RealViz + Lightwave deal - how useful is realviz?

[The MODEL'er]

How useful is realviz in architectural terms?

Is it used by anyone here?

[morphicity]

Funny you should ask - my company are also looking at the current Lightwave/RealViz deal.

 

I've used RealViz stitcher in the past, and it is absolutely excellent for stitching together full and partial panoramas - incredibly easy to use (helps if photos are shot with a tripod). the results mean that never again do you need to go back to site to take more photos because the bit you're interested in is just out of shot!

 

I've not used the other RealViz products, but for free they can't be that bad!

 

my question would be (and i'll ask it elsewhere) how good is lightwave for architectural modelling and visualisation? - 3ds max seems to rule the roost, but lightwave is far more affordable - can max be worth 3 times the price?

[bjornkn]

I bought the Realviz Interactrive suite before that offer came out, at around $1400. Quite pricey, but I think it was worth it. So far I haven't used the SceneWeaver yet, but both Stitcher and IMageModeler have been very useful. I'm a pretty new LW user, and still fiddling with the strange and rather inconsistent GUI.

One thing that IM does very well is placing your cameras in the scene, complete with correctly scaled surrounding reference objects, making it very easy to compose LW buildings into background photos. There's a thread on

http://vbulletin.newtek.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=169742#post169742

where I posted an image from one of my last IM/LW projects.

I also use IM a lot for "reengineering". I also use PhotoModeler, which appears to be much more focused on making precise models, but in fact I tend to get more precise and better models with IM.

When it comes to how good LW is for architectural work I don't think I'm the right one to answer. I'm not at all fond of the split Modeler/Layout system.

Most of my work is making 3D models and renderings for architects that only draw in 2D. I used to work in trueSpace and Cinema4D, but after I discovered SketchUp I have never looked back. It's absolutely astonishing how easy and fast it is to use. My pipeline is now to model in SketchUp from 3D/3D DWG files and then either use the SketchUp renders (non-photo-realistic only) or export for rendering in trueSpace, Cinema4D or LW/FPrime. I haven't really modelled much in LW yet, and not really in Cinema either.

I have never been tempted to buy Max, but that may be a bit biased, as I really never liked the old 3ds GUI. The price seems to be pretty high too, but if I felt it was the right program I wouldn't really have let the price put me off..

I've been trying to convince some clients to to do some projects with 3D models composed into live video footage, but so far unfortunately they haven't been too interested. For that I would use SynthEyes, which is competing with such very expensive competitors as RealViz MatchMover and BouJou. At a fraction of the price, and at the same time using a fraction of the time, it's a really good buy which also does an excellent job