Environments

The Environments command opens the Environments panel to edit background color, image, projection.

Environments panel toolbar

Toolbar	Menu	Panel Gear Menu
Render Tools	Render Environment Editor Panels Environments	Environments

Back

Selects the previous item in the list.

Forward

Selects the next item in the list.

Current item

Displays the current item icon and name.

Search

Click the search box (magnifying glass) to display a menu for searching names, notes, or tags.

Search Names

Limits the search to names.

Search Notes

Limits the search to notes.

Search Tags

Limits the search to tags.

When tags: is selected, a list of available tags appears. These tags are gathered from the materials, environments, and textures in the document.
In the tags list, arrow keys move up and down and the selected tag is appended to the search.
Type a semicolon to keep the selected tag and append a semicolon to the search.
Backspace removes the last tag from the search.
Once the focus is on the tags list, you can navigate the list using the keyboard with the semicolon and backspace keys appending and removing tags from the search without having to use the mouse.

Show Search Tips

Displays how 'name:', 'note:', 'tag:', '?', '#' and '^' are used for searching items.

Help

Thumbnail preview actions

Drag and drop actions in the list section

Creating and editing environments

Create New Environment

Name

Type

Basic Environment Settings

Background

The basic environment is a simple background color and optional texture. The projection of the texture can be set to either planar, spherical (otherwise known as equirectangular or longitude/latitude) or box.

To set the background color

Select the color for the environment background.

You can drag the color swatch to a folder to create a Rhino color file.

To add this color to a color library

Drag it from a folder to another color swatch in the Materials, Environments, or Textures panels, or you can drag it onto an object.

Background image

Uses an image as the environment background.

To specify an image

Click the texture control.
(click to assign texture)
The check box automatically becomes checked the first time you do this.
You can clear the check box to turn off the assignment.
Select an image file to use.

Projection

Sets the projection style for the background image.

Planar

Maps texture directly to background. Environment looks always the same no matter where the camera is looking.

Light probe

Also known as angular fish-eye projection or azimuthal equidistant projection. Elliptical subsection reaching each border of the texture is mapped onto the sphere.

See: Wikipedia: Azimuthal equidistant projection.

Equirectangular

Also known as spherical projection. Horizontal line in the middle of the texture is mapped to the equator of the sphere.

See: Wikipedia: Equirectangular projection.

Cubemap

Subsections corresponding to each side of the cube are located side by side dividing the texture into six equal parts.

See: Wikipedia: Cube mapping.

Vertical cross cubemap

Subsections corresponding to each side of the cube are located in a vertical cross pattern. Each subsection is one fourth of the image in height and one third in width.

Horizontal cross cubemap

Subsections corresponding to each side of the cube are located in a horizontal cross pattern. Each subsection is one third of the image in height and one fourth in width.

Emap

Elliptical subsection reaching each border of the texture is mapped onto the sphere. This projection is the result of taking a photo of a mirror sphere with an orthographic camera.

Hemispherical

Like spherical projection but the entire texture is mapped onto the upper half of the sphere. The bottom border of the texture is stretched over the under side of the sphere.

Rotation

Sets the rotation of the environment. This helps put the image in the correct position to accomplish the correct reflections and lighting.

Intensity

Save and share render content

Render content (materials, environments, and textures) are stored in models. They can also be saved to files and shared across models. The Libraries panel displays the default content folder. Content can be dragged and dropped between Rhino sessions or between a Rhino window and a disk folder.

Environments panel toolbar

Back

Forward

Current item

Search

Search Names

Search Notes

Search Tags

Show Search Tips

Menu

Help

Thumbnail preview actions

Drag and drop actions in the list section

Creating and editing environments

To create a new environment

Create New Environment

Import Environment from File

Basic Environment

More Types

Name

Type

Basic Environment Settings

Background

To set the background color

To add this color to a color library

Background image

To specify an image

Projection

Planar

Light probe

Equirectangular

Cubemap

Vertical cross cubemap

Horizontal cross cubemap

Emap

Hemispherical

Rotation

Intensity

Save and share render content

To access command-line options

Add

Delete

Rename

Change

Duplicate

LoadFromFile

SaveToFile

See also

Materials

Textures

Render

Resolving render content conflicts