Render in AutoCad

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

I am a SOHO Architect practising in a a small city in India. Apart from using AutoCad for design & drafting, every now and then I do modelling & photorealistic renderings within AutoCad itself. I have been in search of an answer for the last few years for the following question: When there is built-in photorealistic rendering capabilities within AutoCad itself, why are many of the visualisers resorting to Viz or Max for rendering? I do not need animation nor any fancy lighting effects. Many of my friends advised me to switch over to Viz or Max for rendering.So I attended a course (in an Autodesk authorised center)in Viz. Even after that I am still convinced that my AutoCad rendered images (which do contain lot of textures, background, landscape objects, people, etc. including reflections, shadows etc. at 3600 x 2700 resolutions) are as good as Viz rendered images. So why switch over to Viz? Are many of the users biased against AutoCad renderings just because they learnt renderings in Viz/Max right from the start without ever exploring the possibilities within AutoCad itself? Software is frightfully expensive to us Indians. As a legal user of AutoCad I would like to stick to this single package for rendering also. Am I wrong? Please guide me to take a decision. This is my first entry into any forum and my first question also. Hope I am not troubling with a very long question. Thanks in advance for everyone.

[Allen Bussell]

P.R.S.,

You're very correct. If you are getting the quality of rendering that keeps you competitive and that your clients are happy with - then stay with what you have. At the same time,(as you seem to be doing) keep your software options open for better and faster ways of serving your clients visualization needs.

I'm not very familiar at all with Viz versus AutoCAD, as we use Lightwave for rendering and most modeling. The reason for using Lightwave is that it's toolset was more intuitive and faster than AutoCAD - for me.

[John Dollus]

Just a personal observation:

For many rendering artists, the CAD interface can seem clunky and some artists feel it places too many limitations on the creator that slow down the creative process.

[Arnel]

Hi P.R.S. won't you mind posting some of your best images in autocad render.

 

Honestly speaking, if you think that what you have produced in autocad render is more or less the same as what you can produced in Viz/Max, then i would say that the learning center taught you the basic of viz/max only. Autocad render is in no way match not even half of what viz/max can do in terms of photorealistice render.

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

Hi Arnel

I am posting one of my Autocad rendered images here for your comments. Thanks.

PRSS.http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=JC-8x12-72.jpg

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=JC-8x12-72_1.jpg

I think I did not post the image correctly. Hence I am posting it again

[Jeff Mottle]

Here's what I posted in the VIZ forum. I think everyone's elses comments pretty say the same. Also,PLEASE do not post to multiple forums with the same question.

 

I think whether using AutoCAD or VIZ/MAX is really a matter of how you are using them and what you and your clients are looking for. It sounds to me that your clients are not after ultra-photrealistic renderings with advanced lighting or animations, but rather massing studies. If AutoCAD does what you need it to do, then by all means use it. If on the other hand you do need to be able to use third party renderers, do complex modelling, animations etc then a program like VIZ/MAX is going to be your only option as AutoCAD was never designed to meet those needs.

[vizwhiz]

hi There

 

P.R.S. Sivakumar

 

check This out, a Link to some Max work

 

http://www.3designarchitect.com/HTML/gallery%20commercial/3%20lk%2001.htm

 

main link:

 

http://www.3designarchitect.com/

 

There are others at This same site to look at too:

Alex Gunawan at 3designdarchitect.com does some amazing arch visualization work

 

with your skills i am sure That you can do the same too with Viz/Max

 

look here in Jeff's Gallery and see what others are doing,

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/gallery/galleryList.asp

 

i learn by looking at looking at all of the impressive images and try to figure out how they do This

 

Then asking questions and reading the messages really helps to get more Ideas

 

Randy

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=JC-8x12-72_2.jpg

http://www.cgarchitect.com/forum/filepush.asp?file=KdRd-72.jpg

Dear Mr.Jeff Mottle

Please kindly see my Autocad rendered images posted here. They are not massing studies. Your comments will be highly valuable to me. Sorry for posting the same question in two different forums. I didn't know where exactly to post this kind of question.

[Arnel]

Oh please P.R.S., as what Jeff said If both of you (you and your clients) are happy with what you can produced with autocad then use it by all means.

 

All we can say is have a look at the gallery and judge it by yourself.

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

Hi Mr.Arnel

I justlogged in to see any more replies. I shall surely visit the galleries and the links posted to me tonight and get back to this forum later tonight. Thanks!

PRSS

[P.R.S. Sivakumar .]

Hello everybody!

I have seen some of the images in the gallery and in the links posted. Great! Wonderful! Amazing! That is all I can say. Think my tutors in Viz taught me only the very basics in rendering. Hope to do some advanced course in Viz when I get time before buying the software. Thanks to everybody who advised me. It is great to be in this forum!

PRSS.

[Hazdaz]

AutoCAD CAN produce some really nice renderings... BUT (and its a big 'but'), its VERY cumbersome. The materials and lighting and mapping and camaras are just not as advanced (unless ADT is better than 'regular' AutoCAD).

 

Also, because AutoCAD is made to be super-precise, its just not as easy to 'tweak' a model for artistic reasons, as it is in MAX/VIZ.

 

Atleast thats my opinion.

[Da_RoCk]

Hi PRS...

 

i have been an acad user for 4 yrs now.and i use ACAD in all of my 2d drwngs and partly with my 3d modeling. in my opinion, the thing with autocad is that it does take time to do something even if you do typing all the commands.

 

A friendly advice, in max or viz will do help you in productive terms. when u get use to it.

 

Hope this helps...

PEACE to all

 

RAMIR