cinema 4d for architecture

[neosushi]

Hello danydrunk :)
Well Cinema4D is, in my opinion, the best choice for ArchViz. You have a great solution using the AR to get your images done. I do ArchViz for about 2 and a half years now and i always enjoyed using Cinema4D to do the job. It's easy fast and efficient. OVer the last two years i try to get away from radiosity. It takes to long and if you are not rendering in stochastic mode you will have to deal witch splotches. Anyway, as i used it for 90% Animation Radiosity never was the first choice. But to answer your question i think Cinema'S AR Modul does a great job for ArchViz. Fast and good.

Yes there will be more and more external Render-Engines. As you may heard they will Maxwell for C4D and as shortly announced FinalRender. Both produces great Images, but since i only saw Maxwel in action, people are all complaining about crashes and missing features here and there. so if you need a solution know your best freind will be C4D's AR.

cheers
::neosushi::
www.neosushi.net (http://www.neosushi.net)

[lllab]

i am architect and also do visualisation for 12years.

cinema is a very good app, but not "THE best". itis going in a very good direction and improving with every release.

it misses some very important things though:

decent dwg drawing import, it dxf import is very bad for splines, closed splines comein as polygons often, blocks are not readed, no referencing etc
decent spline drawing,
decent snapps
GI can be very slow and splotchy, depending on the scene
it doesnt support ies light data
blurry effects are very slow

the GOOD thing are:

sketch and toon is incredible for architecturte, not only for sketchy images
c4d interface is very fast and ooks very nice
a good overall workflow(beside splines and snaps)
its renderengine is nice
its shaders are very nice
it is developing very fast
there are a lot of connection plugins to cad architecture apps
GI can look very nice in cinema, although it has some problems sometimes(see above)
it has good external renderengines coming: final render- this is excellent for architectural viz, maxwell this might be good for some kind of images- afuture technology

overall i would say i can recommend cinema for architecture very well. the other good option would be 3dmax with vray or final render. 3dmax interface is very old fashioned, the viewports horrible, the tools very hidden- but it is too a very capable app with very highend tools.

i would say it is a matter of taste- both have its advatages and disadvatages.(i prefer c4d)

cheers
stefan

[nycL45]

My two cents:
Since you didn't mention building the models to be rendered, starting with a CAD 3D package and importing (with or without a plugin) files into C4D is the easiest start, unless you are a seasoned highend 3D app user. C4D lacks tools, workflow and accuracy on the building side. On the rendering side, C4D has lighting, materials/textures, tools, etc. to do anything and everything. If you're new to h. e. 3D, the C4D curve is steep and long, nomenclature, tools, functions are not intuitive, unlimited patience is required, but, the damn thing is challenging and fun. I'm hooked.

BTW, the C4D community help is great and absolutely necessary. The C4D experts here say Maxon C4D is a real competitor to the bigger and older h. e. apps. Maxon has noted that C4D is selling really well and the buyers are roughly 50% win and 50% mac.

That's long winded.

Cheers.

[moka.studio]

My two cents:
If you're new to h. e. 3D, the C4D curve is steep and long, nomenclature, tools, functions are not intuitive, unlimited patience is required, but, the damn thing is challenging and fun. I'm hooked.

Cheers.

Not compared to other 3d apps ( ever tried learning Max or LW....?)

[danydrunk]

Thanks for all your help. I am an xsi user, and I can say that even though I will still use xsi as my main application, I really like cinema. I am helping some friends with some architectural renders, thats why I was asking. At first I didn't want to waste my time learning cinema, but after two days I loved it. Its the easiest to learn software Ive used. Im sure you can go really deep into the program and spend lots of time to master it. But I can say that compared to xsi, cinema4d is very very simple(which doesnt mean its not powerfull). The thing with cinema that ive noticed is that while it doesnt have as many options as other programs ive used, it is very easy to get good results.

[nycL45]

Not compared to other 3d apps ( ever tried learning Max or LW....?)

I shudder to think. However, I should not have immense difficulties with them since I have some experience with C4D, according to this thread: "Making the Jump from cinema to other apps" http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=260982 (most recent post, this morning). ;)

I take it you didn't disagree with my main learning curve points? Bottom line, C4D is great and I have no intention of moving over to another app, folding or jumping. Where's the asprin?

[sketchbook]

If you're new to h. e. 3D, the C4D curve is steep and long, nomenclature, tools, functions are not intuitive, unlimited patience is required, but, the damn thing is challenging and fun. I'm hooked.

i agree with moka. i personally think that c4d is easier than any of the other apps to learn. i have limited experience with the other apps, but i have fiddled with almost all of them. cinema's interface/workflow is the most intuitive in my opinion.

however, if i were starting from scratch, i probably would have chosen 3ds, as it's much more standard for architecture, and you can't beat vray for rendering. it also plugs into cad really well, and there are unlinited resources. the interface is the worst however :sad:

with this new finalrender coming out, i am hoping that we can get a little closer to Vray quality renders. and with the engineering bundle, supposedly we can open cad files better? that i would like to see.

[moka.studio]

with this new finalrender coming out, i am hoping that we can get a little closer to Vray quality renders.

or better ;)

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.