I have always liked Cinema 4D since it is easy to understand and they give it to me for free. Archicad users looking to the next level should seriously consider Artlantis because it makes much better light and i fundamentally easier to use than LightWorks is.
Artlantis currently cannot distribute processing among several computers.
Considering Cinema 4D, or any professional-level rendering/modeling application leads you to a new profession. Mastering cinematic modeling/surfacing/lighting takes all day. All week, perhaps. Maybe an entire month. Or longer. A year, even. Professional rendering applications offer:
- faster rendering
- distributed processing of single frames and animations
- materials with sophisticated light reflection behavior [Cinema 4D has several hundred adjustments you might make to any surface]
- sophisticated camera controls, animation timeline
- fast previewing of effects
You simply don't export your Archicad file to something like Cinema and get a usable product - the environment behaves differently - more like a
studio, but once you have created an environment with compatible materials and lighting, it is routine to bring in an Archicad model.
It goes without saying that modeling is quicker in Archicad.....
Dwight Atkinson