Kerkythea - Free Photorealistic Rendering for 3D Design Programs (Blender, SketchUp, 3ds Max, etc)

freewaregenuis - Create photorealistically-rendered images of your 3D models with Kerkythea

"Description: Kerkythea is a free multiplatform standalone rendering software that can be used to create photorealistic image renderings using physically accurate materials and lighting when integrated with Blender, SketchUp, Wings3D, 3ds Max, Silo and any program that exports files in OBJ and 3DS formats.

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The verdict: a great program that provides seamless integration with SketchUp. You don’t have to buy a few thousand dollars worth of software to produce great quality artistic renderings of your models; Kerkythya delivers and is absolutely free"

Ever since my Amiga days, I've had an interest in ray tracing and photorealistic rendering... This utility sounds seems pretty cool.

It's setup and usage is pretty easy and straight forward. Install Kerkythea 2008, install the SketchUp Exporter, create a model in SketchUp, export it, render it in Kerkythea.