Indigo Renderer

What Indigo Renderer is

Indigo Renderer creates photorealistic images from 3D scenes and models by simulating the physics of light. It is an unbiased renderer with spectral light calculations throughout its light transport, rather than RGB calculations. Rendering can use a CPU or multiple GPUs through OpenCL on Windows, macOS and Linux. A physical camera model and physically based materials are among its tools, alongside depth of field and subsurface scattering. During editing, users can change material and camera settings with ray-traced and OpenGL previews. Indigo can also distribute rendering across multiple machines through its Network Manager. Official integrations are listed for Revit, SketchUp, Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya and 3ds Max. The free version is limited to 0.7 megapixels, adds an Indigo logo, excludes commercial use and provides forum support only. A trial is available; a licence unlocks the full version, with no trial duration stated. The Indigo Renderer plan costs €595 once and includes section planes, orthographic and spherical cameras, invisible-to-camera objects, shadow-catcher material, light layers, IES lighting, network rendering and EXR output. Glare Technologies Limited, a privately held New Zealand company founded in 2008, develops and supports the renderer.

Who it suits

Indigo Renderer suits 3D artists and visualization workflows that need physically based light rendering, spectral calculations or multi-GPU and network rendering. It may also suit users working in Revit, SketchUp, Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya or 3ds Max through its official integrations.

Limits

The free version is limited to 0.7 megapixels, adds an Indigo logo, cannot be used commercially and has no support beyond the forums. The trial can be unlocked to the full version with a licence; no trial duration is stated.

Getting started

1. Visit the Indigo Renderer website.
2. Download the trial for Windows, macOS or Linux.
3. Use the free version within its 0.7-megapixel limit and non-commercial terms, or purchase a licence to unlock the full version.
4. Connect a supported application such as Blender, SketchUp or Revit if it is part of your workflow.

Verdict

Choose Indigo Renderer if you need spectral light calculations, real-time previews or rendering across GPUs and multiple machines. The free version has resolution, branding, commercial-use and support limits; the full Indigo Renderer plan costs €595 once.