new to twilight - info and advice please

[manitouguy]

Hi all - i have just stumbled across Twilight and am trying to learn more about it -
am an avid user of sketchup and just purchased idx renditioner ... but having now discovered Twilight am wondering
if i should have purchased it instead

have any of you out there experience with both, and if so can you comment on pros / cons of one vs the other

would be very much appreciated as i am trying to understand each better

will definitely give the Twilight demo a try

thanks very much - Ron

[Frederik]

Hello Ron and

have any of you out there experience with both, and if so can you comment on pros / cons of one vs the other

You're asking this in the Twilight Render forum... What do you expect...??
Although this is a very interesting question, it would be unfair to discuss the two competing products in the forum belonging to one of them...

Please understand that we have a passion for the Twilight Render (TWR) and would always praise our application...
We do acknowledge that there are some other render applications that will beat TWR in some areas, however, these are much more expensive and haven't got the same integration with SU as TWR have...

will definitely give the Twilight demo a try

I'd say that this is the best way for you to get the most fair picture...

And finally allow me to quote some wise words regarding render applications in general...

You must realize that having the tools does not make one a carpenter, meaning that there is a level of artistic talent and desire needed in order to set up a scene, composition, lighting, texturing, modeling, and so forth that requires one to have a genuine interest and find much enjoyment in what one is doing in order to succeed...

[manitouguy]

Kim, thanks for the welcome ! and the reply - i appreciate your comments - but where better to ask the question than to a group who definitely know what twilight can do, and (i was hoping) perhaps a bit about idx renditioner - as i know very little, and have next to know experience with either.

It wasn't meant to bring anything negative against either - just an honest opinion on strengths of one vs the other - are they apples to apples in what they do ... or apples to oranges per se

but i do understand your position and appreciate the feedback given - i will explore them on my own
regards, Ron

[Fletch]

I haven't really used that application and can not speak to it... from what I've seen of that app. it's more of an apples to oranges.

Please watch our video tutorials before you use Twilight, and I hope that will help you get started well with it.

[d12dozr]

I've used the IDX Renditioner free version...while it was very easy to use and worked well, Twilight has far more options...spherical skies, reflection/diffuse mapping, and much more (I don't think IDX supports those). Not bashing IDX at all, but I think you'd be happier with Twilight if you are going to be rendering a lot.

[Gaieus]

What I like in IDX Renditioner (hope you don't mind guys - or maybe even it could be a feature request here?) that you can set the sky colour in a way that the skyline is different (say some orange for a sunset). Something like in this video:



Edited by Frederik: Embedded the youTube link

[Frederik]

Not sure I understand this, Gaieus...

In TWR you can also change the physic sky... Just try some different times of a day...
Nevertheless - I prefer to be able to control this by using spherical skies...

[Gaieus]

Never mind, Kim, I should not have got involved with posting other renderer stuff here anyway.
And yes, I surely like the ease of adding image based sky backgrounds in TL/KT so there is no problem with that.

[Fletch]

It's OK, Gaieus, no prob!
You really can just change the time of day with Physical Sky turned on and the sky changes with the time of day... this is, in fact, the very DEFINITION of "Physical Sky"... it physically changes with location on earth, and time of day, and turbidity of sky... Suppose this should be mentioned in the manual - my fault

*edit*
hmm... it IS mentioned in the manual on Page 27 under Physical Sky. but perhaps some visual examples would be much more helpful.

[Fletch]

We have now added a "Physical Sky in Twilight Render" topic to the FAQ. Thanks for bringing up the topic, Gaieus!

It has pictures, examples, all settings, and a good explanation of what's going on.

If you think it can be improved, please let us know!