Immersive environment with LumenRT

In this section, we will look at a product that generates interactive 3D environments from a SketchUp scene. Thanks to the advances in computer graphics—and also to the success of video games—there are now a number of new software products available that can convert a SketchUp or CAD 3D model into a photoreal environment with textures and natural lighting. Some of these are even based on video game rendering systems (the game engine), while others are dedicated to high-quality visualizations.

LumenRT is published by e-on software, famous for its digital nature line of products to create and render natural environments and vegetation. LumenRT is available for Windows and Mac, and you can download a trial version and sample projects from www.lumenrt.com/download. Like all software that uses the advanced features of your graphics card to perform calculations, LumenRT requires a recent graphics card with current drivers. You can find the detailed requirements...