Setting up key views, texturing walls, & lighting
With the subfloor, floor finish and roof in place, we can start studying perspective views of the dining area in question.
Set up a perspective view.
Start by creating a perspective view of the dining area towards the lower left corner. It is best to use the RenderWorks Camera tool In the Visualization toolset for this purpose. As with Set 3D View, it works by clicking first where you, the viewer, is standing, then at the point that you're looking at [2]. To allow us to turn off the Camera "cone of view" in future at will, assign the Camera object to its own Class ā A-Camera, for example. When you're done, double-click on its centreline, or select it and choose Display Camera View from its Obj Info palette.
Render as is.
For maximum realism, Render the result in Final Quality RenderWorks.
Rendering with no lights, no textures.
Initially ā with no lights or special textures to the walls ā your view will look something like this. Save this view for future reference: call it something like Persp. View - SW Dining Rm [FQRW], (to indicate that you're looking towards the southwest, and rendering in Final Quality RenderWorks). Now, let's introduce some sunlight.
Introduce a sun object.
For this, choose View >Ā Lighting > Set Sun Positionā¦
Set Sun Position dialog
This dialog allows you to specify the precise sun position based on the site Latitude [1], Longitude [2] (if in doubt, check the popdown of Time Zone Meridians to see if your area is in the list - [3]), and where the North is in your current site plan [4] (In our case, north is precisely at 12:00. Finally, choose a late spring kind of date, to avoid an angle that is too low (winter) or too high (summer) [5], and a time of early afternoon [6]. And OK. NOTE: You don't have to switch to a Top/Plan view for this purpose, but it helps for the next step.
Group the sun to avoid accidental changes to its orientation
NOTE: THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP! ā as otherwise it is very easy accidentally to change its orientation when trying to move it. The sun in VectorWorks is known as a directional kind of light: it projects light in parallel across the entire scene. It looks like a 3D arrow, with the arrowhead showing as a cone: if you see the underside of the cone, the sun is shining in the direction away from you. Once it is grouped (on itself ā that's OK), drag it outside the building, because it has likely been created within the building perimeter.
Rendering: with sunlight (no customized textures)
Choose the Saved View you made a moment ago for the rendered perspective of the dining area. With the sun now shining through, you should get something like the above.
Add textures to walls.
The walls as they are by default are grey and boring. Through the Resource Browser, open the resources of the Textures_Interior Finishes file and locate texture(s) that you would like for the walls (any other non-symbolized surface, for that matter). This is the easiest and most intuitive way to experiment with new textures.
Introduce a point light.
From the Visualization palette, introduce a new light to, say, the wall between two of the windows on the southern wall [2]. Leave it at its default settings [3], and OK the dialog, then return to the Saved view. It looks like a small sun.
If the light is not of the Point type ā change it
By default, the new light should be a "Point" type of light: if it's not, change it from Directional or whatever else it is, to Point, in its Obj Info palette.
Check it out in a side elevation view.
Switch to a Right or Left view. As you can see, it comes in by default at zero height [1]. Scroll down to the bottom of its Obj Info palette, and change its Z to a height more suitable for a wall sconce ā say, 6' [2] (press Enter to confirm).
Rendering: with sunlight, textures, and single point light
Switch back to your rendered view of the dining area. With sunlight and the point light, it should look like this. To make this more realistic, however, we must fit this light within a light fixture.
Introduce a light fixture
You'll find a good selection of fixtures in the VectorWorks LibrariesĀ >Ā Objects Building ServicesĀ >Ā Electrical-Lighting Fixtures Int & Ext. Use the Browse a Documentā¦ command in the upper of the two popdown arrowheads [1] to find it. Drag a wall sconce to your liking into the drawing to import it. Move it where you want it in planā¦ [2]
Adjust it in elevation.
Like the light itself, the fixture comes in by default at floor level: change its Z to 6' or whatever height you choose.
Watch your Visualization palette
A palette that we've had closed until now ā the Visualization palette (WindowsĀ >Ā PalettesĀ >Ā Visualization) is useful to have open in these situations. It gives you a listing of all the light sources in the file, which you can individually turn on or off [1] (you can right-click and Editā¦ each of them to give them more meaningful names, such as "Sun", "Wall Sconce 1", etc.) and all Cameras [2] (which can similarly be named and edited). You can also double-click a light to locate it in the file (works best in Top/Plan view).
Rendering: no sunlight, wall sconce lighting only
If you turn off your Sun object and switch back to the Saved rendered view, you should get something like this.
Carry on from here ā but with caution
Bring in table lamps (from 3D Warehouse, or from the library) and insert point lights into them, too to help illuminate the room. NOTE: It is best not to incorporate the lights into the lamp symbols, but rather simply Group them together. This will allow you greater flexibility in placing lamps with no light in them, and turn them on or off in any configuration. CAUTION: Inserting lights and rendering scenes with them is potentially a lot of fun ā but it also adds considerably to the rendering times (and to the memory overhead of the file). Save your file frequently, to minimise risk of memory overload and crashes, be careful in how many lights you introduce, and use the Visualization palette to manage them.
