What about an user forum for ArchiLumos 2.0?

[Anonymous]

I´m quite surprised with Archilumos rendering radiosity images inside ArchiCAD. What a workflow! Better now with the release of ArchiLumos 2.0 dated to november 8, which comes with a better integration with ArchiCAD.
What I miss is a user forum at Optgraph´s website to share tips, images and questions with others users. Maybe we can create one on Yahoo groups or something else. What do you Archilumos users think about it?

Regards,
Ricardo

[Anonymous]

I experimented a long time with LW radiosity in FormZ, and it was a very frustrating and painful experience. After using C4D’s GI, i realised the time i wasted trying to get acceptable results.
I agree totally with Stefan regarding the light sources and the material editor in AC, they are soooo outmoded! It’s the reason i never render in AC, and implementing the LW render engine will not stop me exporting to C4D.

[Anonymous]

While Autodesk VIZ gives standard Radiosity and now Caustic light effects with the integrated Mental Ray (a superb render), ArchiCAD just now brought raytracing with the poor Light Works with no radiosity at all. This is a shame!
ArchiCAD needs urgently professional 3rd party renders like Autodesk products, this is a must on these days.
Autodesk users have so many options to choose: Mental Ray, VRay, Brazil, Final Render, Insight, and so on... Why waste time with LW?

C`mon Graphisoft, wake up!!

[Dwight]

There's no doubt the dedicated applications achieve superior results. Cinema 4D especially, is an easy step with lots of connection to ArchiCAD, especially once they get the new translator in place.

[stefan]

Ricardo wrote:
While Autodesk VIZ gives standard Radiosity and now Caustic light effects with the integrated Mental Ray (a superb render), ArchiCAD just now brought raytracing with the poor Light Works with no radiosity at all. This is a shame!
ArchiCAD needs urgently professional 3rd party renders like Autodesk products, this is a must on these days.
Autodesk users have so many options to choose: Mental Ray, VRay, Brazil, Final Render, Insight, and so on... Why waste time with LW?

C`mon Graphisoft, wake up!!

Being a user of these Autodesk products, I would say: well, the LightWorks engine is usable, so focus on improving and integrating it better and not replace it again with something else.

By the way, Graphisoft has to keep ArchiCAD running on two distinct computer platforms... and in that regard, the LightWorks engine is not a bad choice.

[Anonymous]

Stefan,
I did not say to replace it but to add. The 3rd party renders always add and never replace existing features. All the best renders are always made to Autodesk, Cinema 4D, Maya, etc. and never to ArchiCAD. Our options are LW and Lumos. What a big deal!

Options is what we need. Got it?

[stefan]

Ricardo wrote:
Stefan,
I did not say to replace it but to add. The 3rd party renders always add and never replace existing features. All the best renders are always made to Autodesk, Cinema 4D, Maya, etc. and never to ArchiCAD. Our options are LW and Lumos. What a big deal!

Options is what we need. Got it?

3ds max, VIZ, Maya, Cinema4D etc... are not CAD-applications.
AutoCAD is, but it doesn't have a rendering engine worth that name. The ADT version adds VIZ Render, an additional application for rendering, based on VIZ and 3ds max.

ArchiCAD is a CAD-application, with support for external rendering engines. Graphisoft licensed the LightWorks engine (which I think was a good choice) to integrate in ArchiCAD and deliver it in the license.
You have options: Art*lantis (external & internal versions are available), ArchiLumos (more or less available) and almost any external rendering program on the planet, through good export format support from ArchiCAD.

Revit is a CAD application, with the Accurender engine: an external engine, but integrated into the software.

VectorWorks is a CAD application using the LightWorks engine (dubbed RenderWorks)

FormZ is a 3D-Modelling application using the LightWorks engine (dubbed Radiozity and Renderzone, IIRC).

Autodesk did not write a rendering engine. It bought Lightscape. It owned Kinetix, who made 3D Studio and fused them with Discreet. Then 3ds max was born. It has a real native rendering engine (with some limitations but very usable).

VRay, Mental Ray, Brazil, Final Render are external rendering engines. Some others are available too, but Autodesk didn't write any of them. Most of these are or will be available as standalone and are often integrated into other applications then 3ds max (e.g. Maya).

Maya's native engine is good but difficult to use (so they say). Lot of Maya users complain about it. Mental Ray is an external engine, available with Maya and highly regarded in the movies industry.

[Anonymous]

Ok, Thank you for all your explanation.
If ArchiCAD could have at least what Autodesk ADT has (thats a CAD), That would be just great.

We need more internal options (as 3rd party renders).
This is a fact.

[stefan]

Ricardo wrote:
Ok, Thank you for all your explanation.
If ArchiCAD could have at least what Autodesk ADT has (thats a CAD), That would be just great.

It has this (apart from Radiosity and RPC-support).
The animation in VIZ Render is better then in ArchiCAD but a lot of the VIZ or max interface is simply left out.

I teach VIZ Render in our visualisation classes, and am frustrated with it's limitations, compared to VIZ or max.

Ricardo wrote:
We need more internal options (as 3rd party renders).
This is a fact.

I agree, but I hope Graphisoft doesn't spend time writing them. It could license them and focus development on ArchiCAD's core business: the building model.

[Anonymous]

I think we are missing something here, if all softwares are to do the same thing then we might as well have only one software, why bother having different names?.

The point to note is it all depends on the use of the software and quality of results you need. In my opinion, coming from using ADT in designing, ArchiCAD is simple to learn and use in preparing designs and documentation. In visualization, ADT 2005 one can link files to VIZ or alternatively you can use Max, where you have to learn alot to master these softwares. In AC 9 lightworks is straight forward, one have to trade between time and energy needed in mastering sofisticated softwares and what actually is needed to be presented to clients. My point is depending on what you need, make your best choice- I know of proffessional Architects who when it comes to presenting say, elevations they do not bother to use any of these softwares, instead they save the 2d layout as picture and apply all textures in Photoshop quickly and in no time they present wonderful views.

Ofcourse there are many areas to improve ArchiCAD but the main focus in ArchiCAD should be in preparing virtual buildings and not in rendering softwares

Mbarouk

[Djordje]

stefan wrote:
I agree, but I hope Graphisoft doesn't spend time writing them. It could license them and focus development on ArchiCAD's core business: the building model.

Exactly what was done with LightWorks.

So where is the problem?

If one can tame VIZ or max, one can DEFINITELY tame LW.