Set up and present the scene >  Present the scene > 
Create an image of an important view
 
 
 

Select File > Save Image to create an image of the current view. To ensure the image is the highest quality, first make sure the current rendering mode and quality level shows the desired image on screen.

Note

The Save Image function will use the current camera view and rendering mode (either Hardware rendering or Ray Tracing) for the image creation. The options presented for creating and saving the image will vary based on rendering mode.

Ensure the interactive scene is in the rendering mode desired

Before taking an image, you should ensure that the current display is showing the rendering mode, quality and effects that are desired for the image:

  1. Set output to Ray Tracing or Hardware Rendering as described in About rendering modes.
    Note

    In some cases the visual difference between Interactive Ray Tracing that has progressively improved and Hardware Rendering can be difficult to determine without altering the view. Check the menu item to avoid moving the camera or refreshing the on screen image.

  2. Select File > Preferences > Performance and Quality. The Performance and Quality window appears.
  3. For Interactive Ray Tracing, check that the current Quality Range is showing the effects you expect in your image.
  4. For Hardware Rendering, check that the Minimum Anti-aliasing is set to High.

Save Image As...

Create an image file of the current view

  1. Enter the rendering mode you wish to use for creating the image.
  2. Select File > Save Image As.

    The Save Image As window appears.

    Note

    The available options in the Save Image As dialog box are determined by what rendering mode is active, and whether the view is Orthographic or Perspective. See About rendering modes for more information.

  3. For a custom output image size, specify the dimensions and resolution in the units of your choice.

    Or, expand the Preset sizes menu to choose from a list of standard presets. (If you choose a paper or photo preset, you’ll be able to specify whether you want it to be saved portrait or landscape.)

    Note

    You can create an image up to 15,000 x 15,000 pixels, depending on the amount of available memory on your machine, and the specifications of your graphics card if in Hardware rendering mode.

  4. Click Save Image....

    A browser window appears.

  5. Browse to the location where you want to save the image file.
  6. Select the file format for the image from the available options for the current rendering mode. (See Image file formats for saved images.)
  7. Type in the name of the file (the file format extension will be added automatically).

Scale the image accurately on a page

For orthographic view renderings, an accurate scale can be used for the image output. This adjusts the zoom of the image to fit the object dimensions to the physical size of the output image, based on resolution (the number of pixels per actual unit).

To save an image to an accurate scale at a specific resolution:

  1. View the scene with an orthographic camera.
  2. Check the Scale option in the Save Image As dialog box.
  3. Select a Preset Scale from the drop-down menu, or move the Scale slider to an appropriate ratio.

    The view of the scene will change on screen to reflect the scale of the objects within the specified resolution.

Specify a Quality preset and sampling for Ray Tracing output

If Ray Tracing is enabled, the Save Image As... dialog box shows the Ray Tracing Properties for the output. To insure that “what you see” is “what you get” the current preset used in the Performance and Quality dialog box for Interactive Ray Tracing is chosen, but the Sampling quality defaults to 1 (or higher if the preset is locked to a higher amount).

Note

Sampling qualities of less than 1 are sub-sampled, meaning they are rendering the scene smaller than specified and increasing the pixel scale. If this is desired, the scene can be rendered at a smaller initial resolution to save time and memory.

To save an image using specific Ray Tracing settings:

  1. Press R to enable Ray Tracing.
    Note

    Ray Tracing can be enabled or disabled for the current Save Image by pressing the R key while the Save Image As dialog box is open.

  2. Choose a Quality Range (defines the overall quality and ray tracing effects used in the rendering) from the drop-down menu of presets if the current one is not desired.
  3. Set the Sampling quality slider (controls the smoothness of the pixels in the final image) to the desired amount.
  4. Click Save Image... to initiate the offline rendering. A browser will appear to set the filename and image output type, then a progress bar will indicate the rendering progress.
    Note

    While an offline Ray Tracing rendering is progressing, the interactive Ray Tracing is disabled. Input for navigating the scene will be ignored until the rendering is complete.

  5. The rendering can be cancelled at any time during its progress.

Image file formats for saved images

Images can be saved in various file formats to make it easier to email or print the images, or to open the image in an image editor and alter it for presentation later. The list of file formats is different based on which rendering mode Showcase is in when the Save Image As... option is selected.

Hardware rendering image formats

Ray Tracing image formats

See Also
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