Great render settings to use a starting point – see below.

Render Settings – good quality but much faster to render

Image Precision = 4
Reflections = 2
Refractions = 4
Blurred Reflections = 1
Blurred Refractions = 1
Soft Shadows = OFF
Indirect Illumination = 1
Indirect Smoothness = 1
Indirect Bounces =4
Daylight Portals = OFF

Soft Shadows
Custom
Lighting = 2am
Sky = No Clouds
Exposure = 2-2.5

Clay Render
Custom
New Phase Filter
Materials = Clay
Lighting = 2am
Sky = No Clouds
Background Style = Colour – White
Exposure = 2-2.5

Exposure Settings – realistic and impressive
Custom
Exposure Value = 12.5
Highlights = 0.06
Mid Tones = 0.5
Shadows = 0.2
White Point = 7500
Saturation = 1.1 – Variable

via
BIM Day Out // Tom de Plater

EDIT
More detailed info at:
Revit Rendering – Revit Tutorials Online

EDIT
More info and screenshots at:
http://support.nextlimit.com/display/maxwelldocs/Revit+-+The+Ribbon+Panel

We knew that VEO was using Maxwell since way back in 2008.  Now there is a direct Revit plugin for current Maxwell users:

The Maxwell Render team are very excited to announce a brand new plugin for Revit!
Revit users can now enjoy this new comfortable and timesaving workflow for editing and rendering scenes, using Maxwell Render directly from the Revit interface. Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Compatibility with Revit 2012 and 2013 – any edition
  • Support for Revit lights including IES
  • Support for many built-in Revit materials
  • Ability to override scene materials with MXM files
  • Maxwell Grass
  • Multilight read-back: changes made to lights in Multilight can be imported back into the Revit scene
  • Easy access to the Maxwell material gallery directly from inside the Revit UI

 For full release notes and plugin user guide please refer to our support center here
 The Revit plugin is free to all of our customers and is available for download now from the customer gateway. If you cannot log-in or do not know your password please contact us here.

via
Maxwell Render Newsletter

More info on RFO at:
2012: Maxwell for Revit

Most of you already know that 360 Cloud Rendering will allow you to create a 360 degree panoramic view directly from Revit.  But did you know that you can download and view that interactive panorama offline?

Skip to the cool part of the video (embedded below).

Here’s how:

  1. In Revit 2013, Render in Cloud is on the View panel.  If you have lots of 3D views it can take a while to load the first dialog.
  2. Obviously, make sure you choose Interactive Panorama.  Use ‘Advanced’ Exposure (this may allow for more flexibility later).  Note: Set your DPI before choosing ‘Interactive’.  Small will match the views crop dimensions
  3. Once you have started the Render, it can take a long time to upload the data, but you will get an email telling you when it is ready.
  4. Download Panorama from http://rendering.360.autodesk.com/mygallery.aspx.  Mine came as a jpg.
  5. Download the offline viewer – http://advsys.net/ken/kube/kubegl.exe
  6. Run kubegl.exe
  7. It will prompt you to open something – choose the panorama jpg.
  8. Once loaded, you will be in a full-screen viewing mode.  You can use your mouse to ‘look around’.  Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to zoom in / out and LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to pan.

Pretty cool huh?

Step by step video:

Heads-up via
Google Translate of http://bimblog.typepad.com/autodesk_bim_blog/2013/01/autodesk-360-panoramabilder-offline-ansehen.html

After writing most of this post, I found a related LinkedIn thread about kubegl at:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Autodesk-360-panorama-rendering-is-68075.S.131414706

I couldn’t find a simple way to embed or share the 360 interactive rendering (see feature request here), but here is the source jpg:

A few notes:

“not down-loadable”??
Test: Cloud Rendering in Revit 2012 « microsolresources

Some thoughts on exposure settings:
http://feedback.autodesk.com/cloudservices/topics/adjust_exposure_settings_from_revit

http://advsys.net/ken/kube/kube.htm

EDIT:  The free content at vyonyx has been moved to http://www.gobotree.com/

Are you getting tired of using the same RPC people and trees in all your Revit renders?  Maybe you should try adding some of these free trees and people in your render post-editing program (such as Photoshop):

Cutout People | VYONYX

Cutout Trees | VYONYX

From their Disclaimer: All the contents in our download section are absolutely free of any charge and there is no limitation on their personal or commercial use! …

Along similar lines, I previously posted about Immediate Entourage here.

vyonyx also host:
Textures | VYONYX
 and
References | VYONYX (think water, grass, backgrounds etc)

Technology Preview of the the Project Pandora Liveview design review tool, a cloud rendering research collaboration from Autodesk & Nvidia.
This video demonstrates how the Project Pandora Liveview collaborative design tool allows users to share access to renders online, in order to quickly review and iterate projects with clients and colleagues.

at
Project Pandora Liveview Design Review – YouTube

via
http://datechpt.blogspot.com/2011/11/projecto-pandora-o-futuro-da-renderiza.html

Revit 2010 comes with a set of RPC content for your renders. But perhaps you want to make your own RPC content? Well, head over to http://www.archvision.com/ and register.

Then Login, and go to the menu item shown below:

Download and install the RPC Creator, and then enjoy making your own content!Have a look at this link for a getting started guide on using the program.