form•Z / Maxwell Render Integration
This Maxwell Render plugin has been created with the intention of providing an optimum integration of Maxwell Render with form•Z .
If you can see “Maxwell Render” as an option in the form•Z Display menu, the plugins are properly installed and enabled.
The First Step: Producing a Simple Rendering
1. Open form•Z and create a new project.
2. Create a few primitives with different materials resting on a ground plane.
3. Create a new light. In the Light Parameters dialog, change the light type to Physical Sky.
4. Select Display > Maxwell Render. Maxwell will launch as a separate process and render the current form•Z view. (Rendering may also be activated by clicking on the Maxwell Render icon, or clicking the Render button in Maxwell Display Options.)
What Happened
When you selected Maxwell Render, the Maxwell plugin translated your form•Z project into a Maxwell Scene file (MXS)
- All visible geometry was translated and embedded in the MXS.
- All form•Z views were converted into Maxwell Cameras and included in the MXS file. The current view will be rendered; the other views can be accessed if you open the MXS in Studio, Maxwell’s standalone scene editor.
- The scene was set up to be illuminated by the Physical Sky light.
- All your active materials were automatically translated into Maxwell Materials and embedded in the MXS file. If your project used embedded image maps from form•Z's predefined materials library, or RenderZone procedural textures, they were converted to bitmap images and saved in a folder called 'Resources' alongside the MXS file.
- The MXS was stored in a folder alongside your form•Z project.
- The MXS was opened and rendered in the Maxwell Render application.