Export screenshot
Export the current 3D view with color legend as PNG, JPEG or PDF: set resolution (PPI), background color, transparency and legend size
Overview
The screenshot export creates a high-resolution raster graphic (PNG or JPEG) or a PDF document from the current 3D view - optionally with a transparent background and with the displayed color legend. This lets you output building views, false-color displays of the property panels or result views for reports and presentations. What is always exported is the entire 3D scene, exactly as the camera currently shows it.
Access
Menu Export > Export screenshot…. The Export screenshot dialog opens; it keeps the last-chosen settings for the current session.
Preview
The left side (Preview) shows the result at the set resolution. A checkerboard pattern behind the image makes transparent background areas visible - it is a pure display aid and is not exported. Refresh preview re-renders the preview with the current settings; after changing a setting, a * on the button and displays indicates that the preview is outdated.
Export settings
| Element | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Background color: | White, opaque | Color of the image background (color picker); replaces the background of the 3D view for the export. |
| Alpha value: | 100 % | Opacity of the background from 0 % (fully transparent) to 100 % (opaque). Transparency is only preserved in PNG and PDF; JPEG discards it. |
| Legend dimensions: | 100 % | Scales the overlaid (discrete) color legend in the image (50-300 %). |
| Resolution (PPI): | 300 | Image resolution in pixels per inch, range 72-900, step size 10. Higher values produce a larger image and a larger file. |
Below, two displays inform about the result:
- File size: - estimated file size, derived from a PNG encoding of the current preview; for JPEG/PDF the actual size differs.
- Resolution: W x H pixels - the output dimensions. They result from the current size of the 3D view on screen multiplied by the ratio of the set PPI to the screen resolution. A larger program window therefore delivers a larger image; there is no direct pixel entry.
Exporting
The Export… button opens the save dialog; the project name is preset as the file name. The format is determined by the file extension:
| Format | Extension | Special note |
|---|---|---|
| PNG image | .png | lossless, with transparency; the physical resolution (PPI) is written into the file |
| JPEG image | .jpg / .jpeg | compressed, without transparency |
| PDF document | .pdf | page size corresponds to the image at the chosen PPI (e.g. 3000 px at 300 PPI = 10 inches), without page margins |
After a successful export, the message “Screenshot exported successfully to: …” confirms the storage location.
What is exported
- The entire 3D scene in the current camera setting - everything visible: building geometry, drawings and underlays, current false colors and selection.
- Surface normals and the small coordinate system symbol are automatically hidden in the export, even if they are visible on screen.
- The active color legend of the currently displayed color mode (e.g. U-value false colors of the construction assignment or result display) is adopted: a continuous legend is appended to the right of the scene (making the image wider), a discrete legend is overlaid at the top right and scaled via Legend dimensions:.
Good to know:
For figures in reports, exporting with a transparent background (Alpha 0 %, PNG or PDF) is worthwhile: the graphic then fits into the document layout without a white box. Align the view beforehand with the camera shortcuts (e.g. view from north, bird’s-eye view) and the parallel projection - this produces reproducible, plan-like figures, see Selection & visibility.
Distinction: NANDRAD and FMU export
The export of the calculation model is not a menu item in the Export menu: the NANDRAD simulation project is created when starting the simulation or explicitly exported there; the FMU export for co-simulation is described in FMU export & co-simulation.