Arch Viz industry standard question

[silviapalara]

Hi all,

I hope you'll help me understand something that has been puzzling me for a while.

I often browse the Jobs section, and I am constantly put down by the "must know 3D Studio Max" requirement. Is there a specific reason why it seems to be the only 3D software they want to deal with? I don't intend to start one of the usual "Why is Max/Maya/XSI/Lightwave/... better". What I am trying to understand is why is it important to architectural firms how the renderings were made?

I hope you guys will enlighten me on this, because I love architectural visualization but I don't want to switch to Max, since I have made a substantial investment in Maya, both economically and in learning time. Is there no hope for non-Max users in the industry?

[Brian Smith]

Well because whether you're a freelancer or looking for full-time work, you are almost certainly not going to be the only one working on any project. I would never hire someone that didn't know Max, regardless of how good they are in Maya, because I would need to have the ability to work on the scene as well. I can't imagine anyone would hire you to work exclusively on a project without the help of anyone else, not to mention without using the plugins that they own that only work in Max. Max has got 10-20 times as many visualizations users from what I've heard so it only makes sense to require knowledge of Max.

[Ernest Burden III]

Is there no hope for non-Max users in the industry?

 

There is, but Max is certainly the 800 pound gorilla, and AutoDesk has worked very hard to make it that way. For freelance sub work, or landing a job, you will probably have to learn it. To do freelance, you can use whatever you like. Clients don't really care so long as your work is good.

 

I use Cinema4D currently, and have hired people to do work for me specifically in C4D (figure animation, shaders, that sort of thing), but usually when someone works with me they use whatever works to deliver a model or whatever I need, so long as its not program-specific.

 

Having said that, I'm in a position where I want to use vRay to render, and right now that will mean Max, so I may start working with it soon myself.

[manta]

Well maybe now since Maya is an Autodesk product, perhaps they will incorporate a file link manager...

[silviapalara]

It sounds much like a legacy issue. Since in the past Max was the only 3D program that interfaced well with Autocad, everybody went with Max, and now that's what they are "stuck" with. But now every respectable 3D app can import and export Autocad files without any problem. Of course Brian makes an excellent point that you need a common platform that everybody can work on. Maybe now that Maya was bought by Autodesk, they will make it easier to go between the 2 apps.

 

Featurewise, I have to say, as much as I feel comfortable with Mental Ray, the renderings I see in VRay are spectacular! I really hope the Maya version will come out some time.

 

Ernest, how do you like Cinema4D for architectural viz? That is one software that has made huge progresses, started as the cheap underdog and now, it is up there with the best.

[manta]

It sounds much like a legacy issue. Since in the past Max was the only 3D program that interfaced well with Autocad, everybody went with Max, and now that's what they are "stuck" with. But now every respectable 3D app can import and export Autocad files without any problem.

 

I think I have to disagree, if that were true then Max and Viz would be gone already, nobody wants to pay that much for an app these days, lightwave is $1500 less, XSI is $3000 less, even maya is $1500 less than Max, if they supported .dwg natively like Max and Viz, I'm pretty sure there would be alot of people changing, the fact is, I don't think that .dwg support is on the top of the list for most 3D apps, because its sort of a niche market for them...