Home
Rendering
Adjust the materials and environment of objects in the scene to create a photorealistic image.
Libraries
The Render Library contains preset and saved custom materials, environments, and models.
Apply a Material from the Render Library
You can choose from a variety of preset materials. If you can't find exactly what you want, you can choose something similar and modify it. You can also reuse a custom material that you have previously saved.

Welcome
What's New
Discover new features and enhancements.
Get Started
New to Inspire? Learn the basics here.
Tutorials
Start using Inspire with our interactive tutorials.
Parametric Modeling
Create parametric sketches, geometry, and PolyNURBS with construction history and variables.
Implicit Modeling
Create implicit models with primitives, lattices, point clouds, fields, offsetting, Booleans, inverting, smoothing, morphing, and filleting.
Structures
Set up your model and run a structural analysis or optimization.
Motion
Set up and run a motion analysis, plot the results, and export the results.
Fluids
Prepare and run a computational fluid dynamics simulation.
Design Explorer
Evaluate designs by using geometric variables and applying a design-of-experiments (DOE) or optimization method. We recommend fully constraining your sketch when sketch variables are used in the design exploration.
Manufacture
Set up and run a basic porosity or thinning analysis.
Print 3D
Prepare and run an additive manufacturing simulation, and export a file for 3D printing.
Rendering
Adjust the materials and environment of objects in the scene to create a photorealistic image.
- Rendering Process Overview
  An overview of the typical rendering process.
- System Requirements
  A list of supported operating systems and minimum requirements for hardware and memory.
- Manage Rendering Assets
  The Assets folder includes a default set of images, textures, materials, models, and environments that are used for rendering. Custom user-created materials and environments are also saved in the Assets folder, in the User subfolder. You can install the full Altair and continue to install updates when the online library is updated.
- Interactive Rendering
  Interactive rendering modes are display modes that render your scene in real time, so you can interactively apply materials, modify the environment, and change the camera position.
- Editors
  Configure materials, the environment, lights, labels, the camera position, and the rendering settings.
- Libraries
  The Render Library contains preset and saved custom materials, environments, and models.
  - Material Library Overview
    The material library contains preset materials, as well as any custom materials you've saved. Understand the material library's structure so you can more easily find materials.
  - Import Thea Materials
    Import Thea materials into the Render Library.
  - Apply a Material from the Render Library
    You can choose from a variety of preset materials. If you can't find exactly what you want, you can choose something similar and modify it. You can also reuse a custom material that you have previously saved.
  - Save a Material to the Render Library
    Save a custom material to the library so you can reuse it later.
  - Apply an Environment from the Render Library
    You can choose from a variety of preset environments. If you can't find exactly what you want, you can choose something similar and modify it. You can also reuse a custom environment that you have previously saved.
- Render
  Create a final rendered image. Learn how to adjust the rendering settings and change rendering engines.
Inspire Python API
Learn how to access the Inspire Python API including online help, quick start demos, and the Extension Manager.
Reference
View the glossary, frequently asked questions, and errors and alerts.
Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls
Learn keyboard shortcuts and mouse controls for common operations.

Apply a Material from the Render Library

You can choose from a variety of preset materials. If you can't find exactly what you want, you can choose something similar and modify it. You can also reuse a custom material that you have previously saved.

On the ribbon, select the Rendering tool.

Tip: To find and open a tool, press Ctrl+F. For more information, see Find and Search for Tools.

The Render Library is displayed.
Select the Materials tab.
Select a material. If you can't find exactly what you want, choose something similar and modify it in the next steps.
- You can choose a preset material (e.g., Carbon Fiber, Glass, Plastic).
- Or upload your own material.
Apply the material to your object:
- Select an object, then double-click the material to apply it.
- Drag and drop the material over the object.
- Box select or hold Ctrl while clicking to select multiple objects, then drag and drop the material over any of the selected objects.
Tip: In your list of materials under the Materials tab, you can hover over the material icon to see it enlarged.
Optional: To modify a material:
1. Select the object where the material has been applied.
2. On the Rendering tab, select the Editors tool to open the Render Editor
3. Select the Material tab.
4. Define the parameters. For more information, see Create a Material.