joseph alexander

Apparently, at my office before we implemented CAD; projects had teams six times larger then they do now. There were people who focused solely on area calculations. First there was paper, then these mylar overlays, then Cad was just used for elevations, then everything. The real setback with hand drafting was tabulations of number strings, things had to be checked again and again. What I do find interesting is that the old school guys at my office 40+ years of experience tend to think a lot more before they mark a line or say something. I don't think it's because they're older, i think it's because there was more a repercussion of laying things out without thinking them through back then. Their drawings are immaculate as well. Now you have all this 3D stuff and you try 100s of variations, and fixing mistakes is so easy. Things now are in this Hyperactive production mode.. Not better or worse just different. I guess the thing that's interesting to me is how you draft effects how you think. -Joe

A. If you're a consultant give the architect a VERY CLEAR TIMELINE as to when you need finished drawings by. Architects work by deadlines so having clear deadlines can be useful for both you and the architect. Also, add a stipulation about late submission and fee. B. Review the drawings and send a reply saying that all changes made after the submitted date may add fee depending upon the scale of the changes. Then when changes are made, say something like "because you're a valued client we won't charge for this." or if it's a big change, charge. This strategy will reduce the overall last minute workload and make the architect realize that he or she is getting value from working with you. C. Anybody who renders at our office are treated very well. Having some one who's talented and in house saves an office a lot of money and makes the design architect happy because they get presentation material that's more dead on. There's a science to modeling and lighting, which takes time to learn and intelligence, just as design and building technology does, people should respect that. -Joe

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The mac laptop is really really nice. I'd recommend this setup.. Running windows xp.. The screen is incredible, much brighter then my friends 3K dell mobile workstation. You recommended this setup a while ago.. Thanks for the recommendation Andrew. -joe

I just purchased a MacBook Pro I haven't had time to install BootCamp or XP yet. Does anyone have any advice as far as running windows based programs or things to look out for? -Joe

Anyone know of a training dvd for modeling in 2007? -joe

Your renders aren't afraid of color. Your background images (windows) show an attention to a whole image that I don't see too much. Have you tried software that allows for glossy reflections? This is the one tech thing I see missing from alot of your images. IE i would expect the boardroom table to have a different reflection characteristic. (maybe you could render a pass with a bump map where glossies would be and composite in Photoshop). Overall, a very good image. -Joe

Does anyone have a reference to an office that specializes in AutoCad scripting? -Joe

This is a rendering for a competition in Russia. Sadly, we didn't get this one. The intent of the rendering was to catch the blue cold beauty of Moscow and how it reflects on the glassy tower. -Joe

I wonder if it would be possible for Jeff to set something up on this website called "General Practice Procedures" which would be a part of the website which professionals would refer clients to. It would state general business practices for CG professionals, such as giving out 3D content, typical contracts, etc. It would be a way for professionals to refer clients to a industry standard and not get taken advantage of. You would have a legal disclaimer at the front stating that these represent common practices, and not laws. I think he'd have a few hundred members who would appreciate that. Is this a possibility? -Joe

That's an extremely good point! Isn't there a way to capture the OPENGL model and export that??? If we recieve a model to study in that format that would be fine for us. Doesn't revit have something like that? -joe

OH... don't include textures viewports or lighting.. Absolutely not.

He may be sending your model to another rendering office. Ask him/her point blank if he/she is. Otherwise i would send it with an e-mail stating that it is specifically for their use and not to be distributed to anyone outside of their office as it is your intellectual property and they would be held liable if it was. Also state that if they did want to transfer the model, the models value would be equal to the project fee. Mention that stating this is a formality, and that you trust them. We've had guys model some of our building to to a very detailed level and we like to zoom in close and see how details look in 3D. If that's what they're using it for they'll love it if you send them the models. -Joe

Vancouver Film School. No questions. They don't have an "architectural visualization" program, however, what you learn there in composition, lighting theory, and modeling when you focus your curriculum on the built environment will be extremely valuable to anyone looking to hire. http://www.vfs.com/gallery.php?id=7 -Joe

In times when everyone seems to have a gripe with software developers, I was very impressed with the makers of one of my favorite modeling program, Rhino. I was complaining about there being no in block editing and a programmer spent the weekend and added it to the software. I wish AutoDesk had support like that. I thought I might post a link to some of the cool things they've been working on to: http://en.wiki.mcneel.com/default.aspx/McNeel/RhinoHomeLabs.html They have a pretty cool paneling plug in. With the integration of V-Ray rhino 4 will be an extremely good architectural modeling program. I've just been so impressed with McNeel recently. -Joe