Hints ‘n’ Tips from our intrepid designer – I’ve seen the light!

Your design is ready to render and your panoramic view is now looking fantastic through the window! But how do you make the room ‘come alive’?

Well…. correct lighting is key!

Without this detail, designs can sometimes look flat and unrealistic. Just by simply getting the right angle of sunlight coming through the window, will enable areas of sun or shadow to match accordingly. So it’s worth noting the time of day when you ‘snap’ your original photos!

The following example shows perfectly, the difference sunlight can have on a room design:

To put this process into practice – select the ‘Advanced’ button in the image settings window of Virtual Worlds, then the ‘Environment’ tab; click the box located underneath ‘Sunlight’ to enable it. Additional colour can also be added to the incoming sunlight, by clicking the ‘Colour’ button and making your selections.

The ‘Azimuth’ value is the actual direction of the sun and values are based on 0° being North, 90° East, 180° South and 270° West.

The ‘Elevation’ value is the height of the sun at the time of day – so a value of 90 would put the sunlight directly above the room to imitate 12 noon. This value will determine whether your sun breaks through and drapes over items close to the window, or further away.

Combining these two functions accordingly, will allow you to set the sunlight angle just right for your room and window image; but ultimately, it is entirely up to you how realistic you wish your design to be. Just be aware – the classic mistake of having sunlight shining in one direction and shadows in the external image in another!

Try adding some texture to the sunlight, by using blinds (as in the example images); vases of flowers on the window sill, or leafy plants – either will create interest for the viewer and add to the design’s realism.

If you have any questions about the finer details of using Virtual Worlds, or wish me to cover a particular topic in my next Hints ‘n’ Tips section, just post a comment or drop our delightful social media lady an email at: debbie.levey@virtualworlds.co.uk

Alternatively, if you have any Virtual Worlds technical issues – please call the Support Team direct on 01923 448 899. They are a real friendly bunch and will be more than happy to talk you through any problems

Signing off for another day – The Intrepid Designer!