# FreeCAD-render

**Repository Path**: FreeCAD/FreeCAD-render

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: FreeCAD-render
- **Description**: No description available
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Not specified
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2019-11-18
- **Last Updated**: 2023-11-29

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# FreeCAD Render workbench

A [FreeCAD](https://www.freecadweb.org) workbench to produce high-quality rendered images from your FreeCAD document, using open-source external rendering engines

![](https://yorik.uncreated.net/images/2019/freecad-june-09.jpg)

## Introduction

The Render workbench is a replacement for the built-in [Raytracing workbench](https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Raytracing_Module) of FreeCAD. There are several differences between the two:

* The Render workbench is written fully in Python, which makes it much easier to understand and extend by non-C++ programmers
* It is intentionally very simple to read, understand, and modify (one file which provides common classes and methods 
for all renderers, and one file for each renderer)
* Adding new render engines (renderers) is very easy
* Like the builtin Raytracing workbench, the Render workbench offers the possibility to update the View objects whenever 
its source object changes, which costs extra processing time everytime the source object changes. But it also offers a 
mode where the views are updated all at once, only when the render is performed. This makes the render slower, but adds 
virtually no slowdown during the work with FreeCAD, no matter the size of a Render project.
* The Render workbench uses the same [templates](https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Raytracing_Module#Templates) as the 
Raytracing workbench, they are fully compatible. Appleseed templates are created the same way 
(check the [default template](templates/empty.appleseed) for example)

## Supported render engines

At the moment, the following engines are supported:

* [Pov-Ray](https://povray.org/)  
* Luxrender 
* [Appleseed](https://appleseedhq.net) 
* Blender [Cycles](https://www.cycles-renderer.org/) 

## Installation

The Render workbench is part of the [FreeCAD Addons repository](https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD-addons), and can be installed 
from menu `Tools > Addon Manager` in FreeCAD. It can also be installed manually by downloading this repository using the 
"clone or download" button above. Refer to the [FreeCAD documentation](https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/How_to_install_additional_workbenches) to learn more.

## Usage

The Render workbench works exactly the same way as the [Raytracing Workbench](https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Raytracing_Module). 
You start by creating a Render project using one of the Renderer buttons from the Render Workbench toolbar, then select some of 
your document objects, and add views of these objects to your Render project, using the Add View button. You can tweak some 
features of the views (color, transparency, etc...) if you want it to appear differently in the render than in the 3D view 
of FreeCAD, then, with a Render project selected, you only need to press the Render button to start the render.

Each renderer has some configurations to be set in `Edit > Preferences > Render` before being able to use it, namely the path 
to its executable.

### Notes on compiling Cycles for standalone use

To use the Cycles renderer, Cycles must be compiled as standalone. 
The Blender wiki [has a section on how to compile Cycles as standalone](https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Source/Render/Cycles/Standalone)  
If you already compile Blender yourself, All you need to do is enable `WITH_CYCLES_STANDALONE` and `WITH_CYCLES_STANDALONE_GUI` cmake variables 
(I also had to add `-lGLU` to `CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS`) and you will get a 'cycles' executable compiled together with Blender.

### Notes on using Blender

Blender is able to import FreeCAD files with materials correctly imported and ready for Cycles too, by installing the FreeCAD 
importer addon (available for [2.80](https://gist.github.com/yorikvanhavre/680156f59e2b42df8f5f5391cae2660b) and 
[2.79](https://gist.github.com/yorikvanhavre/e873d51c8f0e307e333fe595c429ba87)). Importing your FreeCAD file in Blender before 
rendering gives you a lot more options such as placing lights and textures.

## To Do

* Currently the external (open the file to be rendered in the Renderer's GUI)/internal (render directly inside FreeCAD) render 
mode is not implemented, the external mode will always be used.
* Add support for Kerkythea (adapt the existing macro)
* Add support for Blender's Eevee
* Add support for OpenCasCade's [CadRays](https://www.opencascade.com/content/cadrays) 

## Feedback

For Feedback, bugs, feature requests, and further discussion please use the dedicated FreeCAD [forum thread]()

## Author
Yorik Can Havre AKA [@yorikvanhavre](https://github.com/yorikvanhavre) ([blog](https://yorik.uncreated.net/))

## License