Mac Arch. Viz. software?

[andymcnair]

Hi, I need some advice from people using Mac compatible 3D software please. Which ones are good for architectural modeling / rendering.

 

The obvious things like ease of use, file compatibility, features and rendering quality/speed are important factors.

 

The drawing software used at present is PowerCADD and VectorWorks. There is a copy of RenderWorks but we're looking for something more advanced.

 

The two main ones we've looked into are Lightwave and Cinema4D. As I'm from a PC / Max background this is foreign territory and appreciate your help,

 

thanks,

 

Andy

[STRAT]

you hit the nail square on the head with cinema 4d!!! go here look see -

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=000025

[andymcnair]

Hi Strat, I checked out the thread before posting - nice images btw and fast - how does it compare to Lightwave though in terms of ease of use / rendertimes / file compatibilty?

[STRAT]

i'm not a LW user, but in general c4d is more widely used for architecture than LW, which is more a higher end broadcast/film graphics tool.

 

from all accounts LW is pretty hard to use and get used too.

 

it's rendering quallity is absolutely superb, second to LS imho, but comparatively slow.

 

file compatability - no problem in general, only you'll find c4d is second to none for cross platform file compatability.

[Craig Ramsay]

Don't forger to check out Form-Z

 

Craig

[andymcnair]

Hi Craig, i tried FormZ years ago when studying but never got into it (I chose the AutoCAD course instead and hated it - R12!) Whats FormZ like to work with? I've noticed that some users choose to render with a different program - is the output not up to much?

 

Strat - been checking out the Maxon website and the VectorWorks file linking looks promising. And yeah, Lightwave images are pretty seductive.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

FormZ rocks when it comes to modeling architecture. FormZ employs a render engine that has been licensed through Lightworks, but I don't think it is the full blown version of Lightworks. The render engine IMO leaves a lot to be desired, especially when I see some of the latest images coming from Vray, Brazil, and the other usual suspects. FormZ recently released a new version, that includes plug-ins. The plug-in information will not hit the market for a couple of months yet. I think the FormZ community is holding there breath, hoping companies like Vray, FinalRender, Brazil, ect.. write a plug-in the works with FormZ. This would eliminate the need to go from FormZ to a more sophisticated render engine. While FormZ has animation capabilites, they are extremely limited.

[Craig Ramsay]

Andy Form-Z is very good for modeling so I am told. I see a lot of people modeling in form-z and rendering in lightscape or max. I know a guy that uses form-z then renders out to electric image, I have not seen that renderer in action but I hear good things about it... I also think it was used in Terminator 2!

 

Craig

[xgarcia]

Like everyone else says - FormZ is a great modeller but less than good renderer. I used Z one semester at school and ended up rendering in Lightscape because the lights in formZ are such a pain in the ass. Awesome architectural modeller though - very intuitive. Check out www.morphosis.net - they use FormZ to model and I believe Max to render - although they're not going for the hyper-realistic look.