Rendering & Walk-through Rendering & walk-through techniques for ARCHICAD.

Permission to Copy

The CAD Academy

This Quick Start is a continuation of The CABIN project

There is definite art to animation and rendering. It is very similar to fine art where illusion or impression is used. Go easy on the detail and allow the observer fill in the blanks from their imagination. Students who enjoy graphics and gaming often do very well in their field. The same skill set applies to architectural rendering and walk-throughs, but with far greater job opportunities.

ARCHICAD makes it easy to produce professional renderings and walk-throughs. Open the CABIN project and we explore architectural graphics. We are going to “dress” up the outside of the CABIN by quickly placing in a front porch and back patio using SLAB found in the TOOLBOX.

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Next we are going to make the largest rectangle we can using the MESH tool

found in the toolbox. Select MESH. Change the elevation to -6” so the ground

is below our house and select rectangle mode and draw as large a rectangle as

you can.

Drawing a large rectangle will allow us to zoom into the cabin and give the

illusion of continuous green grass.

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Next SELECT OBJECTS in the TOOLBOX and SEARCH for TREE. Search also

using

PLANT

and you

will find

bushes as

well.

Select a

tree of

your

choice and

place only

4 trees

and 2

bushes.

See if you can take those

6 items and create an

illusion of more being at

the site. You may want

to make them different

heights or choose a

variety. Keep it simple.

The more you add the

longer the rendering

time.

Remember: all you need

to do is create an illusion

of more.

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Below is an example of using just 4 trees and 2 bushes to create a rendering.

Creating a rendering is

easy with ARCHICAD.

Simply go to the

DOCUMENT pull-down

and select CREATIVE

IMAGING and then

PHOTORENDERING

SETTINGS.

We have 3 different

ways to create a rendering. An

architect might choose the sketch

engine when first showing the project to

a client. Renderings look finished while sketches look changeable so the

customer will feel free to change something.

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For final renderings LightWorks is the superior engine because it calculated

reflected light depending on the material selected. Select LIGHTWORKS

RENDERING ENGINE and select OK.

Select GENERIC PERSPECTIVE from the NAVIGATOR. Using ORBIT and ZOOM

rotate your cabin into a view you would like to see rendered.

Go to the DOCUMENT pull-

down and select CREATIVE

IMAGING and the

PHOTORENDER

PROJECTION.

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It is amazing how great the

rendering will look using

“default” settings.

Return back to the DOCUMENT

pull-down and select

PHOTORENDERING SETTINGS

Select background. You change the image

here for the render background. The

image is just a .jpg image. You could take

a picture of the intended site with your

cell phone or digital camera and use that

as the background.

Change to sky-clouds.

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Brighten is handy when your render is too

dark.

Try re-rendering your drawing to see what

the changes you made did to the rendering.

Next a camera will be important to

rendering and walk-throughs. A camera

allows you to change the way you look at

an image.

Double click on CAMERA in the

TOOLBOX to see the options.

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If you select SUN from the

camera settings you may be able

to find your location. This

would then show you accurate

shadows at 2:00 in the

afternoon. Try changing to your

time zone.

Right

now the camera is

5’feet high and

looking slightly

down to 4’6” with a

distance of 80’ and

a view scone of 75

degrees.

To find out what that means we are going to

place a camera.

Place a camera as shown at right with two

mouse picks. (You may have to re-select

CAMERA in the TOOLBOX). First, select your

location by a left mouse pick. The second pick

indicates the direction you are looking.

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If you look at the NAVIGATOR you will see a CAMERA was ADDED. You can

double click on the camera to see what the camera sees.

Let’s say we want the camera to look “up” a

bit more. Go back or select the 1st floor in

the NAVIGATOR. Change the

TARGET Z to 5’6” and press

APPLY and create a new

camera right next to the first

one.

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Double click on each

one to see the results of

our changes. Camera 1

– 5’ and Z of 4’6”

In Camera 2 – 4’ and a Z

of 5’6”. We see more

above the cabin because

we are shorter looking

up.

This is just to let you know you can “TWEEK” the

camera to do what you want it to do when you

understand what the terms mean. Delete Camera 1

by selecting it and taping the Delete key on the

keyboard. Now, let’s try our first walk-around – walk

–through.

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Note how the 2nd

camera is heading

towards the front door.

The next camera looks

at the kitchen and the

next one heads out of

the door. Notice the

other cameras all face

the house so they are

“looking” at the house,

not space.

We are now ready for

a test run. Go to the

DOCUMENT pull-down

and then CREATIVE

IMAGING and then CREATE FLY-

THROUGH.

Select SHOW to see a LOW RESOLUTION

preview of our walk-through.

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If you like what you see you

then you are ready to render. .

If you don’t’ you can delete

camera’s, move or edit them.

You can also add time by

editing a camera.

Remember: The more cameras

the longer the render time, so

keep the number of cameras

down..

To make a movie, go to

DOCUMENT, CREATIVE

IMAGING and CREATE FLY-

THROUGH.

Select PHOTORENDERING

WINDOW and then SAVE.

You will be asked to name

the file. Be sure to save it

in a place you will be able

to locate again. When you

select SAVE and put in the

file name the RENDERING

will begin. It could take

some time.

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Below is what you will see as ARCHICAD creates a FLY-THROUGH.

When rendering is complete find the Quick Time file and play it.

Congratulations on your first walk-through!

Lesson is complete.