easy rendering for Rhino in Windows
This tutorial shows how to render a standard Rhino model using nXT. This tutorial requires the sample 3DM file to start. You can download the file from this link.
The Tutorial covers the basic steps of rendering with nXt which include:
The first step is to download and unzip the tutorial files. To download the zip file, click on the Fishing Reel.zip link. Unzip these files into their own folder somewhere memorable on your computer. Open the Fishing Reel.3dm file in Rhino. Check that Flamingo nXt is the current renderer in the render drop down menu.
For your first rendering of the model, click on the render button. Your image should look like the one on the right. nXt works differently than previous versions of Flamingo.
A new model in nXt will use a default HDRI lighting set up and will also use a white default material for all objects.
For instance you will see shadows start out very sharp and linear. With each pass, the shadows will get softer as they blend together. There are many other effects that will also improve with each render pass.
In this way, an nXt rendering is never "finished"; you merely decide when it is good enough to stop. This allows you to let images that are looking good to continue to improve. But you can also stop an image at any time, if you would like to change or save something.
Some of the effects that improve on each pass are:
Because basic lighting is already built into nXt, making the right materials is normally where most of the work lies. Materials are stored directly in each model. To create a set of materials, we can use material templates that assist you in creating new materials quickly.
Open the Flamingo nXt control panel from the Flamingo nXt drop down menu in Rhino. Then expand the Materials section.
To Make a metal material:
To assign the materials to a layer: Now you will assign these materials to the model. In this case, we will assign the materials to the layers in the model. This means all objects on those layers will use the render material assigned.
Flamingo nXt will take multiple passes at an image. With each pass many subtle effects will continue to improve.
Look at the Gold Satin material on the top of the reel. You will see the reflections are pronounced and sharp at first. As the passes progress, you will see the reflections continue to blur creating the satin effect. The longer you let nXt render, the more detailed this material quality will become.
We're getting closer to the final rendering and just need to add a few more details. Next, you will add a ground plane.
By default, nXt uses a grey ground plane. Here again you can see the multi-pass rendering in action.
In the first passes, you will see that the shadows are sharp and that there are many shadows going in multiple directions. As the passes progress, the shadows will get softer and softer. Soft shadows are automatic in nXt, but they do take multiple passes to generate. So, when you are rendering your own images, do not be alarmed at the multiple shadows on the first few passes.
The grey ground plane is OK, but you’ll see a difference when you use the wood deck material you created for the reel to sit on.
This render's already looking pretty good, but for small objects adding Depth of Field will add increase realism. This will make the foreground and background out of focus and draw attention towards the model itself.
The focal distance and strength of depth of field is critical.
This is the end of the tutorial. I hope you find this helpful.
© 2021 Created by Scott Davidson.
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