Renderworks shader parameters

Object Attribute

Selects the object’s fill color attribute to apply as a color texture

Image

Selects an imported image to apply as a color texture; the image can also be tinted with color (see Using an image in a texture shader)

Color

Specifies a color to be applied as a texture

Color

Click the color box to select the shader color

Brightness (%)

Lightens or darkens the selected color

Fresnel

Can be used to create a texture with a somewhat fuzzy appearance, like that of a pillow that appears slightly darker or lighter on its edges

Edge Color

Select the edge color by clicking the color box

Center Color

Select the main color by clicking the color box

Bricks

Creates a variegated brick pattern

Scale (%)

Specifies the size of the bricks relative to the texture Size

Colors

On the Bricks, Gaps, and Alt Bricks panes, click the color boxes to select color variations within a brick/gap, or choose the same color for no variation

Choose Image

On the Bricks, Gaps, and Alt Bricks panes, click to use an image for the brick or gap texture. The chosen image is randomized to show no repetition on the textured object, so each brick/mortar joint will look realistically unique.

For the completed brick surface to display correctly, the brick image should show only the flat face of a single brick or a portion of a brick, without any mortar joints. The gap image should show only mortar without any brick. Images of clay tiles and other similar objects can also be used in place of a brick.

Delete Image

Removes the selected image from the shader and uses only colors to create the variegated pattern

Image Blend (%)

When an image is used, specifies the blending between the image and the colors selected, to enhance the randomization of the resulting pattern. A low percentage value uses more color in the pattern, while a high value uses more of the image. The selected colors tint the image unless a blend value of 100% is set.

Bricks

Contrast (%)

Sets the color contrast between the two brick colors, establishing the dot-like variation within a brick

Brick Width/Height

Sets the brick width and height in real-world dimensions

Shift (%)

Sets the horizontal offset between rows of bricks

Half Brick Row

Adds a row of half bricks at the specified row interval

Half Brick Shift (%)

For half-brick rows, sets the amount of horizontal shift

Gaps

Size

Sets the size of the mortar joint gap in real-world dimensions

Noise (%)

Specifies the wobbliness of the mortar joints

Alt Bricks

Row

Adds a row of alternate brick colors at the specified row interval

Column

Adds a column of alternate brick colors at the specified column interval. Row must be greater than 0 to show columns.

Grass

Depending on the grass Density and the size of the model, using a grass shader on large surfaces can add significantly to the required render time. For large areas, using only an image shader rather than the grass shader is recommended, or break up the model into a foreground area with grass, and a background area with an image texture or color but no grass shader.

Custom Renderworks and Renderworks styles have an option to deselect Grass, controlling when blades of grass are depicted. Then, only the ground color or ground image is shown, without rendering grass blades. Grass is always off for Fast Renderworks and always on for Final Quality Renderworks.

Colors

The first color box specifies a color for the grass blade base and the ground, when an image is not used. The second color sets the color of the grass blade up to its tip.

Choose Image

Select an image to use for the grass as well as the ground between the blades of grass

Delete Image

Removes the selected image from the shader and uses only colors to create the grass

Image Blend (%)

When an image is used, specifies the blending between the image and the colors selected, to enhance the randomization of the resulting pattern. A low percentage value uses more color in the pattern, while a high value uses more of the image. The selected colors tint the image unless a blend value of 100% is set.

Length

Determines the length of each blade of grass

Width

Sets the width of the grass blades at the base. Each blade tapers to a point at its tip with a width of zero.

Density (%)

Specifies the grass blade density

Crinkle (%)

Specifies the curliness of the blades

Bend (%)

Curves the blades sideways

Wetness (%)

Makes the blades look shiny/wet

Noise

Pattern

Select the type of noise pattern to use. The preview helps distinguish the differences among the patterns. A generic noise pattern to select is Turbulence. Cell Voronoi is useful for creating speckled noise (set Low and High Clip around 70% each).

An example of each pattern is shown using default values for a color shader on a sphere with warm lighting on the top and cool lighting on the bottom. For comparison, this sphere has no texture applied:

The pattern might look different on a plane as opposed to the sphere used for the example. In addition, the appearance of each pattern can be dramatically affected by changes to its parameters. This example shows three variations of the blistered turbulence pattern.

Pattern

Varying only the Low Clip and High Clip percentages can completely change the appearance of the pattern.

The selected shader type also obviously affects the appearance of the pattern. This example shows the blistered turbulence pattern as a color shader and as a bump shader.

Box

Smoothed, random cube pattern

Blistered Turbulence

Varied distribution of light and dark areas

Buya

Generally dark background with occasional random light areas

Cell Noise

Tiled pattern with high contrast

Cranal

Looping, curving pattern of lines

Dents

Organic, twisted pattern of light and dark areas

Displaced Turbulence

Smooth version of turbulence, with random light and dark areas

FBM

Finer, detailed pattern of random light and dark areas

Hama

Similar to the looping pattern of cranal, but more abrupt and with high contrast

Luka

Mineral-like pattern of rough and more detailed areas

Mod Noise

Similar to the tiled pattern of cell noise, but with less contrast

Naki

Rough, concrete pattern

Noise

Soft, random, and unfocused pattern of wider light areas and some dark areas

Nutous

Generally dark background with smooth, flaked light areas

Ober

A variety of rough and detailed areas, interspersed with looping, flowing lines

Pezo

Generally dark background with smaller, patchy, lighter areas

Poxo

Fine-grained, detailed pattern

Random

Very fine and even detailed pattern

Sema

Generally dark background with random, dripping/melted lines

Stupl

Flowing, smeared pattern of light and dark areas

Turbulence

Soft and smooth, yet detailed noise pattern

VL Noise

Smoothed, varied, less-focused noise pattern

Wavy Turbulence

Smooth, soft noise pattern with occasional random peaks

Cell Voronoi

Similar to mod noise, but with irregular mosaic shapes rather than square tiles

Displaced Voronoi

Organic voronoi pattern with smaller, inner pattern offset

Sparse Convolution

Soft, unfocused, wide pattern of light and dark areas

Voronoi 1

Organic, detailed voronoi pattern of small cell shapes

Voronoi 2

Blurred voronoi pattern with offset secondary pattern

Voronoi 3

Sharp organic voronoi pattern of irregular cell shapes, high contrast with dark outlines

Zada

Twisting, organic pattern with sharp looping areas and flat areas

Wood

Detailed wood-grain pattern

Marble

Marbled, veined pattern with high detail

Colors

Click the color boxes to select color variations within the noise pattern

Scale

Global (%)

Sets the size of the pattern as a percentage of the texture Size

Relative (%) U, V, W

Allows the pattern to be stretched in the U, V, and/or W direction; can be used to simulate the appearance of scratches

Options

Dimensionality

Select 2D Wrapped or 3D Solid. Wrapped shaders are 2D patterns projected onto a 3D object surface. Solid shaders are 3D patterns applied to a 3D object surface; when the shape changes, the object and pattern are still displayed correctly.

Detail

Sets the level of detail or resolution for many of the patterns

Cycles

Creates a repeating pattern of banded noise texture; set the number of repetition cycles to use

Low/High Clip (%)

The low and high clip determine the abruptness of the transition between noise colors and are often set as a combination to achieve a desired effect. Set the Low clip higher or the high clip lower for a sharp transition to the other color; set the clips evenly to make the transition between noise colors more even.

Pavement

Creates the appearance of cracked pavement; with no gaps, simulates variegated pavement, and with the same two colors, simulates solid pavement

Scale (%)

Sets the size of the pavement as a percentage of the texture Size

Stones

Colors

Click the color boxes to select color variations within the pavement, or choose the same color for no variation

Coarse Marbling (%)

Increases or decreases the coarse marbling appearance of the stones

Fine Marbling (%)

Increases or decreases the fine marbling appearance of the stones

Gaps

Colors

Click the color boxes to select color variations within the pavement joints

Width (%)

Sets the width of the pavement joint gap as a percentage of the texture Size

Softness (%)

Sets the bevel amount between pavement stones and pavement joints

Grain (%)

Sets the amount of color variation within the pavement gaps

Smudges

Colors

Click the color boxes to select color smudging variation within the pavement gaps

Amount (%)

Sets the amount of smudging for the pavement gap smudges

Size (%)

Increases or decreases the amount that the smudging extends from the gap centers

Tiles

Pattern

Select the type of tile pattern. The preview helps distinguish the differences among the patterns. Some of the patterns use two of the tile colors, while others make use of all three.

Brick 1

Alternating brick pattern with two colors

Brick 2

Alternating brick pattern with three colors

Circles 1

Alternating polka dot pattern with two colors

Circles 2

Offset polka dot pattern with two colors

Circles 3

Offset polka dot pattern with three colors

Hexagons

Alternating hexagon pattern with three colors

Lines 1

Alternating pattern of lines with two colors

Lines 2

Line pattern with three colors

Parquet

Parquet pattern with three colors

Planks

Alternating rectangular pattern, similar to wood planks, with two colors

Radial Lines 1

Starburst pattern with two colors

Radial Lines 2

Starburst pattern with three colors

Random

Irregular cellular pattern with blends of three colors for a stained glass effect

Rings 1

Alternating circular pattern with two colors

Rings 2

Alternating circular pattern with three colors

Sawtooth 1

Alternating zig-zag pattern with two colors

Sawtooth 2

Zig-zag pattern with three colors

Scales 1

Alternating scale pattern with two colors

Scales 2

Alternating scale pattern with three colors

Spiral 1

Alternating spiral pattern with two colors

Spiral 2

Alternating spiral pattern with three colors

Squares

Alternating checkerboard pattern with two colors

Triangles 1

Alternating triangle pattern with two colors

Triangles 2

Offset triangle pattern with two colors

Triangles 3

Offset triangle pattern with three colors

Waves 1

Alternating wavy pattern with two colors

Waves 2

Wavy pattern with three colors

Weave

Basketweave pattern with two colors

Colors

Click each color box to select the color for the grout, and up to three colors for the tiles

Randomize Colors

Uses randomly-selected colors for the pattern, mixing the selected colors in no particular order

Dimensions

Grout Width (%)

Sets the width of the grout joint as a percentage of the texture

Bevel Width (%)

Sets the bevel amount between tiles and grout

Horizontal Orientation

When selected, tiles are oriented horizontally; deselect for vertical tiles

Scale

Global (%)

Sets the size of the tile pattern as a percentage of the texture Size

Relative (%) U, V

Sets the relative scale of the tile pattern in the U (width) or V (height), allowing the tiles to be stretched

Image

Specifies an imported image to be used as the reflectivity shader (white is more reflective; black is less reflective); see Using an image in a texture shader

Backlit

This shader is useful for lamp shades, light bulbs, and curtains that are lit from behind. If Cast is selected in the Shadows section of the Edit Texture dialog box, the backlit shader acts as an area light for indirect lighting. If Cast is not selected, the backlit shader does not emit light.

Color

Specifies a color to be applied as a backlit color; click the color box to select the color

Brightness (%)

Controls the backlit brightness

Reflection (%)

Sets the amount of reflection to use, or set to 0 for no reflection

Blurriness (%)

Sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection, or set to 0 for no blur

Glass

Glass shaders usually look best with a dark Color shader combination

Edge Color

Click the color box to set the color applied to the glass at an angle, which is seen at the edge of the glass

Center Color

Click the color box to set the color at the center (main) part of the glass

Blurriness (%)

Sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection, or set to 0 for no blur

Glow

The glow shader offers an alternative to creating line or area lights, and can create “neon” signs.

See the video links below.

Brightness (%)

Sets the amount of glow

Emit Light

Allows the texture to become a light source, when Indirect Lighting is enabled (View > Set Lighting Options)

Add Matte Reflectivity

Creates a partially glowing light that is also lit by other light sources

Reflection (%)

Sets the amount of reflection to use, or set to 0 for no reflection

Blurriness (%)

Sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection, or set to 0 for no blur

Mirror

Mirror shaders usually look best with a dark Color shader combination

Color

Click the color box to select the mirror color; use grayscale for a regular mirror effect, and select colors for mirrored metallic effects

Reflection (%)

Sets the amount of reflection to use, or set to 0 for no reflection

Blurriness (%)

Sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection; using a non-grayscale color and some blurriness creates an effective metallic look

Plastic

Color

Click the color box to select the plastic color

Brightness (%)

Sets how bright the shader appears

Roughness (%)

Sets the width of shiny areas on the plastic; increase the percentage for wider shiny areas

Reflection (%)

Sets the amount of reflection to use, or set to 0 for no reflection

Blurriness (%)

Sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection, or set to 0 for no blur

Cloth

Preset

Select a cloth to base the texture on, or select Custom to create an entirely new cloth texture

Colors

Warp/Warp Highlight

Sets the base and highlight colors for threads running in the warp direction

Weft/Weft Highlight

Sets the base and highlight colors for threads running in the weft direction

Scale and Orientation

Scale U/V(%)

Scales the weave pattern in the U/V direction

Orientation

Rotates the weave pattern

Highlights

Thread Highlight (%)

Controls the width of the highlight on individual threads; smaller values produce sharper highlights, and larger values give more diffuse results

Polyester/Silk Highlight (%)

For a polyester or silk Preset, controls the shape and brightness of the cloth’s characteristic sheen; higher values produce brighter, more blurred highlights

Uniform Scattering Factor

Specifies the overall reflective strength of the cloth; higher values produce more reflective cloths

Forward Scattering Factor

Specifies the reflective strength of the brighter regions of the cloth

Irregularities

Color (%)

Controls irregularities in the warp and weft colors, to create a more realistic appearance for some kinds of cloth

Color Scale (%)

Controls the size of the color irregularities

Warp/Weft (%)

Defines the irregularities in the warp/weft direction of the cloth, to create a more raw-looking weave

Thread Scale (%)

Controls the size of the irregularities in thread directions

Metallic

Creates metallic effects (also try colored mirror shaders for polished metal effects). Metallic shaders usually look best with a dark Color shader combination.

If a legacy Preset metal is selected, metallic effects require the presence of light objects in the drawing; panoramic image Renderworks background lighting will not produce metallic effects.

Preset

Select a metal

Color

If Preset is None or a legacy metal, click the color box to select the metallic color

Metal Reflection (%)

Sets the reflection of the metallic layer.

Metal and clear coat shaders are layered to create complex metals; combine the reflection and roughness of both shaders to achieve the desired result.

Metal Roughness (%)

Sets the roughness of the metallic layer to simulate micro scratches

Clear Coat Reflection (%)

Sets the reflection of the clear coat layer.

Metal and clear coat shaders are layered to create complex metals; combine the reflection and roughness of both shaders to achieve the desired result.

Clear Coat Roughness (%)

Sets the roughness of the clear coat layer to simulate micro scratches

Reflection (%)

For a Preset legacy metal, sets the amount of reflection to use, or set to 0 for no reflection

Blurriness (%)

For a Preset legacy metal, sets the amount of blurriness for the reflection, or set to 0 for no blur

Brushed

Creates a brushed metal effect by adding microscopic scratches (not available with Preset legacy metals)

Pattern

Select the pattern that microscopic scratches form on the metal; Radial settings project the scratches in a curve, while Planar rotates them without curving

Scale (%)

Defines the size of the selected Pattern

Orientation

Sets the angle of the scratches; this changes the reflective behavior of the object without repositioning a light source

Offset U/V (%)

Moves the Pattern horizontally/vertically

Primary Scratches

Adds scratches that run parallel to the microscopic scratches; enter the Depth, Width, and Length of the additional scratches

Secondary Scratches

Adds scratches that run perpendicular to the microscopic scratches; enter the Depth, Width, and Length of the additional scratches

Bricks

These parameters are the same for all shaders; see Color shader parameters

Noise

These parameters are the same for all shaders; see Color shader parameters

Pavement

These parameters are the same for all shaders; see Color shader parameters

Tiles

These parameters are the same for all shaders; see Color shader parameters

Image Mask

Selects an imported image to apply as a transparency mask (see Using an image in a texture shader)

Image

Selects an imported image to apply as a transparency texture (see Using an image in a texture shader), for colored transparency and projected colored lights like gobo projections in the Vectorworks Spotlight software

Color

Specifies a color to be applied as a transparency

Color

Click the color box to select the transparency color

Brightness (%)

Lightens or darkens the selected color

Glass

When using glass transparency, set the accompanying color shader to a dark color (or even black) for best results.

See the video link below.

Transmission (%)

Sets how much light passes through the glass; set to a high value when the glass is very clear

Index of Refraction

As light moves through a medium, the index measures the change in the direction of the light’s rays. An index of 1.0 indicates no change; a typical value for water and ice is 1.3, and for glass use 1.5–1.6.

To save time, use a value of 1.0x (just above 1) when the glass is thin.

Color

Click the color box to select the color that appears in a very thin object; for glass, this is usually set to white

Blurriness (%)

Blurs the transparency by the specified amount, or set to 0 for no blur. Blurred glass appears frosted (and takes longer to render).

Absorption Color

Click the color box to select the color that a large, thick object assumes, when a ray of light has traveled the Absorption Distance

Absorption Distance

Defines the distance rays of light have to travel before Absorption Color replaces Color. The lower the value, the more intense the Absorption Color is. This applies to thick or thin glass.

Plain

Provides plain, uniform transparency of a specified amount

Opacity (%)

Sets how opaque the shader is; set to a lower value for more transparency and to a higher value for more opacity

Rectangular Mask

Uses the texture as a rectangular mask to apply as a transparent texture (usually combined with another shader to create a specific masking effect). Useful for decals.

Horizontal/Vertical Repetitions

Indicates how to display the mask: a single instance, infinite repetitions, or a set number of repetitions in each direction

Shadow Catcher

Catches shadows and/or reflections that fall onto the object the shadow catcher is applied to in the alpha channel, so they show on an invisible ground plane. Rendered images with the shadow catcher can be composited with a rendered or photographic image file that has the alpha channel enabled to produce realistic shadows and reflections.

Objects that have a shadow catcher texture render black in Vectorworks, but everything other than the shadow/reflection is transparent in the composited image.

The shadow catcher cannot be used when rendering with a visible Renderworks background in a viewport. Shadow catcher textures can be used in design layers with a visible Renderworks background.

See the video link below.

Catch Shadows

Captures shadows of rendered objects; deselect to show only reflections

Shadow Strength (%)

Controls the transparency of the shadows; lower values are recommended for more realistic shadows (0 shows no shadow and 100 is opaque)

Shadow Color

Specifies the color of the shadow; for daylight scenes, a dark blue is recommended for more realistic shadows

Uniform Shadow Strength

Sets all shadows the same color/intensity regardless of light source; deselect if multiple light sources are used, for more realistic shadows

Reflection Strength (%)

Controls the intensity of the reflections included in the alpha channel; 0 shows no reflections

Bricks

These parameters are the same for all shaders; for a description, see Color shader parameters

Noise

These parameters are the same for all shaders; for a description, see Color shader parameters

Pavement

These parameters are the same for all shaders; for a description, see Color shader parameters

Tiles

These parameters are the same for all shaders; for a description, see Color shader parameters

Image

Specifies an imported image to be used as the source of the bump map displacement (see Using an image in a texture shader)

Bricks

Many of these parameters are the same as for Color shader parameters; additional bump-specific parameters follow

Noise

Many of these parameters are the same as for Color shader parameters; additional bump-specific parameters follow

Pavement

Many of these parameters are the same as for Color shader parameters; additional bump-specific parameters follow

Tiles

Many of these parameters are the same as for Color shader parameters; additional bump-specific parameters follow

Parallax Offset (%)

Sets the amplitude of the parallax mapping. Positive and negative values can be entered.

Parallax mapping enhances bump mapping by giving textures such as bricks more apparent depth, without the performance slowdown that can be associated with displacement mapping. Unlike displacement mapping, parallax mapping appears flat in silhouette.

Displacement Mapping

For realistic bump textures, displacement mapping creates texture and bumpy details with a rendering technique that appears embossed, projecting the geometry outward from the surface.

This mapping applies only to Final Quality Renderworks and Custom Renderworks when Displacement Mapping is enabled in the render options. Rendering can be significantly slower with displacement mapping.

If an image bump does not provide the desired results, try a noise bump shader.

Height

Specify a non-zero height to enable displacement mapping; large height values may result in longer render times

Detail

Sets the level of detail for displacement mapping; requirements and results vary depending on the texture and the surface’s face size. Textures without too much bump detail and a large face size, such as boards or stones, render with less detail and can be set with a lower level of detail; fine, faceted textures like grass or leaves may require a high level of detail, which also requires more rendering time. Conversely, very large surfaces, like a ground plane, may need higher levels of detail to see the displacement.

Self-Shadowing

Adds shadows to the displaced geometry, increasing realism as well as rendering time