If I Had It To Do All Over Again...

[Michael J. Brown]

This is a bit of a read, but please indulge me.

 

You know, I was up last night (pulling another near all-nighter) getting a job out for a client. I think we've all been there - at least those of us who don't yet enjoy the pleasure of having this be our sole source of income (grain of salt). As opposed to those, like myself, who still have to hold down a full-time 9-5 until the ArchViz business takes on a life (and $$$ income) of it's own.

 

It's late at night. You're burning the midnight oil. It's like you're back in Design studio in architecture school - except now it's just you alone trying to keep yourself awake, not a host of other jovial souls blasting loud music, cracking jokes and throwing back double-espressos and Red Bulls like they were Jolly Ranchers. And it's especially hard for me because caffiene has zero effect on keeping me awake.

 

Then that inevitable thought overshadows you with an all too familiar vengeance. "I just want this job to be OVER!" It seems to happen with every job. Regardless of how excited I was to embark upon said project. Even regardless of the payday that will be realized at the end of said project. And when a job seems to drag on to infinity with client changes and endless revisions, the dagger in the back is just twisted and turned all the more.

 

Between running MAX on a 32bit system (subject to crash after crash whenever trying to run those ever so desireble high-res renders), and the sometimes constant sleep deprivation, at times it's almost enough to make me want to just give up ArchViz altogether. (btw, I will be getting a new 64bit powerhouse of a system in a couple of weeks - so no more headaches from my system being out of memory and such)

 

But then I complete a job. And I compare the quality of those renders to that of the last job I completed - or to how well I was mastering the craft just one year ago. And I'm blown away by how much better my work is getting. How much progress my skills are showing. And then I remember why it is I do what I do. And the all-nighters seem like a small price to pay for the gratification of putting out another great set of visualizations and exceeding my clients expectations.

 

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE MY PROFESSION !

Edited December 10, 2010 by renderhaus

[Jonathan Sanchez]

lol.. been there too. Happened with my last job, I was soooo anxious to get it over with and done, the frustrations of trying to figure stuff out as I went, but then when I was done, the satisfaction is immense. I think that is the feeling that keeps us going in this field, even with all the uncertenties (however u spell that) and problems we face, we do it because we love it and always have!

Edited December 10, 2010 by sancheuz

[Lester_Masterson]

I feel for you as well.

 

Don't kid yourself though. 64bit does not equal no crashes...just fewer (much, much fewer. At least in my experience)

 

I have kept every project I have done available on a disk for me to look at when I need inspiration. Not to get ideas, but to remind me of how far I have come as well. In fact, I get a little bile in my mouth looking back of some of my crap from 5 or 6 years ago.

 

/thinking about installing a mini fridge under my desk

[Camby1298]

I like this post. Easy to relate too

[Chris Johnson]

I look at the crashes for 3dsmax as they come in to our computers, and I can confirm that going to 64 bit does significantly reduce the amount of out of memory crashes to a very small number.

[Michael J. Brown]

...Don't kid yourself though. 64bit does not equal no crashes...just fewer (much, much fewer. At least in my experience)...

 

I look at the crashes for 3dsmax as they come in to our computers, and I can confirm that going to 64 bit does significantly reduce the amount of out of memory crashes to a very small number.

 

 

But aren't (memory) crashes on 64bit systems always caused by exceeding ones available RAM?

[Jonathan Sanchez]

When I jumped to 64 bit it was like night an day... although I can't speak for every system. B4 I had 4 gigs of ram on 32 bit system so 3ds could only theoretically use up to 2 gigs of memory. Soon as I tried rendering a big scene it would crash... has not happened ever since i jumped up to 8 gigs of mem and 64 bit. I could finally render my scenes with all the trees I wanted lol.

[Michael J. Brown]

I know those circumstances all too well. I'm currently in the same boat as you were in - but i've been running the 3Gig switch, so Max got to use 3GB instead of just 2.

 

But, the job I just completed is going to finance a dual six-core 3D BOXX 8520 series with 16GB RAM (my first BOXX is 6 years old and practically useless now). I should be able to order it just in time for Christmas - assuming my client processes that invoice in time.

[Jonathan Sanchez]

lol nice!!! .. congrats on that and hope you enjoy. Although, have u ever considered just building ur own system Mich? .... if you have the tech IQ to do so, it would probably save you a bunch of money.

[Michael J. Brown]

Unfortunately, my tech IQ is a big, fat ZERO.

 

I've always heard that BOXX systems run about 15% to 20% more than others, but a comparible system from Dell, HP or Gateway(are they even still around?) would be special order, and I know first-hand that those guys don't have the tech support capable of aswering hardware issues related to 3D software. I've even contacted both Dell and HP, forwarded them my BOXX configuration order sheet, and asked them to quote me on an identical setup. That was three weeks ago and I have yet to hear a single word back.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like saving money. But simply because I don't know what is supposed to be plugged into what inside a CPU, I'm going to stand clear and let the professionals do their thing. I'll just buy it and take it home.

 

Now, if we were talking cars, then that'd be different. Whereas most people don't know the first thing about automotive repair, I don't take my car to the stealership for anything. I do all my own brakes, rotors, control arm joints, radiator, starter, alternator, power steering pump, sway bars, fuel filter, tranny fluid flushes, wheel bearings, suspension bushings, oil changes, shocks, struts, springs, serpentine belts, head gaskets, ignition coils...everything. Well, except for my timing belt. That, I did take back to the dealer...but only because I was working on a project and didn't have 8 hours that weekend to fool around with ripping my engine block halfway apart to get in there and swap out the timing belt myself. And trust me, when you drive a high-end luxury automobile, a LOT of money can be saved by doing your own repairs....A LOT.

 

In fact, a full brake job on my car (rotors and pads on all four wheels) runs $1,200 at the stealership. But I do it myself for under $300.

 

Gotta stick to the waters i'm used to.

Edited December 13, 2010 by renderhaus

[Jonathan Sanchez]

Then definitely stick with BOXX. I just mentioned it because you can just buy the parts yourself online (newegg.com and the likes) and build PC urself and it would probably be about half of what Boxx would charge, but if you are not comfortable putting hardware together, then for sure let the pros do it... unless you know someone who does have the IQ to help you :-)

 

P.S. I wish I had your automotive repair knowledge, gotta change my brakes soon and I don't know wether I'm comfortable enough to do the job myself.. pretty pathetic huh?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

F'd up the post. Maybe I will retype it later.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Crazy Homeless Guy

[Michael J. Brown]

Dang, Johnathan. Now you've really got the wheels in my head turnin'. But I'd need some major hand-holding to get through a process like that. My biggest fear is selecting incompatible parts - knowing that most computer components are not returnable/refundable.

 

I've got no tech friends with connections, so maybe I'll just do a search for system builders in my area.

 

Your brakes, on the other hand, are not as hard as you might think - especially after you've done it the first time. I always use this axiom when explaining car maintenence to newbies: If you can take it apart, you can put it back together. And auto repair is (for the very most part) all about taking things apart, then putting them right back together again (swapping out bad parts for good ones, of course).

[Jonathan Sanchez]

lol that's good advice... I think you've motivated me to go for it on my own. I'm sure breaks are not a big deal to change, I'll see if I can find guides online.

 

About your PC.. The biggest issue is knowing what parts are compatible with what. Decide on what processor you want, then buy a compatible motherboard, memory, hdd, then add all the other things such as videocard, sound card, power supply, cd drives ect ect. However, Michael, if you've never done this, I suggest just getting a pc from Boxx or other manuf. The "if you can take it apart, you can put it back together" ideology doesn't work to well with pc hardware. In any case, there are cheaper manuf out there, and sometimes ppl put some nice custom pcs up on ebay that our loaded and for a very low price, but again you need to know what you are getting and of course verify who you are buying from.

[Jeff Mottle]

I don't miss all nighters one bit or the client deadlines, stupid requests etc. I stopped doing production arch viz about 5 years ago after doing it for 10 years. In the beginning I did miss keeping up with the new feature and techniques to make my renderings better, but I'm happier now to just doing marketing and business related aspects of the industry and supplement creatively with my personal photography. Was at my wife's xmas party this weekend and had most of the office wanting to buy my images after she hung a few of them in her office. Felt kinda nice that my artistic work was still appreciated. As the title of this thread is if I "had to do it all over again", I think I'd probably have been a war photojournalist. At least given it a try anyway. I don't regret anything I've done to date, but if I had to choose an alternate career, I think photography would have been it.

[BVI]

I don't miss all nighters one bit or the client deadlines, stupid requests etc. I stopped doing production arch viz about 5 years ago after doing it for 10 years. In the beginning I did miss keeping up with the new feature and techniques to make my renderings better, but I'm happier now to just doing marketing and business related aspects of the industry and supplement creatively with my personal photography. Was at my wife's xmas party this weekend and had most of the office wanting to buy my images after she hung a few of them in her office. Felt kinda nice that my artistic work was still appreciated. As the title of this thread is if I "had to do it all over again", I think I'd probably have been a war photojournalist. At least given it a try anyway. I don't regret anything I've done to date, but if I had to choose an alternate career, I think photography would have been it.

 

Your Night shots are fantastic, what setup are you using to get those?

[Michael J. Brown]

I don't miss all nighters one bit or the client deadlines, stupid requests etc...... but if I had to choose an alternate career, I think photography would have been it.

 

 

I hear you, Jeff. And I must follow that by saying that I certainly don't intend to still be doing this 10-years from now. Perhaps overseeing operations for a much expanded Renderhaus, but not stuck here in the trenches always and forever.

 

I've got a few product ideas that I am pursuing getting to market, so you could say that my ultimate goal is to be an independently wealthy inventor. At which time ArchViz will become a diversion that I'm no longer obligated to entangle myself with if I so choose.

[brianzajac]

Then definitely stick with BOXX. I just mentioned it because you can just buy the parts yourself online (newegg.com and the likes) and build PC urself and it would probably be about half of what Boxx would charge, but if you are not comfortable putting hardware together, then for sure let the pros do it... unless you know someone who does have the IQ to help you :-)

 

P.S. I wish I had your automotive repair knowledge, gotta change my brakes soon and I don't know wether I'm comfortable enough to do the job myself.. pretty pathetic huh?

 

If you're looking for the "do it yourself", Andy Lynn has been doing some great work on optimal computer workstations for architectural visualizers. More info at http://www.3datstech.com/2010/11/november-workstations.html.

[Michael J. Brown]

Thanks, Brian.

 

I've examined Andy's configurations several times, but my inexperience with computer internals stops me dead in my tracks every time.

 

Not to mention, even though I'm not able to compare apples to apples with the BOXX configuration I'm preparing to get vs. one of Andy's, I've compared similar setups and found that price seems to not differ by much more than around $750-$1,000. I wish I were so inclined to assemble my own, but because i'm not I guess i'm kinda in the same boat as people who don't know how to do their own auto repairs - I'm used to paying other people to do what I can't. It kinda takes away some of the sting.

 

BTW, if I could get a detailed breakdown from BOXX of all the components that will go into my system, then I'd be much more inclined to try a build of my own. But I'm pretty darn certain that is the exact reason they don't generate those types of lists.

Edited December 14, 2010 by renderhaus

[Jeff Mottle]

Your Night shots are fantastic, what setup are you using to get those?

 

Thanks! Not sure which ones specifically you meant, but most are shot handheld with a Nikon D3. There are a few which were on a tripod for the longer exposure shots. I have some more night shots from Montana which I've not posted yet too. I did some long exposure skies with stars. The amount of stars you can see in the wilds of Montana away from all the lights is amazing.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Computer building compared to car repair is really quite straight forward in my opinion. With a car, you have to push and pull, beat on things with a hammer, and generally know how the deffirent components of the car go together.

 

With computer building, it is more of a matter of selecting parts, and snapping them together. You can pour over details of individual components all you want, but usuaully a few good reviews and recomendations is all you need to trust that the part is going to perform well. At least this has been my experience.

 

Computer building also only requires more or less a set of small screw drivers, and possibly a electrostatic arm band. Car repairs require building a fairly extensive collection of tools. The minumium being a good socket set, good wrench set, torque wrench, screw drivers, hammer, vise grips/clamps, etc...

 

Also, the online knowledge base on building a computer is far extensive to that of car repairs. Not only that, but car repairs you then have to get down to the individual make and model. Computer are more standardized, so the installation of the CPU is not going to change. It wil always be nearly identical process regardless of the manufacturer and model.

 

The only area where a computer becomes more complicated is with troubleshooting. If something is only slightly off on a computer, be it a poorly seated card, or a bad driver, then the entire machine may not work. Whereas a car you can actually be fairly sloppy and still have the cr run and get you to where you are going.

 

Whenever you are trying to figure out parts always select the processor first. This will dictate your mother board choices, which in turn will dictate RAM and Video Card choices. The motherboard and video card together will usually dictate how large of a power supply you will need.

 

All of those parts will use standardized form factors so they snap together seemlessly regardless of who manufactered it. As long as the form factors are compatible, you should be fine.

 

Anyway, ...as for the deadlines of the job place, ....it can certainly be damning at times, but if you conitmously improve your workflows, and analyze what can be doen more effeciently, then they are usually meetable. I would look at area where you can offload to others without effecting the quality, and where you can modify workflows to be more effecient without effecting quality. Of course that seems obvious, but I think we often take the hard way around, when ther may be easier routes.

 

If I were to go back and do it over I would put serious consideration into studying mechanical ebgineering combined with computer science instead of architecture. I really enjoy creating imagery, and trying to give a sense of place to things that don't actually exist. But part of me really likes working with tangible objects, and the creation of things. I do tend to fullfill these throgh various hobbies. Well, ...various hobbies when the deadlines permit.

[Playdo]

BTW, if I could get a detailed breakdown from BOXX of all the components that will go into my system, then I'd be much more inclined to try a build of my own. But I'm pretty darn certain that is the exact reason they don't generate those types of lists.

If they don't list all the specs on the website, then contact them and ask to be sent the details. I wouldn't buy a system without knowing EXACTLY what was going in it.

[Michael J. Brown]

If they don't list all the specs on the website, then contact them and ask to be sent the details. I wouldn't buy a system without knowing EXACTLY what was going in it.

 

 

I hear you playdo. Really I do. But that's probably the 'computer techie' in you saying that. I personally don't care, as long as the system does what I need it to do. Just like most people don't care what kind of parts their automobiles are built from, as long as they start everyday and get them from point A to point B.

 

We all rely equally on our cars to get us to and fro, but how many of us, when going to buy a new car, ask for detailed manifests on exactly what parts from what suppliers went into the manufacturing of that car? Most people (outside of my hometown, Detroit) don't even realize that almost every 'domestic' car on the road contains enough foreign parts to be considered an import. There are just a very small handfull of truly domestic automobiles still around. But nobody cares about that. Well, except for the handful of automotive purists and backyard grease-monkeys that know going into a purchase that they're likely to be doing all the labor on that car themselves when it breaks down.

 

Computer techies are really not much different from backyard grease-monkey mechanics. We care about things that the average Joe doesn't. And I'm not mad at you. I understand exactly where you're coming from because I feel the same way about people that can't change there own motor oil and filter.

Edited December 15, 2010 by renderhaus

[Playdo]

I hear you playdo. Really I do. But that's probably the 'computer techie' in you saying that. I personally don't care, as long as the system does what I need it to do.

Yes, part of it is knowing that the system can do what you need it to do. The other part is knowing what parts will be sufficient for upgrading at a later date. Ps I'm no computer techie, but in this field I don't know how I'd get by without picking up a lot along the way.

[Jonathan Sanchez]

Boxx most likely uses custom hardware, particularly motherboards made exclusively for them as do other PC manufs. The other items are standard though primarily processor, video card, sound, mem, hdd, ect. If you can find all the parts they mention and just buy a matching motherboard, it all fits together pretty easily. The more difficult part comes when you have to do a fresh install of windows, hooking up 2 hdd so they work in raid, and programming all the other elements. That takes some know-how, and trust me, something almost always goes wrong during this process which means you have to have troubleshooting know-how also.