MoI has been incredible. I had a great time making my project, and now I'd like to render it to show it off a little. Can someone recommend a package (similar to MoI) that I can use for rendering? I'm looking for weekend software, not something that takes a year to learn. Thanks!

Hi Alligator, see these previous threads for some discussion:

http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3136.1
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3652.1
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3401.1

For something that's easy to use and pretty inexpensive, check out SimLab composer:
http://www.simlab-soft.com/3d-products/simlab-composer-main.aspx

To export from MoI to SimLab composer, use OBJ format and set the option for "Export: Quads & Triangles" in the meshing options dialog that pops up when you do the export.

- Michael

Yes, I saw that some of the other topics were several years old. I see that SimLab Composer has a free trial. That's great, I'll give it a try and see if it meets my needs. Much appreciated!

Hi Alligator, I think nothing much has really changed in the world of rendering packages as far as any programs being discontinued or totally brand new ones coming along, so I think those older topics will still have all pertinent information in them.

But I think that SimLab Composer is probably a good bet to try first anyway. Probably the renderer that is currently the absolute easiest to use is KeyShot, but it's significantly more expensive than SimLab Composer. SimLab is a good blend of pretty easy to use yet not so expensive.

There are also a whole bunch of rendering programs that are kind of oriented around making movie effect animations, those can be pretty complex though.

- Michael

Sidenote: if I remember me right Simlab is using the keyshot engine, only the real time feature is disabled.

That's right Micha, Simlab is using the Luxion render engine libraries under license, the same render engine as Keyshot, like how Michael is using the Solids++ libraries under license from IntegrityWare for MoI.
Simlab hasn't really disabled the real time feature it hasn't been developed in their software yet.

-

you can also use the fantastic render engines of Blender: internal or the new Cycles!
Interest : it's free, and it's the polygon modeler the more powerful for make anything!
In constant evolution with thousand developpers around the world!
Of course you must learn it a little ;)





and you can now have the internal render inside the viewport !



by Cedric Trojani (old one internal)

Hi Pilou, does Blender still have the problem where it just ignores vertex normals and doesn't actually import them? Until that is fixed it really does not work very well to use Blender to render CAD data.

There's been some previous discussion about that here:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=5083.6
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=4515.3
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=4272.1
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=4409.79

- Michael

I believe that is not yet resolved but big chiefs are advised of that! ;)