is complete, you can save Photorendered images
by selecting the Save the currently displayed image to file icon.
You may also set the output type to "New
Window". When the rendering is complete, select Display from the
"PhotoRender Abort" dialog box. This will place the image into the
Image Editor, where it can be resized, saved as another image type, etc.