> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rageon.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Preview and environment

> Check lighting, rendering, and background on a model before you capture, and set them for every camera.

**Preview** opens a 3D view of a model with the lighting and rendering the capture will use. The controls are the same ones that sit in the **Lighting** and **Rendering** sections of **Settings**, and they apply to all captures.

## Open the preview

**1. Click Preview**

The button is above the **Settings** column. The header reads **Adjustments here apply to all captures**.

**2. Choose a model and a camera**

Check at least one model first: the preview uses your checked models. **Sample model** picks which one to look at. **Camera** starts on **Free (orbit)**, which is for inspecting only. Choose a saved camera, for example **#2 · rear**, to see its framing.

![Preview with the Camera menu set to a saved camera and an Edit camera button](https://mintcdn.com/rageon/tGC-5rfc07564TOG/images/capture/capture-preview-camera.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=tGC-5rfc07564TOG\&q=85\&s=b89177727161274f0096ecd635235af2)

Previewing the saved camera #2 · rear.

**3. Edit the framing if needed**

With a saved camera chosen, click **Edit camera**. The editor then shows **Back to preview**. Orbiting in **Free (orbit)** never changes a saved camera. See [Cameras](/capture/cameras.md).

**4. Click Done**

Your changes stay.

Tabs at the bottom switch between **Lighting**, **Rendering**, and the mode's own panel: **Vehicle**, **Base vehicle**, **Weapon**, **Base weapon**, or **Mannequin**.

## Lighting

| Option | What it does | Default |
| - | - | - |
| **Time of day** | Sets daylight, 0 to 24 hours. Disabled with manual light. | 12.0h |
| **Manual directional light** | Uses a direction you choose instead of time of day. | Off |
| **Azimuth** | Turns the manual light around the model, 0 to 360°. | 135° |
| **Height** | Raises or lowers the manual light, −10° to 90°. | 55° |
| **Light intensity** | Manual light strength, 0 to 3×. | 1.00× |
| **Shadows** | Turns scene shadows on or off. | On |
| **Ground shadows** | Includes the model's shadow on the ground. | On |
| **Flat lighting** | Lights evenly, with no direction. | Off |

You can aim the manual light by dragging its point on the model. Hold **Shift** to rotate it freely.

![Preview with Manual directional light on and the light controls open](https://mintcdn.com/rageon/tGC-5rfc07564TOG/images/capture/capture-environment-light.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=tGC-5rfc07564TOG\&q=85\&s=ade19403c7e84e645968954b7a3bc7f7)

Manual directional light on a street light.

This lighting applies to every camera that does not have its own.

## Rendering

| Option | What it does | Default |
| - | - | - |
| **Mesh detail** | **Standard** or **High**. **High** uses the detailed model when the asset has one. | **Standard** |
| **HDR** | Changes how bright areas are rendered. | On |
| **Auto exposure** | Adjusts brightness to the framed model. | On |
| **Sky background** | Draws the game sky behind the model. Turns transparency off. | Off |
| **Transparent background** | Saves an empty background around the model. Turns the sky off. | On |
| **Background color** | Solid background. Only with the sky and transparency both off. | Dark |

![Rendering panel with Background color, Mesh detail, HDR, and Auto exposure](https://mintcdn.com/rageon/tGC-5rfc07564TOG/images/capture/capture-environment-render.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=tGC-5rfc07564TOG\&q=85\&s=3b9101459248f08b939445006e4fabf0)

Transparent background off, with Background color, HDR, and Auto exposure.

Keep transparency for images you will place over other backgrounds. Save them as **PNG** or **WebP** in [Output](/capture/output.md#format-and-size): **JPEG** does not store transparency.

## Troubleshooting

> **… couldn't be loaded**
>
> The preview model failed to load. Click **View technical details** to see why, then **Load again**. If it keeps failing, pick another **Sample model**.


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