Rendering Question - PhotoMatch Images

Rendering Question - PhotoMatch Images

A user asked:

Is it Possible to render a photomatch Model w Irender nXt?

We don't get any of the details fo the the Photomatch Image from SketchUp. We use their Ruby interface to get the geometry to render, and the Photomatch details are just not exposed.

We are able to render in front of the PhotoMatch image, if you select it as your background image for the rendering.

This works as long as you're still in the original view that was used when you created the PhotoMatch View. Otherwise, we can't read the actual view from Photomatch - if you have zoomed or panned after setting up the PhotoMatch. (This is a deficiency of SketchUp that we haven't figured out how to overcome yet.) So it is important that you leave the view zoomed out after setting up the photo match and render from that view - and don't zoom or pan the view before rendering.

Currently, we only render Photomatch Views correctly if the SketchUp window is zoomed to the same extents as the Photomatch Image, as below. Otherwise, the rendering is stretched by the difference in the aspect ratio of the Photomatch Image and the SketchUp window.

However, if the SketchUp window no longer matches the PhotoMatch image aspect ratio, or is zoomed in or out, you can still use the Image Layer Wizard to position the image.

That technique is described here:

http://forum.irendernxt.com/forum/topics/photomatch

I've restated his steps here (since a couple of the links and button names have changed):

Since the new background wizard has been added I now have no problems.


The process I use is

  1. Add a photo to create a 'match photo' scene.
  2. Set up the perspective in the normal way and click the 'done' button.
  3. Create some geometry from the photo, just enough to enable you to position the new object you want to insert eg if you are putting a car on the driveway of a house just do a vertical surface for the front of the house and a horizontal surface for the drive. I don't bother projecting the textures.
  4. model and position your object to insert.
  5. Delete (or hide) all the geometry other than the object you want to insert.
  6. Now use the 'orbit' tool to FRACTIONALLY rotate the scene. and the match photo image will disappear.
  7. Open the 'Image Layer Wizard' on the nXt toolbar
  8. Check the Background check box on the left.
  9. Browse to the photo you originally used for the match photo scene and insert it
  10. Click the 'Background' tab button and position and adjust the photo following the instructions in the video that has been produced explaining this feature: Background Wizard VIdeo with this you will see the geometry you have created with the background behind - stretch and manipulate the background till it suits you geometry
  11. Render your image and that is it.

Let me know if you need more help getting this to work, or if it works!