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3DS MAX on a Macbook?


kamikaze
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hi...been awhile since i posted.....would just like to ask you techie peeps if you've tried running max on windows XP in a MACbook??

 

1. Are the render times faster than on a PC?

 

2. Does MAX program work seamlessly on the mac?

 

3. Are there any bugs you have encountered or have heard of??

 

I am asking this because currently im looking for a good dual core notebook to work on(asidefrom my desktop).......and personally i like how the mac looks.

 

so if max runs well on a mac.... why not buy it right????

 

what do you guys think?? :)

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:: SUBSCRIBED ::

 

I would also like to know if anyone has run these high end 3d programs on their new mac. Maya, and 3ds max 8, AutoCAD, etc. I am also thinking about getting a Dual Core Desktop for my at home 3D workstation.

 

Great Question

 

Michael

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I've run Viz, Vray, Cinema4D, finalRender2, ADT and Adobe CS2 (all of it except Version Cue and Go Live) without incident. In addition to looking good, it's really, really fast. Dual-Xeon fast. I'm not sure about Max, the software should work (I've seen people who have run the demo) but I've heard complaints about the licensing system and I'm not sure whether my being able to run Viz means that Max would work as well. (The copy of Max I had was a limited time student license that expired before I got the Mac.)

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Viz 2005 runs great on the MacBook Pro. This is done by using Boot Camp and re-booting into windows. The 256MB graphics card works well, and the rendering/processing speed of the core duo is extremely zippy.

 

I don't think MAX should be much different than VI

Z...

 

You mention the Macbook, which is the cheaper plastic white or black version of the notebook which DOESN'T have a separate graphics card, so I would steer clear of that one for any serious 3D work.

 

The virtualization software Parallels (running windows xp in a separate session within mac os X) doesn’t handle graphics very well, and has trouble with the licensing that Autodesk uses.

 

Also note that Boot Camp is still a beta, so it's somewhat limited in it's "refined" integration of drivers and power management, so be ready for some minor annoyances (heat, peripheral communication, etc.). The next version of Max OS X (Leopard) will have Boot Camp or some sort of virtualization built-in, so this should make it a more seamless process.

 

Good luck!

 

Angelo

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hi...been awhile since i posted.....would just like to ask you techie peeps if you've tried running max on windows XP in a MACbook??

1. Are the render times faster than on a PC?

2. Does MAX program work seamlessly on the mac?

3. Are there any bugs you have encountered or have heard of??

I am asking this because currently im looking for a good dual core notebook to work on(asidefrom my desktop).......and personally i like how the mac looks.

so if max runs well on a mac.... why not buy it right????

what do you guys think?? :)

 

 

it runs just like on any PC. Render times are very quick. will show two buckets if using MR. I am sure it will do the same for VRay and FR ect.

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Stupid question here: how fast? Is it "worth-switching-to-mac" fast ? ;)

 

Ill tell you why I switched. the main reason was apples great industrial design. I have Dells and work and they are ugly. Sony's are also pretty but apple gave me the flexibility to choose OS's which is nice to have. OS X is not that bad actually except for its lack of support from autodesk, but hopefullly that will change sometime i hope.

 

There is a comparable dell laptop to the macbook pro 15". but as i mentioned those are my reasons.

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Stupid question here: how fast? Is it "worth-switching-to-mac" fast ? ;)

Well, the Revit benchmark from the MacBook Pro blew my Dell Precision Dual Xenon desktop away, so for Revit, it's great. I haven't benchmarked it against the new dual core dell desktop we just received.

 

Angelo

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Well, the Revit benchmark from the MacBook Pro blew my Dell Precision Dual Xenon desktop away, so for Revit, it's great. I haven't benchmarked it against the new dual core dell desktop we just received.

 

Angelo

 

 

I second that !!! =) and I only have 512MB so far... (I cant find a 1GB chip at a good price anywhere...)

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Stupid question here: how fast? Is it "worth-switching-to-mac" fast ? ;)

 

I have the 17" with the 2.16GHz CPU. It's as fast as a dual Xeon 3.4-3.6. And it's just soooo much better made than my crappy Dell.

 

BTW, for sale: one crappy Dell, used :)

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I second that !!! =) and I only have 512MB so far... (I cant find a 1GB chip at a good price anywhere...)

 

I got a 1GB Corsair SODIMM from Newegg for $95. The one that has comments like "does not work in Macbook Pro." (I disagree with these people.) You can install it by removing the battery then taking out the screws (small Philips, I think it's a #0). Don't pay Apple prices for memory, they're ridiculous.

 

BTW, agreeing w/ angelo, the appropriately named Macbook Pro is good for pro work, the smaller Macbook (an iBook replacement, while the Pro is a Powerbook replacement) is not - not enough pixels in the LCD and the video card is an Intel GMA950 with shared memory.

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The non-Pro is not good for Max. You need more pixels and a faster video card. And a larger hard drive if you want to seriously use both OSes.

 

 

the screen pixel is not so much of an issue but the actuall video card. - which is i think is the only difference?

 

then again is your models are not going to be too complex, iwould go with it.

as a matter of fact, if it wasnt for the spread out keyboard I would have gotten on my self. As i just want a machines I can take with me and be able to do "some" work and HW. As I am waiting for the next powermacs to get one as my main workstation (running windows ofacourse hehe)

 

MacBook:

Processor and memory

 

* Intel 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor

* 2MB on-chip shared L2 cache

* 667MHz frontside bus

* 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMMs; supports up to 2GB

 

MacBook Pro:

15-inch MacBook Pro:

 

* Intel 2.0 or 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2MB on chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed

* 512MB (single SODIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 memory on 2.0GHz configuration; and 1GB (single SODIMM) on 2.16GHz configuration; two SODIMM slots support up to 2GB

 

I just realized all the new macs have the same "core" specs... how dissapointing.

* 667MHz frontside bus

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If you are looking for an alternative to the Mac... A friend of mine got this Sony Vaio... and I have to say I was crazy impressed... it is pricey:

 

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_SZ240&Dept=computers

 

What impressed me the most was:

light at only 4 lbs

dual video system to save battery life

super fast dual-core centrinos

built in camera

cool finger tip recognition thing

ubber long battery life at 5.5 hours.

 

He got his fully loaded and it did end up around $3k... just FYI.

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the screen pixel is not so much of an issue but the actuall video card. - which is i think is the only difference?

 

I have to disagree - the Macbook is inexpensive but its screen is only 1280x800, that's really not enough for working in 4 viewports. Given the choice I'd take a PC notebook with more pixels, if my budget didn't allow for a Macbook Pro.

 

I just realized all the new macs have the same "core" specs... how dissapointing.

* 667MHz frontside bus

 

Apple like it that way - keep the platform variety as small as possible, makes it easier to support the hardware. I'm pretty sure this is the best MB Intel has for laptops, so why use any others? Most of the ones you see don't use PC2-5300 memory, and the Macbook is a bit ahead of a lot of the competition in things like putting most of the hardware on PCIE instead of PCI. EFI also has some interesting features like virtualization suport, which is the enabling technology for Parallels.

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