VR for architects...

[Tonsgaard]

Hi,

 

I've been looking on VR engines for presenting Architecture for clients.

There's a plugin for ArchiCAD called Zermat (http://www.zermatt.se) that looks rather promising.

Also I've had a look at turntool (turntool.dk)

 

What I need is some software that allows arhitects in my office to export 3D models to present to clients. It should obviously be as easy to use as possible and as good looking as possible.

 

Does anybody know good alternatives to the above mentioned software?

Have anybody any experience with the mentioned...?

If so, How does it do the GI solution? - Is it manually texture-baked or does it do it automatically?

[Devin Johnston]

QuickTime VR is a great tool and it's easy to use.

[Tonsgaard]

But There aren't really any walktrough possibillities in quicktime, are there?

I need a more game-like interface for walktroughs...

[sterealkey]

Ive seen some good results with ClickVR.

 

You have to bake your textures to make it look good though, those sort of things cannot calculate real time just yet.

 

It even lets you program cool functions to make it more interactive for the client e.g when they click on the door it will open, or click on the window and the blinds will open etc..

 

Another very easy to use engine would be RTRE (Real time rendering engine)

 

Google it and see if you can find a demo or a beta or something, worth a try

[Tonsgaard]

Click VR looks quite cool, but very much similar to turntool.

They both need texture-baking.

 

I tend to like the Zermatt plugin best. Only big disadvantage is that it's only for archicad. As we're not using Archicad, but bentley Architecture in my office it's not optimal...

I don't suppose anybody has experience with the plugin?

[3dway]

Why does our industry keep looking past game engines as real time solutions?

 

Is it the licensing? and as an architectural firm using the software for commercial purposes, automatically jumps you into the six figure licensing rate that they change game developers?

 

Is there any way that the EULA for a game allows you to build your own "levels" (being a house interior). It's not that hard to mod the HUD and take away the Sci-Fi interface and the bad guys and the guns etc.

 

I just don't know enough about the licensing.

[Aaron2004]

Don't forget about Quest...even though it has texture baking and a fairly high learning curve, it's the closest thing that I think you can get to a game engine for under $100.

 

 

Aaron

[Tonsgaard]

I guess it's just to hard to do game-engine real time solutions. AFAIK it needs quite a bit of scripting and stuff.

the Zermatt plugin I mentioned does the trick with a few clicks...

[pradipta]

I have seen works of TurnTool, and its good in my opinion. It gives a clean render but texture baking can be bit tough. Their viewport navigation is quite good.

[3dway]

I guess it's just to hard to do game-engine real time solutions. AFAIK it needs quite a bit of scripting and stuff.

QUOTE]

 

Do you mean that you have to know how to script to build a model, or you need to know how to script to make a real time engine?

 

You wouldn't need to know how to script to build an architectrual model in a game engine. You may need to know a little to remove the game HUD and get rid of some of the themeing which makes the 3d engine look like a game, but teenagers are doing this all of the time in the game modding community. The amount of scripting that you would need to know to do this is minimal.

 

So based on the above statement, is there just a lack of knowledge of game engines technology in our industry?

 

or is it still something like, you would need to pay the same license fee to use the game engine as a game developer would who is going to sell millions of copies of a game built on that engine and that developer can pay the six or seven figure license fee? Or is there a way that we don't have to pay that license fee?