There are an incredible number of rendering applications and plugins out there that range from professional high-end renderers to small experimental one-man projects. Technologies range from physically based radiosity engines to gaming platforms, and then, you have to decide how tightly you want your renderer integrated into SketchUp. A strong integration usually means sacrifices in render options or quality.

To help you choose the perfect renderer for your requirements, we have prepared a short and noncomprehensive list of the currently available renderers at the end of the book. By the time you have read the rendering chapters in this book, the entire technobabble will make complete sense; we promise.