Rendering

Make realistic images and 360° panoramas, light a night scene with lamps, downlights and panels, and choose a sky.

Stori3D can trace real light through your model, with glass, lamps and the sky, for presentation images. You can also export quick images exactly as the viewport draws them, vector line drawings, and 360° panoramas your client can look round.

Preview in Realistic mode

Choose Realistic from the Shading chip. The view is path traced: the image starts grainy and clears as you hold still. It needs the WebGL renderer, which is the default. Switch back to Solid to keep working quickly.

Export an image

Choose File → Export image…, or Export image… from the Views chip.

View: Current view, Overview (the whole building from the south-east) or one of your saved views.
Size: Full HD, QHD, 4K UHD, A4 landscape, 300 dpi, A3 landscape, 300 dpi, A3 portrait, 300 dpi, Square or Portrait, or a panorama (below).
Quality: Fast or Realistic.

Fast images

Fast images are drawn as the viewport draws them, in a moment, with your style, edges and watermark. Choose a Format:

PNG: lossless.
TIFF: for print and layout software.
SVG (vector lines) or EPS (vector lines): the edges as lines with hidden ones taken out, for Illustrator or InDesign.

Transparent background leaves only the building, for collages. Site context includes the terrain, map and neighbouring buildings. Keep the section cut appears when a cut is on.

Realistic images

Realistic images are path traced. Choose the Samples: Draft (64, quick), Good (256) or Best (1,024, slow). Pick JPEG or PNG. Denoise takes the grain out once the trace is done, keeping edges and textures; it needs a browser with WebGPU.

The dialog shows samples done and time left, and Cancel stops it. A Full HD image at 256 samples takes a few minutes on a laptop. The viewport keeps working while it traces. Section cuts and transparent backgrounds don't apply to realistic images.

Export a 360° panorama

In Size, choose 360° panorama (4096 × 2048) or 360° panorama, large (8192 × 4096). Stand the camera where a person would, then press Export 360° JPEG for a fast one. For a path-traced one, set Quality to Realistic, keep the Format on JPEG and press Render JPEG.

The file is a JPEG marked as a photo sphere. Panorama viewers, Facebook, Google Photos and headsets show it in 360°, with its centre facing the way your view looks.

Light a night scene

Set the sun's time to evening on the Site panel (see Site and sun), then light the rooms:

Lamps: floor, table and pendant lamps from Library → Furniture → Lighting contain real lights. Select one and use Light in Properties: On, Brightness in lumens, Colour temperature in kelvin and Casts shadows.
Downlights: a Downlight shines down from the ceiling. Its Light spread sets the beam: Narrow spot (20°), Spot (36°), Flood (60°) or Wide wash (100°). Or choose Load an IES file… to use a manufacturer's photometric file; it's kept with the project. The view shows the beam, and realistic renders spread the light as the profile does.
Ceiling panels: a Ceiling panel is an area light the size of its face, for offices and kitchens.

Night interiors usually want a higher Exposure, in the Project panel under Renderer.

Choose a sky

Open Library → Skies and pick one: clear, overcast, sunset, city, countryside, night or studio. A sky lights the model with real reflections. Then adjust:

Turn, to bring the light round;
Light strength;
Show as background, or only light the model;
Soften background, to blur it behind the building.

Under Your own, Upload HDRI (.hdr, .exr) adds a sky of your own. It's saved with the project, so it travels with it. See Materials and finishes for your own finishes.

Still stuck? Contact us, or ask in the app: Help → Contact support.