Artlantis vs 3d studio max

[Anonymous]

I have been working with models created in Archicad and saved to Artlantis for a while and although I feel that Artlantis is amazingly easy to get good results out of, I am starting to want more realism and find my clients are demanding it too. Now I could either spend a while messing around with multiple lights and more subtle textures in Artlantis or move over to 3d max. I had a look at it on a friends computer and was bewildered by the features.

What i would like to know form you guys is how difficult is it to learn and use for rendering only (I will still build the models in Archicad) and to get results better than those of Artlantis?

[Anonymous]

I don't know 3D Max too well but you might also want to consider Cinema 4D. The interface is slightly quirky, but once you get it it is pretty easy to use. I also understand that Maxon has released an ArchiCAD translator which sounds very good. It is definitely worth a look.

[Anonymous]

I do not much about cinema 4D but have seen images done in 3D studio max and they are stunning. But like everything I bet you have to mess about with loads of settings to get that. Is cinema 4D realistic and does it have radiosity?

[Anonymous]

jazzdude wrote:
I do not much about cinema 4D but have seen images done in 3D studio max and they are stunning. But like everything I bet you have to mess about with loads of settings to get that. Is cinema 4D realistic and does it have radiosity?

Yes & yes.

It also does serious animation if you feel like playing.

[Djordje]

jazzdude wrote:
I had a look at it on a friends computer and was bewildered by the features.

What i would like to know form you guys is how difficult is it to learn and use for rendering only (I will still build the models in Archicad) and to get results better than those of Artlantis?

IMHO using it for rendering only is like taking a plane to the corner shop - yes, the results are stunning, IF you know how to get them. That takes time and a steep learning curve, nothing like Art•Lantis. This is true for any high end rendering/animation package.

[Anonymous]

Djordje wrote:

jazzdude wrote:
I had a look at it on a friends computer and was bewildered by the features.

What i would like to know form you guys is how difficult is it to learn and use for rendering only (I will still build the models in Archicad) and to get results better than those of Artlantis?

IMHO using it for rendering only is like taking a plane to the corner shop - yes, the results are stunning, IF you know how to get them. That takes time and a steep learning curve, nothing like Art•Lantis. This is true for any high end rendering/animation package.

Certainly it is more complex to use than Artlantis, but it is also much more capable, and Jazzdude was asking about going beyond Artlantis to 3D Studio (not a trivial jump either).

It is also cool to be able to quickly model anything you need. I had to add curved signage to a project once for a quick alternate. In C4D this was a simple matter of typing, extruding, combining with the logo, and bending. It took me about 15 minutes and that included ten minutes to figure out the bending part which I hadn't done before.

As it turned out the curved signage was not approved and so minimal time was spent on the alternate. (If it had been approved I would then have figured some way to get the sign model into ArchiCAD - probably 3DS)

[Anonymous]

I think I agree too, having looked at them they look too complicated. I would like to progress more with Artlantis but not sure how I can improve the lighting. It would be good if somewhere there was more guidance as in tutorials or people talking about lighting methods. The literature that came with Artlantis is poor and the forum on the abvent site does not help either. Yet you see images cretaed by Artlantis here and there with no discussion on how these effects were achieved.

[Anonymous]

You may also do well to wait a bit and see what happens. Artlantis will no doubt see improvements, ArchiLumos is out there (somewhere), and high end renderers are becoming common enough that maybe something else will come along soon.

It probably makes the most sense to make the most of what you've got for now, and see what is out there when you're ready to move on.

Another thing to consider is to get Dwight's book and use Photoshop to fix up the ArchiCAD and Artlantis renderings. (If you don't already have Photoshop you should get it - it is essential for anyone selling design ideas for a living.) Remember that a simple image that tells a good story is better than a technically excellent rendering that is cold and lifeless.

[Anonymous]

As i told before, the next art*lantis version (in 2004 for fixed image) in 2005 (with animation, moving objetcs, etc) will have an increase of quality, with better rendering engine and radiosity effects.

you can start asking details to Abvent in June i guess.

regards

[Djordje]

Matthew wrote:
As it turned out the curved signage was not approved and so minimal time was spent on the alternate. (If it had been approved I would then have figured some way to get the sign model into ArchiCAD - probably 3DS)

Nope. ArchiForma.