Jazz Up Your Presentation the Easy Way

I often have to use my Pro/ENGINEER® models in trade show pamphlets, operations manuals, and design presentations. While it’s easy to use the default Pro/ENGINEER backgrounds, I have found that spending a little more time jazzing up my models improves how they are received.

Sample model inside Pro/ENGINEER with a jazzy background.

Rather than spend time searching the web or using specialty programs such as Adobe Photoshop® for this purpose, I’ve discovered that Microsoft PowerPoint® offers quite a few easily created and pre-done backgrounds. By using matching backgrounds, I’ve also been able to “camouflage” my models onto slides without having a distracting color mismatch. The big benefit here is that there are so many options readily available from a program that most of us already use. Here’s how to add interesting backgrounds to your models.

In Microsoft PowerPoint:

1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Choose Blank Presentation.
3. When the New Slide box pops up, choose the type Blank and click OK.
4. Click Format, Background or right-click the mouse and click Background.
5. Click on the color bar located below the slide display in the Background Fill area, and choose Fill Effects.
6. Create your custom effect or select from those available under the preset option of the Gradient tab, or under the Textures and Patterns tabs.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click File, Save As.
10. Save the file to a desired location as type .jpg or .tif.
11. Choose No when asked to export all slides.

In Pro/ENGINEER:

1. Open your model in Pro/ENGINEER.
2. Click View, Advanced, Photorender.
3. Click on the Modify Room Configuration button of the Photorender toolbar.
4. Click on the area to change.
5. Browse for the file and double-click on its name.
6. Adjust the placement of the background (I usually use single copy, with no other mods), and then click OK. You should see the background on the changed area in the Room Editor window.
7. Click OK.
8. Click on the Render Model button of the Photorender toolbar.

John Randazzo is a mechanical design engineer at Dynacs Co. at the Kennedy Space Center. He can be reached at john.randazzo-1@ksc.nasa.gov.