Rendering Tip - How to Render Colored Glass

I thought that I would share this with IRender nXt users who might have found the process for rendering colored glass a bit mysterious, as I admit was the case for me the first time I tried.  It is actually not difficult to render a vase or any glass surface in the color of your choice however the process is not particularly obvious.

Typically you'll just select a material in SketchUp and with the IRender nXt interface make the material render as glass:

1) In SketchUp - Right-Click on the material.

2) Select IRender nXt -> Edit Material, to open the Edit Material dialog.

3) Select the Defaults tab (labeled Preset on the current version)

4) Select "Thick Glass"

5) Render your model

By default, glass renders as clear glass.  But what if you want the glass to retain the SketchUp color?  Try this:

1) CLICK the IRender nXt logo on the toolbar

2) CLICK Support on the dialog

3) UNCHECK "Move transparent colors towards white"

4) Process the Rendering

The glass will retain the SketchUp color when rendered.  My vase is thick glass with refraction and all of the other great IRender nXt values set.  Best of all the vase renders a beautiful blue.

Again, I don't think that this process is obvious and so I hope that this rendering tip will be helpful to anyone who might have become frustrated when trying to render colored glass.

Cheers!  And good luck with all of your rendering projects.

~Russell