Cinema & CAD?

[Jelle]

Hi

 

I'm a guy who would like to get some little freelance started. I want to base it mainly on enteriour visualization since I feel that's what I'm best at

 

But as you know not many architectural renderings are Cinema exclusively

For broader and more flexibility, precision and such I'm thinking about getting some CAD software. I have no knowledge of CAD whatsoever, and there are so many out there. I hear VectorWorks is good for this?

ArchiCAD is very expensive and might be overkill for what I need, but of course it's advantage to have the file exchange importer plug-in for both Archi and Vector. But are there others as alternative?

 

I want to state I'm not a trained architect or designer, just attended classes in graphic design and completely self-taught in my 3d skills.

You can see 2 images of mine: http://www.jl-illustration.dk/Portfolio.htm

to determine wether I have a future in this field at all

These are all Cinema renderings.

 

Thanks for any advices

[Ernest Burden III]

Since you do not have an existing background in CAD, or architecture, then I see no good reason to invest time and money in CAD if you already have Cinema4D. If you really learn the modeler then you can probably do all of your work in C. To be fair, I work in CAD and only send complete models into Cinema, but that is how I have worked for many years before even getting Cinema, so I'm just used to it.

 

There are advantages to using CAD, but it can be harder for many of the types of objects that are used in interiors, so working in Cinema gives you advantages over CAD, too. Try to learn to work all in Cinema.

 

Your examples look good. I can see where you can improve them, but it is a good start. If this is the kind of work you want to do, I think you can.

[Jelle]

Well it's just I personally see it as an advantage of having some knowledge of CAD.

But if I can get away with just using Cinema I will be pleased with that fine.

I'm thinking about just offering final renderings, with lighting setup, materials etc. Based on imported CAD drawings or complete modeling in Cinema then.

 

Could you give me a hint on where I can improve my work

[Ernest Burden III]

Well it's just I personally see it as an advantage of having some knowledge of CAD.

But if I can get away with just using Cinema I will be pleased with that fine.

 

Look at the more basic question--what do you want to do? If you want to provide renderings, then do that. Knowledge of CAD is not really necessary, and learning it will take up your valuable time and money. Try to get to the job you really want the most direct way.

 

I'm thinking about just offering final renderings, with lighting setup, materials etc. Based on imported CAD drawings or complete modeling in Cinema then.

 

Sounds good. Go for it!

 

Could you give me a hint on where I can improve my work

 

Yes. But why don't you post a picture as a WIP for feedback? That's a good way to get people to respond to your work.

[STRAT]

 

I'm thinking about just offering final renderings, with lighting setup, materials etc.

 

Could you give me a hint on where I can improve my work

 

 

so ur assuming you'll get the 3d models provided from the client then?

 

nope. EBIII is right. stick with c4d if you are that good at it. those 2 images you posted are good enough to compete out there for sure.

 

but you must have a fairly extensive portfolio if you're to gain contracts.

[Jelle]

so ur assuming you'll get the 3d models provided from the client then?

 

Well I guess it depends on wether it's a privat or drawing office. My assistance could be making the CAD modeling come to life with proper lights, materials and rendering. It is seen that some drawing offices or architectural firms have need for this, maybe because of lack of expertise and time etc.

Also I could make additional modeling and implement them in the scenes if necessary which are not possible in their CAD software. But I can also do the entire modeling in Cinema, it depends on the clients needs and criteria then.

 

but you must have a fairly extensive portfolio if you're to gain contracts.

 

Yes I know I'm working on it But just making pictures out of nothing can be hard. What I do now is I just pick up inspiration in every media and combine it with my own.

 

Yes. But why don't you post a picture as a WIP for feedback? That's a good way to get people to respond to your work.

 

I will indeed in the future

 

Thanks

[alanmac]

This is getting to be an old thread but I've just re-read it and a thought struck me which you may wish to comment on, in fact please do.

 

I have worked for many years as an exhibition stand designer and use the already mentioned Vectorworks CAD program to create my designs. I then, at present, export the 3D model into Artlantis for rendering, with the hope of replacing this with Cinema 4D (hence my attendance on this forum) as soon as possible.

 

After finding myself made redundant recently I've gone back to freelance, which I did for ten years up until two years ago. The exhibition industry can be a rollercoaster ride as regards workflow.

 

I never thought about approaching Architectural practises to offer my services. I naturally assumed all architects used CAD today and as such also had in house rendering facilities/capabilities. Am I wrong?

 

Do you think there is a market out there for somebody like myself with a good working knowledge and experience of Vectorworks CAD and Rendering to offer my services to these practises? This would be to supplement the low income periods past experience has shown me appear in exhibition work.

 

What do you think, bearing in mind my location - UK based ? Thanks in advance

 

Alan

[STRAT]

I never thought about approaching Architectural practises to offer my services. I naturally assumed all architects used CAD today and as such also had in house rendering facilities/capabilities. Am I wrong?

 

Do you think there is a market out there for somebody like myself with a good working knowledge and experience of Vectorworks CAD and Rendering to offer my services to these practises?

 

What do you think, bearing in mind my location - UK based ? Thanks in advance

 

Alan

You are generally correct.

 

even tho CAD apps like Vectorworks and ArchiCAD are great, 99% of architectural firms in the UK use AutoCAD and generally have their own in-house rendering facilities.

 

but thats not to say you cant still freeliance in the UK. even tho almost all archi firms use CAD, many of them still source out to rendering freelancers because they no have the time or facilities to render themselves. but make sure you have the ability to read and use a DWG file (AutoCAD's resident file type), as drawings you recieve from architects will most likely be in this format.

 

Even tho we do in-house rendering we still, on occation, farm out to freelancers when the work load gets physically too much for me.

 

there's plenty of work out the for you, you just have to know where and how to find it. whichever tho, you'll definately be required to show a strong archi-rendering portfolio of several images.

[brammelo]

You are generally correct.

 

even tho CAD apps like Vectorworks and ArchiCAD are great, 99% of architectural firms in the UK use AutoCAD.

 

Given the number of registered architects in the U.K. and the number of sold licenses of VectorWorks and ArchiCAD, I doubt that that 99% is acurate. To give you a bit of perspective: in Belgium 2 out of 3 architects are using VectorWorks. It won't be the same in the UK, but only 1% marketshare seems a bit, well, exagerated.

 

Cheers,

BaRa

[STRAT]

ok, my figures may be slightly out, but it's certainly a massive lion's share in autocad's favour. certainly nothing like Germany's figures.

[jurX]

....so, what I can tell you is, that Nemetschek´s allplan is one of the best CAD programs for the work with cinema4D,...it was the first CAD prog. which could export the complete CAD-scene in the .c4d-filetype,...and allplan gets this funktion after nemetschek had bought maxon...

[willsud]

I've come rather late to this forum and to this thread but if it's of interest still...

 

The Building Design newspaper here in the UK (it's free so most of us read it )

recently published a survey it carried out of IT use among architects - the response rate wasn't brilliant - around 800 replies - but about 50 were targetted at IT managers in larger practices (or so they say - coz I got one and there's only me working here )...

 

anyway - the results, among other things showed that when asked 'what is your principal design progam?'

the percentages from the answers were:

 

(IT managers%/ user%):

 

Autocad 38% / 52%

Archicad 8% / 8%

Form Z 0% / 0.5%

Microstation 28% / 15%

Revit 3% / 1%

Sketchup 0% / 1%

3D StudioMax/viz 0% / 1%

Vectorworks 21% / 14%

Other 3% / 8%

 

I'm in the 'other' category since I use Nemetschek's Allplan.

 

All practices who responded did their own in-house rendering (which is not to say of course that they're all good at it )

 

Hope that's of interest.

 

(Wish I'd spotted this forum ages ago !)

 

regards,

William Sutherland

[Sketchrender]

hi

I use form z and artlantis , and now play with cinema.

Formz to cinema works very well, and the rendering is very good but you have to learn the ropes to really geta good image and wait for it to render.

 

you will learn that the deadlines and changes you will encounter will teaxch you some tricks of only modeling what you see, and so get the client to fianlise a fix position on the model for the fianl renders and it will cut time down drasticaly.

 

What i want to ask is why aren't you using xsi, as you have it, I have seen the pool image before sopmewere, and I think it was rendered in xsi, am I right .

 

I want to use xsi for rendering only....do you have any good resourses, I need them.

 

mental ray is driving me mental, the manual they give you, is like a telephone directory..........

 

 

 

phil

[Jelle]

What i want to ask is why aren't you using xsi, as you have it, I have seen the pool image before sopmewere, and I think it was rendered in xsi, am I right

 

Ehm not sure if this is for me, but no I don't use XSI, I only have knowledge of Cinema 4D and MAX. Mainly use Cinema for personal taste.

The pool image(if you're talking about mine) is all modeled and rendered in Cinema.