About ActiveShade

ActiveShade provides an interactive rendering session that allows you to see your scene in a near-final rendering quality as you are working.

Whenever you adjust lights, geometry, camera or materials, ActiveShade interactively updates the rendering. You can use ActiveShade either directly in a viewport or in a separate floating window.

Note: The rendering quality and interactivity achievable in ActiveShade depends on the capabilities of the renderer. The Scanline renderer, for example, has limited capabilities and as a result is not supported in ActiveShade viewport mode.

Not all renderers support every possible scene change in ActiveShade. If a change does not appear, try restarting ActiveShade.

• Click or right-click the Shading viewport label > ActiveShade
• Main Toolbar > Render Production flyout > ActiveShade
• Main Toolbar > Render Setup > Render Setup dialog > Target drop-down list > ActiveShade Mode
• Keyboard > Shift+Q (Uses the Render mode active on the toolbar: either Production or ActiveShade)

Choose ActiveShade mode by using the Render Production flyout or the Render Setup dialog Target drop-down list. Choose the ActiveShade renderer by using the Render Setup dialog Renderer drop-down list or the Render Setup dialog Common panel Assign Renderer rollout.

ActiveShade preview of material changes

Above left: Before the update

Above right: After changing the material for the fabric to a mapped material and increasing the highlights on the material for the wood

ActiveShade preview of lighting changes

Above left: Before moving a light in a viewport

Above right: After moving the light

ActiveShade Commands

When you right-click an ActiveShade window, the quad menu displays an ActiveShade menu, which provides a number of ActiveShade commands. The ActiveShade quad menu is not supported in the viewport however.