"Newbie" Selecting Software for Architectural 3D Design/Visualization

[bmillen]

bjornkn:

 

As always, I really appreciated your most recent two messages. The SketchUp feature overview was very helpful and the Chest of Drawers example was, as they say, worth a thousand (at least) words.

 

The dSLR metaphor seems very apt to me. It has been occurring to me that Greg is so busy that he may be doing well to have time to master SketchUp and use it for those projects of his that really need visualization. It does sound like the Chest of Drawers guy saves a lot of time in the shop by first doing careful drawings. Maybe Greg will also receive such benefits. (?)

 

It could be that there is someone else--with a bit more time--in Greg's organization who could be assigned the job of creating the drawings/visualizations. (?) That might widen the possibilities and make a "top of the line" dSLR with a good lens worthwhile. (?)

 

Yes, I think it's time for Greg (and you) to start testing free versions and trials.

 

I quite agree with this. I probably would have already started this process except for my ancient PC.

 

• Intel Pentium® II Processor
  
  
• 64MB RAM
  
  
• Win98SE

I referred to this before.

 

I think the next step for us may be to try some of the free demonstration downloads. It seems pretty clear to me at this point that we should, at a minimum, look at SketchUp Pro and LightWave.

 

[ I'll probably have to use my youngest son's PC for this. My 10+ year old clunker with Win98SE surely isn't equal to the task. After I replace my wife's PC, then I will replace mine. My main hang-up seems to be time rather than money. Granted, I don't seem to like to buy things. I suppose It's part of my minimalist orientation. :| ]

 

I haven't actually asked my youngest son about using his PC. He graduated in RTVF (Radio, Television, Video, and Film) last spring. He is currently "free lancing" and is on his PC working on jobs almost non-stop.

 

My "big problem" relative to buying my wife's PC is that I procrastinated past the release of Vista. I have read "horror stories" about this OS--even on CGarchitect.com. I hate to buy a new computer knowing that I have a "fight" like this on my hands.

 

[People tell me that even the latest Microsoft Office applications are all "barfed up".

I know that some haven't ever had any use for these applications. To me they have represented the only worthwhile software that Microsoft produces. ]

 

I've looked at Apple--even though it's kind of a "foreign world" to me. People often hear that the Apple world is "better", but reading some threads in the "Hardware and Technical Discussions" part of this forum "makes me wonder".

 

If I buy my wife an Apple, I'll have to buy myself one. I'm sure many of you are the "computer consultant" for your wives. My wife doesn't seem to have any patience for reading help files and wants all difficulties surmounted instantly by someone else. This will make "moving her" to the Apple world especially taxing. Sigh.

 

bjornkn, I really appreciate all of your excellent counsel. You have superceded the level of just "technical" advice and entered the realm of providing much needed psychological counsel.

 

I am in your debt.

 

--Bob

 

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If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is keep a pair of cats.

-Aldous Huxley

[Antisthenes]

I would still use Rhinoceros even after playing with MOI because i know it better and i feel it has more advanced tools. but i do like it's interface and that it was designed for the TabletPC.

 

/me would never think of being limited to polys, sketchup has always made me sick