Adjustments Files

RenderToolbox3 uses adjustments files to supplement Collada scene files. Together, the adjustments file and the Collada scene file make a complete 3D scene, suitable for physically-based rendering.

Collada files are designed to be portable and compatible with many applications. Thus, they contain the kinds of scene elements that applications tend to agree on, like cameras, lights, polygon meshes, and RGB colors.

In contrast, adjustments files are designed to work with individual renderers. Thus, they can contain renderer-specific scene elements, like light transport sample generators and integrators, and sampled spectra.

Before rendering, RenderToolbox3 merges the Collada scene file and adjustments file to make one renderer-specific scene file. The merging involves:

• converting the Collada scene file to renderer-specific format
• supplementing the scene with new elements from the adjustments file
• replacing elements of the scene with elements from the adjustments file
• modifying elements of the scene with values from the adjustments file

Usually you won't need to write your own adjustments file because RenderTooblox3 has default adjustments files for PBRT and Mitsuba, and you can specify renderer-specific adjustments in the [Mappings File](Mappings File Format).

Read on to learn about how adjustments work, behind the scenes.

Default Adjustments

Adjustments Via Mappings