In SolidWorks, there are several rendering options available. Depending on your graphics card and version, you will have several options for rendering a picture. Starting with the choices offered by SolidWorks Standard, we’ll work our way up to examine those offered by SolidWorks Professional and SolidWorks Premium.

RealView Graphics is the default rendering option when working with SolidWorks Standard. First, check to see if RealView Graphics is enabled and if your computer is equipped with a recognized graphics card. Then, with the library content panel open, drag and drop the required information or appearance onto any component of your assembly, and presto! Your part now has a fresh appearance! You may add a background to your image to make your model appear and feel more lively. You may use the Ambient Occlusion option to step it up and achieve a more realistic appearance. This functionality produces your components’ shadows. An attractive method of obtaining a shaded picture from SolidWorks Standard

Process of Rendering Images

When working on SolidWorks, rendering an image is simple and easy to perform. However, you might not enjoy the process if using a low-spec laptop. An output render to a Visualize Boost cluster is as follows:

1. Open a model in SolidWorks Visualize Professional and choose Tools > Render from the menu or Output Tools from the main toolbar.
2. The Output Tools dialog box’s Render Settings section will open when you click PowerBoost. The Cluster’s name is shown.
3. Render Mode should be set. You can set a time restriction or select Quality and enter the number of passes. For most render workloads, the default of 500 passes is sufficient. Select Send to Queue to begin rendering later. To start rendering at a later time, select Send to Queue.
4. Until you select Start Queue in the Queue Client, the job is delivered to the SolidWorks Visualize Queue and not finished.
5. Select Show Progress when you are prepared to render to keep track of the rendering progress. Then click Render to begin.
   To halt the rendering, click Pause, Save Now, or Cancel.

The Visualize Professional PC must be online and linked to the network when Visualize Boost is used for rendering. Until Visualize Boost is finished, the computer cannot be removed from the Internet or turned off.

Selecting a Render Mode

With each render mode, various systems can yield different results. Try them all before deciding which render setting suits you the most.

To choose a rendering mode:

1. To open the 3D Viewport, select Tools > Options.
2. Clear the checkbox next to the Render Device.
3. Choose a rendering mode:
   • if your CPU has a huge performance advantage over your graphics card.
   • CUDA- capable GPU, such as an Nvidia GPU with more than 1 GB VRAM, assuming you have a strong video card.
   • hybrid, if your system is well-balanced with a decent Nvidia card and a CPU that is on par with it.

PhotoView 360 for Photo-realistic Renders

An add-in called PhotoView 360 is a visualization and rendering tool that comes with SolidWorks Professional and SolidWorks Premium. It is built using SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT). It has an easy-to-use interface and offers an interactive setting for seeing designs and producing photorealistic renderings that can be used to present your concepts.

Within the SolidWorks window, PhotoView 360 enables you to produce a rendering. The choices to construct a scene, add and alter lighting, and add a camera if you’d like are shown when you mouse-click Render Tools and Display Manager. After you’re done, you may launch a PhotoView 360 rendering by selecting Final Render. You may produce gorgeous photographs using PhotoView 360 without having a formal education in photography.

SolidWorks Visualize

SolidWorks Visualize offers rendering capabilities unmatched in the industry with features and procedures focused on visual design. This tool enables the quick and simple generation of graphic material that conveys a designer’s vision and beautifully highlights your contribution.

When purchasing SolidWorks Professional or SolidWorks Premium, SolidWorksVisualize Standard is also included. You are presented with an improved environment with numerous modifications and customization options when SolidWorks Visualize is launched. More sophisticated file output is also possible with Visualize Professional, including 360-degree rotations of components and assemblies and even virtual reality footage! There are several ways to differentiate your designs from those of competitors. Additionally, SolidWorks rendering capabilities provide several options for creating photo-quality pictures and interactive animations. SolidWorks’ rendering capabilities make it simpler to explain and present your designs and prototypes to others.

Cartoon Rendering with PhotoView 360

When rendering a model, you may utilize cartoon rendering to make it look like it was done by hand. Using PhotoView 360 on SolidWorks, you can create a cartoon rendering:

1. When you have a model open, go to Tools, select Add-In and add PhotoView 360.

2. Navigate to PhotoView 360 and select Options.

3. For a cartoon rendering, select Contour.

4. Choose any of the following under Cartoon Rendering under Contour/Cartoon Rendering.

• Select Only render with cartoon edges.

• Select Cartoon shading while rendering.

• Click Cartoon edges and shading to render the image.

5. Enter or choose a number between 1 and 6 under Line Thickness.

6. Select the desired color by clicking Edit Line Color, then click OK.

7. Select the green checkmark

RealView

Another option in the View settings menu allows you to add realism to models while working in SolidWorks. The RealView option and RealView provide a realistic and dynamic representation of models without rendering. Also, RealView is enabled by default if your graphics card is RealView-compatible.

RealView Effects

1. Appearance: 

• RealView on: More realistic representation, Environment reflections, Visible bump, surface finish, Multi-colored effects (car paint)
• RealView off: Basic OpenGL colors and textures, Standard texture mapping for texture-based appearances

2. Scenes: 

• RealView on: Self-shadowing from first directional light, Floor shadows, and reflections
• RealView off: Basic soft shadow on the floor, No reflective floors

Appearances

The physical qualities of a model differ from their appearance. An example is giving a model the look of shiny automobile paint while giving it the characteristics of stainless steel.

Scenes

Scenes exhibit various surroundings, such as reflected backdrops, images that feature the model, and reflective floors, which change how things seem. System colors are unaffected regardless of whether RealView is checked or not. The scenes you upload or the default backdrop color scheme are always visible in the graphics area. Click RealView Graphics to turn it on or off (View toolbar).

RealView Graphics

Self-shadowing and scene reflections are supported by RealView Graphics, which provides hardware (graphics card) support for sophisticated shading in real-time.

Activate RealView Graphics by

Selecting one of the options below:

• RealView Graphics under  View Options
• Graphics RealView (View toolbar)
• Select RealView Graphics from the View menu.

When an assembly is in large assembly mode, RealView graphics are not available.

Cartoon Rendering in RealView

RealView and Open GL provide a setting for cartoon rendering that gives edges and faces a cartoony appearance. Also, you may provide your RealView models with a cartoon-like look by using non-photorealistic rendering techniques.

To enable cartoon rendering in RealView, follow these steps:

1. To activate RealView, perform one of the following:

• Navigate to View, then select Display, then select RealView.
• Expand View Settings in the Heads-up View toolbar and select RealView.

2. To enable cartoon rendering, perform one of the following:

• Navigate to View, then select Display, then select Cartoon.
• Expand View Settings in the Heads-up View toolbar and select Cartoon.

3. Whether PhotoView 360 is turned on affects how the Cartoon option functions.

Conclusion

Rendering is essential when designing a SolidWorks model, and you should learn how to do rendering in SolidWorks. You can perform rendering using various tools and settings provided by SolidWorks; you need to select the one that best suits your needs and that you are most familiar with.