Normally, nXtRender registers its commands with AutoCAD during installation. On occasion, this mechanism may fail. In this case you will need to manually load nXt the first time you run it in a particular version of AutoCAD.
Use the following procedure:
Type _appload at the command line.
Navigate to the folder where nXt was installed. This is normally C:\Program Files\AccuRender nXt
Select one of the following files depending on your platform:
For example, you should be able to load the one named AccuRender nXt_22_64.arx for AutoCAD 2018 or AutoCAD Architecture 2018, on a 64 bit computer.
Check the AutoCAD command line to verify that the application loaded without error. At this point you should be able to type nxt or ar5 to launch the application. You should not have to repeat this procedure again for this version of AutoCAD. Simply typing nxt or ar5 at the command prompt should cause nxt to load. You may need to repeat this procedure if you install another version of AutoCAD.
"Yeah-- like I mentioned the caustics are accurate but could be annoying. Things that might alter it include changing the sun angle so it's not striking the chair's metal surfaces so directly, changing the roughness of the chair…"
"Here's the latest render using metallic materials.
The chrome now looks a lot better.
I do feel though that the reflected light on the back wall is too bright."
"Ah-- so that's a function of the material type. The standard material won't give you a mirror anymore. You need to change the material to metallic and you should get something more familiar. Use the Type popdown on the…"
"You can see from these two images that there is definitely something wrong with reflective surfaces.
It appears the light is being reflected, but not objects or textures.
In the nXt version (top image), the carpet texture is being reflected in the…"
"It's interesting-- overall the quality of this interior is very high for that short amount of processing, and may be acceptable for certain scenes. In this one, however, there are some reflective caustics that are taking longer to…"
"ARDECAL now works.
Here's the image after 10 minutes of rendering.
I do have a slight concern that reflective surfaces seem rather dull.
This is particularly evident on the end frame of the desk and the base of the chair."