What steps do you go through to save images from V-Ray in SketchUp?
‘Save Image’ lets you set or change the File Path, and ‘File Path’ lets you choose the file location and type to save your V-Ray rendered image. The file types are png, bmp, tga, hdr, sgi, jpg, exr, pic, tif, and vrimg, letting you save the image in different formats. Bear in mind the File Type option is only available once you’ve set a valid File Path.
How do you set up the scene and adjust the settings?
Scenes let you save different views of a model and switch between them. Import a SketchUp model into LayOut and the scenes you’ve created are ready for you to use, good news when you want to show the views in a LayOut document. To change the view to a scene from a model, select the SketchUp model in the drawing area, open it, select the scene name from the drop-down list in the Viewport area, and choose a scene name from the Scenes drop-down list.
Adjust your perspective and scale in Perspective view, where the model isn’t to scale. Switch to Parallel Projection view, displaying something called an ‘orthographic view’. This is where you set a scale for your model, inside LayOut. Choose your model entity from the drawing area. Open SketchUp’s Model panel. Click the Ortho button or context-click the entity and de-select the Perspective option from the context menu. Once your model entity view is orthographic, you can choose your scale options. Choose or type in the scale you want, or add your own custom scale to the pre-set choices.
When you need the model to stay at a constant size, choose ‘Preserve Scale’ in the Resize checkbox. Simply re-select it to resize the model to your bounding box.
Some handy tips and tricks
First, think about your model’s orientation, which affects how realistic your lighting will look. Models need to be properly aligned, and you’ll also need to make sure you’ve chosen the right light source.
The fine details matter a lot. Spend time pinning them all down. Gaps between boards, for example, can cause havoc because V-Ray is so powerful it renders absolutely everything, even the smallest details. Remove anything unnecessary but keep important detailing.
Tidy and clean things up with model optimisation before using V-Ray. This removes any unnecessary details that’ll otherwise slow the render process down. If an element of your design doesn’t serve a genuine purpose, take it out.
Name your materials in SketchUp so you’ll remember them. Otherwise assigning materials to a design can get pretty confusing. Be specific and name them in a way that means you can’t get them mixed up. ‘1’, ’2’ and ‘3’ are a lot less memorable than ‘green tiles’, ‘grey slates’ and ‘blue mosaic’, for example.
