In this section we shall discuss all that relates to the Render tab in 3DCoat.

Firstly, remember to do NOT hit ESC to cancel a render if you still wish to use the image. You MUST wait until it is complete if you wish to have a final, useable image. Canceling the render will not do this. The render engine must be allowed to continue it’s work until it is complete!.

Render Engine: Select which Render Engine to use for rendering. Currently only Internal render and Renderman (this last must be installed first) are ready to use. More will be added in future developments.

Realtime Render: Realtime rendering in the viewport. Full Rendering is possible and very practical within 3DCoat, due to its very fast internal renderer. This makes it practical to update the rendered view as you move your Camera in relation to your model or scene, letting you see interactively the effect of multiple, colored light sources, soft shadows and depth of field. You can also combine all of these with an overlay of your Retopo Mesh, for effect or reference purposes.

Screen Space Illumination and Reflection
Screen Space Illumination and Reflection- part 2

Render Size: Size of output image. Output image size is proportional to the viewport size. Rays per frame: Set up maximal number of traced rays that are rendered per frame of animation. Rendering time is directly proportional to this value. Higher numbers take longer to render.

Render Frame Sequence / animation: Render frames sequence rotating around object or along camera shortcuts sequence.
Frames to Render: Sets the total number of frames that will be rendered to complete a circuit of Camera rendering positions. Save Lossless Images: Save images in lossless format (TGA or BMP).
Don’t Overwrite Files: Files will not be overwritten during sequence rendering.
Render sub sequence: Check this option if you want to render or re-render not all frames but only some. If checked you must set the first and the last frame to render.

Counter clockwise: Reverse the direction of the default Camera rendering positions.
Move Around Shortcuts: Move camera around interpolated trajectory that goes through camera shortcuts.
Render Animation: Initiates the render of frame sequence between several saved scenes.
Move Around Shortcuts: Move camera around interpolated trajectory that goes through camera shortcuts.
Closed Spline: The trajectory of movement is closed.

No Shadows: Render the scene without shadows.
Anti-Aliasing: Use anti-aliasing to further refine the render.
Show Retopo Mesh: Show retopo mesh in Render room.
Hide Visual Guides: Hide symmetry plane, 3D-grid and axis.
Store Alpha Channel: Alpha channel will be rendered too. You should choose TGA as output to use this option correctly. If you are rendering a sequence, TGA will be chosen automatically.
Shadowmap size: The size of the shadow map image that is render when creating shadows.
Render lights individually: If you add more lights to render scene, all that lights passes are rendered individually.

Render Passes: 3D artists will render what is known as multipasses, or render passes. These render passes separate the light components of a 3D element into individual files. These files might include information like the separated shadows or isolated reflections of objects.

Render: This button starts rendering one frame.
View folder: Open render file location.
Show sequence folder: Open render sequence files location.

Settings to modify if you use Panorama as Environment light source. Otherwise white evenly distributed lights will be used as environment.

Exposure: Overall brightness of the rendered image.
Environment Light: With this parameter you can change your lightening type. Zero value will give you direct lightening, 100% – Hemitype lightening.
DOF degree: Depth of field focus. This option will produce lens focus effect on your image. With this parameter set the distance from the DOF plane where objects remain in focus.
DOF plane position: This slider moves a red plane forward or backward from the screen to set the center of the depth of focus. Use the slider above to set the distance from the plane (in front and back) where objects remain in focus.

Fog Density: amount of Fog density.
Fog Power: Balance of fog in the foreground and background.
Fog Color: Balance of fog color.
Volume Fog: amount of volume fog density.
Fog shadows: density of volume shadows.

Silhouette: render mesh contour.
Light Silhouette: This parameter let you see the silhouette, which is formed by light and shadow.

Rotation Angle: Angle of rotation of the light around the object in 3D view.
Light Height: Height of the light relative to the horizon.
Light scattering: With this parameter you can adjust the amount of light that will be scattered. Higher values will give you softer shadows and softer Glossiness on shiny objects.
Camera Target: Lights the object from the camera’s position, making the shadowed areas more visible.
Find Sun: Point the brightest spot on the panorama.
Color: Set the color of your light source.
Intensity: Set the brightness of your light source.
Delete: Delete current Light.
Add Light: Add additional light sources to your scene – all controllable as outlined bellow.
Delete: Delete current Light.

Edit Environment Nodes:
Edit Post Effect Nodes:
Interactive nodes: Introducing new Nodes Editor.
Check out the video of this wip feature to see how it’s coming along: Nodes Editor.