Revit 2010 to 3DS Max Design - Importing and Rendering Adjustments

Abstract

The following tutorial will provide the process to export files from Revit, import them into 3DS Max Design, and quickly make adjustments for better quality renderings.

Step 1

In Revit, first export the file as a .FBX file so that it is compatible with 3DS Max Design. You must be in a 3D model view in Revit to do so (if you want an interior render, make sure the camera is on the interior of the model).

Step 2

Open 3DX Max Design. Click on 'File' and select 'Import' from the drop down menu and choose the .FBX file. A screen will appear telling you the preset parameters of the input, so just select 'OK'. The model will now import into the 3DS window.

Step 3

To change to the selected camera view, right click in the top left where it reads 'Perspective', go to cameras, and find the interior camera view made in Revit.

Step 4

Next, you have to set the exposure control. Click on the 'Rendering' tab at the top and choose 'Exposure Control'. No exposure control should be set, so from the drop down menu, select 'mr Photographic Exposure Control'. Then choose a preset from the drop down menu (for an interior view, pick 'Physically Based Lighting, Indoor Daylight'. Click on 'Render Preview' to get an idea of what the final render will look like. More than likely, it will not be quite perfect at this point.

Step 5

Under the Rendering tab, choose ‘Render Setup’ and adjust the size of the desired image. Then, run the rendering. Possibly, you will notice a lot of black spots as the render continues, so click 'Cancel' to correct this problem.

Step 6

Below the Render Window is a parameter called 'FG Bounces'. Make this value a 2.

Step 7

There is also a slider for 'Final Gather Precision'. From Revit, this will automatically be set to 'Custom' (which is usually a poor setting from Revit). Change this slider to whatever setting you want such as daft, low, medium, high, or very high. I recommend starting on draft or low until you are sure the final image will look as desired because the higher the quality, the longer the rendering time. Now hit the Render button again.

As the render progresses, you will see the black spots have significantly decreased. This is a very simple way to import a Revit file, enable the exposure control, tweak the FG bounces, adjust the final gathering precision, and once that was done, you have a final rendering. 3DS Max Design renderings take much less time than Revit to compute and look much better.