Rendering in Revit.
Source : evermotion.org
Revit is a powerful software package of BIM capable of creating a 3D model of a project including physical properties and interactions of building components. It also eliminates the complexity of managing upgrades. It is also very useful in calculating material lists or preparing project bids as it contains all major information about technical specifications and pricing which in turn results in automatic cost scheduling.
Rendering in Revit gives the user the luxury of rendering a single image and also a batch of images which helps with saving time without compromising on the quality of content made. Simultaneous editing and viewing make rendering in Revit favorable.
There are a couple of rendering tools in Revit (plugins) and most of the rendering tools can produce mind-blowing renders if you are willing to spend endless time. The real win is about millennium output in less time.
Following are the rendering tools :
1. Autodesk Cloud Rendering
2. Revit Native Rendering
3. Enscape
4. V-Ray
5. Lumion
6. Twinmotion
These Revit plugins have made an architect's life much easier and have succeeded in becoming an inseparable part. We shall look into these tools in detail.
1. Autodesk Cloud Rendering.
Source : atlascloud.co.uk
This rendering tool lets you create renderings on Autodesk servers even when you are working on your Revit file.
Decent looking colours, good shadows and interesting reflections are the major pros of Autodesk cloud rendering.
Not so good sky which demands the need to be photoshopped, sharper vertical elements and hassles with the cloud rendering service are some of the major cons of this rendering tool.
2. Revit Native Rendering
Source : autodesk.com
This tool happens to be a lot duller and so creating a nice image might need to be photoshopped intensely.
This tool is already included in Revit, there is no need for any additional software.
Following factors makes it less-preferred:
Limited rendering options
Poor lighting options
Takes a longer time to create the rendering
Flat shadows, dull colours and reflections
3. Enscape
Source : enscape3d.com
The settings in Enscape are very easy to use and to test, so the time consumed is relatively less. This is one of the most preferred rendering tools of Revit and below mentioned are the advantages and disadvantage of Enscape:
Advantages:
- Can render great sky without the help of photoshop.
- Great looking entourage
- Sharp Colours
- Availability of global illumination and exposure that gives perfect lighting for shadows.
- Intuitive user interface and friendly settings control.
- Great reflections.
Disadvantages:
- Limited choices of elementary subjects like trees, people, etc.
4. V-Ray
Source : brandeps.com
It is an old-school raytracing plugin. V-Ray can be a great choice when you have an extensive amount of time in hand to create the custom textures and post-process the image. It is a precise rendering tool with a lot of advanced settings and customization accounts for one of its noted advantages but default textures are not great and need to use photoshop extensively to create a good sky with clouds.
5. Lumion
Source : lumion.com
The huge library of objects, characters and it is one of the best tools to create animations. Incredible results can be produced with Lumion but require a good amount of time to process, adjust the textures, and to create the perfect settings. It is fun and exciting to use and can create a good looking sky and rest of the things without the help of photoshop.
Notable disadvantages are user interface can be a little confusing and default textures are not so impressive.
6. Twinmotion
Source : imaginit.com
Twinmotion is almost similar to Lumion as both of them require some amount of time to render. It has got a fun user interface, decent texture, and a good library. Weird looking clouds, not so great shadows, and reflections are some of the notable disadvantages.
Though all the tools are impressive at certain points, the time limit plays a major role and so Enscape is usually preferred as the best choice.
By rendering in Revit, you can get great things but expecting a world view will be impractical.
Below are some important tips to consider while rendering:
- Run Revit with extensive memory, processing might take a lot of time if your system's memory is being overtaxed.
- Selection of the right resolution
- Use camera viewing as they are more realistic than the isometric view.
- Save all your renderings to the project.
- Includes elements of real-life objects to enhance the output.
- Give extra attention to the lighting scheme that you are using.
- Have realistic expectations.
Technological development has given rise to building systems that were unimaginable a couple of decades back. Rendering is fun if you get the hang of the software and it makes the life of an architect much easier.