This portion of the subject is going to be dealing with lighting. Adding a light source is as easy as adding any component. Actually, a light is a component. How convenient. There are two light sources as well. That ball of fire that warms us called the sun and any window or curtain wall that allows the sun to shine through.

Adding lights
For this example, I am going to render an exterior perspective view. I want to have two wall sconces on the exterior of my building accenting a sweeping window wall. There is also a light source emanating from inside the building as well.

Go to a plan where the lights are going to be placed. The items I am placing are wall sconces. They are in a family that is dependent on a wall to be its host.

• Go to the Rendering tab on the design toolbar.
• Click on the Component button.
• On the Options toolbar click on the Load… button.
• In the Imperial Library, go to Lighting Fixtures, and grab Sconce.rfa
• Place it on an exterior wall.
• Place another if so desired.

• Select both sconces, and select the Properties button on the Options toolbar.
• You can probably keep the elevation at 0' 0". Go to a 3D view or elevation to see if the elevation is where you want it.



• Go back to a plan view.
• In the View tab on the design toolbar, click the Camera button.
• Pick a spot out on the lawn where you think you might be standing to take a picture.
• Pick a spot off in the distance, past the building where you would be looking.



• Adjust the crop region on the 3D perspective to cover the area you want.
• Click the Shadows button on the View control toolbar at the bottom on the Revit Screen.



• Select Advanced Model Graphics.



• Under shadow properties, select the builder button.



• Make the settings reflect late afternoon.



• Click OK
• Click OK again
• In the Rendering tab, click on Image size.
• Adjust it to be around 300 dpi. .



• Click the Daylights button .
• Select any windows or curtain walls that will allow light to pass through. These windows will actually become lights.
• Click the Lighting… button.
• Click the Settings… button.
• Make a new scene and call it something you like .
• Be sure it is an exterior scene.
• Use the sun and shadow settings from view.



• Click OK.
• Click on Region Raytrace.
• Pick a window to render.
• This will take a while. Remember, when the rendering is done, select the capture rendering button!

(Discuss this Article! in the HotNews Discussion Forums.)

Submitted by Eric Wing, who has been in the building, architectural design, and structural engineering field for 15 years and has been managing, teaching, and presenting Autodesk applications for 10 of them. Eric's activities within AUGI include: ATP Director, Survey Manager, ATP instructor, HotNews columnist and AUGIWorld columnist. He can be reached at atpmanager@augi.com