What Renderer is for me

Which Renderer is for me?

In this article we are going to explore as many angles as possible when thinking about renderers and rendering in general. We will try to cover a few different topics regarding the 3D modelling workflow, some terminology, a few specific questions to think about and finally some specific options to guide the next steps when making a decision. 

When picking a renderer you need to remember that it will come in the form of a plug in to CAD software or a dedicated application. It’s also important to think of rendering as a one way street. Where you can finish modelling, then texture, then render. Obviously there are ways to go back to the modelling stage if you want to make some changes but that comes with the risk that you will need to then touch up or even redo the texturing step and then, of course, rerender. 

Modelling Workflow

When thinking about the finished product, whether it’s an interior or exterior, most people like props to help build the scene and final image like trees, cars, chairs, lamps, etc…

When filling a scene with models and props things can get a bit heavy, slowing down the software or even causing crashes. Proxies are used mostly by Chaos (V-Ray and Enscape) where in the CAD program they are viewed as a simplified version representing the final prop. This helps keep the program running smoothly but means you will always need to run the images through a renderer when showing off your work, otherwise it will look a bit strange to those not in the know!

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Thinking about this is useful as if you know you would only be showing clients the finished render then using a library of professional models from Chaos would be better than what's on the 3D warehouse from SketchUp for example, but if you want more options or to move the finished model into another program than that leaves you open to other renderers. 



Strengths and weaknesses

When choosing a renderer they are known to have strengths and weaknesses that can make one better than the rest, depending on your needs. Lets take Stage for example, this is a real-time renderer. Stage’s strength comes from ease of use and its growing library of scenes and textures that are simply drag and drop. This is great if you are starting out and, like most modern renderers, it can take a vast amount of file formats. 

So why doesn't everyone use Stage? Well its scenes are more designed to be able to control lighting on a smaller scale for products like shoes, clothes and cars and not for buildings. It also uses HDRIs for its scenes and lifelike lighting which doesn’t blend well in comparison to a Skybox which would help for interior design or architecture in general. 


When it comes to exterior or interior renders there are more options like V-Ray, Enscape and Bella to name a few. These all have the strength of skyboxes as well as artificial lighting. What sets these apart could be the proxies mentioned earlier or the perpetual licence from Bella, this is where you need to see what you want from the software and really nail down some details. 


Enscape is probably one that would get users up and running the quickest but it’s not the most realistic photorealistic but it certainly will get a render from start to finish quicker than anything in V-Ray or Bella. While we are talking Enscape this would be the choice for walk/fly through animations as the other two mentioned can create great stills but cannot create an animation. 


V-Ray and Bella we don’t mind grouping together as the complexity and material options are similar as well as both creating photorealistic stills. The main difference here would be V-Ray has Cosmos (library of assets) and proxies versus Bella having a perpetual licence, so it really comes to cost, use, the added extras or even the licence model the software uses! There are more differences in this specific example which a demo of both will show and this is the easiest way to get to know the different programs


Specifications and Learning

When thinking about entering the rendering world there are two major factors to be thinking about, your machine and your time. What we mean by this is what machine do you have? Is it up to the job? And time is all about how much time you want to put into learning this new skill and software. 

For the machine this mostly relates to either its power when rendering or Mac vs Windows. All the renderers except Stage that we have spoken about work on both, however this hasn’t always been the case with Mac often either lacking features or a working version all together. Most companies do now see Mac as a viable option and have been adding support over the years. 

Learning a new skill comes with time and practice so if you're looking to start rendering maybe wait until after the big project to get stuck in! But with the internet being so vast there are tutorials everywhere for everything.

We hope this has helped guide some thoughts and research before making a decision as we understand the cost for these applications can be quite an investment for most users. If you do have further questions or are looking for more options please feel free to reach out to the team or visit our site where you can find all the options available to you.




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