everyone is going to have their preference. I was raised on vectorworks and form-z from an embryo architect, so those are my weapons. I didn't learn autocad till about 6 months ago because I never had a interest in being a cad-monkey, it sucks to death - but is a good skill to have. just play dumb in the office. my advice, learn them all. they all have their advantages and dis-advantages. just different pencils in the toolbox.

Thanks for the advice M,

Because I am a student, I do not think I have the luxury to "learn them all."

My AutoCAD skills are adequate and since I already have a pirated copy of the latest 3DS, I am leaning towards it out of sheer convenience.

Unless I can be persuaded otherwise...





PS: Since AutoCAD and Architectural desktop are similar, which one would u guys recommend? I have both installed on my comp.

m. is right.

personally, i'd say autocad over architectural desktop - i never found that the extra features in desktop made any difference.

vectorworks is also a quality piece of software. after ten years on autocad pcs i switched to mac a couple of months ago, and vectorworks has a lot going for it.

i've never used form-z, just max, so i can't comment on that.

yeah, ignore desktop at this point. just a bunch of plug-ins you don't need to utilize at this point. I don't know 3DSM enough to comment to be honest. my advice is that since you can get around autocad enough, work out your plan and elevations and open it into form-z as a dwg. delete the bs (all one layer as well) and lock it into a layer and build up from there. you just need to get down and dirty with a rendering for presentation. treat it like a movie set, think of your views beforehand. tweak materials and lighting and your set. steal from previous models and build a palette. save as a .tif and manipulate it in photoshop, add people, skies, texture, whatever. it's worked for me unlimited times in a crunch.
eventually though, learn them all. you don't have to be a pro, just get the concept.

Personally, I use AutoCAD for 2d drafting and Studio Max for 3d stuff. I will often import my autocad drawing into studio max and work off of it. I learned Form-Z before i used Max. It is very fast to model in, but the renderings are usually of a mediocre quality as compared to max. I've never really used the arch desktop features in autocad.

FormZ: Best Architectural Modeler
3D Studio and Viz: Best renderer (esp. if you buy Final Render, Vray, or Brazil)

I'd look more into Arch Desktop and Revit. Not many use them now, but they'll replace acad soon enough - surely by the time you get out.

I don't draft, so can't help you there. I stuck with 3D, and when you are at a firm, they will take advantage of what you can do and want to do. For me, that was 3D, not drafting (which, in general, I find boring).

Thanks for all the helpful responses!

student:

bear in mind all this information is useful.

however, these programs are all just tools. very similar to the pencil that i urge you to weild before you even think of using the mouse. Acad and 3dsViz, are a good combination, highly compatible- easy to use, user friendly, but neither here nor there in terms of what results "look cooler" if thats what you seek. You could produce amazing work with autocad version 12 and viz2 if you so have the talent of combining. oppositely- "hybrid" drawings, as lucrative as they may be, can be executed poorly with the most amazing programs on the most amazing machines. just tools.

basically my advice is: learn one of each type. be it Revit, Acad, Microstation for drawing 2d cad- 3dsviz/max, formz for 3d production- rendering
but learn them well so as to give no doubt to your ability to design, not to give homage to the programs that produced the work...

Thanks for the advice Kyll,

However, I do not feel that there is a fundamental difference between a pencil and a mouse, so to speak. They are both tools, with the former being more ancient. Likewise, a piece of flint is to the pencil what a pencil is to the computer.

You mention "design". And I agree that you should not subordinate yourself to the tools of design, be it pencil or computer.

Inarguably, however, what the computer has over the pencil is efficiency (most of the time, unless you are doodling). What also separates the pencil/computer is that resulting visual effects differ. Yet, in its true essense, I do not feel that design is dependent on the Method of visualization (unless you desire to satisfy a certain client/prof has a fetish for pencil drawings etc).

Obviously, it is best to be apt with both tools.

Anyway, thanks.

Hi J,

I have heard that Rhino is superior to 3D Max with regard to modelling capabilities.

When I think of "modelling capabilities" I think of the "capability to model blobs and curved volumes/surfaces better".

And is this what essential separates 3DS and Rhino?

Thanks

the Practice use the following

simple 3 D perspectives in Sketch Up,
elevations, plans, sections and construction drawings in AutoCAD,
complex curved forms in Rhino,
high quality renderings in 3D Studio,
Animations in Cinema 4D,
hand drawn sketch schemes, cad plans and elevations rendered in Photoshop.

i don't know if desktop is really a useful add on for a student. i've used it professionally, and even in that case my advice is to stick to just plain old autocad. desktop is basically just autocad's answer to archicad; it allows one to take a design back and forth between 2&3d and comes with a slew of pre-drawn cad blocks that don't look all that good anyway. don't know much about 3d studio, although some people swear by it. i'm a formz guy myself. its tough to use, but i'm of the opinion it renders better than anything else out there, and without the need for a rendering program (as would be the case with rhino, which is easier to draw in but renders terribly w/o flamingo)

AutoCAD and 3d Studio MAX.





no contest.

AutoCAD and FormZ

no contest for students

does anyone bring in renderings from Rhino and re-render them into Max for better renders? (that is, if time permits....?) should i just stick to Rhino and not concentrate on learning 3D Viz/Max (yet)?

Yup, some people do that and get excellent results.

Max is the most used in architecture for rendering and animations, so I wouldn't dismiss it. FormZ is probably the most used as an all-in-one program. Rhino is great (or so I hear) for anything curved or organic, with a great nurbs toolset, but I've seen it used for regular spaces, too. If you like it, use it, but nothing beats Max for renderings and animations.

i just want to put in a plug for rhino.

if you've already got some preliminary experience in autocad, you'll find rhino to be incredibly intuitive. you'll find yourself wondering how to, say trim a surface, and guess what? you type in "trim"! want to make a 2d drawing? type "make2d"! want to watch your pretty 3d object turn around in space? type "turntable"! the help menu is also much better than help for formz, maya, etc. (doesn't take much w formz whose help menu is pretty much useless).

flaw in rhino: flamingo can be a pretty weak renderer. learn a different program when it comes to that. but rhino can export files into all formats and does it pretty well.

quote:"Because I am a student, I do not think I have the luxury to "learn them all." "-archconnect

luxury?... it should be a necessity...

isn't the point of being a student learning everything you can? ...exposing yourself to as much as you can handle and training yourself to be the most sought after graduation? you shouldn't just pick three programs and limit yourself to that...

it sounds like you are just lazy or spending more time on things other than school

I am a lazy bum. You are so right.