Create stunning photorealistic images and videos from any CAD system, real life photo, or even a quick napkin sketch.
IMAGE RENDERS COMPLETE IN 60 SECONDS.
Autodesk Raytracer (ART) is an integrated CPU-only, physically based renderer for Autodesk design scenes. It is strongest when the model, camera, materials, and lighting are already prepared in a supported Autodesk desktop workflow.
ART is a good fit when a 3ds Max, Revit, Inventor, or related Autodesk scene is already set up with physical materials, cameras, photometric or image-based lighting, and enough CPU time for a progressive render to refine. Its appeal is the low-setting Autodesk workflow: ActiveShade previews, noise filtering, IES and daylight support, and network rendering options for complete model-based stills or animations. RENDERCAD fits a lighter handoff when the useful visual is already a CAD viewport, product image, architectural view, or client screenshot and the team wants a polished AI render without opening a full Autodesk render scene.
ART and RENDERCAD solve different render moments. ART starts from native Autodesk scene data, so it can respect authored geometry, cameras, physical materials, photometric lights, daylight, and animation setup inside the host application. That control is valuable for Autodesk-heavy teams that need model-linked design visualization and can spend time tuning render quality, denoising, and output settings. RENDERCAD starts from the visible design image instead. Upload a CAD viewport or product screenshot in the browser, choose the desired visual direction, and generate presentation imagery without exporting a model, assigning renderer-specific materials, installing a desktop renderer, or planning local CPU render time. Use ART when the Autodesk scene is the source of truth and renderer controls matter; use RENDERCAD when speed, broad tool compatibility, and screenshot-to-render iteration matter more.
Screenshot the CAD viewport you already have, render in the browser, and download a client-ready still or video without exports, plugins, or GPU setup.
Modeled by CADSharp in Onshape. Rendered with RENDERCAD.
Add, change, or remove referenced objects with the stroke of a brush.
RENDERCAD uses a maintained selection of image-generation models for different rendering tasks. Results can vary by model and input, so compare generated output with the source design before relying on geometry, materials, or dimensions.
| Feature | RENDERCAD | Autodesk Raytracer (ART) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Generative AI | CPU-only physically based ray tracing |
| Output | Images + Video | Still images and animations from the Autodesk render pipeline |
| Resolution | HD / 4K | Controlled by the host application's render output settings |
| Image Speed | Image renders complete in 60 seconds. | Progressive CPU rendering; varies by scene, quality target, and hardware |
| Video Speed | Videos complete in 2-5 minutes. | Depends on animation length, quality target, CPU resources, and network rendering setup |
| Scene Set Up | No separate local scene | Requires a prepared Autodesk scene with cameras, physical materials, lights, environment, and render quality settings |
| Input | Screen Snip | Native Autodesk scene data, cameras, lights, materials, and render settings |
| Materials | 2,600+ Textures | Physical materials with photometric, IES, daylight, and image-based lighting workflows |
| Backgrounds | 1300+ Backgrounds | Tool-dependent |
| Conditions | 40+ Effects | Tool-dependent |
| References | Up to 6 Per Render | Varies |
| Hardware | Cloud (None Required) | Desktop Autodesk application workflow |
| Install | None | Requires a supported Autodesk desktop application; not a standalone browser renderer |
| Cost | from $9/mo | Bundled with supported Autodesk desktop applications |
Compare the workflows side by side and choose the one that fits the next task.
Skip a separate local scene build. Pick a condition, material, and background while RENDERCAD handles the image-generation step. Image renders complete in 60 seconds.
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RENDERCAD™
Use the browser workflow directly, capture a selected view with the desktop app, or start from the browser extension.
Get StartedCommon questions about RENDERCAD and this workflow
Yes. Request a golden-hour look and describe the mood or direction you want. The generated warmth, shadows, and light direction can vary between results, so compare important design details with the source image.
Describe an environment such as a sunny forest or urban street and use a reference image when needed. Image renders complete in 60 seconds without building a local scene file or environment map.
RENDERCAD's Create Video workflow generates a video from a single image and provides Camera and Product Motion controls. Videos complete in 2-5 minutes.
RENDERCAD can generate orbit-style motion from a single image using a Camera option. Because the motion is inferred rather than rendered from a complete 3D model, review geometry and hidden-side details before publishing the result.
Usually. Generation runs in the cloud, so it does not occupy a local renderer. Keep the relevant browser workflow available as required, and expect normal network and browser resource use while the job is submitted and results are loaded.
RENDERCAD processes generation in the cloud, so it does not require a dedicated local rendering GPU. You still need a supported browser and internet connection, and normal browser, upload, and download activity can use local device resources.
RENDERCAD avoids much of the scene, shader, and local-renderer setup used by traditional rendering tools. Users still need to prepare a useful source image, choose suitable options, describe the intended result, and review generated details.
RENDERCAD starts at $9/month with credits that refresh monthly - predictable costs with no upfront investment or perpetual license fees.
RENDERCAD is designed to create more polished, realistic-looking presentation images from a source view. Results vary by input and settings, and generated images should be checked against the original model before they are used to communicate exact design details.
RENDERCAD can generate a visual interpretation of a described or referenced material without requiring shader parameters. It does not guarantee physically measured or specification-accurate material behavior, so validate critical color, grain, reflectivity, and finish details against approved references.
Describe the wood species and finish you want, and provide a reference image when scale or grain direction matters. RENDERCAD can generate a wood-like visual treatment, but it does not replace model-level texture mapping or guarantee an exact, repeatable grain pattern.
With RENDERCAD, upload or snip a clear image, describe carbon fiber, and add a material reference when exact visual direction matters. Image renders complete in 60 seconds.
What RENDERCAD customers say