3DS Max or C4D moving from sketchup

[anthonymiller]

hi guys i've just finished my second year of architecture and i've been using sketchup as my primary modeler. Since i've finished for the summer and have some free time to learn stuff which would you suggest out of 3ds max or C4D? i know max is standard however a few students in our studio use C4D and get amazing results. Since i'm entering 3rd year and need to find a job next year for my year out i feel the sketchup stuff wont cut it, i need some amazing renders as well.

 

thanks for the help

 

Anthony Miller

[Chris MacDonald]

Both are amazing packages; and I'd probably recommend C4D if it weren't the case that Autodesk didn't dominate the market. But they do.

 

The reality is that the majority of employers will be looking for 3DS max capabilities, not C4D. It's a shame because the price difference between the two is astronomical. I would note however that the results you've seen in C4D are without a doubt do-able in max.

[notamondayfan]

Purely for the amount of content and support (user groups) I'd say Max is your best bet, plus employers generally look for 3D artist who know Max.

 

I've never open C4D so can't comment on how good / bad it is, but if you have the opportunity why not learn both? A lot of principles will transfer from one to another.

 

Also, again I have no experience, but sketchup can be very powerful for modelling, so don't be hell-bent on moving away from it if it's something that works for you. Plus vray and additional plugins are available for Sketchup, and it's not very expensive either.

 

Dean

[Dimitris Tolios]

What kind of job are you after? That's a pretty important question.

Do you want to be an Architect, an Arch Viz guy or something inbetween?

What kind of firms you target?

 

Do not look down on Sketchup. As far as conventional architecture goes, it is probably the most spread modeling tool - for a good reason. It is fast, and simple. For most of the stuff that most of the firms do, it is very capable.

 

Surely it is leagues behind other apps as far as built in camera tools, material editors, particles, animation (and the list goes on) but most of that have nothing to do with Architecture.

 

I would say that the tool that will help you the most for conceptual design past Sketchup, is Rhino + Grasshopper.

If you are working towards an Arch Viz career, the 3DS is dominating the market right now.

C4D is a great tool, but I tend to thing people that stick with it are driven more by its OSX compatibility than the tool it self.

[Cesar R]

I have to agree with Demitris and I am glad he suggested it. I would also encourage you to look at Rhino +GH. Definitely keep an eye out for Max. Its a great tool to know. Try to also learn some Revit specially if what you are after is a job in an architecture firm. You do not have a location on your avatar so its hard to suggest. But while I dabble in CG my bread in butter comes from Revit and Bim.