The Photoview command button is located on the Display ribbon which is only made available in 3D View mode. Photoview allows you to generate photorealistic renders that include ultra high quality models.

The settings used to get a good render in Photoview depend on what purpose for which you plan on using the rendered image. If you are going to be placing the rendered image on your plan view alongside the top view of the cabinets, a smaller resolution is suitable, however if you plan to send a rendered image to your customers then much higher settings are recommended.

Does it take long to render a Photoview image?

This really depends on the settings you put into it, and the hardware that is available in your computer. If you have a video card with a GPU, you can use the “Use GPU if available” option which uses the graphics card to help create the render, thereby speeding up the process.

The higher the Resolution and the Samples values are, the longer the rendering process will take.

Rendering speed is also affected by how many cabinets and models are in your drawing. A drawing with only 3 cabinets will render a lot faster than a drawing with 100 cabinets.

What settings should I use?

Checking Your Angle

Before spending the time to do a full quality render, it can be useful to first produce a smaller, low-quality image to make sure your positioning is correct, so your final image will show your design from the desired angle. This can be done with a low sample rating, usually between 20 and 100, as shown below:

Rendering for Plan View

If you will be putting your rendered image on your Plan View alongside your cabinets, a small resolution is recommended as it allows the image to have a small file size and will have a minimal effect on how much of the computer's memory CabMasterPro will be using. Use an average rate for the Samples value, generally about 500 and 2000 samples, and a relatively small Resolution.

Rendering for Sending to your Customer

A much higher setting will create a much better quality image. If you plan to send your rendered image to your customer, try using a higher Resolution and higher Samples value. A larger size resolution like 1200 x 800 will be large enough for your customers to clearly view your render. A higher Samples value will produce a "cleaner" picture that is far less grainy (not as 'spotty'), thereby creating a much smoother final image. CabMasterPro can now create a high quality render at a low sample rate, so use a Samples value of about 100.

Additional Options

Use Denoising applies an additional level of smoothing to the image, thereby reducing the spottiness (noise) in the render.

When Photoview creates the render, it uses a default lighting system. However, you can override this by setting up your own lights.

The default settings in the Light Tool are too bright for a good Photoview render, so be sure to adjust them. It is recommended to place the lights close to the cabinets, set the brightness to 20-25%, and the height to the same height as your ceiling (see Job Defaults in the Drawing Properties).

Testing out these options will help you to find the best settings to create the best rendered images for you and your customers.

Example

Render Output Message

When you close your render a message-box similar to the following will confirm the location of your render.

You will also be asked if you want to "Delete temporary files created during the render process?" which will normally be "Yes", most of the time.

Temporary files may be required, in which case you would click "No":-

1. If there's an issue where it says "See Error Log" in the title bar of the Photoview render screen, the temporary files that are created include a log file that we can use to diagnose where the fault is.
2. There is also the 1% of users who like to do something completely unusual and use the 3DS file that's produced in the temporary files so they can 3D print a physical model of their drawing.

Video

This video will add bulkhead, ceiling, floor, models and lights with tips on creating the best render in Photoview. (20:34 mins)