sketchup and rendering

[iraj2829]

Hi . I have tried different software to get a better rendering result for SU, but i am not still sure which rendering package is more suitable for SU.

Any suggestion?

[creasia]

I recommend Avsgis Vray. It has the top level quality of Vray and supports animation.

 

I use Maxwell and I have had some really nice results, but the time it takes to render with an unbiased renderer is really painfull. There are no animation features available at this time

 

There are some free ones out there. Indigo is quite nice and has a good interface within SU, but it takes even longer than Maxwell, and I still have yet to get the results I have wanted. There are no animation features available for this either.

 

Kerkythea is comparable to Vray, but I find that the quality is lacking somewhat still. This one exports animated frames.

 

Be warned that SU is not built for high poly scenes. Turn off shadows and hide layers.

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

Hi iraj 2829 !

 

Be confident that Kerkythea is really good and it is free too - thanks for dedicated people involved in it. Try it out before you decide.

Link is : http://www.kerkythea.net

 

With best regards

PRSS

[rcossoli]

I probe some VRay, indigo and fryrender (all engines unbiased) and the truth I am with Kerkythea (biased and unbiased) in addition to everything is open source

[RayOfLight]

I don't want to spoil it, but vray is not unbiased. I don't know about indigo, but Fryrender is unbiased, and for me works awesome.

I use fryrender for images that need to be perfect, and I use Vray for animations, and sometimes for work that doesn't need to be perfect, but needs to be done very fast.

[Slinger]

We use Podium at our office. It is the simplest of all the rendering programs to use and you can create nice results. The program only cost $200.

 

Go check out http://www.suplugins.com for more info and help.

[sutcac]

I just love Kerkythea, though I have to admit it is the only renderer I have much experience with. It has a great SU exporter, both biased and unbiased render settings, physically accurate materials, OK animation tools, and a great forum.

 

Here is a recent one I did-

 

[robert taylor]

Hi, I would go for the free IDX renditioner, works well for beginers and easy to understand. For intermediate use i would recommend vray for sketchup. But thats just my 2 cents.

[kwistenbiebel]

If you want quick but good results without too much fuzz I would go for Podium.

For more advanced rendering a Fryrender/Vray combo works pretty well.

[Slinger]

Podium has a beta 1.6 out that is coded to use multi-core processors. My renders are now done in 1/10th the time,literally.

[siliconbauhaus]

you need to specify what it is you want from a render...everyone here is just guessing mate

[morri]

Kerkythea is what i am using too. Interface is not the most user friendly but the results seem very good to me. I would always listen to Kwistenbiebel recommendations too, he is a great architect and master renderer!

[Al Hart]

I'd like to recommend IRender nXt for SketchUp, but that wouldn't really be fair because I am one of the developers.

 

Seriously though, we have integrated the new nXt rendering engine from the AccuRender folks into a very powerful, but easy to use package for SketchUp.

 

All rendering setting are set in SketchUp and remembered in SketchUp.

 

Check it out.

[Musicbox1970]

Hi, I Prefer Vray. Cause it has many options and they are so useful.

IRender is good as Vray. it could get resault like Vray. (if i don't mistake IRender can render from edges and has some options that however they are not as much as vray but so useful too.)

for others i try them but i couldn't have good resault (maybe it's my fault).

[cadmunkey]

I use Fryrender and the results are excellent but the timecost is huge. I've been seriously considering Vray recently after seeing some amazing sketchupVray images and for the time saving. Most render engines allow a demo, I suggest you try a few mentioned here.

Kerkythea is superb considering it is free.

[Elexsor]

Is Kerkythea the only freeware one of the recommended? I'm new to the whole rendering scene. I got the free version of IDX Renditioner but it only does small image rendering for free.

 

One of the main things I want is to be able to accurately put in interior light sources as I am currently modeling a home and would like to get a good feel of the lighting for recessed lights (like how many and in what locations for best results). I will definately give Kerkythea a try.

[cadmunkey]

Is Kerkythea the only freeware one of the recommended? .

Yes, but Vray has a 30 day fully functional trial with no limitations to render size. Have a try of both and see what you think.

[Elexsor]

Thanks will take a look. Has anyone tried IRender Nxt for Sketchup?

[d4legend]

kerkythea is the business. i have vray for sketch up. its handy that its in sketch up and doesnt mean you need other programmes but the quality isnt great its nothing like vray sp3 for 3ds max. id advise if you have the cash get max and vray. exporting to max is perfect and simple and the results youll get are mind blowing. the asgvis vray for sketch up is much slower and renders slightly different. if you dont believe me just check their forums heres rare flashes of quality work!

[James Hannigan]

Try Twilight, the new kid on the block, easy to use and very reasonable, some really outstanding renders can be achieved with this new software. The link is here:

http://www.twilightrender.com/

Edited November 6, 2009 by James Hannigan
link

[Al Hart]

Thanks will take a look. Has anyone tried IRender Nxt for Sketchup?

 

We have put together a sample model and video for you to consider when selecting a rendering engine.

Although some may not agree, we feel that a renderer should handle almost anything you have already put into your SketchUp drawing (materials, transparency, camera settings, images, section planes, etc.) with a minimal amount of effort on your part.

 

Take a look at the video to see if you agree. Search You Tube for "How to choose a renderer"

 

 

And, of course, we hope you will consider nXtRender or IRender nXt - two rendering engines fully integrated into SketchUp- as you make your decision.

[xwtao]

Vray is the best.

[akonius]

I have tried many out of SU7Pro but seem to have ended up liking Artlantis Studio. You get real time rendering with radiosity on screen as you make changes...and it's pretty easy to use, not a large learning curve at all. Did these in Artlantis from a SketchUp model...I think they came out pretty good.

 

 

[M_A_B]

i agree that vray might be the best but its not the easiest to use take a look at hypershot it really simple and effective.

[creasia]

See images 2,3,4 also 10, 16, 17 and 19 in my gallery. These were all created with the Sketchup/Maxwell Plugin.

 

http://www.foresight3d.com/gallery.htm

 

Maxwell supports instances and proxy geometry, which adds some serious power to Sketchup. I can turn rectangles into high poly grass and triangles into trees. The new version is pretty fast. Dont even think about animation though.

 

Vray is a good choice, but as far as I understand can't do instances or proxy geometry yet.

 

Indigo is also a very nice choice and has the easiest material assignment, but it takes even longer than the previous version of Maxwell to render a decent scene.

 

Both these renderers are unbiased and use different technology than ray tracing. Indigo has photon mapping as well, but I found the quality is not very good.

 

An alternative which is becoming more attractive, is exporting to Blender to render. There is a new vray exporter and you can purchase vray for Maya standalone, which works on Linux and Mac OS. I have seen some impressive contest winning quality stuff done with it. Blender has a new interface which has been released in November, but is still in alpha stages and the vray exporter as of a couple days ago has not been updated to work with it.

 

http://www.vray.com/vray_for_blender/