nisus Posted October 14, 2002 Share Posted October 14, 2002 Hi all, Does anyone knows if Maya is really used for architectural visualisation? I know that a few years ago a special architectural extension came out, but I haven't heard anyone using so far. (except for Greg Lynn and his studio-members...) I haven't heard anything of the extension ever since either... rgds nisus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 14, 2002 Share Posted October 14, 2002 Not much yet, but it will be. Maya is taught at Yale Architecture School, while Columbia teaches (or at least used to) Softimage, Pratt was mostly MAX, though they did teach Lightscape until the Prof. who liked it left. So people that learn Maya at college will naturally use it as they enter the workforce. Does anyone knows if Maya is really used for architectural visualisation?nisus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_A Posted October 14, 2002 Share Posted October 14, 2002 There are two sides to that question... I agree that folks tend to do what they've learned in school but how many firms (assuming said graduate will be doing Architecture rather than Visualization exclusively) are actually using atypical packages such as Maya, Cinema4D, Lightwave, etc? Max and Viz are blood relatives to the software that so many are already using for modeling and design documentation. It tends to be a no brainer for IT managers and Principles who have to deal with compatability and training issues. Side two, those of us dealing with software in a 'Visualization' process exclusively, have a different set of opportunities and constraints. We have a great deal more freedom because our expectations and deliveables are so different. I'd still hazzard a guess that most still use Max or Viz. My impression is that Maya, will not be widely accepted into the "Architecture" world unless it becomes more supportive of the design/production side of the process (which it probably shouldn't). Architectural visualization is closer to Maya's existing user base and may be adopted there much sooner. My 2cents, --Chris A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbr Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 I don't think Maya will ever catch on in this business. It is difficult to use for the simpler things, like architecture. Great for complex IK and animation, but we don't do that. It isn't as compatible as Max or Viz, and I don't know of any firm that actually uses it (besides the Greg Lynn, Asymptote, etc., crowd - but they would never hire out, either, they've got enough free work from students). And then there's the renderer. While not horrible, it's not great, either. Plus the lack of plugins for rendering. I don't know Renderman personally, or Mental Ray, but they are both expensive and as far as I know don't work with plugins like RPC. Final Render works with RPC and is relatively cheap and fast, I'd guess Brazil and V Ray are the same. Then there is the availability of files. You can go to any 3D site and get many high quality Max files, buy them at Turbo Squid, etc., but good luck finding Maya specific files. It's a great program for the high end animation/broadcast world that needs it's control and power, but Max is a great package for those of us that are towards the more simplistic side of 3D. Just my opinion, of course. Take a look at Computer Arts for more commentary about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nisus Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 Tnx. Unfortunately, I didn't receive my CA last month... (once again this happened... bloody!) rgds nisus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Nichols Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Well I used to teach at Rice University in Houston. I taught my students in both Maya and MAX. They were all very eager to learn Maya, thinking that it would make them a bad ass. I did both programs at the same time so that they could grow in both. People hated Maya... if anyones used in in architecture it is easy to see how. Most geometry in Architecture is REALLY simple. How many steps does it take to make a box to the right size in MAX vs. Maya, and you see the issue right away. As far as the Rendering issue... it is well known and it has been "solved" as of today. Maya will have MentalRay for free... basically like softimage. Maya is robust and the industry standard for FX, but serves no role in a current architecture market. Unless there is a lot more "experiemental" architecure that would like the explore complexe shapes and systems for design, people will use other alternatives. Just my experience... But Maya has a cool interface and workflow (when you get used to it)... I guess that is why Discreet has been shamelessly copying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbr Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 Yeah, I just saw the news about Mental Ray and Maya for free. That's pretty sweet. Especially with the lowered costs of Maya. There is still the issue of plugin capatibility, though. And I also agree about the overly complex system for most architectural stuff. I've got friends working at firms that are doing some complex curves, and from what they've learned, Rhino (for it's ease of use and precision) and Form-Z are the best. Maya is just too far out there and has no accuracy to the modeling (as far as I know). But that free Mental Ray is a nice additive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Originally posted by mbr: I don't think Maya will ever catch on in this business..Especially if they don't try very hard. I am just starting a rather 'high visibility' project (a money-pit competition) and the team wanted to use Maya and sought loaner licences from Alias, who could use that fact to push their product in architectural marketing. They said no. Admittedly, there is very little in high-end CG that DOESN'T use Maya, but they have only the small presence in architecture (see this thread). I don't know of any firm that actually uses it (besides the Greg Lynn...crowd - but they would never hire out, either, they've got enough free work from students)..That is one of the members of the design team I'm going to be working with. Today I watched some of the people (maybe GL's crew, maybe not--this is in NYC) working on the buildings in Maya, though other people are working in MAX. I have to see how easy it is going to be to use the Maya models with other data. I will see what Rhino can do with them, or just make them export into dumb DXF. By the way, if anyone feels like answering my Maya texture question in this forum, please feel free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbr Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 I was very sure that Maya wouldn't become a dominant presence anytime soon when I posted earlier, but with Mental Ray for $2k? That's half of what 3D Studio is with Brazil or Final Render! I have to admit, it does seem like a bargain in comparison. Especially considering most people here don't care about dynamics (with Max), but care about speed (where MR comes in). We'll see. Love to hear from someone who got this package, I am considering it for the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munz Posted December 11, 2002 Share Posted December 11, 2002 I personally really like maya. I use FormZ at work and maya at home for personal projects. I would agree that it is very difficult, slow modelling program, but it can be done. My problem with FormZ is that it is limited and if I am going to push architectural renderings to another level I will have to use either a program like maya or max. Has anyone been successful using maya as an architectural rendering tool in the industry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quizzy Posted December 11, 2002 Share Posted December 11, 2002 first of all welcome to this forum munz.... I've heard that the architectural university here in the netherlands, in the cit of delft is switching from MAX to MAYA... Why they are doing that i dont know, but i'll check it out for ya'll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbr Posted December 12, 2002 Share Posted December 12, 2002 Yeah, UCLA has dropped Max and is using Maya only. That's stupid, in my opinion. It really hinders the graduating student (many UCLA grads only know some Maya, no Form-Z or Max). No firms use Maya, with the exception of Greg Lynn and his colleagues. I believe he is the main reason they stopped supporting it. That, and I believe Alias gives nice deals to schools (could be wrong, though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munz Posted December 12, 2002 Share Posted December 12, 2002 Well one reason that I would guess maya would be chosen over max is that maya only cost $2000 w/mental ray that is cheap if you ask me. Max on the other hand is still around $3500 for less features. Maya also has a very strong marketing, everybody wants to use it, because all the big studios are using it. But does it work for architecture. Can you import plans and elevations to create your model from and vice-versa can you pull elevations and plans from the model. I am guessing that you cannot and that maya would be more of an artist tool for creating renderings and that is it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3danim8d Posted December 12, 2002 Share Posted December 12, 2002 Hi All, I was under the impression that the Mental Ray for Maya is free only during the Beta period and that is it time-bombed to explode at a certain date and that once the final version of Mentral Ray 3.x is ready that it will have to be purchased seperately. I can't see how Alias can license the MR renderer for "free" will the $2000 version of Maya. Has anyone gotten the 4.5 PLE yet? Is the watermarking less of a hassle while trying to learn the software than it was in the 4.0 PLE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munz Posted December 13, 2002 Share Posted December 13, 2002 I just read that Maya PLE in January will not have a watermark over the work area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithv Posted December 14, 2002 Share Posted December 14, 2002 yes they are starting to use it more i have had 2 interviews in the past 2 weeks and they us maya they said it is more advanced and alot faster than other softwares Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munz Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Thats good to know. What type of work did those firms use. Did they say what the advantages were that made them choose maya over Viz or Max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen gilbert Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 hi re maya4.5 ple...i bought the dvd version so i got it before the download becomes active in january. the viewports are indeed clean of any watermark when in wireframe mode in the new PLE of maya though they come back in shaded view and on the renders..the dvd version also has a quickstart printed guide and an hour long dvd tutorial on the interface workflow of maya. steve g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyno Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 here at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft, Holland, we have switched from 3d max to maya 3 years ago. all the students know the basics of maya but i still wonder if we can use it at architectural offices when we finish the study. i think it is still not very well known and used at the offices. but at least we know the basics and if you want to improve there are a lot of people that can really help you learning it better. xyno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 I started out using Maya and worked strictly in Nurbs to make architectural structures. Reason I picked Nurbs was because drawings from AutoCAD or other CAD software are spline based as is Nurbs in Maya. Yet, the problem I had was achieving the true radiosity affect that goes on in the real world. Granted, I have done architectural visualization in Maya in the past freelancing and right now for the studio that I currently work for. The modeling aspect and interface I believe is much better in Maya, yet Max has the advantage in rendering. And reason I say that is because you can import into LightScape easier from Max and LightScape makes the whole world better. Its lighting engine and radiosity is unmatched. That's why now at this studio we are spending hours and hours a day learning and creating a workflow because the results are spectacular in LS. Although I still prefer Maya and one day hope for a better renderer, it seems we may be going to Max + LS for architectural visualization. Some of my Maya visualization work is at www.coroflot.com/andrew_lemus I'll be posting up some renderings from my work in Max and LS probably within the next 2 weeks once I get all issues tweaked out. You'll see I think a huge difference in quality. Best Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toomuch Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 hi, i am an architecture student at the delft university of technology in the netherlands. there, we are thaught MAYA from the beginning. i think this is because they could get a very good deal for student licenses. immediately a department was founded with fresh people who started to explore MAYA's possibilities, and not only in the architectural field. the first time i saw MAYA i fell in love with it and have been using it for my visualisations ever since. i also was an instructor at the department of the faculty, teaching MAYA to the other students. because i never knew 3dsMax or other 3D modelling/animation programmes, MAYA was the way for me. the other instructors at TO&I had worked with 3dsMax, but all of them were unanimous on the fact that MAYA was a hulluva lot better than the rest. i think that for visualising and presenting a plan MAYA is still state of the art. that is, if you don't want to have a 3D model that is accurate to the millimeter. but, admit that the nicest cardboard models ar the one's that are a little bit crooked; the most important thing to sell your stuff is character, accuracy comes later and for that there are other programmes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastic Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Originally posted by pietsnot: i think that for visualising and presenting a plan MAYA is still state of the art. that is, if you don't want to have a 3D model that is accurate to the millimeter. but, admit that the nicest cardboard models ar the one's that are a little bit crooked; the most important thing to sell your stuff is character, accuracy comes later and for that there are other programmes. hey pietsnot, sorry, but what you say doesn't make any sense. the differences between apps like max or maya are only workflow differences. (speaking of architectual vizualisation) "visualising and presenting a plan" ...thats an area where maya really falls short, because of the lack of tools. no radiosity, early stage of global illumination with a beta connection to mental ray, hardly any possibilities for editing shapes, in a CAD way. (extrude anyone?) hardly ways to exchange data with other applications... very restricted when it comes to non-photorealistic rendering. this make it unuseable for me, for professional work. i know a few guys who make great pics with maya, BUT they also could make the same pics with every other app, in much shorter time. maya has a very interesting workflow, the hierachic system is great for constructing characters, always with animation in mind. i love the fully integrated dynamics, the paintfx, the sub-d modelling. but maya is as inappropriate for architectual vizualisation as an application can be. it's like designing a monster with autocad. perfectly possible, but only if your time has no value, or you're trying to prove something, for the sake of making a point. like those 3d game engines made with flash actionscipt. or webservers in a fly. ( http://www.conceptlab.com/fly/index.html )amazing stuff. but why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renderer Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Originally posted by Andy: I started out using Maya and worked strictly in Nurbs to make architectural structures. Reason I picked Nurbs was because drawings from AutoCAD or other CAD software are spline based as is Nurbs in Maya. Yet, the problem I had was achieving the true radiosity affect that goes on in the real world. Granted, I have done architectural visualization in Maya in the past freelancing and right now for the studio that I currently work for. The modeling aspect and interface I believe is much better in Maya, yet Max has the advantage in rendering. And reason I say that is because you can import into LightScape easier from Max and LightScape makes the whole world better. Its lighting engine and radiosity is unmatched. That's why now at this studio we are spending hours and hours a day learning and creating a workflow because the results are spectacular in LS. Although I still prefer Maya and one day hope for a better renderer, it seems we may be going to Max + LS for architectural visualization. Some of my Maya visualization work is at www.coroflot.com/andrew_lemus I'll be posting up some renderings from my work in Max and LS probably within the next 2 weeks once I get all issues tweaked out. You'll see I think a huge difference in quality. Best Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choochee Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 MAYA is one of the best options for architectural renderings. We use it a lot as a perfect tool for complex modeling, interior renderings and animation. Check our portfolio at www.n-trace.com and you'll see it in action. We also use ARC+ render PRO engine to render exterior stuff. Still frames also require image editing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zortea Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 Well, in my opinion, only one thing counts: CAN MAYA IMPORT .MAX, .DWG OR .3DS FILES? If it can, I´ll use it for certain tasks, if not then I´ll not use it... in my work I use Rhino, Poser(no longer, RPC is better), Bryce, an old an faithfull max 2.5, Viz 4 and now I´m considering to use Maya, besides all it runs on Linux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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