Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Architectural Design with SketchUp
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Use fake transparency—Add an emitting material to the outside of the lampshade to
give it a luminous glow.
Putting These Features Together
Once you start working on materials for a rendered scene, it is usually a good idea to ignore
the material features from the last few sections for the first test renders. Simply use the
materials that you applied in SketchUp and work on lighting the scene. Then run a few lowquality
test renders. Once you are happy with the view and the lighting, start refining materials
and their properties.
TIP
When rendering, it often makes more sense to focus first on geometry, then on lighting,
and on materials last. Often, however, it is a back-and-forth among all of these until you
get the result you want.
When refining materials, keep your focus on the big picture. In other words, don’t get
lost refining materials that will barely be visible in the final rendering. That contributes only
to the rendering time and not much to the result.
Follow these tips when you work on materials:
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First, evaluate which objects in the scene need reflective (e.g., a mirror) or transparent
(e.g., a window) properties. Since the scene will not look real without them, add those
first. For reflective objects, start with a fully reflective material, and for transparent windows,
use a simple transparent-reflective glass material that does not feature refraction
or even dispersion—both of which render quite fast.
If you need any material-based lighting (e.g., from a neon tube), add light-emitting materials
next. As mentioned, keep this as simple as possible to reduce rendering time.
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