Unfortunately, yes, paradoxx, to some degree there is a difference in tooling around with a program for school or on your own and using it professionally.  However, I'm not sure why there was such disapproval.  It could be related to a prior experience.  Everyone is going around making claims about what software they know, thinking they can pick it up quickly in the first week.

I think instead of answering "no", I think I would go a little more into detail on how you developed your tasks and your approach.  They want to see something closely aligned with a professional environment, not randomly turning all the dials and knobs on your rendering settings till you got something that looked cool.  The office wants to know if you know how to do something the first time, that you know which minor setting to adjust when asked so that it takes you 5 min to do something rather than a day.

Depending on the firm, they may also be looking for expertise in managing the rendering process. They may not know how to manage their renderings and are looking for someone to take the lead.  They may not have another more senior architect familiar with rendering to help you along.

And you can always ask them back, what their concerns are about not using it in a professional practice and then try to demonstrate that you may have those abilities.

btw, my experience comes from what we're seeing with Revit, not a rendering tool like 3d max.  In that regard, project experience is very important to us (and (we think) is really the only way one can learn the program)  I rather see someone anxious to learn, rather than someone who "knows" the program without any experience.

With a program like 3ds max, i dont think its that important whether youve used it at home or in a professional setting. I'm guessing they care about workflow, file management, different settings for print or presentation? if thats the case, maybe its worth going into detail on that.

but with something like Revit, where workflow and coordination is more important. It would require more knowledge to explain

I would guess it's a question of speed. It's one thing to sit at home and spend days creating the perfect rendering, for example, but in an office setting you'll have much, much less time. You also have to be flexible and be able to make changes to the design quickly.

I agree with postal. In my experience, my boss will come to me and say exactly what kind of image he/she wants. Down to how much the sun comes through the trees, the exact look of the wood on the facade, etc. And I have to be able to produce that.

This would be a good thing to practice. When it comes to rendering, select a bunch of images that you've seen online or in a magazine and try to replicate the effects in them. And then practice doing them quickly. You'll find shortcuts the more you practice and by checking out resources online. 

If you can then find a good way to communicate to a potential employer that you understand that they need someone who can produce something with good quality in a short time and that you are that person, it could make a big difference.

Looks to me like they are a bunch of assholes - so typical.

You have an advantage - you know 3ds max - THEY don't.  So you can tell them what you want to tell them and they would just nod their heads.

I am surprised they reacted that way with 3d max.  Making a rendering and learning that program on your own i wouldnt see as a big deal at all, unless like someone said, its a question of speed.

Presentation type stuff i would think if you can show good work examples, that should be sufficient.

Production/ drafting type, like Revit, I could see how they could want someone with actual office experience.  Knowing the tools is one thing, but actually using it in an office setting is different, considering the collaboration required.  But really, as long as you seem willing to learn, you can pick up the office flow part of it reasonably quickly.

So I'd say they are a bunch of assholes who dont really know anything about 3d max, or they were looking for someone with more work experience than you had, and it just got lumped in to the part of the interview when you were talking about your 3d max work.

I think it is wrong to focus on one particular piece of software. Most architectural software is about logistics and offcaurse 3D Max or AutoDesk  products is paramount but, rather in the sense that these once set the standard and knowing one program make it easy to use another. I find it more important to express an overwiew.  To understand software generaly, know it is not so much about a particular software but express the flexibility being able to use whatever software   -- as they all deal with the same, and in architecture that is logistic.

"I think I would go a little more into detail on how you developed your tasks and your approach.  They want to see something closely aligned with a professional environment, not randomly turning all the dials and knobs on your rendering settings till you got something that looked cool.  The office wants to know if you know how to do something the first time, that you know which minor setting to adjust when asked so that it takes you 5 min to do something rather than a day."

Gotcha! I guess I'll prepare a speech for that part of the interview only. Thanks to postal and everybody for the help, it was very useful. I try to convey enthusiasm about learning more. After all, everybody starts from somewhere right? Small steps...you learn the program but you improve it at your job. Maybe when I go to interviews I could tell them I want to help them in some projects from my home. This way I can get professional experience, they can see my work and they wouldn't have anything to lose.