Rendering in SketchUp

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Part 4: Setting Light with Shadows
L
ight in a rendering sets the mood and focus. It helps accentuate the appearance of materi-
als and contrast surfaces. Exterior light achieving good focus and contrast produces better 
renderings (Fig. 18.1). Compose light before you render so that your lighting is deliberate and 
well-directed.
Most IRPs use a setting called Physical Sky that references the SketchUp Shadow menu to 
generate daylight/exterior lighting (Fig. 18.1, Fig.18.2, Fig. 18.3). For many IRPs, using the 
Shadow menu is the default and only option for day lighting.
Fig. 18.1: 
Twilight Render (v1) Lighting menu 
with the Physical Sky option
Composing Light
Chapter
18

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301
Chapter 18: Composing Light
Fig. 18.2: 
Shaderlight Lighting menu with the 
Physical Sky option
This chapter has three sections covering the overall process of setting light:
3
3
Composing Light Tools: Tools and suggestions for adjusting light
3
3
Composing Light Strategies: Guides for setting light based on model types
3
3
Composing the Light: A step-by-step outline of the process
Using the SketchUp Shadow menu to set lighting is essential for most exterior renderings 
(Fig. 18.4). Although some IRPs have image-based lighting options, light based on the Shadow 
menu is easy to set and yields good results (Fig. 18.5).
Fig. 18.4: 
Setting light with the SketchUp Shadow menu in the model prior to rendering
Fig. 18.3: 
SU Podium (v2) Lighting menu with Physical 
Sky option

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Part 4: Setting Light with Shadows
Fig. 18.5: 
Duplicating the shadows as they were set in SketchUp (SU Podium)
Many interior scenes and exterior night models rely on simulated light sources, such as 
point lights, instead of exterior lighting (Fig. 18.6). However, in the case of interiors, the 
Shadow menu can cast light through windows and portals, rendering daylight scenes without 
needing simulated light. Similarly, exterior lighting can be combined with interior simulated 
light to duplicate real-world conditions.
Fig. 18.6: 
Nighttime exterior rendering using simulated lights (Shaderlight)

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