Shader Light vs Twilight Render - which is better?

galbavy1

Hey guys, Ive been gone from this site for almost 2 years now and I know alot has changed in sketchup land... (I guess I qualify as a "newbie" poster again lol) Im looking to buy a simple renderer plug in and Im looking at Shaderlight and Twilight as affordable options so far - they both look simple and good. However - I use a TON of custom 2d 'face me' components that are created using png's that have a transparent background (even though in SU I cut along the edges so I get some type of shadow silloette....). I was wondering if either of these renderers support the transparency. IF you have any other suggestions for other programs go for it! Thanks

EarthMover

Both do support transparency.

The realtime preview in shaderlight is really nice.

Twilight give you both biased and unbiased solutions with a great MLT engine.

I too use a lot of 2D faceme cutouts and I don't think you can go wrong with either. Twilight will give you a nice material collection and templates to easily make materials. Shaderlight is also a good option and scores highly with it's ease of use and believable lighting. I would suggest trying both and seeing which one fits better with your desired results.

Asking which is better however is like asking whether a Fender or Martin will make you a better guitar player.

david_h

Martin. ..

No wait.. .Fender. . .

KarinaGM

@earthmover said:

...asking whether a Fender or Martin will make you a better guitar player.

Ibanez!

mitcorb

Practice makes you a better guitar player. A good guitar helps.

galbavy1

Thanks guys, I think Ill try the 99$ one to start. They both look pretty good from their website....

david_h

Gibson?

I've got a Taylor myself. Ka-Ching!!!

A great guitar . . .but I still suck.

Ecuadorian

This reminds me I have bought a piano app and an organ app in my iPod, but still can't play a tune. I was planning to buy a guitar later this year, but I feel the same would happen.