Applying Predefined Ambiences

You can enhance your app using ready-to-use visualization environments (called "ambiences") containing preset lighting, ground, and background. Two types of ambiences are available: Design ambiences and Review ambiences. Additional ambiences are also available to let you apply a neutral environment, or to simulate an outdoor environment.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:
  • The last selected ambience is stored in preference files that contain preferences defined by the user. This means that the last selected ambience is kept from one session to another, and is applied to each new tab you open in your current session (tabs that are already open are not impacted).

    Preference files are identified by the suffix *.CATPreferences, and are created in the same location as settings. However, unlike settings, you cannot administrate preferences. For more information, see Native Apps: Configuring the Software: Configuring Settings.

  • The current visualization mode (Perspective or Parallel) is applied.
  • No gravitational effects are activated by default.

  • Except Basic, ambiences supersede the parameters that may have been defined for lighting, background, and global illumination. Therefore, some commands are unavailable or, are still available but have no effect on ambiences.

  • Ambiences cannot be used in 2D apps and are not taken into account when rendering and printing images.
  • Using the Basic ambience gives the best performance. To further improve performance, clear the Graduated color background option.
See Also
Overloading Predefined Ambiences and Cameras

Use Review Ambiences

These ambiences are relevant when you want to work in a review mode.

All these Review ambiences use the SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) lighting technique. This technique is a simplified calculation of the global indirect illumination that produces enhanced realism by taking into account light attenuation because occluding objects. With this technique, the scene is equally lit with soft shadows and small surface details are accentuated to give more relief.

Before you begin: Use a powerful graphics card for performance reasons. Otherwise, the Visual Quality command lets you:
  • Deactivate the ambient occlusion effect (you can also clear the Allow SSAO option in the preferences).
  • Activate a mirror effect (you can also select the Allow mirror option in the preferences). White Mirror and Dark Mirror ambiences are not compliant with low-end graphics cards.
  1. Right-click anywhere in the 3D area then select the ambience of your choice in the Ambience context menu.

    Important: For ambiences using a mirror effect, shadows, or the SSAO lighting technique, there is a price to pay in performance.

    • Pure White

      Contains a ground, a shadow, and a mirror effect.



    • White Mirror

      Contains a white ground, a shadow, and a mirror effect:



    • White Review

      This ambience is intended for objects that can be seized (for example, phone, or small furniture), and for objects to be used in a photo studio. It is inspired from photo scenes used for shooting products.



    • White Experience

      Contains a ground, a shadow, and a mirror effect. It also has a background (with a cool area, a warm area, and 2 neon lights). IBL (Image-based Lighting) is activated with a result similar to the background but with more details and contrast.

      This is the default ambience.



    • Studio

      Contains a ground, a shadow, and a mirror effect. This ambience is very similar to the White Mirror ambience. The main differences are the reflection map that is more adapted to the review and the two light sources illuminating the scene. The first light source has a warm color in contrast with the second light source that has a cool color.



    • Dark Mirror

      Contains a ground, a shadow, a mirror effect, and two light sources coincident with the neons (which enables to cast shadows on the ground). An HDR map is used for the background.



    • Dark Review

      This ambience contains a ground and has no mirror effect.



    • Indoor

      This ambience contains a ground shadow (no shadows between objects), three light sources, and a fuzzy mirror effect:



      The following properties are activated:

      • HDR (High Dynamic Range)
      • SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion)
      • Bloom effect
      • IBL (Image-based Lighting).

    • City

      This ambience contains one light source, a ground shadow, and interobject shadows.



      The following properties are activated:

      • HDR (High Dynamic Range)
      • SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion)
      • Bloom effect
      • IBL (Image-based Lighting).

    • Road

      This ambience contains one light source, a ground shadow, and interobject shadows.



      The following properties are activated:

      • HDR (High Dynamic Range)
      • SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion)
      • Bloom effect
      • IBL (Image-based Lighting).

    • Outdoor

      This ambience is intended for outdoor review when creating buildings and is especially useful for realistic rendering. It contains a sky and a ground. In addition to ground shadows, interobject shadows are also activated. As for Review ambiences, it uses the SSAO lighting technique.



  2. Zoom in or out.
    The grid moves according to the size of the scene.

    When you modify the scene, no shadow is cast on the ground when you click. Shadows are displayed as soon as you release the mouse.

  3. To switch to another ambience, choose the appropriate ambience from the Ambience context menu.

    You can switch between ambiences to work in a design or review context.

Use Design Ambiences

These ambiences are relevant when you want to work in a design mode. They all have a grid, a ground, a sky, a skyline, and no shadow.

  1. Right-click anywhere in the 3D then select the ambience of your choice in the Ambience context menu.

    • White Design



    • Blue Design



    • Dark Design



    • Basic

      No ambience is defined (neutral environment) and the default visualization environment is retrieved.



      You can configure the following functionality:

      • Lighting...
      • Ground...
      • Graduated color background and Background in the Visualization section.

  2. To switch to another ambience, choose the appropriate ambience from the Ambience context menu.