!Restored: Lightworks - AEC pack - for a price

[Dennis Lee]

According to lightworks website, it seems as if they really have a formidable rendering software package for architecture.
http://www.lightworkdesign.com/pdf/AEC_pack_brochure.pdf (probably faster to right click and save-as, because this is quite a big file)

Since we already have some of this software built into ArchiCAD, I think we should have the option to pursue this rendering package further, as opposed to investing in another stand alone rendering package. (It should be cheaper than buying a whole new software, I hope)

Lightworks implementation in ArchiCAD hasn't changed since V9 as far as I can tell, and it is due for an improvement / upgrade over the current features. If this improvement / upgrade doesn't go all the way to cover the things listed in the AEC pack, then I think we should have an option to at least pay for it and continue the workflow developed using lightworks for faster / higher end results.

It may be the case that GS, being bought by Nemetschek (Cinema 4D) and having an on going relationship w/ Abvent (Artlantis), may not want to improve Lightworks much more (only my speculation, hopefully wrong) - but we the users have been given the tool and many of us have been using it for many years. I think it's only reasonable that GS at least give us an option to go one way or the other.

[Dennis Lee]

This is an excerpts from the pdf above:

"Architects, builders, re-modelers, engineers, and point-of-sale staff want
the freedom to be creative without having to export to external rendering
applications...The LightWorks AEC Pack is the most cost-effective way to
fulfill this demand for any platform - PC, Mac or UNIX."

"Once your LightWorks-based application is released, the plug-in
mechanism of LightWorks makes it very easy for you to upgrade your
application to include new rendering functionality without any extra
development."

[Anonymous]

An enhancement to the existing lightworks package is definitely essential. It sounds like it should be a relatively easy upgrade for the developer to add.

Although it looks like it has been around since 2004, so why 4 years later it still isn't implemented is anyones guess! I assume there must be a catch somewhere i.e. not as good as they make out, not as easy to add as they make out, or just too expensive to include in the ArchiCAD package without significantly increasing the cost of a licence.

I'd be happy with them just implementing just the global illumination part of the package to really enhance the quality of the interior and exterior renders.

[Dwight]

I have it on good authority that Graphisoft have licensed the full LightWorks package. And a fine application it is, too!

http://www.lightworkdesign.com/products/overview.htm

Without cynical thinking interfering in an otherwise PolyAnna-ish world view, one might suspect that their motive was to merely SAY in marketing that Archicad has Lightworks and not invest the implementation time to make it any good.

For instance, you are all familiar with Archicad's sketch render engine. Slow, unpredictable and no preview. ICK! See what the LightWorks sketch engine does:

http://www.lightworkdesign.com/products/sketch.htm

It is hard not to be cynical.

On the other hand, i suspect the culprit here is that Archicad might have an obsolete lighting model and that to completely implement these features would require a complete revamping of light and surfaces, possibly requiring a vast expansion of the GDL language. This might make old files inaccessible. Don't know.

Rendering has never been a Graphisoft priority since so few users render within Archicad. Heartbreaking, especially if you are the guy who wrote the book. Several years ago, while writing my first book for Graphisoft, I complained to them about the poor material texture quality found in the library. The officer, whose name i won't say, replied "Let them buy the Artlantis shaders…" He was obviously a descendent of Marie Antoinette whose famous phrase "Let them eat cake [except she didn't mean "cake"]" had dire consequences.

[Dennis Lee]

If GS already licensed the full package, and haven't implemented the full version yet because they wanted to save their resources in the implementation, that is good news. Maybe when there are new versions of AC, they can implement more features to have something to SAY in the marketing brochures.

If its the GDL's limitations in describing light, then I think we can still have an add-on / plug-in like the maxwell plug-in.

I'm not saying I want this for free, whatever the fee is, I think it will be a good option for a lot of small firms that don't want to have so many softwares that you only use 30% of the features, for maybe 2% of your working hours.

I hope the message is clear -
" WE WANT BREAD ! (we will pay for it too) "

[Rob]

On the other hand, i suspect the culprit here is that Archicad might have an obsolete lighting model and that to completely implement these features would require a complete revamping of light and surfaces, possibly requiring a vast expansion of the GDL language. This might make old files inaccessible. Don't know.

I think this is it. A full implementation of LW would require revamping of attribute definitions at back-end (GDL) as well as front-end (UI).
The lighting is a major obstacle at the moment as it has not been updated since the last millennium (apart from some 'hot fixes' when LW got implemented for very first time)...