Want to create a rendering in Revit and not sure where to start? In this blog post, you’ll learn the settings and simple steps to set the perspective and atmosphere of your rendering and how to save it.

The process consists of improving the rendering at each step. Don’t skip any steps and you’ll end up with a rendering like this:

Rendering Revit

Step 1: Set up the camera view

Capture the scene you want to render by creating a camera view.

To create a camera view:

  1. Go to the View tab > Create panel > click Camera.
  2. Click two points in the plan view to define the camera position and target.
setup camera
Revit camera

Use the ViewCube or the SteeringWheel to rotate and pan the camera. Use the navigation bar tools allow you to zoom in and out and to focus on a specific point.

3D rendering in Revit
perspective view

One thing to keep in mind when setting up the camera view is to create depth in your rendering. This means that you should have some elements that are close to the camera and some that are far away. This will create a sense of scale and realism in your rendering.

Step 2: Adjust the crop size

Change the width and height of your rendering.

  1. Select the crop region in your camera view.
  2. In the Properties palette, change the Eye and Target elevations.
scale 3D view

Note that the next steps are only necessary if you want to change the size of your rendering in sheets.

  1. Go to the Modify | Cameras tab > Crop panel > click Size Crop.
  2. Change the model crop size > click OK.
crop region

Learn how to crop views and view scale settings.

Step 3: Render in Revit

Render the view and fine-tune your output settings.

Steps

  1. Go to the View tab > Presentation panel > click Render.
  2. In the Quality panel, select Medium as the setting.
  3. Click Render.
Render on Revit

✨ Tip: Select the “edit” option to customize the quality settings.

The higher the quality, the more realistic and detailed your rendering will be, but the longer it will take to render.

Consider using Medium for your first few drafts.

We recommend that you click Render after each of the steps below to get a feel for what each set of settings does.

Learn about other tools in the View Control bar.

Step 4: Adjust render settings

Select the type and location of your scene environment.

  1. In the Lighting panel, select the Exterior Sun only Scheme.
  2. Click the Sun Settings box.
  3. Select Spring Equinox Solar Study.
  4. Adjust the date and time for proper illumination.
  5. Click OK.
Revit render settings

Learn more about Revit sun settings.

Depending on the scene, you can choose to use Sun Only for natural light, Artificial Only for light fixtures, or Sun and Artificial for both.

Selecting Sun Only provides bright and warm lighting for the outdoor scene.

Step 5: Select the background

Select what appears behind your building or your scene.

  1. In the Background panel, select Image for the Style.
  2. Click Image.
  3. Browse for a HDRI image > select it > click Open.
How to add HDRI to Revit
  1. In the Scale panel, choose Height.
  2. Click OK.
Render background

A background can be a solid color, a gradient, or a sky image. It affects the contrast, color, and mood of your rendering.

It’s best to use an HDRI image that matches the perspective and the lighting of your scene.

Step 6: Customize lighting

Change the brightness and the contrast of your rendering.

  1. In the Image panel, click Adjust Exposure.
  2. Change the exposure value to adjust the amount of light in the render.
  3. Click OK.
Exposure settings
Render with Revit

This one is not properly illuminated. Changing the exposure value will do the trick.

Revit rendering lighting tips

For the final render, select Best for Quality setting. Finally, click Render.

Rendering in Revit

Voila! This is also the result of choosing and customizing the materials.

See how we rendered an artificially lit scene to display a glowing 3D text in Revit.

Step 7: Save your image

Finally, click the Export button on the Image panel. Choose a file type and then click Save.

save rendering

If you are concerned about losing the perspective view, click Save to Project in the Image panel. This will allow you to access the rendering from the Project Browser at any time.

To add more life and color to your rendering like our final image, check out our post on toposolids, which explains how to add trees and load families from the new Revit library into your site.

Post-production is a different topic for another article. Learning photo editing will allow you to improve the rendering by applying filters and effects.

That’s about it. We hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned how to create Revit renderings.