HardCuts Handoff

Use the direct handoff when you model in HardCuts and prepare the presentation in HardCuts Render.

Send a scene

1. In HardCuts, save the modeling project.
2. Choose File > Open in HardCuts Render, or use the destination toolbar's Render action.
3. Continue material, lighting, and camera work in HardCuts Render.
4. Save the render setup as a .hcrender project.

HardCuts Render must be installed and discoverable by HardCuts. If it cannot be started, use the displayed error to check the installation.

Refresh after modeling changes

Return to HardCuts, change the model, and send the scene again. For a recognized source scene, HardCuts Render merges the update with the existing render scene.

Render material assignments and the existing material layer stack are preserved for matched objects. Render presentation work can therefore continue across source updates.

Know what happens to paint

If a model's topology changes, its previous vertex paint samples no longer match the mesh. The affected Paint Layers' samples are cleared during the refresh. Fill Layers and render materials remain.

For example, changing a material in Render and moving a source object is different from cutting new holes that change the source mesh topology. Complete large geometry changes before detailed painting.

Save a render project version before a substantial source refresh when you want to retain the previous painted result.

Keep the two projects

The HardCuts .hcproj file contains the modeling work. The .hcrender file contains the render scene. Save both when you need to continue both workflows.

For generic OBJ/STL files, use Projects and Model Import. For painting behavior, see Material Layers and Painting.