Photorealistic Rendering Using SolidWorks & PhotoView 360 Step-By-Step Learning Guide

Learn the fundamentals of photorealistic rendering at your own speed as you progress from simple to more complex models.

Book Features

• Unlock the full power of SolidWorks® design tools with the helpful instructions and tips available only from technical training experts on staff with Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.
• Build your skills and confidence quickly with 24 easy-to-understand tutorials and practice exercises, each building upon the previous lesson.
• Reinforce your new skills with the accompanying DVD, which features time-saving project files for tutorials and practice exercises.
• Learn at your own pace - review each lesson as often as you want or quickly move on to the next lesson.

Course Outline

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Product Visualization
• Product Visualization Tools
• Appearances
• Display States
• Photorealistic Rendering
• Right Brain Versus Left Brain
• Cameras
• Rendering Results

Chapter 2: Visualization Methods

• Product Visualization Overview
• OpenGL®
• Software OpenGL
• RealView Shadows
• Product Visualization Display Comparison
• Elements of Product Visualization
• Model
• Viewpoint
• Appearances
• Scenes
• Lighting
• Monitor Corrections & Adjustments

Chapter 3: PhotoView 360

• What is the PhotoView 360 Software?
• Starting PhotoView 360
• PhotoView 360 User Interface
• PhotoView 360 Menu
• Render Tools Toolbar
• CommandManager
• DisplayManager
• Appearances, Scenes and Decals Tab
• Getting Help
• Set PhotoView 360 Options

Chapter 4: Basic Visualization Workflow

• The Visualization Process
• Materials and Appearances
• User Interface
• Display Pane
• DisplayManager
• View Appearances
• View Decals
• View Scene, Lights and Cameras
• PhotoView 360 Options
• Task Pane
• Case Study: SpaceNavigator
• Appearances, Scenes and Decals Tab
• Scenes & Scene Library
• Lights
• PhotoView 360 Interface
• Render Preview
• The Rendering Process
• Case Study: Display and Appearances
• Case Study: Appearances from Materials
• Editing Scenes
• Render and Preview Quality
• Case Study: Quality Settings
• Exercise 1: Bracket
• Exercise 2: Screw Driver

Chapter 5: Applying Appearances

• Appearances vs Materials
• Applying Appearances
• PropertyManager for Appearances
• Procedural Versus Texture Appearances
• Procedural Appearances
• Texture Appearances
• Case Study: Computer Monitor
• Stages in the Process
• Perspective View
• Modify Perspective View
• Creating Custom Colors
• Hierarchy Review
• Case Study: The Chess Set
• Appearance Library
• User-defined Appearance Folders
• Tiled images
• Sources of Additional Appearances
• Creating Appearance Folders
• Case Study: Hybrid Appearances
• Assembly Structure
• Custom Hybrid Appearances
• Save Appearance
• Appearance Properties
• Illumination Controls & Dynamic Help
• Exercise 3: Ice Cream Scoop

Chapter 6: Appearance Mapping

• Textures
• Case Study: Texture Mapping
• Texture Mapping
• Texture Orientation  
• Mapping Reference
• Mapping Type
• Steps to Correct the Mapping
• Initial Texture Size and Alignment
• Removing Appearances
• Cylindrical Mapping
• Spherical Mapping
• Mapping Adjustments (Mapping by the Numbers)
• Exercise 4: Textures
• Exercise 5: Texture Mapping Practice

Chapter 7: Decals

• Decals
• Case Study: Monitor Face
• Applying Decals
• Decals PropertyManager
• Decal Files
• Decal Mapping
• Case Study: Label Mapping
• Case Study: Multiple Decals
• Adjusting Decals
• Image Masks
• Decal Visibility
• Add a Decal With a Mask
• Decal Order
• Case Study: Gradient Masks
• Exercise 6: Travel Mug
• Exercise 7: Chisel
• Exercise 8: The Clock

Chapter 8: Viewpoint

• ViewPoint
• Positioning the Viewpoint
• Named Views
• Perspective View
• The SolidWorks Camera
• Case Study: Cameras
• Locking the Camera Position
• Camera Lenses
• Field of View
• View Rectangle
• View Rectangle
• Camera Rotation
• Camera Aspect Ratio
• View Area
• Apparent Depth
• Case Study: Apparent Depth
• Standard Lens
• Depth of Field
• Case Study: Setting Depth of Field
• Case Study: Getting Behind the Walls
• Exercise 9: Depth of Field
• Exercise 10: The Assembly Line

Chapter 9: Output Options

• Output Design Intent
• Output Options
• Methods to Increase Rendering Speed
• Render Contours
• Case Study: Contours
• Saving Images to a File
• Case Study: Sales Brochure
• How Many Pixels to Render
• Calculating Correct Number of Pixels
• Output Image Size
• Aspect Ratio
• Scaling Up
• Scaling Down
• Screen Presentations
• Case Study: PowerPoint®
• Case Study: Alpha Channel
• Save Layered Image
• Scheduled Renderings
• Case Study: Render Scheduling
• Exercise 11: Product Information Sheet
• Exercise 12: PowerPoint® Slide
• Exercise 13: Contours
• Exercise 14: Render Scheduling

Chapter 10: Scenes and Lighting

• Scenes and Lighting
• Scenery Choices
• Scenery Examples
• Scene Selection
• Edit Scene PropertyManager
• Scene Library
• Case Study: Scenery
• Lighting
• Scene Floors
• Light Properties
• Show Lights
• Lighting Coordinates
• Positioning Lights
• Shadow Properties
• Exercise 15: Stapler
• Exercise 16: Space Navigator

Chapter 11: Display States and Configurations

• Rendering Using Display States and Configurations
• Display States
• Configurations
• Display States or Configurations?
• Appearance Hierarchy in an Assembly
• Case Study: Part Display States – The Chessboard
• Case Study: Assembly Configurations – The Locking Pin
• Case Study: Watches
• Fine Tuning
• Image Evaluation
• Adjustments
• Exercise 17: Lighter
• Exercise 18: Lighter Display States
• Exercise 19: Display States and Configurations
• Exercise 20: Clocks

Chapter 12: Advanced Lighting

• Lighting Concepts
• Rendering Basics
• Lighting Methods
• Direct Lighting
• Lighting Schemes
• Photographic Lighting
• Shadows
• Case Study: Lighting Principles
• Ambient Light
• Indirect Lighting
• Case Study: Illumination Controls
• Case Study: Photo Studios and Area Lights
• Case Study: Flashlight
• Surface Finish
• Surface Finish Controls
• Bump Mapping
• Displacement Mapping
• Point Light or Spot Light?
• Spot Lights
• PhotoView 360 Light Characteristics
• Brightness
• Soft Edge
• Spot light radius
• Shadow quality
• Fog
• Case Study: Caustics
• Bloom
• Exercise 21: Watch
• Exercise 22: The Book Light

Chapter 13: Reflective and Transparent Appearances

• Reflections
• Environments
• Case Study: Environments
• Case Study: Kitchen Scene
• Reflection and Refraction Options
• Secondary Reflections
• Ray Tracing Depth
• Refractions
• Liquids
• Exercise 23: Workbench
• Exercise 24: Lotion Bottle

Chapter 14: PhotoView 360 Gallery

Appendix A: Color

• Color
• Visible Light
• CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram
• Limitations of Media
• Color Wheel
• Primary Colors
• Secondary Colors
• Tertiary Colors
• Color Terms
• Additive and Subtractive Colors
• Color Models
• RGB Color Model
• HSV Color Model
• CMYK Color Model
• Color Depth
• Understanding RGB Color
• HSV Model Definitions
• Hue
• Saturation
• Value
• RGB to HSV Transition
• Defining Color in Design Tables
• Defining Colors in Hexadecimal
• Where do you find color schemes?
• Color Matching Systems
• Color on the Web

Appendix B: Illumination Settings

• Appearance Properties
• Common Controls
• Diffuse Amount
• Specular Amount
• Diffuse versus Specular
• Specular Color
• Specular Spread
• Reflection Amount
• Blurry Reflections
• Transparency Amount
• Luminous Intensity
• Additional Controls
• Index of Refraction
• Refraction Roughness

Appendix C: Surface Finish

• Surface Finish
• Surface Finish Controls
• Surface Finish Examples
• Brushed
• Sandblasted
• Burnished
• Casting
• Machined
• Diamond Treadplate
• Treadplate 1
• Treadplate 2
• Knurled
• Dimpled
• Chainlink
• Wrought
• Rough 1
• Rough 2

Appendix D: Hardware & PhotoView 360 Performance

• Hardware and PhotoView 360 Performance
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Operating Systems
• 32 Bit Operating Systems
• The 3 Gigabyte Switch
• 64 Bit Operating Systems