Workflow Settings Editor (Autodesk Showcase)

(AutoCAD Suites only) Customizes workflow settings that prepare your drawing to be opened and rendered in Autodesk Showcase.

Access Methods

Application menu Suite Workflows Select a Showcase workflow Settings

WORKFLOW

The settings in this version of the Workflow Settings Editor are available for all workflows that send documents to Showcase for rendering.

List of Options

The following options are displayed.

Geometry

Controls the tessellation and level of detail (smoothness) of the imported data.

Geometry settings control the conversion of the AutoCAD input model to meshes in Showcase. The workflow results in a Showcase model that has one level of detail (1LOD) with one mesh per object, or multiple levels of detail. Using a 1LOD setting provides improved rendering performance, and is suitable for multi-part models.

Conversion Settings

Specifies how objects are converted to Showcase meshes. The setting you select affects display quality and performance.

Code	Setting Name	Description
001	All Purpose	The default setting, and a good general choice. It creates three different LODs in a wide range. Most objects look good with this setting, though you may find it is best suited to exterior scenes with large objects, potentially with ground planes, where you might use moderate close-ups from time to time.
002	Large Parts	Recommended for large-scale designs such as bridges and city views. This script creates three LODs, optimized for larger parts. Small details do not render as well, but this script produces fewer polygons than the All-Purpose script, and therefore can result in better performance for medium and large objects.
003	Small Details	Recommended for small-scale designs such as hand-held consumer products. This script creates three LODs, optimized for smaller parts. More polygons are created, but this results in good quality for smaller scenes. It can also produce good results on moderate sized scenes that have many small details that are important to the user. Use this setting for small- to medium-sized models, like an ice skate or a dashboard; not recommended for large curved surfaces or shapes.
004	1LOD Low	One LOD with a smaller number of polygons. This option provides good performance for large models, with reduced quality in close-ups.
005	1LOD Medium	One LOD with a moderate number of polygons. This option is good for medium-sized models.
006	1LOD High	One LOD with a large number of polygons. This option is good for small models, but has a bigger impact on performance.

Visual Style

Visual style settings for Showcase are of two general types: abstract and realistic. Abstract styles are recommended for conceptual designs or work in progress, as they clearly show the relative sizes and proportions of objects. Realistic styles are recommended for more advanced designs, as these styles show details more clearly.

Visual Style

Specify one of the following visual styles

Visual Style Setting	Description
Realistic--No shadows	Provides faster performance.
Realistic--Ambient shadows	Screen space ambient occlusion (SSAO) is active, providing soft shadows. Directional environment shadows are disabled.
Realistic--Shadows	Directional environment shadows are active and ambient shadows are disabled.
Realistic--Both shadows and ambient shadows	This is the default visual style. It enables both ambient and environment shadows for a more realistic hardware rendering of the scene.
Realistic--Ray tracing	This option produces the most realistic visual style. With ray tracing, objects can reflect each other. Other benefits of ray tracing are more accurate rendering of transparency and scene illumination.
Abstract--Flat color	This option displays the model without shading. It turns on geometry edges and renders the materials as the average color of their textures. Ambient shadows, reflections, and the environment light are not displayed.
Abstract--Toon color	This option renders the scene as a cartoon illustration, using geometry edges and the average colors of the materials. Ambient shadows and reflections are not displayed.
Abstract--Shaded textures	This option generates a shaded look for the model. It displays the geometry edges and renders the materials with textures, but without reflections or bump. Ambient shadows and reflections are not displayed.
Abstract--Tech	This is an ideal choice for illustrations of models with reflective materials. The textures and environment reflections are enabled. Ambient shadows are not displayed. Both the geometry and the environment are rendered as an illustration.
Abstract--Realistic	This option renders the model realistically, and enhances the look by adding geometry edges. Ambient shadows and environment reflections are enabled.

Background Environment

Provides visual context and lighting for your drawing.

The environments are not simple background images. They cast light, so the surroundings can be reflected in the surfaces of your design. Choices are largely subjective, but some guidelines are provided. Both the Showcase Environment and the Large-Scale Environment menus have the same options.

Showcase Environment

Sets the environment to use for designs. The following settings are available.

For this design size	Use one of these settings
Very large models	BP Black-White (Scale Independent - Abstract) BP Generic (Scale Independent - Abstract). Gray background. BP Gradient (Scale Independent - Abstract) Empty (Scale Independent - Abstract). No image, which is good for controlling color display.
Up to 70 m in size	Grass Field (Building Size - Realistic) White Room (Building Size - Abstract) Black Room (Building Size - Abstract)
Up to 7 m in size	Country Road (Car Size - Realistic) Daylight Gypsum Crater (Car Size - Realistic) Desert Dawn Road (Car Size - Realistic) Docks (Car Size - Realistic) Dry Lake Bed (Car Size - Realistic) Exhibit Hall (Car Size - Realistic) Night Plaza (Car Size - Realistic) Night Street (Car Size - Realistic) Old Warehouse (Car Size - Realistic) Sepulveda (Car Size - Realistic) Stuttgart (Car Size - Realistic) Generic (Car Size - Abstract) Photo Studio (Car Size - Realistic)
Up to 1 m in size	Empty Lab (Chair Size - Realistic) ID Hardwood (Chair Size - Realistic) ID Bloom (Chair Size - Abstract) ID Box Sweep (Chair Size - Abstract) ID Simple Skylight (Chair Size - Abstract) ID Speed (Chair Size - Abstract) ID Tech (Chair Size - Abstract)

If Model is Larger Than

Specifies the maximum linear dimension in meters for a smaller design.

Large-Scale Environment

Sets the environment to use for designs with a linear dimension that exceeds the specified value.

These available options are the same as those available for Showcase Environment.

Ground Plane Level

Specifies the ground level in relation to the model. The ground plane receives shadows from the model. It can be placed at the bottom of the model, or match the Inventor Ground Plane. For buildings, which can have underground details, the user can specify an elevation for the ground level.

Center Environment on Model

is a recommended setting, as it centers the environment without moving the model. Moving the model is not recommended when you import Inventor constraints or when you assemble the scene out of multiple files.

Navigation

Walk zones simulate walkable areas in the scene, based on visible objects and the environment floor. This feature is useful for large scenes that contain traversable characteristics such as stairs and hallways. Walk zones work with the SteeringWheels walk mode or the keyboard arrow keys.

Create Walk Zone for Interactive Walkthrough

For architectural environments, creates a walk zone for a user to navigate interactively at eye level through a designed space.