MacBook Pro 15¨ 2011 what render program to use?

[eriksand]

Hi!

 

I´m an architect student, really new to this. Until now, I have made renders in the internal engine in ArchiCAD, and that´s about it. But now, I´d like to try something new.

I have a Mac, and I realize that this eliminates a whole lot of options for what program(s) to use?

Thought about Cinema 4D, but I also heard that Corona works with Mac now?

Any recommendations?

Also, my Mac is quite old, will it handle renderings on a more advanced program or do I have to upgrade?

 

I have a MacBook Pro 15¨ 2011 with these specs:

- 2 GHz Intel Core i7

- 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

- AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256 MB

Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB

 

Will be using it for architectural visualizations, interiors, facades etc.

 

Thank you,

- Erik

[Francisco Penaloza]

I am not sure about Corona for MAC, maybe they have it ready I am not sure.

Now your machines yes it is old, and the problem with old Macbook pro is the heat ( I used to have one too) if you leave them rendering for long periods of time they will get really hot and that will damage the internals.

I had to replace the power supply of mines .

 

Corona render is very CPU intensive and at 2Ghz it will take a long time to produce large images.

 

Having said that OSX is not the industry standard for Visualization, You can get along using Cinema 4D but most of the assets that you can find for free or purchase are windows prepared, a great variety are V-Ray ready so if you are in OSX and using Corona you'll have little options to use pre-made assets. This can be a problem for you or not, I am just letting you know.

 

Now the latest Cinema 4D renderer is very capable, at the end to do great Visualization images is more than this or that render engine.

Those really help you but in the end, good Photoshop skills, modeling, lighting, composition really makes the difference.

 

Your machine will get the job done if you do renders from time to time with no hurry, but if you are planning this as your main workstation, you won't be able to go too far really.

[Ernest Burden III]

Thought about Cinema 4D, but I also heard that Corona works with Mac now?

 

Well, Corona is not a 3D app, it is a render engine. Cinema4D is a good choice for 3D, I'm not sure what other programs work on a Mac. I use C4D but on PC. Doing architecture you would be wise to also learn a more CAD-focused program, too. There is the sister to C4D, VectorWorks. All very German. I don't know if any of the AutoDesk apps run on a Mac.

 

If you are a student you probably have student-pricing available to you. Take advantage of it while you can.

 

Your laptop is probably too old/underpowered for what you want to do. Take your career seriously and invest in one at or close to current greatness. Also, consider that most of the tools used in architecture and visualization are Windows-based. Style doesn't matter if your skills aren't there. Employment listings often mention which software you are expected to have X years using. Check ads for jobs you would want in the future and see what they expect. Going your own way is fine, but it can be lonely.

 

I just helped my artist son buy a new laptop, which I promptly borrowed to help render a big animation. It is a very powerful MSI six-core gaming 17" w/ 16GB RAM and a good nVidia GPU w/4GB. This machine will go anywhere and do just about any work needed in arch/viz. US$1,150 Can you match that in a Mac?

[Stephen Thomas]

Archicad already has Cinerender built in, which is an implementation of Cinema 4D. Why not try getting to grips with this first, the results can be quite decent. There is also an exchange workflow to send your scene directly to Cinema 4D which might be a good option once you're more adept with it.