Rendering Photo-Realistic Images - Intergraph Smart Review - Help

Intergraph Smart Review Help

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SmartPlant Foundation / SDx Version
7.1 (2018 R1)
Smart Review Version
13.x(2018)

Smart Review's Photo-Realism module provides features for creating realistic, high-quality images. Such images are important to communicate and promote a clear understanding of a project. For example, EPCs might use in-depth visualizations to sell a final design to an owner-operator, or an owner-operator might use visualization to study light placement in maintenance areas of a plant.

Smart Review uses complex raytracing algorithms to build these images. After you assign materials to objects and place lights in the model, open the Photo-Realism Renderer window to raytrace the entire model or selected objects to transform the model into photograph quality art.

The basic workflow to set up and render your model involves:

  • Defining the raytracing operations performed by the Renderer window by setting options in the View > Photo-Realism > Settings. These settings allow you to add background images, control the speed of the raytracing, and define the area to be rendered.

  • Adding lighting using commands in the View > Photo-Realism shortcut menu, such as View > Photo-Realism > Global Lighting Settings.

  • Creating and assigning materials using commands in the Tools > Materials menu for model objects to match the look of real-world objects.

  • Using View > Photo-Realism > Renderer to load object data, perform the raytrace, and then render the objects in a separate Photo-Realism Renderer window. You can control the Renderer window performance and display using commands provided in the Renderer toolbar.

About OpenGL Lighting

While not as accurate as the raytracer, OpenGL lights are well-suited for providing a quick and approximate preview of what the lighting looks like in the raytracer. Note the distinct differences in how each lights a drawing. OpenGL relies on a geometric vertex-by-vertex basis, whereas the raytracer lights a drawing on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Consequently, the resulting output of the two methods is not identical.

Usage of OpenGL lighting is controlled using the Activate source lights option on the Photo-Realism Settings dialog box. OpenGL lights are used when the following conditions have been met:

  • Photo-Realism module is installed.

  • The Shaded view check box in the Activate source lights option is selected.

  • Lights have been placed in the model.

  • The lights in the model are turned on.

  • There are limitations to using OpenGL lights, as illustrated in the following diagrams. In each diagram, the circles represent spotlights. The red circles are spotlights that are visible, and the black circles are spotlights that are not visible.

  • OpenGL lights a triangle only if light hits a vertex on that triangle - any lighting shining in between vertices will not show up on a triangle.

  • Although OpenGL does shine light through solid objects, unlike the raytracer, it does not know when to stop.

The triangle on the left will light because the spotlight is shining on at least one vertex. The triangle on the right will not light because the spotlight shines between the vertices.

The rectangular plane (shape) is drawn as two large triangles. The spotlight circle (shown in red) on the upper-left corner will be visible in the plane because it is shining on a vertex. The spotlight circle (shown in black) in the middle of the plane will not be visible because it does not hit a vertex.

Placing Lights

Three different types of lights can be placed in your model: Spot, Point, and Distant. Each of the New Light Settings commands prompt you to specify a position (using either standard three dimensional placement or a data point in any graphic view) and size of a new light, and then displays the corresponding light dialog box.

The physical location for the lights is as follows:

  • For point lights, the center of the spherical glyph.

  • For distance lights, the neck of the arrow glyph.

  • For spot lights, the neck of the flash light glyph

You cannot change the type of light after placement. To change a spot light to a point light, for example, you must delete the spot light and then place a new point light.

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