Realtime Walkthrough

The Realtime Walkthrough is a special viewing mode that allows you to walk around your landscape as you would in reality. While in the walkthrough, realistic lighting, shadows, animated birds and butterflies, and other effects are available.

Important: Many of the Realtime Walkthrough features require a modern 3D video card. Features which are not supported by your video card will not be available.

To start a Realtime Walkthrough:

1.   Click the Realtime Walkthrough tab that appears to the bottom-left of the viewport (see above image). The following dialog showing walkthrough settings will appear:

Standard
The Standard option should be checked if you wish to walk through your landscape manually. The camera will be controlled using your mouse and keyboard.

Realtime Camera
The Realtime Camera option should be checked if you have added a Realtime Camera object to your design and wish to view the walkthrough through its lens. This option will not be available if no Realtime Camera has been added to your landscape. See Adding a Realtime Camera for more information.

Invert
The Invert option should be selected if the vertical mouse movements seem reversed to you while in the walkthrough. If Invert is unchecked, then moving the mouse up will move your view up. If Invert is unchecked, then moving your mouse up will move your view down. This option is mainly used by those who are accustomed to the controls in 3D airplane simulators.

Auto level when moving
The Auto Level option should be checked by users who are new to 3D programs. If Auto Level is checked, then your view will automatically straighten out to eye level while walking.

Use Oculus Rift
Check this option if you have an Oculus Rift headset connected to your computer and want to use it for the Realtime Walkthrough.

Full Screen
If you wish for the walkthrough to use the entire area of your computer monitor, then ensure that the Full Screen option is checked. If the Full Screen option is not checked, then the walkthrough will be displayed within a window.

Screen resolution
To select the walkthrough resolution, move the Screen Resolution slider. Resolution affects the clarity of your walkthrough; a high resolution will provide a higher quality. However, higher resolutions will run slower on older systems. If the Full Screen option is not checked, then the Screen Resolution option will not be available because the resolution will be automatically determined by the size of the window.

Environment Settings
Click the Environment Settings button to access options that affect the appearance and sound of your Realtime Walkthrough. For more information, see Environment Settings.

Create Movie
Click to create a movie rather than walking through your design in realtime. See Creating a Movie for details.

2.   Click the OK button to accept your walkthrough settings. The following dialog will appear:

Depending on the walkthrough settings you have selected, the walkthrough will take a few moments to generate. To stop the walkthrough from generating and return to design mode, click the Cancel button. After the calculations finish, your screen will switch to the Realtime Walkthrough. Press the Esc key on your keyboard when you are ready to return to design mode.

Tip:

•      The Realtime Walkthrough controls are different than the controls used when editing your landscaping. Simply use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move your “feet” while moving your mouse to move your “head”. See Realtime Walkthrough Controls for more details.

See also:

Realtime Walkthrough Controls
Realtime Walkthrough Settings
Taking a Screen Shot