Hardcore Fran???

[marcdevon]

To Fran, what's up with your new signature on the Maxwell forum? You should lay off the rap music Out of curiosity, aside from the development issues, at one point in time you had some interesting studies using Maxwell. Was the render time a key factor in your decision to not use it as frequently?

 

Also, I wanted to get everyone's expectation for Maxwell with regards to its render time. Do many of you believe that computer hardware is finally at the stage where it can handle MLT or PPT or do you believe that it will take another 5-10 years to catch up?

[Ernest Burden III]

Also, I wanted to get everyone's expectation for Maxwell with regards to its render time.

 

I think its a technique that can be used now. But you have to have a good understanding of what you're doing so you don't have a 20 hour render that you look at and say 'oh, I guess I should have done that differently'. When properly coded it can probably be a lot faster. And with whatever coop render method works best you can likely combine the power of many computers to make it all seem easy.

 

I'm still living with a slight Lightscape hangover. The way it baked lighting and left rendertimes to plain raytracing was great, and nothing as simple but effective has come along since. This new stuff goes well beyond in many ways, so RIP mesh-refinement. But dang, it worked well for what and when it was.

[Fran]

To Fran, what's up with your new signature on the Maxwell forum?

 

I changed it. Other than that, not much to talk about over there.

 

I couldn't use Maxwell beta in production because of the white/yellow noise issue on plastics. It wouldn't resolve no matter how long you let it go.

 

With the RC's, I gave each one a whirl and was underwhelmed with the results. I'm told it's due to user inadequacey.

[marcdevon]

I changed it. Other than that, not much to talk about over there.

I couldn't use Maxwell beta in production because of the white/yellow noise issue on plastics. It wouldn't resolve no matter how long you let it go.

With the RC's, I gave each one a whirl and was underwhelmed with the results. I'm told it's due to user inadequacey.

 

For the pre-RCs, it seemed to me that you did have some sucess. I remember your bathroom scene (BTW, how did the project turn out?)

 

http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6480&highlight=

 

and this one

 

http://www.maxwellrender.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=835&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

 

In your experience with Maxwell, did you find it to be a good design tool?

 

I have seen some architectural renders that do look impressive. Although this is a CG/Architecture forum, to me Maxwell seems well suited for rendering items such as time pieces, jewelry, toys, statuettes, and furniture rather than architectural viz. One big question that I wanted to know everyone's opinion is whether Maxwell is best off marketing itself as a renderer that is best suited for rendering objects rather than trying to be everything to everyone?

 

 

Marcus

[AdamT]

Certainly as it stands M~R is only good for renderings that use primarily direct lighting--such as product renders. When you get into interiors with a higher proportion of indirect light, render times go through the roof. Then there's the problem with clipmaps and sun>glass which makes M~R unsuitable for most exteriors.

 

Whether MLT/PPT is suitable for archvis using today's hardware seems to be a question of how much you're willing to invest in hardware and software. IOW, it's not practical if you're using a few machines to render, but if you can go into the double or triple digits, it's doable--assuming that NL can get cooperative rendering to work (which they've failed to do until now).

[Fran]

Marcus, we've done the shelving but not the lighting. I decided to go with some sconces from Restoration Hardware and they've been sitting in the box since Christmas. The green I selected for the bathroom was an unfortunate choice and we've got a different shade to repaint it with someday soon.

 

For me, though I'm not a designer, the key for having a renderer be a good design tool, doesn't necessarily pertain to final presentation renders. It's more to do with getting accurate results quickly with a workflow that is sensible and unencumbering. It has more to do with the modeling environment than the renderer, in my experience.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

 

i take offense to that.

[Ernest Burden III]

i take offense to that.

 

You young people...the correct resonse would be "I resemble that remark" Groucho Marx (though I can't remember which movie it is from). Next we'll look at the Sanity Clause.

[Sawyer]

"Hey there aint no Sanity Clause"