Rendering In Sketchup

For those of you who work in Sketchup and are new to rendering, or are confused by all the different rendering software packages available, a new book is coming out March 25 that will help. Daniel Tal, landscape architect and author of Sketchup For Site Design, has written a new book, Rendering In Sketchup, which is now available for pre-order or as a digital download.

There are now a number of rendering programs on the market for use with Sketchup, with a majority of them working from within Sketchup without having to exit the program. This can be a plus or a minus depending on how you work. Even though most of the programs offer free-use trial periods of their software, It can be pretty difficult and time-consuming to decide which is the best one for your workflow and budget.

Daniel is an excellent teacher and has written a very thorough and detailed book on the process of rendering from Sketchup using a variety of software programs as well as explaining post-rendering work with Photoshop. While not every rendering engine is covered, he does go into a great amount of detail explaining not only the basics of rendering, but his own methods using Shaderlight, SU Podium and Twilight Render.

The book covers workflow, hardware requirements, how to model efficiently for renders, use and teaching of textures and a lot more. At over 600 pages, the book is both a reference and a guide and can be read for pertinent chapters rather than just cover to cover.

You can get more information on the book here, and you can view the videos on Daniel’s Youtube site here

Here is a really good tutorial by Daniel you should watch which is based on the material from his book:

If you want to know all of your rendering engine options, here is a list of rendering programs that work with or within Sketchup; ( Prices are as of March, 2013.)

From within Sketchup:

• Shaderlight – $299 full license; timed access from $50
• Twilight Render – $99
• V-Ray – $800
• Bloom Unit – free software , cloud-based, priced per render
• Caravaggio – $295
• Indigo Renderer – $220
• IRender nXt – $499
• Light Up – $189
• LumenRT – $295
• Maxwell – $995
• Raylectron – $99
• Render[in] – $160
• Renditioner – $99, Pro $199
• SU Podium – $198
• Thea Render – $420