How to render with Sketchup?

Whatever your modeling software in CAD (Photoshop, Sketchu pro…), it is always very important to make sure you have a good rendering engine. Even more so when it comes to modeling and simulating realistic 3D renderings. It is expected that your final model and its photo rendering will be extremely realistic (in terms of lighting for example and other very important details), as it is the case for professional designers’ projects.

So, in this article, we propose you to discover how to make a rendering with SketchUp, a powerful 3D modeling software. To render with SketchUp and enable a realistic visualization of your project, we share the basics. Welcome to our SketchUp training to learn how to use this high performance CAD software and its professional quality printable renderings.

First step TO render with sketchup: Create a harmonious scene

There are several elements that come into play when rendering with Sketchup, before exporting the finished project. So, you’ll only get a satisfactory rendering if you have an eye, like a perfectionist photographer, on the right composition of the scene, taking care of every detail. Computer graphics artists, designers, architects, graphic artists… 3D drawing is your daily work. Also, mastering a rendering engine is essential to offer a perfect final post-production rendering. To obtain a realistic rendering of your models is therefore essential. You will therefore need to download a plugin dedicated to 3D software, such as the V-Ray extension or Thea Render.

First of all, you must make sure that your composition is well harmonized with your technical drawing software. Your elements must be arranged in such a way as to strike the observer’s eye in a positive way. This includes the placement of each element of the set, space management, camera positioning and depth of field for example. Everything must appear balanced and respect the margins of the perspective for this type of 3D rendering called “realistic”. The lighting of the scene plays a very important role in the quality of the rendering, and this is true of all CAD software. Sketchup is no exception. So make sure you have enough light sources in your 3D model to ensure a correct rendering at least, if not more aesthetically. You can rely on the right positioning of your lighting to achieve the desired result (beware of direct lighting on an element of the room: prefer ambient lighting)

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Successful rendering: rendering time and parametric adjustment

Whether you are a beginner or a professional designer, whether you are a PC or Mac user, it is essential to master real-time rendering and rendering engines in general, in order to create visuals in the best 3D modeling software such as Sketchup.

So, before exporting, don’t hesitate to use indirect lighting or global illumination (GI for short) to make your objects come alive, as mentioned earlier. Next, make sure you have the best texture for all the elements in your project. This is an equally important aspect, as it contributes greatly to the realism of your render. It allows you to judge the surfaces more clearly. So be careful not to let mistakes like texture borders, flat or clumsily applied textures show. Also take the time to choose your 3D models. Indeed, they must be of good resolution so as not to alter the quality of your work. Downloading free objects from third-party software is not always reassuring. It is often better to choose very good quality objects from a library such as Evermotion (paid). Take into account all those little features related to your projects’ environments, landscape, weather, etc… And then rendering with Sketchup will become a breeze!