Render Revit files in 3ds Max

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A linked Revit model can provide a very good base from which to start rendering in 3ds Max.

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Not only do you have geometry already created,

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but you also have materials that are assigned and, in some cases, lighting and sunlight that are already configured.

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Having a pre-configured 3ds Max project file that contains a basic environment

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can help when rendering a Revit file in 3ds Max.

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From the File menu, click Open.

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In the Open File dialog, choose the desired 3ds Max project file,

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such as Revit Rendering_Start.max in this example.

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Then, click Open.

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This file is preconfigured with a Sun and Sky environment,

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a Physical camera, and Physical Camera Exposure Control.

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From the toolbar, expand the File drop-down, then choose Import > Link Revit.

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In the file browser, navigate to the import folder of the Revit file you want to link.

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In this example, the file Modern_House.rvt is selected to link.

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Then, click Open.

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The Manage Links dialog opens.

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When the Select Revit View dialog opens, select (3D), and then click OK.

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Then, on the Attach tab, expand the Presets drop-down and select Autodesk Revit – Combine by Revit Material,

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and then click the Presets tab.

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In the Named Presets list, select Autodesk Revit – Combine By Revit Material, and then click Modify.

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In the Objects group, deselect Daylight System and then click Save.

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In this case, the daylight system from the Revit file is not needed because there is already one set up in the starting file.

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Click the Attach tab and click Attach this file.

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The file is now linked and displays in the viewport.

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Close the Manage Links dialog.

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In the PhysCamera001 viewport, From the Point-of-View viewport label menu, select Show Safe Frames.

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The yellow Safe Frame provides a guide to help avoid rendering portions of your image

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that might be blocked in the final output.

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It shows you the full view of the rendering as it is seen through the camera.

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Otherwise, some of the rendered view may be cut off, depending on the rendering size and viewport shape.

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From the menu bar, expand Rendering and select Scene Converter.

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In the Scene Converter dialog, click Convert Scene.

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Once the scene is converted, close the Scene Converter dialog.

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Now you can make changes to the camera and set your desired view.

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On the menu bar, expand Cameras.

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Here, you see several camera options.

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You can keep the current camera or select a different point of view.

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Note that once the camera is set, you can change or drag the view using the Viewport controls in the lower right of the interface.

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To view additional cameras, on your keyboard, press C.

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The Select Camera dialog displays.

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Select a camera, and then click OK.

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From the menu bar, expand Rendering again, and this time, select Environment.

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The Environment and Effects dialog opens.

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Notice that by using a preconfigured 3ds Max scene file,

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the Environment Map is configured to use the Physical Sun & Sky.

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Then, in the Physical Camera Exposure Control section, set the exposure to use the Physical Camera Exposure Control.

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Then, close the dialog.

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From the main toolbar, click Render Setup.

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In the Render Setup dialog, because the file is pre-configured, the renderer is already set to Arnold.

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From the Common tab, in the Output Size group,

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expand the drop-down and select the HDTV size option.

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Note that adjusting the frame size also changes the Image Aspect and Pixel Aspect.

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Also, when the frame size increases, the render time increases.

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Finally, open the Arnold Renderer tab.

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Here, you can set the Render Quality by changing the Samples and Ray Depth values.

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Increasing the values increases the quality, but it also increases the render time.

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When you are ready to render the scene, click Render.

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Once the rendering is complete, from the Arnold Render View menu, click File > Save Image.

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In the Save Image dialog, specify the file location, name, and type, and then click Save.

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You can now review the final rendered image.