Maxwell Render - The Light Simulator

[Anonymous]

If you are interested in a new rendering engine for ArchiCAD, check out Maxwell Render.

Gallery at:
http://www.maxwellrender.com/

If you want THAT TYPE OF REALISM in your images, you need to take the jump into the Maxwell universe.

You might be thinking it is difficult. I used to think that way. Guess what? It isn't all that difficult. Within just a few hours I have been able to come to grips with the interface, navigation and material editor.

"But isn't it Slooooooooow?", you quip... No. In many ways it is actually fast. The reason it is so fast is because it is predictable. You don't need to think about Global Strength, Occlusion, Shadow Sampling settings, etc, etc.

It is extremely architectural, place your crosshairs on the hires Earth globe, think google earth, now position your project with north arrow - specify the year, month and time of day. Check Physical Sky and you have just successfully finished the lighting of an exterior.

It has a function that takes just 1 or 2 minutes to generate a fuzzy preview. Very fast and useful.

Here is the clincher, you can also do much of it from within ArchiCAD 10. Yup, NextLimit is working hard to create the connections (plug-ins) between ArchiCAD 10 and Maxwell. PC will come first (as usual Mac comes next) What's exciting about the Mac development is Universal App - Mactel support. Have you heard about the Quad Core Intel chips coming out soon? Imagine a MacPro with dual Quads. All of them working on your images at once. The future is looking kinda bright.

I will post within this thread more info as it become available to me, and I will give you a peek at some of the programs more useful features.

[Anonymous]

Burginger wrote:

Pavol wrote:
BTW - for those of you who do not know 🙂 I am the developer of the ArchiCAD add-on for Maxwell.

Isn't that what makes ArchiCAD-Talk so useful? Thanks for stopping by Pavol. Yes, I am on an Intel Mac with Maxwell version 1.6.1 and Maxwell Plugin for ArchiCAD version 1.4 - NOV 22 07

Attached image has ArchiCAD stone texture upside down

[Anonymous]

Burginger wrote:

Pavol wrote:
Don't you like that? Pavol uses a PC at work, but at "Home" he uses a Mac. Kinda warms your heart.

Actually I am using both Win and Mac in the office - have to do that with AC and SketchUp work I am doing. The post I've made was done during a business trip and I am typically not carrying both laptops with me 🙂 But the truth is that at home it is mostly Mac.

Pavol

[Anonymous]

BTW - I can confirm the bug. The textures are indeed inverted on OSX if ArchiCAD textures are used (if you use textures in Maxwell material MXM files they will work properly). I am working on the fix, it will be available in plugin update in about a month. If you need it earlier please let me know - I can make it available for you earlier...

Pavol

[Anonymous]

Pavol wrote:
If you need it earlier please let me know - I can make it available for you earlier...
Pavol

That would be dandy, but where do I look for it? Contact, etc.

[Anonymous]

Burginger wrote:
That would be dandy, but where do I look for it? Contact, etc.

I will prepare it and let you know via PM.

Pavol

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I downloaded it and it works perfectly.

I will test it with ArchiFacade soon.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Dwight wrote:
Quality issues aside, does anyone here actually use Maxwell to generate real work?

Yes.

Though print size interiors are basically impossible task unless you don't have access to renderfarm. Exterior shots are left to cook overnight and I take this into consideration when scheduling render jobs.

The collaboration between archicad and maxwell is quite tolerable but for additional objects maxwell studio is essential.

Maxwell has still many limitation (besides rendertime of course). FryRender has some advantages but it hasn't got THE plugin. Rumors are it's planed. Though I'd prefer aeroNoise, single sheet SSS, exit portals and random control 4 to make it into the maxwell. Of course they would be named differently but the technology behind both renderengines are quite the same if we look at the features. And fryrender is win only.

[Anonymous]

one more

[Anonymous]

Gorgeous images Sinatropus! Well done!

Love the design too! Nicely composed, well lit and quality textures.

The planting on the roof's great. Are they something found in Maxwell or are they Onyx trees. The shrubs have a nice sense of 'danglyness' and the ivy stuff has a nice 'climbyness' to it!

I've got a feeling the girl at the front is stalking you. She must have run quickly to the back of the building while you weren't looking! Be careful, she looks dodgy!

[Thomas Holm]

Very nice! The only thing I miss is the sky reflections in the windows. Compare to the existing building to the right.