IRender Tutorial - Reflection and Glow

SketchUp model rendered with mirror specular reflection. The image on the right has the mirror set to 90%, the floor set to 60% and the back wall set to 40%.

This Reflection and Glow Tutorial explains how to add reflective surfaces to your SketchUp model for use with IRender .

Mirror reflection and Specular Reflection add Photorealism to your renderings. You can define materials as reflective in SketchUp and then they will generate reflections when you render them.

Glow can create realistic lighting effects without having to add too many lights.

Guidelines

  • Use a white color material 95% reflection for mirrors (so they will be more realistic and not reflect 100% of the light).
  • For materials such as wood, try 60%, and then adjust it up or down to get the effect you want.
  • For shinier materials, such as a tile or a shiny floor, try 85%.




Setting Reflection for Existing Materials

Rendered image with no reflections.

To load the Wizard, right click on a face (use edit group or component if necessary), and select Irender: Edit Material. This will load the Material Wizard showing reflection settings for this face.

Material Wizard
  1. Select the material type desired at the left
  2. Use the slider bar to select the desired reflection. (0.80 means that the material is 80% reflective)
  3. Click "OK".


Rendered image with 80% wood reflection.

Click Render to re-render the model.

Glow

Model with 75% glow assigned to the neon letters. SketchUp 3D Model courtesy of Omega Signs Limited. Rendering performed with IRender .
Same model with no glow.
  • Glow can add realism to your rendered image by providing lighting effects without adding additional lights.
  • Glow operates by making an item display as if it were illuminated without using lights to perform the illumination.
  • Typical uses for glow are:
    • Neon Signs
    • Lamp Shades
    • Exterior windows which would be illuminated by interior lighting

Glow is set in the same way as reflection.

  • By adding "_glowxx" to the end of a material name., or
  • By defining existing faces or materials to have a glow.



See also