Creating Renderworks styles

Renderworks styles that incorporate either realistic or artistic Renderworks parameters can be saved as resources. For more information on creating resources, see Creating resources.

If you create a Renderworks style while the layer or viewport is rendered in any Renderworks mode or a Renderworks style, the current settings are used as the basis for the new style. This is a convenient way of saving render settings.

1. From the Resource Manager, click New Resource, select Renderworks Style, and then click Create. Alternatively, from the Resource Manager, select Renderworks Styles from the list of resource types on the tool bar, and click New Renderworks Style.

2.The Edit Renderworks Style dialog box opens. Provide a name for the style resource and select a realistic or artistic type of style, and then specify the render parameters.

Parameter	Description
Name	Specify the name of the Renderworks Style resource
Type	Select either Realistic or Artistic; different options are available depending on the desired look
Realistic	Creates a Renderworks style based on Custom Renderworks options
Options
Anti-Aliasing	Select for smoother edges on objects and textures; deselect for faster rendering with rougher edges
Shadows	shadows for a higher degree of realism
Textures	Renders the textures assigned to objects; deselect for faster rendering
Blurriness	Renders textures with blurred reflectivity and/or blurred transparency (this can add significant rendering time)
Displacement Mapping	Renders with displacement mapping when a texture’s bump shader setting has a displacement height set; select the displacement mapping quality on the Quality tab. Deselect for faster rendering.
Caustics	Renders caustics from light objects that have Caustic Photons set to a value other than None from the Object Info palette (see Light source properties)
Grass	When a grass color shader is used for a texture, renders the blades of grass. When this option is deselected, the first shader color (or image) is used, but blades of grass are not rendered, saving rendering time for large surfaces or dense grass.
Colors	When selected, renders colors, and textures with colors; deselect to render colors as white
Camera Effects	When selected, the Renderworks camera effects settings for the active camera are used in the rendering (see Placing a Renderworks camera). When deselected, only the active camera’s position and orientation settings are used in the rendering. Renderworks camera effects are camera-dependent; activate the camera to see the effects in the rendering.
Fullscreen Preview	Fullscreen preview can help you make faster decisions when adjusting the view, lighting, and/or render settings. When this option is selected, you will see an immediate full-screen preview at a very low resolution that is slow to resolve to final resolution; this is useful when working interactively to test rendering on a design layer, but is not appropriate for producing final renderings because it is slower. To save time, deselect this option when you are not making adjustments. Rendering occurs with final-rendered squares that populate the drawing.
Quality	For each parameter, select the quality level. Higher quality results in better resolution of rendered images, with better texture detail and softer shadows, but takes more time.
Quality Levels	Conveniently sets the quality level of all the options at one time. Custom indicates that some options have different quality levels set.
Curved Geometry	Select the quality level for faceting of curved geometry (such as NURBS surfaces)
Anti-Aliasing	Select the quality level for anti-aliasing (smoothing) of edges on objects and textures
Indirect Lighting	Select the quality level for indirect lighting effects
Soft Shadows	Sets the quality level of shadows for light objects that have Soft Shadows enabled. For area and line lights, specifies the sampling quality of the light.
Blurriness	Select the quality level of textures with blurry reflectivity and/or transparency
Environment Lighting	Select the sampling quality level for environment background lighting. This option has no effect when indirect lighting is enabled for the lighting options.
Displacement Mapping	When enabled on the Options tab and set for a bump shader, select the quality of the displacement mapping. Higher quality is more realistic for fine displacement bumps, but will require longer rendering times. Rendering can be significantly slower with displacement mapping.
Max Reflections	Enter the number of levels of reflection among shiny surfaces; a higher value slows rendering, but can yield a more realistic image for scenes with many inter-reflecting objects
Lighting
Apply Lighting Options	Controls whether the Renderworks style changes the current lighting options when it is applied. Select the option to apply the style’s lighting options to the layer or viewport when the Renderworks style is applied. Deselect the option to leave the current lighting options unchanged when the Renderworks style is applied.
Lighting Options	Sets the lighting options; see Setting lighting options
Edit Resource	Opens the Edit Renderworks Background dialog box, to conveniently change background and environment lighting options that affect the rendering
Edges
Apply Artistic Edges	Applies artistic edges on top of the realistic shaded rendering
Style	Select an edge style
Thickness (pixels)	Specifies the edge thickness
Color	Specifies the edge color
Background
Apply Renderworks Background	Controls whether the Renderworks Background changes the current background options when it is applied. Select the option to apply the style’s background to the layer or viewport when the Renderworks style is applied. Deselect the option to leave the current background unchanged when the Renderworks style is applied.
Renderworks Background	Sets the Renderworks Background options; see Creating Renderworks backgrounds
Environment Reflections	Sets the background that reflects from glass and metal surfaces independently of the Renderworks Background that surrounds the drawn object; the resource should have either a Physical Sky or Panoramic Image background type. See Creating Renderworks backgrounds.
Artistic	Creates a Renderworks style based on Artistic Renderworks options
Artistic Style	Select an Artistic Renderworks style and set any options
Background
Apply Renderworks Background	Controls whether the Renderworks Background changes the current background options when it is applied. Select the option to apply the style’s background to the layer or viewport when the Renderworks style is applied. Deselect the option to leave the current background unchanged when the Renderworks style is applied.
Renderworks Background	Sets the Renderworks Background options; see Creating Renderworks backgrounds

The Renderworks style displays in the Resource Manager and is saved with the file. It is added to the list of available Renderworks styles in View > Renderworks Style.

To edit a Renderworks Style resource after it has been created, from the Resource Manager, right-click on the resource, and select Edit from the context menu. See Resource Manager: Resource viewer pane.