Ignacio wrote:
You can pretty easily and rationally define 'typical' user types for which each of the solutions works best.
Ok, let's give it a shot:
Guy who only does rendering:
C4D, Max. This is great to model and render, as long as you have a LOT of time (ill give you that rendering in a couple of months, mr. architect) and some serious money to spend.
Guy who does not want to spend one more dime:
LW in AC is great! Forget radiosity, which is the crutch of non-artists anyway. LW is free (as long as you are willing to pay €5.000 or so for AC) and, yes, you spend a LOT of time fiddling with materials and cameras and lights but, hey, it's free! And , of course, your renderings look cardboard like and you spend enormous amount of time fiddling with the above mentioned, but hey, its free...
Guy who outsources his renderings:
I don't give a d-a-r-n, as long as I get the job done. Better still, I prefer not even to think about it, so I can preserve my artistic virginity.
Guy who is an architect AND works for a living:
Artlantis R.
Reminds me of the typical Autodesk (i'm gonna be sued in a minute now):
"Who is going to use autoCad? Well, 3 times as much persons as a 3D architectural software, that's who, so we are talking tree times as much selling."
Sorry, I just had my xmas lunch and to much portuguese red wine (best of the world, never mind the french stuff), so here is my politically incorrect opinion. So sue me!