The SketchUp Extensions page allows SketchUp users to review SketchUp Plugins.

SketchUp offers a place for SketchUp users to review plug-ins and add-ons for SketchUp.

To see the reviews for IRender nXt, look at the end of this Page: IRender nXt Review.

Typical Review

Here is a typical review on the SketchUp site:

I really like IRender, it is so much easier to use than a lot of the other 3D rendering plugins for Sketchup. I tried several plugins before deciding to purchase IRender including Indigo Renderer and Shaderlight. IRender was easier to control and had plenty of options to get a nice rendering for someone who is not a really skillful 3D modeler. This is a good way to make fast renderings for simple to medium complexity Sketchup models. As I would say with any rendering plugin for Sketchup, you can't expect to get photorealistic 3D renders like other professional software like Blender or Maya simply because of the limitations of Sketchup. It is not ideal for high-poly models because Sketchup cannot handle it. So, by extension, IRender can't handle high-poly models either. If you have a particularly complex Sketchup model, you need to turn off certain layers or reduce the complexity because IRender will slow to a crawl or freeze up.

The best part about this software in particular is the customer support. The guys that created it are extremely helpful and quick to respond to your questions or issues. Whenever I have had a question I get a response on their forum in under an hour, sometimes in minutes. You are not just talking to a support rep, you are talking to the people that developed the software which makes a huge difference. One time I had an issue with a setting, they actually fixed the software within a week and had a new version that worked.

It takes a lot of experimentation and tweaking to get the renderings just right, but this level of control is great. I use the software for product renderings, interior design, and 3D diagrams. It takes a lot of work to get something to look completely photorealistic but it is possible. For the most part I don't need it to be completely photorealistic and it is so much faster and easier to use than the full-fledged 3D modeling programs that I don't have the time to learn to use.

And come on, it isn't going to break your computer like the previous reviewer said.

Give us a fair review

This was originally posted in January 2014. Since then we have received a number of favorable reviews as well.

I am in favor of reviews, and use them a lot for travel, etc. However, the first review we got on the IRender nXt page claimed that our software broke his computer and he had to purchase a new one.

I don't know how software can break a computer, and I certainly don't think our SketchUp Plugin had that effect. So it would sure help if there were a few more reviews available on this page.

I am not so brazen as to suggest that you offer us a good review. But how about at least a fair review.

If you have tried a Render Plus SketchUp product, and want to share your experience, please add a review to one of our SketchUp Extension pages. For a link to our products, see: Help us get a fair review

Why doesn't turning off a light make my scene darker

The first time I tried out Lighting Channels I was confused that lowering the intensity of a light didn't make the scene darker. The same effect is true when you add or remove a light from your SketchUp scene.

The cause of this is Automatic Luminance or Photometrics

Automatic Luminance or Photometrics automatically adjusts the overall intensity of your rendering, much like the automatic exposure on a camera.

If you want to adjust Lighting Channels or other items without having Photometrics apply, you can lock the Average Luminance on the Lighting Channels Wizard.

In the latest version of IRender nXt we have changed the default setting, so that the Luminance is locked when you make adjustments to lighting channels.

If you decide to unlock it - so that the exposure is recalculated as you modify lights - uncheck this box. What ever setting you choose will be remembered the next time you use lighting channels.

For more information, see: Lighting Channels