The Render Scene dialog box in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ) contains lots of options which we do not need at this moment in this tutorial. We will discuss only those that we need to perform a basic render. Each relevant items are discussed below. Take a look at the diagram for better understanding.

1.Rendering mode: Here we have the option to specify if we need to render just a single frame, or a sequence of frames as in the case of an animation. For this lesson, we choose 'Single'.

2. Output Resolution: Here we specify the size of the image in Width X Height. You can either enter the widthXheight in pixels in the box or click on the presets available (320X240, 640X480 etc) in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ). Here we leave the option at the default 640X480. Larger the resolution, better the image will be, but the time for rendering goes up dramatically

3. Ouput File: Without specifying an output file, 3D Studio MAX ( 3DS MAX ) simply performs rendering and displays the resulting image in a window. The image willn't be saved in a file. For this lesson, we are not going to create an image file. Clicking on the Files button brings up a file saving dialog box from which you can specify the name, location and format of the file in which you want to save the rendered image.

4. Rendering Quality: The default is production. It refers to the highest quality rendering in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ). We can go for the Draft, if we are just refining the scene and doesn't want the rendering process to be delayed by applying complex calculations. Draft produces a lower quality rendering and is useful for previewing purpose. The 'ActiveShade' in 3D Studio MAX ( 3DS MAX ) offers a way to make modifications to your materials, its colour etc and see the rendering result immediately. The ActiveShade rendered image stays opened and when you make any change to the scene, it get's immediately reflected in the rendered image. For this lesson / tutorial we go for Production quality.

5. View to be rendered: Here we specify which view we need to render. Since we have no camera in our current scene, we go for perspective view. If cameras are present, they will also be listed in the choice list. The renderer in 3D Studio MAX ( 3ds max ) processes the view that is chosen in this field.

I hope you got everything clear. Now click on the Render button near the bottom of the dialog box. The renderer shows a progress window momentarily (since the scene is not at all complex) and shows the rendered image in a window. See the difference between our viewport display and the production quality rendered image. 3D Studio MAX ( 3DS MAX )'s rendering power is incredible. You can have a look at sample images in the Creative Zone rendered from the scenes i created using 3D Studio MAX ( 3DS MAX ).