How to export the highest possible quality image

[Chris Lohman]

How to export the highest possible quality image from IronCAD.

This post details how to export a high quality image that can be used in print, not necessarily a realistic looking image.id=size1>

• Surface Smoothness

  To insure your parts appear as smooth as possible, increase the surface smoothness in Tools/Options/Parts . 120 seems to be the highest value that makes a difference. If your parts are extremely "swoopy" or curvy then possible a higher value might help.

• Shadows.

  Sometime the shadow quality can make the difference. For each light in your scene browser, right click on it and go into properties. Hit the light tab, then hit the [Advanced Settings] button. Read the help documentation in here, it's very helpfull. In general the raytraced shadow will created a hard "paint", that many times can appear to actually be a texture. The soft shadows are usually the way people go.

Image Size = Viewport Size

When you export an image if the image size is not the same as the viewport size then you may see unexpected results. Setting your viewport to the same size as your desired exported image keeps it clean and easier to work with. Most of us don't ever notice this but the "Scene" viewport is always opened automatically as "Maximized". Up in the top right of the IronCAD window you'll see the 3 standard Microsoft Windows buttons for closing, maximizing, or minimizing a window. Below that you'll see another set. That lower set is for the scene "Viewport". Hit the middle button that is currently set to maximized and you'll see the scene viewport size shrink down. You can drag this viewport to increase/decrease the size. Now look down to the *bottom* right of the window in the status bar. You'll see some "View Size: ..." text. That's the size of the scene viewport. That value only changes when you relase the scene viewport from dragging it so it takes a few attempts to resize the window. Basically drag the scene viewport so that it's size is exactly the same as the image size that you want to export. Doing this will set up a 1:1 export and will reduce the possibility for image stretching. If you intend to export to a .tif format, we have found that your exported image and viewport size need to be a factor of 8 to insure the highest quality image. That is for TIF only. (as far as I know)

File/Export/Image - Type

The next step is to pick your export format. If you intend to use the image on a website then choose .gif or .jpg. GIF files are smaller in size but lower quality. JPG files are higher quality but larger in size. If you're exporting for print then Tif is the highest quality you can choose. The other options are there just for compatibility with other image editing applications.

Exported Image Size Dialogue

This is the final phase for the export and where you set your options. The first thing to do is set your image size to exactly the same size as your viewport size. You may have to unselect "Lock Aspect Ratio" before IronCAD will allow you to setup your own custom dimensions. I am going to assume that you selected .tif since the Advanced Options may vary slightly.

Realistic Shading - Check it

Shadows. Select this option to display shadows. - Sometimes this creates undesireable effects. You'll have to play with it

RayTracing. Select this option for high-quality rendering that includes reflections and refracted light. Use this for realism. People usually use this.

Antialiasing. Select this option for high-quality rendering that smoothes jagged edges. - Almost always check this

Advanced Settings - The help is very helpful for this. You must read the help and setup these options properly

Options - No compression and 24 bit color will result in the highest quality image. Generate Alpha Mask will allow you to setup a transparency in the image. Use this to eliminate to make designate the background color of the scene as "tra

[dsulli]

Great tips! Thanks, Chris.

[Guest dlalonde]

Thanks Chris. The creation of large detailed .tif files had eluded me until I read your post.

 

Now I have another related question - how do I create line art with the image exporter? I need large detailed hidden line anti-aliased line images, just like I see in the viewport with wireframe (hidden line) rendering mode, but huge. When I try to use .tif image export for wireframe output, the result is like facet-shading. I don't use a 2d drawing general view because it doesn't provide perspective. What do you recommend?

 

FYI Ironcad Community

Photoshop 'Elements' is available for around $100. It is basically photoshop for dummies (poor dummies) but it can do much of what full photoshop does, and is easier to learn and use. Highly recommended.

 

[Chris Lohman]

quote:Originally posted by dlalonde:

just like I see in the viewport with wireframe (hidden line) rendering mode, but huge.

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Ok, IronCAD won't antialias a wireframe when exporting to an image file. You can however sort of work around this. What you said in your post that I quoted up above is the clue.

 

I'm running at 1600X1200 resolution. If I remove all of my toobars and size IC to maximum, I almost have a viewport that is the same size as my screen. Since IronCAD renders wireframe with antialiasing in the viewport, I took a screen shot of my viewport fully rendered then cropped it using nothing more than Microsoft Paint. This is about as close as you'll get within IronCAD. I have heard of other graphics packages being able to load a model and convert it to lineart, but I can't remember what it's called.

 

 

 

[rfisk]

Check out Snagit from www.techsmith.com. It is an inexpensive screen capture program that has a variety of input and output variables including tif. You can capture the exact screen image and save it as a file, use it as copy and paste and there with the Snagit studio you can add comments and modify the image. Great program, I use it all the time. It's about $30-$40!

 

 

[Chris Lohman]

I actually own snagit, it's great. I just try to recommend the solutions that don't cost anything

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

[Guest dlalonde]

I use a freeware utility called PrintKey. Yes it's free and there are no strings attached. Why this is so I'll never understand because it works very well. I set it up to respond to the printscreen key, pop out of the system tray and wait for a window select of the portion of the display to capture. It's set to automatically save the image as a jpg to the desktop. Fast easy.

It's 282kb zipped. Send me a message and I'll mail it to you.

Chris can we make it available here on the forum?

Better yet, show the creators how it functions and ask them to build something similar into Ironcad!

 

 

[Guest bkline]

One way I get high res line renderings is to set up the view that I want in IronCAD. Next create a new drawing. Go to Create>View>Standard. Click the "front view" and "from scene". This will create a hidden line, ortho perspective wireframe image. Next I export the drawing as a DXF or DWG (linearized) and open the file in Rhino. Export as an Adobe Illustrator from Rhino and open in Photoshop (or Illustrator, Freehand, Flash for additional editing) at what ever resolution you want.

 

IronCAD really needs write and read Adobe Illustrator and support perspective cameras in the drawing.

 

 

 

Bret Kline