SkyCiv Renderer gets an upgrade

Among one the most notable improvements made to SkyCiv Structural 3D to the v5.2 update, has been the upgrade to the 3D Renderer. This has been a long time in development and shows the power that graphics can have on the cloud, not just on desktop applications. There are many new introductions to the renderer, enforcing the SkyCiv goal to always improving the user experience and product features. Let's explore some of the new features that have been added to the 3D renderer:

More Control over Graphics

Users now have more control over the graphics, including - member coloring, transparency and toggling on specific elements. This allows users to visualize the structure exactly how they need or prefer:

Transparencies can now be controlled by elements

The user also has a number of different representation styles they can control based on preference. For instance, member coloring, edgeline displays and graph floors to name a few:

The new renderer now includes more visualization options, including wireframe, solids and edges

Finally, sunlight and shadowing can now be controlled to bring your structure to life, with realistic shadowing for your screenshots and other sunlight analysis!  

Enhanced Performance

The renderer has also undergone extensive improvements, under the hood! The renderer can now handle more members, more plates and more elements as a whole. The smoothness and responsiveness of interacting with the renderer has also improved.

Easy Querying

Users can now quickly and easily query parts of the model, including:

• Measuring distances between nodes
• Hovering over plates for node and element information
• Hovering over members for section info
• Hovering over plate and member analysis results to query that result:

Hovering over results is now clear and easily: As is, querying specific elements in the model:  

API Access

Want to use the Renderer for your own solutions? The new renderer is also now available via the SkyCiv API - build your own custom solutions and make the most of the SkyCiv Renderer in your tools. Save yourself the time of building a 3D graphic system, with SkyCiv you can use ours directly! We're excited to release this new functionality to all users. As with all of our core upgrades, this is included in your subscription and we hope you continue to enjoy the software!