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.
Revit Native is Autodesk Revit's in-product Autodesk Raytracer workflow for rendering a 3D BIM view. A Revit team can compose a perspective or orthographic view, assign material appearances, set daylight or artificial lighting, choose a background, and adjust exposure before producing a presentation image. The render settings also control the rendered area, image quality, and output size. This makes it useful when an architectural image needs to remain closely connected to the project view and its documented model context. Rendered images can be saved with the project, exported for a presentation, or placed on sheets, while the Revit model remains the source for design changes.
Revit Native is strongest when the Revit model and prepared 3D view are the source of truth for the image. It lets a BIM team render a chosen camera or view using the project's material appearances, lighting, background, exposure, render area, and output settings. RENDERCAD suits a complementary image-led step: capture a clean Revit viewport with the intended composition, visible massing, openings, and key materials, then use that image to explore presentation treatments. This is useful for early client options, mood studies, design-review boards, proposals, and marketing concepts where a polished visual direction is needed before investing time in a fully tuned native render. The Revit model should still govern dimensions, assemblies, quantities, and any design-critical detail.
Revit Native keeps rendering inside the BIM authoring workflow. Start with a 3D view, then define the view area and output size, select a render quality, and tune lighting, background, and exposure. Material appearances and modeled lights can contribute to the result, so the image can reflect decisions already made in the Revit project. That is valuable for a sheet image, a project presentation, or a design review where the camera, visible scope, and model context need to stay controlled. Native rendering is also the better choice when the team expects to revise the model and render the same managed view again.
RENDERCAD begins with the selected Revit image rather than the BIM file. For the most useful input, prepare a clean perspective or elevation-style viewport capture: use a deliberate crop, avoid selection outlines and interface clutter, and make the building form, important openings, and intended viewpoint clear. That capture can be a realistic view, a material study, or a simple shaded model view. Use it to develop alternative material character, lighting mood, landscape context, or editorial presentation for stakeholder communication. The output is well suited to concept boards, client-option discussions, proposal imagery, and early marketing exploration.
The boundary is important. RENDERCAD is not a replacement for Revit's controlled model-based rendering or for checking geometry, material specifications, daylight behavior, documentation, or construction intent. Review image-based variations against the Revit view before presenting design-critical claims. Use Revit Native when repeatable output must remain governed by the BIM scene; use RENDERCAD when a well-composed Revit view is ready for broader visual exploration.
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 | Revit Native |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Generative AI | Physically Based Ray Tracing |
| Output | Images + Video | Varies by tool |
| Resolution | HD / 4K | Varies |
| Image Speed | Image renders complete in 60 seconds. | Varies by view, quality, and hardware |
| Video Speed | Videos complete in 2-5 minutes. | Varies by workflow |
| Scene Set Up | No separate local scene | Varies by workflow |
| Input | Screen Snip | Varies by tool |
| Materials | 2,600+ Textures | Library varies |
| Backgrounds | 1300+ Backgrounds | Tool-dependent |
| Conditions | 40+ Effects | Tool-dependent |
| References | Up to 6 Per Render | Varies |
| Hardware | Cloud (None Required) | Desktop (Windows) |
| Install | None | Varies (web or app) |
| Cost | from $9/mo | Included with Autodesk Revit access |
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. A clear viewport capture can become a more polished visual for a design review. Image renders complete in 60 seconds, making it practical to prepare or iterate presentation options.
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.
Upload a clear view, describe the brushed-aluminum finish you want, and add a material reference when the visual direction matters. Because the result is generated from an image, inspect the grain direction and surface details against your original design before using it in a final presentation.
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.
Start with a clear source view, choose a simple background, and describe the studio look you want. RENDERCAD can generate a presentation image without requiring you to build a traditional light rig, but the lighting is image-based and should be reviewed rather than treated as a physically measured setup.
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.
The Seamless Loop option is designed to improve continuity between the end and beginning of a generated video. Inspect the transition before publishing because generative motion and loop quality can vary by image and model.
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 image renders complete in 60 seconds. Competing renderer speed depends on scene complexity, render settings, hardware, queue time, and final output quality.
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 starts from a supported 2D image such as a CAD viewport capture, product photo, or drawing. You do not need to import the native 3D scene, but you may need to capture or export a clear image from the source application first.
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.
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