K M

Hi. I am currently completing arch viz projects on the side for a couple clients and am looking at expanding into higher end production as a second option for specific clients. My current workflow is to model the building in Revit using the .dwg files I am sent from the client and once complete I move into Lumion for the rendering, before I finalize with post production in Photoshop. Both Revit and 3DS Max have VRay, however 3DS max has the additional plug-ins that could advance the imagery beyond what is capable in Revit. As I have been looking at expanding into VRay, I was wondering what experiences others had who have a drafting background and what their workflow is like? Is it worth continuing with Revit (a program I am very familiar with) and testing the VRay plug in? Should I consider taking the time to learn 3DS Max? Alternatively is the Revit to 3DS Max to VRay workflow worth considering? Thanks

Thanks heaps for the feedback guys! Ill definitely keep learning 3DS Max

So now that Vray is coming to Revit, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Revit Vray beta that has also had experience in 3DS Max as well. I am currently learning how to use 3DS Max so that I can use Vray but now that it is coming to Revit (which I have used for years) is it worth continuing to learn? Or do you think 3DS max will still produce the best renders? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. Awesome find Juraj. So I will be purchasing most of the parts though I will changing a few things. First I'm going to upgrade to the 'WD Black 2 TB 7200rpm SATA' instead of the 1T. The power supply will be upgraded to 700W so any future upgrades like another graphics card is supported. And I will be using the air cooler 'Noctua NH-D15' as I'm not confident using water cooling, seeing as this is my first build and any overclocking I do will be minimal if at all. Because my budget is already over $2000 what do you think of downgrading to 4x4gig (16gig) instead of 4x8gig (32gig) or RAM? This will put me back on budget and allow me to upgrade by buying another 4x4gig later on if I feel 16gig isn't enough. What do you guys think of these changes and would it be best to just spend the extra $200 for the extra RAM?? Thanks

Hey, I'm looking to buy a new desktop as my current computer cant do what I need it to. The programs I will be using are: - Revit - ArchiCAD - Lumion - 3DS Max/Vray - Photoshop and gaming. I already have a monitor so that wont need to be purchased. Like it says in the title my budget it $2000AUS. I was hoping to purchase from a site like http://www.newegg.com or similar that does shipping to Australia. Thanks for any help!

Not sure about anyone else but I cant open the attachment. Says its invalid.

A couple people have been pushing me to learn ArchiCAD which ill start to teach myself soon. But as for SketchUp, like i mentioned above I'm not that familiar with it so maybe it would be worth looking into it. How does it transfer Revit and Archicad models as they are the file types I receive from the architects.

Hey thanks for the replies. Sorry it took so long to reply as each time I tried it didn't upload for some reason. So as for my system spec, I have to bring my computer into the office and its about 7 years old so it struggles quite a bit. I will however be getting a new computer soon so this should increase model/rendering time. And it is more the modeling side of things rather than the rendering speed that I'm concentrating on at the moment. It should have also been mentioned in my first post, that I fully render the entire project including chosen materials, landscaping, neighboring buildings and streetscape so that the client can use 'Lumion Viewer' and move around the design and look at each detail. This is also accompanied by a couple renders and a video for them to take home. I have used 'Sketch Up' before but I found (probably because I'm not that great at using it) that it doesn't give me the flexibility as Revit (soon to be ArchiCAD as well). Do any of you do/done this type of detail work?

I have a pretty old computer and will be upgrading soon. But here are the specs OS: 64-bit Windows 7 Pro Processor Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz System memory: Dedicated Memory 1.0 GB Total Memory 2.7 GB Memory 4.1 GB Graphics card: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series I have internet connection Whilst my computer does slow me down, I am more interested in the time people take modeling and creating the scene not rendering times:)

Hey. Recently I got a job doing renders for a building company. Currently I am using Revit for the modeling and Lumion for the renders. Was just curious as to how long people take to do renders (setting up the scene) and what their process is as i want to be as fast and efficient as possible. Currently i receive a pre-made model that has been used to create the working drawings. When I have to start rendering I switch back and forth between Revit and Lumion (about 20 times, re-importing models) each time making slightly different changes and fixing mistakes like flickering surfaces or accidentally doubling up on material choices in Revit so for example when I get into Lumion, say a wall and a bench top might be the same material which I will have to go back into revit to change this. This all takes me about 2, 2 1/2 days till the model is complete. Just wanted to know how other people are doing this, how long it takes, any tips and so on??? Thanks