All Rendered Colors are NOT Created Equal... In the Cloud...

If you're like me and spend far too much time searching for seamless textures, cutout trees, and tweaking hue and saturation then you may have noticed a little issue when rendering in Revit.  The issue arises when using Autodesk 360 Rendering.  Hopefully, Autodesk will look to correct this inconsistency after I publish it here (like they did with a few other Cloud issues...).  But, until they decide to fix it I want to show you a work-around.

The issue involves inconsistent colors.  For example, if you want a solid red object.  Typically, you would create a new material and change the "Color" of the generic material, similar to this:

Unfortunately, if you render on the cloud the color never seems to look like the red you chose...  Usually its a grey of some sort.  Below is an image I rendered in the cloud.  Notice the differences between the red and brown columns... The red column on the left is supposed to be the color I set up above... Not quite the same, huh?

The columns on the right were created using the workaround...  Much more like it...  Continue reading to get your colors consistent...

Are You a Student Using Autodesk's Cloud Rendering? Here's What You Should Know.

It is no secret that I am a huge proponent of Autodesk's 360 Cloud Rendering service.  Personally, I use it in the office almost weekly (if not daily).  The simple ability to send my views to the cloud and continue working without bogging down any computers is MASSIVE for me.

I have used it so much that I have created my own techniques on how to make a raw cloud rendering look similar to renderings produced with professional rendering engines (such as V-Ray).   If you are interested in my techniques check out BIM After Dark - Volume 1.

Example: Rendered in the cloud using the techniques I illustrate in BIM After Dark (Click here to see more).

If you are student, Autodesk was gracious enough to give you unlimited cloud rendering credits absolutely free.  This is huge!  I remember leaving my laptop on for days rendering a few scenes while I built a physical model (crossing my fingers hoping the machine didn't break or restart).  Throwing up 30 or 40 interior/exterior scenes to the cloud and being able to crank out floor plans, sections, and elevations while they rendered was life changing.

Well, with the release of Revit 2015 and a new cloud update, the word "unlimited" is key.  You will still have an endless supply of cloud credits at your disposal, but, you may not able to throw thirty up to the cloud and let it crank away...

Another Cloud Rendering Issue

I posted about an ongoing cloud rendering issue back in February.  Well, here is another one that has bothered me and negatively affected some of my renderings...

If you use a material with self-illumination (such as "Light Bulb - On") and you rendering it in the cloud you may get an unwanted result.  I tested this a with a couple different settings and haven't been able to find a reason for it.  Here are the results...

Autodesk Cloud Rendering and Light Sources

If you have followed this blog over the year you would know how much if a proponent of Autodesk's 360 Cloud Rendering service.  In fact, there is quite a bit of talk and information on cloud rendering in BIM After Dark, too.

Click here for a lists of posts mentioning cloud rendering over the years (ups and downs)... 

Also, here are few interesting oldies when it was in the labs as "Project Neon"

Well, there has been a pet peeve of mine when it comes to using the cloud for renderings that include artificial lights...

Revit 2014 Cloud Issue - "A Problem Occurred. File Could Not be Translated. -1"

Apparently there is a known issue with Revit 2014 and Autodesk Cloud Rendering.  The issue will through a dialogue box that states: "A Problem Occurred. File Could Not be Translated. -1"

Why does this happen?

Revit 2014 Cloud Rendering and Custom Materials

Revit 2014 was released near the end of my semester this year (much later than normal).  Being extremely anxious to install and use it,  and extremely frustrated with Revit 2013's material editor, I installed Revit 2014 a few weeks before my final.

Everything was running smooth and the new/old material editor was a great pleasure.... Until I sent some renderings to the cloud.  

Take a good look at this test rendering.... Notice anything funny?  

That's right... the brick, stone, and wood materials are HUGE!  Those are pyramids of Giza size bricks...  When this exact scene is rendered locally (or in realistic) the brick, wood, and stone look perfect....

It looks to me like the Revit 2014 exporter/cloud has something funny going on with custom materials.  These maps and bump maps are all custom and look great locally... The second I send them to the cloud this is the result...  This did not happen with Revit 2013 and the cloud.

I remember some major improvements when Revit 2013 was released with the cloud exporter from the Revit 2012 exporter... Looks to me like they improved the cloud but not the exporter for the 2014 release...

The Cost of the Cloud - Part 2

I just posted about an email by Autodesk informing subscription users about the new implementation of cloud units and their cost.

Well, the FAQ document linked in the email was not clear on the amount of units a Cloud Rendering would use.  So I decided to break it down for you...  The Crop Region size in the Revit view used was set to 11"x7".  The only factors that seem to effect the "price" of a rendering were the "Render Quality" and "Image Size".  I told you the size of the crop region because the larger the crop region the more cloud units it would require to render at the same settings as a smaller crop region view.  Below are a series of screen shots with different settings and their respective cloud "costs".  (If you click one image you should be able to scroll through them).

One thing I noticed is that the "Maximum" image size setting is much higher than it was before (it was capped at 2000 pixels).  But, it is the most expensive at 10 cloud credits (which would equate to $10.00).  Therefore, with your 100 cloud units you can get a total of 10 Maximum, Final quality renderings....

The Cost of the Cloud - Autodesk Cloud Credits

For those of you following my blog over the past year or so you will remember all the posts about access to the cloud services, options for students, and possibilities for payment plans...  Well, the time has come.  It took a while but Autodesk finally figured out how they wanted to charge for the cloud.

Subscription Update

Dear Autodesk Subscription Customer, As of April 12, 2013, you will receive 100 cloud credits annually for each software license on Subscription. Cloud credits provide you a better way to measure the costs required to use select cloud services. Cloud credits will be needed for the following Autodesk® 360 Services available to you as Subscription entitlements: Autodesk 360 Cloud Services ▪ Rendering ▪ Autodesk Infraworks 360 The amount of cloud credits required for these services fluctuates depending on the variables you choose – thus offering you a more flexible and accurate way pay just for the amount of cloud computing that you need. To help you monitor usage of cloud credits we recently released the Autodesk 360 Usage Report which provides Contract Managers the ability to track how many cloud credits have been used and how many credits are left—by the contract or by the user. If you need to purchase additional cloud credits, you’ll be able to do so from: ▪ Subscription Center ▪ My Account ▪ Autodesk, Inc. (Direct Accounts) ▪ An Autodesk Reseller For more detailed information on cloud credits please see the Autodesk Cloud Credits FAQ.

Okay,  so each subscription license gets 100 cloud credits.  If you want more cloud credits it will cost $100 per 100 credits... Meaning each credit costs $1.00.  So... how much will it cost to render.  Previously, it was something like 5 credits to render with the cloud and Revit.  If this were still true, then it will cost roughly $5.00 per rendering (or 20 renderings per $100.00).  Not to mention you HAVE to be a subscription user.  

How many million cloud renderings did Autodesk say were completed last year?  Talk about a nice revenue stream.

 Currently, students still get cloud services for free (Thanks Autodesk!).  

Revit Tip - Panoramic Cloud Renderings on Your iPad or iPhone

Every time I show someone the panoramic rendering feature of Autodesk's cloud rendering service the first question I get is "how can I show people these?"  I would normally answer with "Try KubeGL" or "log into your account.

Well, thanks to Steve over at Revit OpEd for the find, there is now a fairly simple workflow for getting these panoramic rendering to view on your iOS devices.  Ultimately, with a video adapter for your iPhone or iPad you can project and present the panoramic renderings... Sweet.

Click here to view Steve's post and download a PDF of the steps to follow...

Revit Tutorial - 360 Cloud Rendering and Lighting

Great article about cloud rendering, using lighting, and other features.  It is in German so you may need to have the browser translate it.  Some awesome images and explanations that will help you with your renderings for sure.

 Click here to view the tutorial and write-up...

Autodesk 360 Cloud Rendering - Another Review

Well, it has been a little while since Autodesk released the ability to render in the cloud.  I have to say, it has come a long way (I have had mixed reviews in the past).  I have been using and testing this technology starting as a plug-in to Revit 2012.  Now, it is fully built into Revit 2013 and the overall process is much more fluent  I just wanted to run through a few things I feel have gotten better (or worse) while rendering in the cloud.

I am using Revit 2013 (One-box) updated to Service Pack 2....

The Good:

Custom Materials:
One thing I remember from the very first cloud renderings I produced was a disconnect when it came to custom materials.  Revit has some cool default materials but over the years they get really old.  I love making and finding new textures and using them for renderings.  Well, this has finally gotten to a reasonable point in cloud rendering.  The custom materials, bump maps, and reflections are all very close to Revit's renderings.  The one exception you must be aware of is glazing.  For some reason the reflection/refraction of glazing on the cloud appears much different than on native Revit renderings.  You might need to makes some tweaks to it.


Speed and Efficiency
The speed and efficiency of using cloud rendering is it's biggest selling point.  Sending 40 renderings to the cloud and having them finish 20 minutes later without impeding on your workflow is AWESOME.  It is so much better than letting an 8 hour rendering run overnight only to find you screwed up somewhere.  I cannot begin to tell you how insane it would get rendering 20+ hour images a week before the presentation...  I know many fellow college kids are going through that right now.

FREE!! For Students...
The cloud rendering and other Autodesk 360 Services are now free for students to use... I repeat... Not a trial!  This is awesome considering the intensity of studio projects and schedules as well as the lack of rendering farms or super computers in a student's budget.

The Bad:

Night/Ambient Renderings
I have yet to get Revit and the Cloud renderings of exterior night scenes to look remotely similar.  I have tried messing with sun lighting (the 2.A.M. trick) and seeing how that effects the cloud with no luck...  Granted, the renderings on the cloud look pretty sweet but it is very difficult to make them NOT look like a nuclear bomb went off...  A perfect example can be seen in the images below:

Native Revit

Autodesk 360 Cloud

Although I think the cloud rendering looks pretty cool it's just the differences between the two I wanted to point out...  Same settings, different images.

Artificial Lighting
I haven't been able to confirm this yet but so far if any of my rendering have artificial lighting in them they will render as so in the cloud.  That is to say there is no way to turn them off (even if my render setting are set to day lighting only).  Most of the time I don't mind this but the option would be nice.

Resolution and Size
I can understand why the resolution of a cloud rendering might want to be limited... but... we need something a little larger!  In this day and age where retina displays and 1200dpi printers are becoming more and more common a maximum of 2000 pixels wide is just not cutting it.  I have managed to print some pretty good looking boards (24x36) with the cloud renderings but the pixelizing is very noticeable.  Therefore, if you require a 150 to 300dpi image and need some serious detail (even when zoomed) then you may have to stay inside Revit.

Still No Pay-Per-Render
There is still any sign of a pay-per-render or subscription offer from Autodesk.  I know... I know... If you are a subscription user you get it all to use ... But, is everyone on subscription yet?  I guess Autodesk hopes so.

Autodesk 360 Cloud Services FREE for Students!!!

This is HUGE news...  I have expressed my feelings about the amount of free renderings Autodesk has offered to students (especially without the option of buying more) in the past.  Well, I would like to think that maybe I had something to do with the latest news... Autodesk is giving those with a student account free reign of many Autodesk 360 Cloud Services!

Autodesk 360 Cloud Services 
Students now can access virtually infinite computing power with Autodesk cloud-based solutions. Learn how you can create, visualize, analyze, simulate, and iterate your designs faster–eliminating long wait time in studios or computer labs. Improve your course project outcomes by moving computation-intensive tasks to the cloud, enabling rapid visualization and simulation and optimized collaboration with access to intelligent, data-rich models. Learn how you can solve your complex design challenges anywhere, anytime right now.

Render Your Designs in the Cloud Today! 
Save time and produce compelling, near-photorealistic visualizations without tying up your desktop. Render your designs faster–eliminating long wait time in studios or computer labs. Learn how you can improve your course project outcomes by moving computation-intensive tasks to the cloud today. 

 For more information about the Autodesk Cloud-Based offerings, visit www.autodesk.com/studentcloud

For those of you who have already used all your cloud renderings log back into Autodesk 360 and take a look at your account... Something should look a tad bit different...

KubeGL - View Autodesk 360 Cloud Panorama's Offline

So you are using Autodesk 360 Cloud rendering to create nifty little panorama's and you want to view those panoramas outside of the Autodesk 360 website....  Well, it is very easy to do....

1. Log onto Autodesk 360 Cloud Rendering and download your panorama as a .jpeg.
2. Download KubeGL.exe
3. Run KubeGL.exe 
4. Select your .jpeg and click OK.

And there you have it!  Spin, zoom, and enjoy...  Oh, and wait for Autodesk to up the quality of Panoramas...

For more information about KubeGL click here...

Autodesk Cloud - Pay Per Rendering - How much would you pay?

Autodesk appears to be working with us instead of against us as far as Cloud Rendering and availability is concerned.  I had a nice discussion last week with some insiders about my post a month or so ago and they appear to believe as strongly about cloud rendering as I do...

I also posted on the feedback forum for cloud rendering, which brings me to this post.

How much would you pay for the cloud rendering services?
Should it be a pay-per-rendering, a monthly fee, a yearly fee...?

Either respond on the Autodesk Feedback forum here....

The latest post requesting feedback:

When Neon was on Labs as a technology preview, we were running on a small farm and the number of users was significantly less.
Now it's a different story. The costs are higher and a pricing structure and various degrees of control are necessary. Please post all the pricing suggestions you think are valuable.We have been discussing ways to get cloud units to users of all kinds :) It's still a work in progress and be sure that we are reading all the discussions in this forum. We are also discussing what can be done for the educational market.     Rob

Or respond in the comment section below....

I, for one, would shoot for a monthly or yearly subscription to cloud rendering.  Since its release I have used all of my free cloud units and I know I would use it consistently throughout the year.  As far as a price is concerned... My first thought is to do some math:

• Roughly $1,000.00 a year to keep a desktop up-to-date and rendering diligently. 
• $1,000.00 / 12 Months = $84.00 Per Month.

Having used the service and watch all of my colleagues and classmates use the service I would feel comfortable at that rate (even as a graduate student working part time).

Thoughts?  Maybe there are different levels depending on how many renderings you think you would use a month?  Kind of like a cell phone bill with minutes??

The other option I have in mind is the Pay-Per-Rendering.... The hardest factor to describe is how many rendering I might do on any given day or month.  This is a difficult factor to determine because I am currently limited to the performance of my computer and the time it takes to render.... With cloud I could be doing 20x as many renderings with the time frame and process power removed from the equation.

Hmmmm.....  Comment below or Post Here!

Revit Cloud Rendering: Pay-Per-Render?

Autodesk's release of Cloud based services has caused a bit of a buzz across the blogosphere.  I have been reluctant to speak about it until I found out how this will/could affect us students.  Through my contacts at Autodesk I have a bit of sad news for those of us on a student license. All of the great new cloud features are only available to use as trials.  

With Autodesk Cloud Documents allowing us to use 1GB of space (not bad at all...) and Autodesk Cloud Rendering only allowing us to use 25 free renderings.  So don't do what I did and render up a storm because it is so much fun!

Personally, I think the Cloud Rendering service is awesome.  I use Revit to create renderings both professionally and academically and this service is a gift from God.  One positive note is that Autodesk claims they will make it available to schools that are on Subscription.  The only problem there is that most students have no idea how to find out if they are on subscription and all the schools will have to make preferred user names for the students wanting to utilize these tools.   

Autodesk, WHY?  Why make such a feature like Autodesk Cloud Rendering only available to "premium" and  "ultimate" subscribers?!

I would like to put forward a motion to allow users a monthly subscription or "pay-per-rendering" plan for Autodesk Cloud Rendering.  Why not?!  I am not afraid to speak for the 2,000,000+ users in the Autodesk Education Community (I think there are something like 400,000 using Revit).  

For all of us pulling "all nighters" simply because we waited 8 hours for a rendering to finish this service is absolutely incredible.

Revit Proud & SurRendering...  Please?

Click here to try out Autodesk Cloud Rendering and Cloud Services.  (Remember, use those 25 free renderings wisely).

Click here to write to Autodesk and tell them how much you love it and WANT to use it.

What do you guys think?

(Image above of "rainy cloud" courtesy of...http://deceduescience.wikispaces.com/Calcutta)