the Rev.

Hey guys. Newbie is back. Done my homework... and I'm a bit too spooked to build my own. If anything goes wrong during the build (runs too hot, not reading RAM, etc) I wouldn't know where to even begin to troubleshoot. So... plan B. Looking around for ready to buy builds with some of the specs I've found here... and I'm looking into this one... https://www.amazon.com/ADAMANT-Gaming-Desktop-Workstation-GeForce/dp/B06XJCRK9Y/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493514225&sr=1-8&keywords=vr+workstation&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A13580788011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A3081486011 and...since I don't see any specs on video output... will it run something like this? Two of them (eventually)? https://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-PXF79-34-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B00PXYRMPE So... general feedback? And does the graphic card look good enough? Hoping to not only do 3DSMax & Vray but also dive into Unreal Engine 4. What do you think? Is this a good enough machine? Middle of the road? Good and competitive for a few years? Any input is really appreciated.

YES! Nice. thanks Nikolaos! This is great. Who knew there was a PCPartPicker website? =) Really appreciate it.

Ok. Little patience and grace for the Mac guy... and I promise I won't say "build me a PC" �� So... done research... and I'm utterly confused. Looks like I have to choose: Processor (choice between i5 and i7). Cores (?) RAM - I imagine the closest I can get to 64 (probably 32) the better HDrive... I'm guessing anything close to 256 solid state and a 2 or 3 TB hdd (external mybook ok?) And something to cool the whole thing So... 2 questions... a) if I want to know about the above component choices and what is compatible with what... where can I go do that research from scratch? b) if I buy it separately... I assume I have to put it together. Is it generally plug and play? Unfortunately BOXx is out of my price range. But from what I can see, I can probably put together something competitive for $1600 Just not sure where to start researching at a "for dummies" level Any link... super appreciated

That's very helpful Francisco. Thanks! Just to clarify...for budgeting purposes... - if I go BOXX I'm looking around $1800 or so. - if I build my own... probably around $1000 Does that sound ballpark accurate?

Hey everyone! A few questions... Hey everyone! Considering making the jump from C$D to 3DS MAX and VRAY as they seem to the be industry standard for architectural visualization. I come from a 100% Mac environment... and will be looking for a good PC that is optimal for this kind of application - Though, since I never had to worry with specs in the apple world - and all I've ever had to worry was to load up on RAM and Hard Drive space - I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA where to start. I read this thread and while I'm techie enough... it really is all Greek to me. BOXX machines? Gaming machines? Overclocking? Cooling? Cheap out of the box Best Buy machines? Cards? SDD vs HDD vs combo? What do you guys recommend for a good machine purchase to run 3DS MAX, VRAY, PSD, AE. Something that's optimal but not overkill. Any help is hugely appreciated. ALSO - places online where arch viz pros hang out? I'm aware of cgarchitect and cgtalk. Anywhere else I should get plugged in? THNX! -g

Thanks Francesco! Really appreciate the advise. I bit the bullet and bought Prime plus VRay and couldn't be happier. The only thing I REALLY miss is Mograph, but I'll look into Surface Spread for now. Say, one more question. I used the Floor Generator plugin a lot for hardwood floors... but it requires mograph. How do you model and texture hardwood floors with Prime? For the past few weeks I've been using bump and displacement maps, but it doesn't quite look the same as the real thing (individual models). Thanks again!

Hey everyone About to make a purchase of C4D R17 (coming in from R13). I imagine so much has changed in 4 releases! One question I have is: comparing the 2 products: Prime and Visualize, it seems to me I can get away with purchasing Prime and VRay for now and getting 90% of the features I would get with Visualize for Arch Viz. Is this true? In other words, I know if I buy Prime, I'm missing out on the Physical renderer, camera, physical sky, some materials, etc... That said, unless I'm mistaken, all of those features are contained in VRay (cameras, lights, sky, sun, hair for grass, etc.) As you can tell... I want to save some $. =) Is the above reasoning true? help?

Hey everyone. Need a little help here. I know this has been dealt in depth in this forum, though I still need some expert advice. I'm dealing with a great client I've done several job for in the past. It's an architectural firm that doesn't have a 3D guy on staff. Most of the jobs I've done for them are 1 or 2 exterior renders of commercial buildings (shopping mall, Fire house, Retirement community, etc.) . My rate is per project: average of $900 per render. If the client asks for a second render of the same building from a different angle, I will normally throw that one in for free unless it is urgent. If urgent, I'll add $200 to the original pricing. A bit about me... I've been doing this for a few years (4 or 5) and only as a freelancer (I have a day job in a completely different industry). Before that, my 3D experience is as a hobbyist only. My render quality is not top notch, but it is definitely better than my competition in the immediate area. The client I mentioned above, wants something I've never done before. They are asking for a 2 minute interior walk though inside the FireHouse I've already rendered. They want it to be a POV animation as a firefighter makes his way from the top quarters in the second floor, down to the garage where the truck is parked. You never see the firefighter, so no need for character animation. The only thing that moves is the camera, and the garage gate at the end. I'll know more in a few days, but so far it's looking like the camera will have to go through 6 modeled and rendered spaces. None of the interior was done in the previous project, so it will all be modeling, texturing and lighting from scratch. I don't have access to a render farm, so I'm thinking of doing this via REBUS Render Farm Service. I sent them a demo file to use the free credits and it worked like a charm. My challenge is that I have absolutely no idea how much to charge. The project should be delivered 4 weeks from acceptance. And if it makes any difference, my software of choice is Cinema4D with VRAY as a renderer. so.. help? Any info is very much appreciated. There is no one else in this area who provides this service (no one else local to compare pricing with). -Greg

Little more today. Hopefully into details tomorrow.

update: A couple more buildings. Will probably finish the building modeling tomorrow. I'll start adding details after that.

Thanks guys. Will definitely try a couple of red pillows and a washed out sky background.

Studio/Institution: Freelance Genre: Residential Interior Software: C4D R13 Description: [ATTACH=CONFIG]47609[/ATTACH] Real newbie to the industry. First paying job =) Starting a portfolio. ALL crits & feedback welcome.

Thanks arshad. Yes, it really is a second attempt. I'm just starting to learn viz and my first attempt was a kitchen I posted here a couple of months ago. It was actually pitiful - but after some work in lighting ended up a half-way decent piece. You are right. I'll work on adding DOF see what it looks like. As for the door material- are you talking about the glass door to the balcony or the wood doors on the entertainment center?

Studio/Institution: Freelance Genre: Commercial Interior Software: Cinema 4D R12 Description: Second attempt at arch viz. Would love some feedback. Thanks.

Thanks guys I unfortunately don't have raytracing on my renderer. I bought the 8.5 core with no modules... eons ago. As for Kerkythea - I'll look into it. I know I can export via multiple formats - would probably have to do some retexturing. Re: the wireframe - I'd happily post it - but it wouldn't tell you much. The import is really a mess - a lot of cleaning up as I go. the window? Yes - these are placeholders for new stained glass windows that haven't been designed yet. I did come across the new C4D demo - leaps and bounds from v8.5 to 11. here's the comparison between: top left - the new C4D renderer with GI bottom left - the old C4D renderer with a light dome (24 white lights, at 7% with soft shadows) and a single blueish light at 65% with area shadows. The one on the right was given to us by the architects as a quick flythrough.