Images as materials in RELUX: more context for your lighting visualisation
A lighting calculation tells you whether a lighting concept works technically. But when evaluating the visual effect of a space, surfaces and materials also matter.
A poster on a wall, artwork, a graphic element or a specific surface can change how we perceive a room. In ReluxDesktop, you can use your own images as textures and apply them directly to surfaces in your model.
This is useful when you want your visualisation to represent the planned space more closely — rather than working only with generic colours and materials.
How does it work?
The workflow is straightforward:
1. Create a surface
Select the rectangular face from the basic objects and place it in the room.
2. Position it in 3D
Switch to the 3D view and adjust the position and rotation of the surface.
3.Create a new material
Under Insert → Materials, add a new material and select Diffuse as the base material.
4. Add your image
Choose the required image as a texture.
You can then adjust parameters such as:
- size
- scale
- reflectance
5. Apply the texture
Select the surface and assign the newly created material to it.
The image is now part of your model.
Why is this useful for lighting design?
It is not only about making a model look more realistic.
Adding the actual visual content of a surface can provide more context when assessing a lighting concept. For example, when working with:
- artwork and exhibition spaces
- retail environments
- wall graphics
- signage
- decorative surfaces
For lighting designers in particular, this helps connect the technical calculation with the intended visual impression of the space. This is important because visualisation is often used to communicate the design intent to clients and project partners.
And after the calculation?
Once the calculation is complete, the result can also be reviewed using the 3D luminance distribution.
This gives you another way to evaluate how the illuminated surfaces appear within the calculated scene.
The principle is simple: Use the calculation for the technical assessment — and materials and textures to give the result the visual context of the real project.
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