Absolute Beginner

[michaeladam]

Hello,

 

I'm an absolute beginner at 3Ds max and all of architectural rendering. My question is where do I start? Are there any tutorials that can walk me through a simple project?

 

Another question is: Do architectural firms hire individual renderers? Or do Architectural renderers usually live off of freelance?

 

I'm in my last year of Highschool and any tips that can be given would be much appreciated. Including tips about what kind of school I should look for and how I should spend my time improving my skills.

 

Sorry if these questions are super basic!

[domanoytengstrik]

I suggest you start out with the 3dsmax + Vray wombo combo. It really worked out for me. For 3ds max tutorials there are tons of resources out there on the net. For Vray tutorials i can recommend only Grant Warwick's Mastering VRay and it will be the only vray tutorial you would ever need. Most architectural firms have their own in-house renderers but more then often they do source out parts of projects to freelancers.

[Francisco Penaloza]

Michael welcome to the website,

to answer your questions, first, there is hundreds of tutorials online, you also have several options in book if you like to read and follow along, ( I do) there is also some online curses most of them very good, some of them more expensive than useful. I would recommend go first with the free ones that you get everywhere. Archviz is an evolving profession so never aspect to know everything, or do not believe when some body tell you I will teach you all what you need, because, it always change and it is up to you to keep up with technology and acknowledgement.

 

Architectural firms, depending of the size, they do hire Archviz professionals, I am one of them, that's all what I do 40 hours a weeks, and more most of the time but with the grow of our market and easy communication between countries freelancing have a big impact in this business too so it is always a good choice if you want to go that route. it is not easy but a valid choice too.

 

What to study, that is complex because some of us learned the hard way, reading hundred of book, following tutorials on internet, magazines and so on, just now there is a few "institutions" that teach most of it but I think what they teach only will help you do render and not to be a complete CG artist, that can be more valuable in a long run. if you like Computer graphics, and have the time and mean, you should study that. Archviz is only a branch of it.

Studying traditional art, paint, hand drawing, photography also will help you to be a better artist and a good Archviz professional too.

Other people will jump with more tips, welcome again and enjoy the ride

[michaeladam]

Michael welcome to the website,

to answer your questions, first, there is hundreds of tutorials online, you also have several options in book if you like to read and follow along, ( I do) there is also some online curses most of them very good, some of them more expensive than useful. I would recommend go first with the free ones that you get everywhere. Archviz is an evolving profession so never aspect to know everything, or do not believe when some body tell you I will teach you all what you need, because, it always change and it is up to you to keep up with technology and acknowledgement.

 

Architectural firms, depending of the size, they do hire Archviz professionals, I am one of them, that's all what I do 40 hours a weeks, and more most of the time but with the grow of our market and easy communication between countries freelancing have a big impact in this business too so it is always a good choice if you want to go that route. it is not easy but a valid choice too.

 

What to study, that is complex because some of us learned the hard way, reading hundred of book, following tutorials on internet, magazines and so on, just now there is a few "institutions" that teach most of it but I think what they teach only will help you do render and not to be a complete CG artist, that can be more valuable in a long run. if you like Computer graphics, and have the time and mean, you should study that. Archviz is only a branch of it.

Studying traditional art, paint, hand drawing, photography also will help you to be a better artist and a good Archviz professional too.

Other people will jump with more tips, welcome again and enjoy the ride

 

Thanks a lot for answering my questions thoroughly! My traditional art skills would be viewed as rather advanced for my age. Painting and drawing is all that I have done my entire life and because of this I'm interested in other means of making a realistic flat image.

 

Do Arch. firms hire Archviz people with a degree in architecture? Or is the Archviz industry based purely on the portfolio?

 

I think I will stick the video format tutorials, but just in case what books would you recommend? In terms of Architecture and "Archviz".

[jasonstewart]

Here are some good links to get you going, most have both paid and free tutorials:

 

http://viscorbel.com/

http://www.ronenbekerman.com/

http://www.peterguthrie.net/

http://www.grantwarwick.net/

http://www.evermotion.org/

 

If I had to start over from scratch I would probably buy a few tutorials. It will really make your life easier if you have no modeling/rendering experience. Viscorbel has a good exterior set and a good interior set as well as Evermotion. From there there are tons of free resources (this forum and the chaosgroup forums (assuming you select Vray) are great). One of the hard parts for me (I am still learning myself although IDK if you ever stop) is that a lot of information floating around the net is sort of old and outdated. I would advise making sure the tutorial is relatively recent (last year or two not from 2010 etc.) otherwise you may be lead astray.

[Chris MacDonald]

I personally got into arch vis through working as an architectural technician; and I'm glad I did.

 

I say this purely because I have a knowledge of how a building is put together more than my (arch vis) colleagues; allowing me to add correct details where necessary, without having to go back and forth with the architect, something that is very handy when you're still at the design stage but need something to look believable. Plus there have been countless times when my 3D has shown an issue that wouldn't have otherwise been picked up on a normal drawing (or even in 3D CAD for that matter!).

 

But that is straying too far from the point; I used my background as a technician to get in to 3D within the practice that I worked for and have never really looked back. I am of the genuine belief that if you have a keen interest in something to the point that you are willing to pursue it even in your spare time, then you will (with time and practice) become good at it.

 

3DS Max is an absolutely huge software package. Perhaps a bit too much too soon? I remember the first time I opened it and how daunting it was, and how steep the learning curve was. I had a far better time getting to grips with 3D fundamentals in Sketchup, which is vastly underrated; it can produce things just as good as 3DS max when in the right hands.

 

If however you do want to focus entirely on 3DS max, I wouldn't worry about all the plugins such as VRay and so on; just focus on getting your modelling skills to a decent level where you can put together a believable building. The reality is that you don't need a rendering plugin like VRay because Max comes with one called Mental Ray, which is hugely capable (and for various reasons much maligned amongst VRay users). Save yourself the money to begin with and decide whether to jump ship at a later date once you've got the fundamentals under your belt.