Adjusting materials and colours (optional)

If you’re not happy with the appearance of some components, just select them in the object, go to the Material tab, and tweak the material (including texture) and colour.

1. Add a ground plane

0. Move to the Layout workspace (though you might already be there).
1. Add a plane.

2. Resize it by selecting and pressing S.
3. Set its colour from the World tab.

2. Adjust the camera

0. Switch to the Shading workspace.
1. Locate the camera in the scene.

2. Click the yellow rectangle to select it.
3. Move it with G.
   • Position it roughly, we’ll fine-tune it later.
4. Press 0 on the numpad to switch to camera view.
   • Or go to View > Viewpoint > Camera.
5. Enable Camera to View so you can adjust the camera like a viewport.
   • Use mouse wheel to orbit, + Shift for lateral movement.

6. Adjust the view as needed and leave it there.
   • You can toggle between viewport and camera view with numpad 0.

3. Adjust the lighting

Once the view is set, adjust the light’s position and intensity.

1. Find the light object in the scene.

2. Select it and move it with G.
   • It’s a bit awkward to position, so expect some trial and error.
   • You’ll need to orbit and move around until you find a good plane to move it on.
3. Increase the light’s radius by clicking and dragging the outermost circle.

Now you’ve got the view and lighting as you like it. If you want to tweak more, go ahead and edit the object.

4. Configure the output

1. Go to the Output tab.

2. Set the output path for the render.
   • Could be a folder (auto-naming), or you can set a filename and extension.
3. Choose the Image Format.
   • PNG = better quality, bigger file.
   • JPG = smaller file, less quality.
4. Set the Color Mode.
   • BW: black and white.
   • RGB: normal colour.
   • RGBA: colour with transparent background (if PNG).

5. Generate the render

Once everything’s ready, time to render!

1. Go to the Render tab.

2. Choose your rendering Device: CPU or GPU.
3. Set the Render Engine: Cycles is slower but better quality.
4. Set Max Samples: more = better quality, more time.
   • 1000 is solid for high-quality renders.
5. Enable Denoise if not already active.
6. Start the render via the top menu or with F12.

Once finished, just export the result and you’re done.

Related posts

Generate PCB render on KiCAD