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3D View Settings

The 3D View Settings dialog collects the render-quality, visualization, shadow, and scene-appearance options that apply to the whole 3D view rather than to a single selected object. Use it to balance image quality against performance, prepare a presentation-ready scene, or reproduce a consistent look across sessions.

These settings affect the 3D view only. They do not change the 2D slice views, and they are independent of per-object render properties.

⚙️ Opening the Dialog​

Open the dialog from the 3D view controller overlay:

  1. Move the mouse over the 3D view to reveal the controller overlay.
  2. Open the More Options menu (the ⋯ button).
  3. Select View settings….

The dialog groups its options into GPU rendering, Performance, Visualization, and Miscellaneous. Three buttons sit at the bottom:

ButtonAction
ApplyApplies the current settings to the 3D view and redraws it
CloseCloses the dialog without applying pending changes
Restore DefaultsResets every option on the page to its factory default (after a confirmation prompt)
note

Changes in the dialog take effect when you select Apply. When you drive the same options from the scripting API, each call takes effect immediately.

🖥️ GPU and Renderer​

The Use GPU for volume rendering group controls how grayscale volumes are rendered.

OptionDescription
Use GPU for volume renderingUses the graphics card for grayscale volume rendering. When cleared, the CPU is used instead
GPU memory budgetHow much graphics memory the 3D view may use for grayscale volume rendering: Auto or a fixed value from 1 GB to 32 GB
Volume rendererSingle volume renderer (default) draws each grayscale volume separately; Multi-volume renderer blends overlapping volumes together
Mask direct rendererThe same Single/Multi-volume choice applied to Mask 3D Preview (Direct)
warning

For best quality and performance, keep Use GPU for volume rendering enabled whenever possible. CPU volume rendering is more limited and may not support some features available with GPU rendering.

note

Auto lets Volvicon choose a suitable memory budget for the current system. Lower fixed values can reduce image quality when large datasets are displayed. The CPU/GPU choice applies to grayscale volume rendering only; surfaces, volume meshes, and mask mesh previews use their own rendering methods.

For the full renderer reference, including how overlapping volumes are kept correct, see 3D View Controller and Settings.

⚡ Performance​

The Performance group tunes how the view behaves while you rotate, pan, or zoom.

OptionDescriptionRange / Values
Update rateTarget interactive speed. Higher values favor smoother motion over detail while you interact1 – 100 FPS (default 20)
QualityHow much detail is kept during interactionAdaptive, Normal, Maximum
  • Adaptive reduces detail automatically while interacting to keep the view responsive, then restores full detail when the view is still.
  • Normal keeps a fixed balance between detail and responsiveness.
  • Maximum always renders at full detail, even during interaction.
tip

Use Adaptive or Normal while arranging a large or complex scene, then switch to Maximum for final review or before capturing a screenshot.

note

The Update rate has no effect while Quality is set to Maximum, because full detail is always used during interaction.

warning

Keep Quality at Maximum while Mask 3D Preview (Direct) is enabled. Lower settings may show artefacts along mask edges while you interact in the 3D view.

🎨 Visualization​

The Visualization group controls image-quality effects for surfaces and meshes.

OptionDescription
Use depth peelingRenders translucent geometry in the correct front-to-back order. Improves accuracy for overlapping transparent surfaces, but can reduce performance
Use FXAASmooths the jagged edges of 3D geometry when supported by the graphics card
Hidden line removalDraws only the front wireframe surface, hiding lines that fall behind it
Shadows for improved depth perceptionAdds ambient occlusion, which darkens crevices and contact areas so surface shape is easier to read
Scale factorSize of the ambient occlusion shadows. 0 selects automatic mode, where the size is chosen from the scene extents; other values from -3 to 3 set it manually
Back face coloringDraws the inside (back) faces of surfaces in a separate color, which helps distinguish inside from outside
note

Shadows for improved depth perception apply to opaque surface geometry. They are not applied to volume rendering.

tip

Enable Use depth peeling when several transparent surfaces overlap and the blending looks wrong. If performance drops on large scenes and you are not viewing translucent geometry, turning it off can speed up interaction.

🌗 Floor Shadows​

The Floor shadows option, also on the Visualization page, adds soft, realistic shadows cast onto opaque surfaces and an invisible floor beneath the scene. The floor reproduces the view background, so only the shadow is visible - there is no floor color or horizon line.

OptionDescriptionRange / Values
Floor shadowsTurns the virtual floor and its shadows on or offOn / Off (default Off)
QualityDetail used to draw the shadows; higher is sharper but uses more graphics memory and timeLow, Medium, High, Ultra
SoftnessBlur radius of the shadow edges; 0 gives hard edges, higher values give softer shadows0 – 8
DarknessMaximum shadow strength; 0 removes shadows, 1 gives the strongest result0 – 1
Align floor withAligns the invisible floor to a world planeXY (Z up), XZ (Y up), YZ (X up)

Only switched-on directional lights and spotlights below 90° with Cast shadows enabled in Light Studio contribute shadows. Headlights, point lights, and volume rendering do not cast or receive floor shadows.

tip

Floor shadows and Shadows for improved depth perception can be enabled together. For a presentation look, apply a studio preset in Light Studio, enable Floor shadows, and choose the plane that represents the object's real support surface.

For the full floor-shadows reference, see 3D View Controller and Settings.

🧩 Miscellaneous​

The Miscellaneous group adjusts scene helper appearance.

OptionDescriptionRange / Values
Scene bounding box colorColor of the outline drawn around the whole sceneRGB color
Scene axes labels colorColor of the axis direction labels on the bounding boxRGB color
Origin axes scale factorSize of the coordinate axes at the scene origin, relative to the scene1 – 100 %
Crosshair axes scale factorSize of the crosshair and center-of-rotation axes1 – 100 %
note

The scene bounding box and axes labels are shown or hidden from the 3D view controller's Visibility menu. These settings control their color and size when they are visible.

🐍 Scripting​

Every option in the dialog is available through the scripting API using the view operations object, so you can reproduce a consistent look or prepare a scene before capturing images. Each setter has a matching getter.

import ScriptingApi as api

app = api.Application()
view = app.get_view_operations()

# --- GPU and renderer ---
view.set_gpu_volume_rendering_enabled(True)
view.set_gpu_memory_budget(api.GpuMemoryBudget.Auto)     # Auto, GB1 ... GB32
view.set_volume_multi_volume_renderer(False)             # single (False) or multi (True)
view.set_mask_direct_multi_volume_renderer(True)

# --- Performance ---
view.set_rendering_quality(api.RenderingQuality.Maximum)  # Adaptive, Normal, Maximum
view.set_rendering_update_rate(30.0)                      # interactive FPS (1 to 100)

# --- Visualization ---
view.set_depth_peeling_enabled(True)                     # correct order for translucent geometry
view.set_fxaa_enabled(True)                              # smooth geometry edges
view.set_hidden_line_removal_enabled(False)

# Ambient occlusion (shadows for improved depth perception)
view.set_ambient_occlusion_enabled(True)
view.set_ambient_occlusion_scale_factor(0.0)             # -3 to 3; 0 selects automatic mode

# --- Floor shadows ---
view.set_floor_shadows_enabled(True)
view.set_floor_shadows_quality(api.FloorShadowsQuality.Medium)  # Low, Medium, High, Ultra
view.set_floor_shadows_softness(3.0)                     # 0 (hard) to 8 (soft)
view.set_floor_shadows_darkness(0.6)                     # 0 (none) to 1 (strongest)
view.set_floor_shadows_plane(api.ShadowFloorPlane.XY)    # XY, XZ, or YZ

# --- Back face coloring ---
view.set_back_face_coloring_enabled(True)
view.set_back_face_color([0.94, 0.0, 0.98])              # r, g, b in [0.0, 1.0]

# --- Miscellaneous appearance ---
view.set_3d_scene_bounding_box_color([0.0, 0.0, 0.0])
view.set_3d_scene_axes_labels_color([0.0, 0.0, 0.0])
view.set_3d_origin_axes_scale(10.0)                      # percentage (1 to 100)
view.set_3d_crosshair_axes_scale(30.0)                   # percentage (1 to 100)

Read the current state with the matching getters, for example:

quality = view.get_rendering_quality()
shadows_on = view.is_floor_shadows_enabled()
back_face = view.get_back_face_color()
print(quality, shadows_on, back_face)
info

See the View Settings Operations tutorial for a complete, runnable script that walks through each group.

🧭 Common Workflows​

Prepare a Presentation-Ready View​

  1. Set Quality to Maximum and Update rate to a comfortable value.
  2. Enable Use FXAA for clean edges and Use depth peeling if transparent surfaces are present.
  3. Enable Shadows for improved depth perception to emphasize surface shape.
  4. Enable Floor shadows, choose Align floor with to match the object's support plane, and tune Softness and Darkness.
  5. Set the Scene bounding box color and Scene axes labels color to suit the background.
  6. Select Apply, then capture a screenshot from the 3D view controller.

Optimize Interaction on Large Datasets​

  1. Set Quality to Adaptive so detail drops only while you interact.
  2. Lower the Update rate if motion still feels heavy.
  3. Turn off Use depth peeling when you are not viewing translucent geometry.
  4. If the volume looks coarse, raise the GPU memory budget or leave it on Auto.

Reproduce Settings Across Sessions​

  1. Configure the view once in the dialog and confirm it looks correct.
  2. Translate the same choices into a short script using the scripting calls shown above.
  3. Run the script whenever you open a comparable dataset to restore an identical look.

✅ Best Practices​

  • Change one option at a time and select Apply so you can see each effect clearly.
  • Keep GPU volume rendering enabled unless a specific system limitation requires the CPU path.
  • Leave GPU memory budget on Auto unless you are tuning for a dataset that exceeds the available memory.
  • Use Adaptive quality while building a scene and Maximum for final review or capture.
  • Turn on Use depth peeling only when transparent surfaces overlap; turn it off to reclaim performance otherwise.
  • Align the floor shadow plane with the object's real support surface before adjusting softness and darkness.
  • Use Restore Defaults to return to a known-good baseline if the view no longer looks the way you expect.

🛠️ Troubleshooting​

A setting in the dialog did not change the view​

Select Apply. Dialog changes are applied when you press Apply, not while you edit them. Close discards pending changes.

The scene still looks jagged after enabling FXAA​

FXAA depends on graphics-card support. Confirm Use FXAA is enabled and applied. If edges remain jagged, the current hardware or driver may not support it; Maximum quality can also help for still images.

Transparent surfaces blend incorrectly​

Enable Use depth peeling so overlapping translucent geometry is drawn in the correct order. If performance drops sharply, reduce the number of transparent objects or turn the option off when transparency is not needed.

Shadows for improved depth perception have no visible effect​

  • Confirm the option is enabled and applied.
  • The effect applies to opaque surfaces, not to volume rendering.
  • Try a non-zero Scale factor, or set it to 0 to let Volvicon choose automatically based on scene size.

The interactive update rate has no effect​

The Update rate is ignored while Quality is Maximum, where full detail is always used. Switch to Adaptive or Normal to make the update rate take effect.

Floor shadows are not visible​

  • Confirm Floor shadows is enabled and Darkness is greater than 0.
  • In Light Studio, enable Cast shadows on one directional light or spotlight below 90°.
  • Set Align floor with to the object's support plane.
  • Use opaque surface geometry; volumes do not cast or receive floor shadows.

The origin or crosshair axes look too large or too small​

Adjust Origin axes scale factor or Crosshair axes scale factor. Both are percentages from 1 to 100 relative to the scene size.

The view is slow or shows low-quality volume rendering​

  • Confirm Use GPU for volume rendering is enabled.
  • Raise the GPU memory budget, or leave it on Auto.
  • Lower Quality to Adaptive while interacting.

💾 Persistence​

The 3D View Settings are stored with the application session, and the renderer choices are also saved in the project file so the same configuration is restored when the project is reopened. Use Restore Defaults at any time to return the page to its factory settings.