Rendering in SketchUp

www.ambit-3d.com
). Chapters on other 
rendering programs will be available in the future at 
www.ambit-3d.com
. Chapters are being 
made available online instead of here in print to ensure that the content addresses the most 
current version of each software program. Please note that the author has no association with 
any of the featured IRPs and does not receive any compensation for featuring them here.
The modeling and rendering process is more important than the specific IRP used. Which 
IRP to use from the three reviewed will come down to personal preference. Each is useful 
regardless of your profession and goals. 
Photoshop
When you’re first learning to render, photo-editing software is not necessary. However, 
it plays an important role when you want to adjust the texture images applied to model 
surfaces prior to rendering—and it’s important when you’re tweaking completed renderings 
during postprocessing (Fig. 1.18). The examples in this book reference Adobe Photoshop for 
postproduction processing; however, other photo-editing programs (such as Gimp) can be 
used instead.

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13
Chapter 1: Introduction to Rendering in SketchUp
Fig. 1.18: 
Rendered image before postproduction (top) and after postproduction in
Photoshop (bottom) 

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14
Part 1: Overview and Concepts
R
endering in SketchUp is designed to provide a straightforward method for rendering. 
Although some books are designed so that you can skip around as you read, this one is 
not. You should progress through it in a linear manner because each part and chapter builds on 
the previous sections. As you follow along, keep in mind the following topics.