Rendering in SketchUp: From Modeling to Presentation for Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Design

Postproduction

Performing the postproduction process in a photo-editing program will do much to enhance your final images and you should include it as an essential part of your rendering process (see Chapter 31). Using the Photoshop ⇒ Levels tool, you can expose and adjust the simulated lighting for better effects. In addition, during postproduction, you can use the Lens Flare filter to create the illusion of light sources.

Skylight Portal

Skylight Portal uses specific settings to achieve lighting. First, lighting must be set using the SketchUp Shadow menu (see Part 4). Light should be directed to stream through openings and portals, especially the portals that have a Skylight portal placed over them (Fig 29.31). The Shadow menu does not have to cast light into the scene because the Skylight portal will sample the ambient light established by SketchUp. However, it does provide a nice, if not unique, effect that most other IRPs do not currently have.

Next, you should set the Shaderlight Render Setting menu to Interior (GI) under Scene and then set Physical Sky to Lighting. You could also use the native Shaderlight HDRI images (Moofe and Preset). Set Exposure to 0. Increasing the exposure will dramatically brighten the scene. In the rendered scene, a background was included because the scene is visible through the portals/windows (Fig. 29.32, Fig. 29.33).

Fig. 29.31: Using the SketchUp Shadow Menu, the lighting is set to stream through the window. This enhances the quality of lighting ...