Erik_Michael Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 Hey folk's, This is my first post here at CGArchitect.com, and I just want take a quick moment to say it's great to see so many people coming together to share their knowledge and experience here...I appreciate it so much, Thank you! Ok. Currently, Our firm is using microstation V8 to create our construction drawings and from time to time models with interior and exterior renderings. To be honest, I have never really been satisfied with the final outcome. I am searching for higher end 3d rendering software that would work well with models created in microstation, however, my experience has been only limited to Cinema 4d xl and before microstation.. Archicad. Would any of you more experienced members have any suggestions as to what programs may work best with microstation? thanks a million, in advance... -Erik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antisthenes Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 i have never seen a microstation file what formats does it export to and would you mind posting an example file so we can test to see what likes it's stuff. are you looking for something that can still do CD's for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterglow Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Polytrans will convert acis/.sat files to .max, if you want to use max, or .lwo if you want to use lightwave. max is pretty much industry standard because there are more options with renderers and plug-ins etc. lightwave is also good for viz, and much cheaper, but everyone tends to use max/vray. microstation is an awesome architectural modeller, it's a shame u have to fork out thousands for max just so that u can use vray render, that's why i'd consider lightwave because it's cheap and it's native renderer is quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antisthenes Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I've been known to say it, go for Rhinoceros V4 beta, soon to be final save your thousands of $'s and support a worker owned company who listens to it's users unlike certian big boxers for as little as 295$ commerical/edu lic. if you take as class . Can polytrans go the other way around from Max to Lwo, Obj, or 3ds (with text mapping intact)? Can Microstatic export ACIS .sat .iges .step Nurbs solids/surfaces formats or does it only do mesh dxf (straigt line interpolation) type formats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik_Michael Posted December 29, 2006 Author Share Posted December 29, 2006 i have never seen a microstation file what formats does it export to and would you mind posting an example file so we can test to see what likes it's stuff. are you looking for something that can still do CD's for you? Are we looking for something that I can still do CD's...... No, we are not. We are looking for a high-end rendering program, that can paint, add texture, and render with great quality and speed... using a model from microstation. Will I post a microstation file? I don't think a .DGN file will be usable to any highend 3d prorgam, however, I will put together a small model tonight that I can post in various formats. dxf,dwg, and so on... let me know what format you would like if you would like to try it out. I would really appreciate the insight, and feedback from anyone willing to join in on this. When charged with looking for a rendering program for the firm, my first feelings were to start with C4d xl, I have version 9 for the mac... in the process of getting version 10 but I am having trouble getting c4d to use microsation's dxf/dwg files... layers/levels are jumbled and slabs and objects that were not associated with one another in Microstation, show up grouped in c4dxl.. I am still working on the save as_dwg settings for a better output from microstation. I will let you know what I come up with. Over the next two months, I would like to test a handfull of programs using the same model from microstation, in an attempt to find a program that do the above mentioned with ease and better quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Microstation exports DWG files, and probably others, can you give us a list? I'd say you have several good options: -3DSMax with either mental ray (the one included in Max9 is much better than Max8) or Vray. This is the really high-end option for most architectural work, it's what a majority of people are using, but it's expensive (close to $4000 plus another $700 or so, depending on your vendor, if you want Vray). It handles DWG, 3DS and FBX files elegantly. -Viz 2007. This could be marketed as 3DSMax Lite. Fewer animation features. You don't get the new version of mental ray but it does work well with Vray and has the same file compatibility as Max. -Cinema4D. I like it. It's pretty cheap, but harder to get a good GI render. Has a really great Sketch&Toon renderer that can be used in combination with the Advanced Render module for all kind of illustration and stylization. File compatibility is less impressive than Max - it can do a half decent import of an R12 DXF file if you set the DXF file up properly, and handles 3DS and FBX quite well. -Maya. You get mental ray and can use renderers like Turtle and Vray (though I'm not sure how far along the Vray development is). mental ray is the same version as Max's but you don't get Max's spiffy Arch&Design materials for mental ray. File compatibility is more like Cinema's than Max's - it's still not good with DWG's even though Autodesk owns it now. It's half the price of Max. -Lightwave. Many people swear by it, some of them do really amazing work, but I've never tried it. Has a pretty cool render plugin option called Fprime and another one called Kray. -Rhino. For some reason this has a quasi-religious following. It's inexpensive and great for when you need to model anything with a curve with precision. (It also does straight lines but with those, the high-end NURBS modeling isn't being put to proper use.) Its renderer is crap, Flamingo for Rhino is also pretty crappy compared to Vray and mental ray, but it has a Vray option now and is inexpensive. It also does Maxwell, but stay far away from Maxwell. Just trust me. It deals very well with DWG and IGES files. -Vue. Some people are doing some very good work in this, Microstation users included. It will import and render your model, but what it's really for is landscapes - it's got by far the best terrain and vegetation tools. You can even define an "ecology" and apply it to a terrain, and have it automagically filled with vegetation. -Blender. It's free, it's got a free plugin renderer called Yafray that does respectable GI, and I've seen some people do great things with it. Its user interface continues to elude me. But did I mention it's free? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik_Michael Posted December 29, 2006 Author Share Posted December 29, 2006 Microstation exports DWG files, and probably others, can you give us a list? I appreciate the heads up.. as for files from Microstation... they only output is dxf/dwg via 'save as' I am throwing together a model now for some trials... in the meantime I am playing with Modo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Ooh, I forgot Modo. Good call. Let us know how it works with Microstation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterglow Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 maybe the acis/sat module is an add-on for microstation, not sure, but at the studio i used to work at, we modelled in microstation and saved out as acis sat then converted in polytrans to both lightwave and max without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F J Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Microstation XM exports it into .3ds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 ....if money is not an obstacle, i would suggest the Max route. it allows you to setup a non-linear work flow. ....by this i mean, Max has an extension called DWG FileLink. it allows you to link a DWG file into the program without actually importing it. this works to your advantage. you can make changes in Microstation, and save as a DWG, and then just hit update in Max, and it will update your model, without loosing mapping settings, materials settings, etc.... it has worked wonders for my daily work flow. all that said, i have never tried a DWG file from Microstation in Max, but i am guessing it won't be a problem. Max has a 30 day demo that you can test it out with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker1 Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/17417-microstation.html#post121006 It has been almost a year since we adopted the MAX - Vray workflow out of Microstation and could not be happier. Everything works absolutely seamlessly and the dynamic linking is invaluable for making changes. The cost is a consideration but the end results have more then paid for it. Happy New Year MS family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antisthenes Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 a program that doesn't have native xref/inserting of a wide range of file formats would be at a loss. i am getting the same setups at times in.... well maybe i don't need to say question: do you add little details in max after the fact to your microstation models that could not otherwise by possible/efficent to do in microstation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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