Each render engine calculates lighting and materials differently, and as a result the rendered images produced will be different.
The following table provides a comparison of the features supported by the renderer in AutoCAD 2015-based products and earlier releases against those in the current release.
Feature | Legacy Renderer | Current Renderer | Comments |
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User-defined Lights | X | X |
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Casting and Receiving Shadows | X | / |
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Backgrounds | X | X | Solid color, gradient fill, image-based, and Sun & Sky backgrounds are supported. In addition to the custom 2D backgrounds supported by both renderers, the current renderer also supports the use of image-based lighting (IBL) maps. IBL maps can be combined with a custom 2D background. Note: Viewpoint must be set to perspective and not parallel to use the Sun & Sky background type.
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Sun & Sky Based Lighting | X | X | Sun & Sky based lighting is supported.
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Render Presets | X | X | Render presets are supported by both renderers and maintained separately for backwards compatibility. Render presets for the legacy renderer are not compatible with the current render, and those created for the current renderer are not compatible with the legacy renderer. |
Materials | X | X | Materials can be created and attached to objects before rendering. Note: Materials originally created for use with the legacy renderer might need to be updated when used with the current renderer. For example, a pure white material can result in a rendered image being too bright.
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Image-based Lighting (IBL) | -- | X | The current renderer supports the use of image-based lighting. Image-based lighting affects the light calculated for a scene and can optionally be applied to the background of a rendered image. |
Exposure/Tone Mapping | X | X |
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Fog and Depth Cue | X | -- | Fog and depth cueing cause objects to appear faded as they increase in distance from the camera. |
Render to Window | X | X | Current view can be rendered in a separate window. |
Render in Viewport | X | X | Current view can be rendered in the current viewport. |
Render Region | X | X | Rectangular area can be specified and rendered in the current viewport. |
Render Online | X | X | A 3D model can be uploaded to an online rendering service. Rendering calculations are performed by the service and a rendered image is returned. Note: The rendering service supports photometric lighting only, and uses a rendering engine similar to the one in the current release of the product.
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