PhotoView 360
One-button Photorealistic Rendering for SolidWorks Users
PhotoView 360 is a visualization and rendering solution included with SolidWorks Professional and SolidWorks Premium. PhotoView 360 provides a highly interactive environment for viewing designs as well as for creating photorealistic renderings that can be used to showcase designs.
PhotoView 360 is based on SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT) and helps beginning CAD users achieve expert results. Its simple-to-use progressive rendering tools lets users photorealistically render a scene while allowing the user to continue working on the same scene, unlike software that forces users to wait until scenes are complete.
PhotoView 360 Features & Benefits
Round trip compatibility
PhotoView 360 is a separate application to SolidWorks but any changes made to the SolidWorks data will update automatically in PhotoView 360, without the loss of current PhotoView 360 materials and scenes.
Automatic Mapping of RealView Materials
When opening SolidWorks parts and assemblies into PhotoView 360 automatic mapping of all default RealView materials to the equivalent PhotoView 360 material is applied.
Drag and Drop Materials and Scenes
Materials and scenes are drag and drop from the extensive libraries included with PhotoView 360. Texture based materials can be scaled and colour adjusted in the PhotoView 360 window.
Pre-Defined HDRI Scenes
PhotoView 360 allows users to load a number of pre-defined scenes that are based on HDR (high dynamic range) images. These types of scenes contribute very realistic lighting to your SolidWorks models and forego the need to create and adjust SolidWorks lights making it very simple and easy to quickly achieve photo-realism.
Camera Effects
PhotoView 360 provides control over camera effects allowing SolidWorks users many more options in getting the rendering to look exactly the way he/she wants it to look:
- Switch between perspective and orthogonal views
- Depth-of-field controls let you create renderings where part of the image is in focus and other parts are not in focus.
- Add a bloom effect to the final render to create a glow for emissive appearances or areas of very bright environment reflections.
PhotoView 360 vs. PhotoWorks
With the launch of SolidWorks 2011, SolidWorks software and PhotoView 360 will provide the same rendering capabilities that are now available in PhotoWorks, including, but not limited to the creation and reuse of custom appearances, scenes, and decals. The ability to directly render different configurations, display states, and model changes. The production of rendered animations from a SolidWorks Motion study. The ability to use physical lights in renderings and the scheduling of renderings to be completed later.
Presently PhotoView 360 offers the following functionality when compared to PhotoWorks:
| Capability | PhotoView 360 | PhotoWorks |
|---|---|---|
| One click photorealism |  |
|
| Standalone application | |
|
| Real time ray tracer | |
|
| Latest generation appearance shader’s | |
|
| Background images and custom environments | |
|
| Custom Scenes | |
|
| Image decals (default or custom) | |
|
| Integrated application | |
|
| Custom appearances | |
|
| Animation support | |
|
| Batch render | |
|
| Full support of cameras | |
|
| Standalone lights | |
|
| Caustics | |
