How to Save Views and Capture the Right Screenshot in Rhino 8

Rhino 8’s official help documentation describes the NamedView, ViewCaptureToFile, and ScreenCaptureToFile commands as tools for saving model views and creating images for different purposes. This guide covers how to save and edit named views, and explains the differences between View Capture and Screen Capture. The features described are based on the Rhino 8 functionality outlined in the documentation.

1. Save and restore a view

1. Open the Named Views panel via Panels > Named Views. To save the current viewport, choose Save as in the panel and give the view a distinctive name. You can then return to the same angle from the panel while working on the model.

2. To restore a saved view to the active viewport, double-click its name. You can also drag the view in the panel onto the target viewport. To create a separate floating viewport from the selected view, choose To new floating viewport.

3. To transfer views to a model in another Rhino window, drag and drop the Named View into that window’s Named Views panel; this copies the view to the other model. To import named views from a 3DM file, use Import from 3dm file.

You can display the views in the panel as thumbnails or as a list. Right-click the preview area to switch between these two display modes. You can sort alphabetically in ascending or descending order by the Name column. When Custom Order is selected, you can rearrange items by dragging and dropping them. In files with many camera angles, clear view names make it easier to find the desired framing in the list.

2. Edit views and use them in presentations

1. To create a copy of a saved view, choose Duplicate. This lets you preserve the original while creating a separate alternative. To remove a view from the list, use Delete; you can change its name with Rename Named View.

2. To display the camera representation, enable Show Named View Widget. When creating a new named view, you can use Create Using Widget: the documentation describes setting the camera location, target point, and field of view for this operation.

3. To adjust the view using navigation tools, choose Edit by looking. This opens a temporary viewport where you can edit and reposition the view. After restoring a view, if the current viewport differs from its saved state, an asterisk appears in the viewport title. This helps you check whether the active framing matches the Named View.

4. Use the Animation settings to animate transitions between named views. The documentation lists Constant time, Constant speed, and Delay between frames, which sets the pause between frames. These settings control the timing and speed of the transition; because the documentation does not recommend a default value for every project, it would not be appropriate to specify a fixed number.

The Restore aspect ratio option adjusts the viewport’s aspect ratio to match that of the saved view. This is useful when the framing ratio should also match the saved view when it is restored. To have preview thumbnails update automatically when objects in the viewport change, use Auto-update thumbnails.

3. Capture an image for its intended purpose

To save a clean viewport image to a file, use the ViewCaptureToFile command. The menu path is listed as Display > Surface Analysis > Capture > To File. This command saves the contents of the current viewport at a specified width and height; viewport borders, titles, the cursor, and other interface decorations are excluded from the output. Supported formats are BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIFF.

If the interface also needs to appear in the image, use ScreenCaptureToFile. This command captures the active viewport at its current size, including the viewport frame, title, cursor, and other decorations. The documentation lists BMP, JPG, PCX, PNG, TIFF, and TGA formats for this command. So preparing a clean model image for a sheet or presentation calls for a different capture method than creating a documentation image that shows the steps in the interface.

4. Choose output size and background settings

In the View Capture settings, first choose the viewport to capture, then check the output size and the elements to include in the image. The grid, world axes, and CPlane axes can optionally be included. Size sets the output dimensions using the selected units; the default unit for Size units is pixels. Scale sets the scale factor based on the size. Resolution displays the DPI value and affects the image’s printed size on paper. Captured images use the DPI value specified in the render settings.

When entering custom dimensions, check whether Lock viewport aspect ratio is enabled. When it is on, custom resolution values are fitted to the selected viewport’s aspect ratio. The transparent background option is available with PNG and TIFF formats. If the viewport background is transparent, this option is enabled and cannot be turned off; JPG and BMP do not appear in the save dialog when transparency is selected. The Number of passes setting is also available when capturing a Raytraced viewport; the source documentation does not recommend a specific pass count.

Use in architecture, interior design, and archviz workflows

Architecture and interior design teams preparing multiple presentation angles from the same model can save framings with Named Views and restore them when needed. Copying alternative camera angles or importing views from a 3DM file can make it easier to use the same kind of view setup across different project files. For archviz work, ViewCaptureToFile can be used to capture images without interface elements, while ScreenCaptureToFile is useful when the viewport interface also needs to be documented.

Choosing the output size, aspect ratio, and background requirements before creating an image can reduce the need to redo captures with incorrect settings. The documentation does not provide information about hardware requirements, licensing terms, or compatibility with other software versions, so no assumptions should be made about these topics. In particular, check the file format when using a transparent background, and look for the asterisk indicating that the saved view may differ from the active viewport.

Common mistakes

• Using Screen Capture when you need a clean model image; this method may also include the viewport frame and title.

• Assuming the Resolution field sets the output width and height; Size sets the dimensions, while Resolution displays the DPI value.

• Expecting JPG or BMP when a transparent background is enabled; these formats do not appear in the save dialog in that case.

• Forgetting to check the aspect ratio lock when entering custom dimensions; if the lock is on, values are adjusted to match the viewport ratio.

• Overlooking the asterisk in the viewport title; it indicates that the current view differs from the saved Named View.