The video describes the steps I use when creating a base image for architectural illustrations. Kerkythea is simple to get started with, but has sophisticated settings to produce very professional final outcomes.
Kerkythea and the Sketchup Plugin can be downloaded HERE. The Plugin can be found under Integration along with easy install instructions
If used correctly, Kerkythea can be quick. However, as you fine tune the rendering settings, add more lights, soften the shadows, give the material textures and bumpmaps, you will quickly find out that the rendering times exponentially grow. I will most often do the bare minimum, to get my rendering times down, then put more effort in post processing. However, there are times when spending the extra effort to add nice textures and lights outweigh the time it takes to post process in photoshop. Either way, it's good to know what pieces significantly alter rendering time.
Things that extend rendering times:
Multiple lights. Adding more lights slows the rendering time. Lights that are made up of many surfaces, such as a sphere, make it even worse.
Lots of geometry. This one is obvious, but using a lot of trees or just really big models will really increase rendering times. Deleting part of the model so that only objects in view remain is something I do a lot.
Complex textures. Textures with a lot of reflection or shininess really slow things down. Use these textures sparingly.
Soft shadows.
Presets. Choosing the right preset makes a big difference. Photonmap-High+AA03 seems to be the quickest for me. Metropolis Light Transport looks the best, but can take days to render.
Just a quick tutorial looking at the shadow settings of Kerkythea. While adding soft shadows really increases the rendering time, the extra realism that is achieved seems worth it. The video also describes a quick way to change the lighting to an overcast day. I use this setting often when creating diagrams or just to change things up a little.
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