3DS Max or Cinema 4D?

[Ola]

Okay!

 

I am probably asking a question that has been asked over and over again, But I would like to get some advice from you seasoned Arch viz pros. I am looking to get back into Arch viz since college experimentation and would like to know the pros and cons of choosing one software over the other.

 

Here is my situation

 

1. I use both Auto Cad 2008 and Vectorworks 12 proficiently. Comfortable modelling in both programs.

 

2. Prefer the Mac platform (Intel 8 core Mac Pro with 9Gb Mem) but have and also use PC regularly.(Boot camp and a dell box)

 

3. More interested in interior Viz,furniture and product than exteriors

 

4. Cost differences btw the two products is not a factor in decision making

 

 

I appreciate the feedback. Even after playing with demos of both programs its hard to make a purchasing decision.

 

Thanks

Ola

[AJLynn]

I think it comes down to personal preference, since you've eliminated most of the factors that would make or break one or the other. C4D, of course, has a Mac version and will almost certainly have an update for OSX 64 bit within a short time of the Panther release. OTOH, Max has much better handling of AutoCAD files and better availability of render plugins.

 

The C4D Advanced Renderer is nice and there's a lot to like about it but for GI renders there are others that are much better. The Windows version of C4D has finalRender2, which may or may not become available for OSX. VRay for C4D will be available... soon, I hope, and maybe for OSX. Then there's Maxwell (don't go there) and Fry (Windows only for now, and it's not fast).

 

Max comes with mental ray, which is pretty kickass. Max 2008 has been announced with more mental ray updates. It also has the most 3rd party engines available for it, such as Vray, which people tend to like.

 

Both have demos available, so try them out.

[castroman]

Being an old max man who converted to cinema I can say that it doesn't feel like I am working when vizualizing in cinema compared to max. cinema is rock solid, rarely crashes. I am using an older version, but still it feels great. Recently I started to work for a company that uses autodesk products(revit/autocad/3d studio viz) and I must say that the integration between Revit and viz is very good. By the looks of it that will improve even further in future releases.

 

I haven't used vectorworks but I understand that the integration between it and cinema is good seeing as they are owned by the same company.

 

If you are already using a good mac system and since you are proficient in vectorworks then I would probably go with cinema.

[STRAT]

i'm an ex-maxer. cinema for me is a beautiful peice of kit. simple and easy and so user friendly.

 

max/viz completely over complicates itself with buttons, options, check boxes, choices etc etc etc. you almost need a degree in rocket science to figure the thing out. and most of the render options you'll never even need.

 

cinema is the complete oposite. neat and simple. not faffing about and confusing the heck out of you. what you see is what you get. even though i use viz and cinema, cinema will always me my number 1 render engine.

 

saying that, viz/max and cinema will still knock out stunning imagery. one is not better than the next, no matter how simple i make cinema sound.

 

as we keep saying, they're both only tools. it's how a good artist uses them that makes them sing.

 

but to answer your 4 questions -

 

1) i too model mainly in autocad. (never tried vw). the link between AC (and VW) and cinema is superb.

 

2) cinema was originally a mac program. it works in both formats.

 

3) take your pick. each is as good.

 

4) cinema is a lot cheaper.

 

try them both. cinema is more rock solid, stable, simpler, easier etc etc, but max is the industry standard, has 1000's of clickable options etc etc. both will do the job.

[IC]

Have you looked at LightWave?

It's easy to learn, competitively priced and was recently given a major overhaul with emphasis on cameras, surfacing and rendering.

 

Runs on PC and Mac including 64 bit versions.

 

Or Modo?

 

Check out all your options.

[Noise]

We use Max and personally, I would suggest not to touch it. Although - I have not used other programs to the same level but, I know Max is overly complex and in desperate need of an overhaul.

[Ola]

Thanks guys for all the valuable advice. I have played with both and found that its possible to achieve great Visuals in both software . I wasn't sure if 3Ds Max had a significant advantage because of its huge user base, but it seems that this only reflects the initial software exposure most artist have had and personal preference.

 

I will be going with Cinema 4D

 

Thanks again guys and keep up the good work

[Ernest Burden III]

I will be going with Cinema 4D

 

And did we mention how stable Cinema is?

[deevee84]

i find cinea4d quite user friensly... oppose to max. and c4d works well with VW so thats a plus

[Sketchrender]

The way I approached this question, was..

What software are the people i want be in competition with using and what is the industry standard at the top level.

 

The answer i found was Max.

 

When i was using cinema, back at release 8,

I found it very difficult to find any resourses for problems i had, and I had to use two packages, one to model accurately, and then another render, in my case formz and cinema, they worked fine.

But with max , it's an all in one package, although I have choosen to use vray for obious reasons.

 

Now it's a little different.

 

But saying that, If you want to be up with the big guns ....get Big Gun, and max is the best I personaly find.

phil

[manta]

The way I approached this question, was..

What software are the people i want be in competition with using and what is the industry standard at the top level.

 

The answer i found was Max.

 

When i was using cinema, back at release 8,

I found it very difficult to find any resourses for problems i had, and I had to use two packages, one to model accurately, and then another render, in my case formz and cinema, they worked fine.

But with max , it's an all in one package, although I have choosen to use vray for obious reasons.

 

Now it's a little different.

 

But saying that, If you want to be up with the big guns ....get Big Gun, and max is the best I personaly find.

phil

 

Hey...I'm a Max guy myself, so don't take this the wrong way...but how is it that you model accurately in Max ??

[Sketchrender]

You snap to everything , and imput your extrusions and check your dims ....

 

Is this a trick questions, it's as accurate as you want to be.

 

this is a trick questions isn't it..............

 

You sneeky individual........

[Fran]

You snap to everything , and imput your extrusions and check your dims ....

 

Is this a trick questions, it's as accurate as you want to be.

 

this is a trick questions isn't it..............

 

You sneeky individual........

 

LOL!

 

Personally? Although I'm a longtime Max/Viz user, I'm also a longtime Windows user. If Mac was my platform, I'd go with C4D. It is a stable, fresh program compared to Max, and it is hard to say what other stability issues are going to be introduced running Max through a Windows emulator.

 

You are on a Mac, you are comfortable with a Mac cad program, C4d runs on a Mac. I'm not speaking out of brand preference or personal bias, or from my personal experiences with Max. It just makes sense to me to go with C4d.

[AJLynn]

Of course, with a Mac there are a couple more strong options: Modo and Maya...