Just starting out

[Scribbleboy]

Hello everyone. My name is Chris and I'm (soon to be) a second year Architecture student. Over the past year, I have started to use several 3D design programs. After having browsed around this site and seen the amazing images produced by some people, I cannot help but feel a little bit overwhelmed by scope of graphics here. That having been said, I imagine that everyone feels the same way when they first start out.

 

What I wanted to ask was, in your opinion, which is the best design tool to use. I currently have access to ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, Rhino (with a flamingo plug-in), Vue 4, Sketchup and Maya. I have made a few images with ArchiCAD, and, although they aren't great, it's a start. I used Rhino a lot over the past year and produced some good images at the end of my first year project. Maya seems overwhelming to me and I haven't really got into it, but I've seen some of the amazing images that it can produce. I don't have access to 3D Studio, I can't afford it.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[STRAT]

there is no right or wrong here as far as software is concerned. it's all down to what you feel happy using.

 

it's generally the done thing to model in a cad application, then render in a rendering application.

 

 

The market leader in CAD is autocad (what i use) but you can equally use archicad, vectorworks, formz etc etc.

 

And for rendering, the market standard is 3dstudio max/viz. but again, you can equally use cinema 4d (what i use), maya, softimage etc etc.

 

then you've also got design drafting tools like SketchUP and post editing tools like PhotoShop, After Effects, Premier etc etc and so forth.

 

As i say, each of these tools does the job. you can even do it all in 1 application if you like - you dont have to use cad and 3d rendering packages.

 

i'd suggest you download the demos, try them out, and see what takes ur fancy.

[IC]

Hi Chris,

 

You have access to just about the best software available for design.

 

For visualisation, All you need is a specialist 3d app and Maya isn't the first choice for arch work due to its huge learning curve.

It has this learning curve because it has so many amazing tools and enormous flexibility and power but these are mainly for high end animation work.

 

LightWave and Cinema 4D are great programs and they are both becoming more popular for Arch Viz work. They are also much cheaper than the Max options, although Viz is also lot cheaper than Max and keeps you in the same community as the majority of Arch Viz people.

[Scribbleboy]

Thanks guys. I'm not expecting to be able to create amazing pictures within weeks, but I hope to be able to create some awesome pictures and be fluent in using CAD by the end of my course. This gives me a lot of time to work on it, but I'm not sure how long it will take. After having used ArchiCAD, it seems to me that there's a lot there, and a lot more than a simple "click and drag" as it first seems with the objects. If I were to use ArchiCAD, is there a good renderer for it? The in-program renders are ok, but they aren't fantastic. What's the main choice for rendering programs other than 3D Studio. Is there anything that's cheap but effective? Thanks again!

[Tommy L]

Unlucky dude, I remember 2nd year Architecture. Good Luck. My advice would be to get fluent in an aplication you can do your working drawings in. If your tutors know their stuff, they'll mark you on design rather than 3d. Its maybe worth jumping on the Virtual Building bandwagon. More and more practices are turning to this to cut out drawing revision work/streamline design process. Working from a central model and deriving ALL the 2d drawings from that. You can also use the model for rendering. The best apps for this are Archicad and Revit. Do a bit of reading on these before you jump into an app like Maya or max. maya and max are not architectural programs. If you want to be an architect that can do a bit of 3d, go with Archicad or Revit, then learn a renderer. If you want t o be a 3d guru, re-think doing the full term of your course.....

Email me if you want any links or info.

Cheers,

Tom.

[Scribbleboy]

Ideally I want to be both. I want to be someone who can create good designs, but I also want to present them in an amazing way. I know it's a lot of work, but then again, Architecture is.

[frank1331]

I have to agree with what the others are saying. Architeture school is hard enough on its own, let alone trying to master a CAD and rendering software. My advise would be to find out what is the most commonly used CAD software being used in your area. Here in the USA it's AutoCad. When you go out to apply for a job most firms aren't going to want to have to train you on a software.

 

I have always felt that by modeling in AutoCad, you can pretty much take those drawings into most rendering softwares at a later time. I know that its not the greatest rendering software, but it does get the job done.

 

You may also want to look around, here in the States there are companies that offer student versions of 3D studio and other softwares, at a highly discounted price. I know as a student money is the last thing that you have, so this may be an option. Also maybe talk to the school and see if they would be willing to purchase some type of rendering software.

 

 

Anyway

 

Good Luck

[Scribbleboy]

Thanks for the advice guys. All I want from 3D graphical software is to present my work in an amazing way. I think that for now I'm going to stick to using AutoCAD/ArchiCAD and see where I go from there. I know it'll look good in my portfolio if I can use CAD programs really well. I'm going to try and develop it alongside the design aspect of my course, but I will develop my design skills more than my CAD skills, because that's what my course is assessed upon. Thanks again, and I'm sure I'll be back here asking for help sometime soon.