Key details

V-Ray training, teaching techniques for creating photo-realistic 3D architectural and interior design scenes from your SketchUp models.

The V-Ray for SketchUp renderer provides a designer-friendly solution offering faster rendering, better lighting tools, and the ability to create and visualise complex scenes.

Our SketchUp – Rendering with V-Ray course teaches you how to use SketchUp in conjunction with V-Ray to create scenes incorporating features such as:

• Lighting (daylight, sunlight and skylight).
• Reflective surfaces.
• Moving cameras.

This course is highly practical and hands-on.

SketchUp – Rendering with V-Ray training is arranged on-request, i.e. one-to-one training or a ‘closed course’ for your group. We can provide your training in-class at one of our centres, at your venue, or online.

Your training can be tailored to take into account any existing knowledge you have, and the work you’re going to be doing.

Been furloughed? You can still participate in training without this affecting your furloughed status, as confirmed on gov.uk.

In-class or online

In-class courses are now available to book again. We’re taking comprehensive measures to ensure your health and well-being – fewer people in-class, you won’t sit next to another person, comprehensive cleaning. To read more, see Covid-19 measures.

You can participate in this course online, from your place of work or home, at a discounted price. To read about how this works, see Live online training.

Expert trainer

V-Ray training is hosted by Rod Cleasby, a highly-experienced instructor with vast professional experience of using SketchUp, V-Ray and other renderers professionally.

Training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher afterwards.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of V-Ray training. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following V-Ray training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

Prerequisites

Delegates should be familiar with the fundamentals of SketchUp, i.e. have attended our Introduction to SketchUp course or have equivalent knowledge.

SketchUp and V-Ray version

Training can be based on any recent version of SketchUp Pro and V-Ray to suit you, running on Windows or Mac.

General information

Course times

Standard course times are 9.30am–4.30pm.

As we’d be hosting this as a ‘closed course’ for you/your group, there’s usually flexibility to change these times to suit you, e.g. start or end 30 minutes earlier or later.

Payment

Payment for V-Ray training can be made bank transfer or card.

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies and public sector organisations.

If you’re self-funding your training, you can pay in staged payments, interest-free, over 12 months.

For further details, see training course payment options.

Accommodation

See Accommodation local to our training centres.

Cancellations and postponements

If an on-request SketchUp – Rendering with V-Ray course booking is cancelled giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If an on-request SketchUp – Rendering with V-Ray course booking is postponed giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a postponement fee is payable. View postponement terms.

Terms and conditions

Expert trainer

Rod Cleasby

Rod has over 25 years’ experience working as a designer, visualisation expert and artist. His specialist areas include architecture, interior design and the production of photorealistic 3d virtual environments. 

AutoCAD, 3ds Max and SketchUp have been the mainstay of Rod’s professional work for 20 years. He is also an expert in various related tools and technologies, including Photoshop, and he has expert knowledge of a wide range of renderers, including V-Ray, ART, Arnold and LightUp.

Rod has extensive experience training experience. He has worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster on their Computer Visualisation course, and he is a long-established Autodesk Certified Instructor.

Away from his professional work, Rod is an accomplished artist and musician, and a prolific writer of novels, novella, poetry and prose.

Course content

What is possible using SketchUp in conjunction with V-Ray?

Intermediate Modelling techniques

Getting to understand V-Ray materials

What makes a good texture?

Where to find textures

How to edit textures

Limits to graphics and bitmaps

And how to manage your textures

Getting to know lighting

Adding lights and updating scenes

Using the different types of lights

Colour temperature and IES

Getting to understand V-Ray camera

Exposure and white point

Techniques for rapid setup

Rendering scenes

Digital output

Files and formats

Do’s and don’ts

Vary quality settings for faster scene creating
Control output quality and render speeds

2D to 3D

Modelling requirements for visualisation

Using follow me techniques

Using push pull techniques

More components

Choosing groups or components

Controlling V-Ray frame buffer

Saving 2D graphics out automatically

File types and properties when and where

V-Ray materials editor

Adding layers

Previews

Controlling shiny materials

Adding bumps and bitmaps

Discovering ambient occlusion

Advanced modelling techniques

Magic Box modelling techniques

Polygon modelling techniques

Projected UVW mapping

Adjusting mapping size

Adjusting mapping position

Locking mapping

Using Alpha channels

Preparing graphics with Alpha channels

Rendered output and Photoshop

Practical exercises from concept to render

Hardware requirements

Live online training

Live online training lets you participate in a V-Ray course from your place of work or home.

We do everything possible to make your online training experience as close as possible to actually being in the classroom. You can:

• See and hear our trainer, and see the other delegates participating in the V-Ray training…
  
• Interact by speaking, using chat, or raising your ‘virtual hand’ if you need assistance.
• Share your screen with our trainer, and allow them to control it to demonstrate something.

We endeavour to provide you with the best online training experience…

• Online SketchUp – Rendering with V-Ray courses are presented by expert instructors, following the same syllabus as our classroom-based courses.
• You receive comprehensive training materials.
• Your training is hands-on. You carry out assisted exercises using V-Ray.
• If you don’t have access to V-Ray software, we’ll send you a link to fully-functional trial software that you can download and install.
• You’re entitled to 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

When you attend live online training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time.

All you need is an internet-connected computer and a webcam – see Hardware recommendations for live online training. The setup is simple, but if there’s anything you’re not sure about we’re here to help.

For a limited time, we’re offering discounts for bookings on live online courses.

Example

Typical image quality from SketchUp ‘out of the box’:

The same model rendered using V-Ray: