i want to say they use form z, but i could be wrong.

someone else on here can probably answer this definitively, but i've been told that they use Microstation in their office. in addition to serving as CAD software for drawing sets, Microstation has very sophisticated 3d modeling and rendering capabilities...so it's possible they use it for rendering.

the water looks very FormZ

modeling and rendering, that is.

For a long time, Morphosis used FormZ for all of their modeling and rendering (those first couple of books they published.)

But they've recently been using Bentley Microstation a lot -- apparently, they're working with a new "generative components" plugin for Microstation, along with Foster's office. It allows for real-time shifting of wall systems, etc, so that everything moves together.

thank you kindly for the response folks.

some follow-up questions... pardon my ignorance but from what I understand FormZ has been around a while... is the forementioned Microstation new? additionally, are there (for lack of a better descriptor) "cutting edge" rendering softwares that someone who has an interest in such work should gravitate to? or should someone simply have familiarity with one or a number of the larger names (3dsmax, FormZ, etc.)?

Back in the day when I was there (c. 1999) Formz was used to model and 3d Max to render...

All of the above is true, their work used to be featured in Form-Z ads even. I know they've also been using microstation for awhile now.

I did some pieces of renderings for them with a freelance group awhile back and we used V-ray and Max. The trick was getting the right amount of "desaturation" in photoshop. That and stretch the hell out of trees.

one more thing...

would say that firms consciously pursue a certain, individual look to their renderings? or is it only a few that take their image/branding to that extent....

as my experience.... in most of STARchitects offices, photoshop makes 60% of the rendering...but this ones looks quite straight from the renderer

onesandzeroes definetly theres a big group of them that care about this...maybe at the end, every each office has their own style whatever this is "trendy" or classic looking, but all firms kind of develop a graphical style, comercials or not....

I was told formZ... still...

Same experience as Silverlake...I interned there in 2000, worked solely on FormZ...but some in the office, Ben, were cranking out really nice 3Dmax renderings as well.

Microstation was the 2d tool of choice then too.

I am sure things have changed in the last 7 years though.

You can't go wrong with FormZ to model and Max to render.

Stylized renderings are a form of marketing. Some look great, some look dated. It's changing a little, though. Look at Hadid's new renderings. Beautiful and simple photoreal (almost), nothing too stylized but not over the top with plants and people.

Most quality renderings will be at least 50% photoshop, you just can't beat the flexibility and speed.

I'm not sure if it's a sign of how photo real our images can be these days, but I've noticed all the starchitects who used to be known for a specific style in their presentations are now tending more toward photo real images.

DS+R, Morphosis, Denari, Zaha and OMA all used to do pretty far out drawings and now tend more toward photo real. Is it because the more realistic rendering lets the architecture speak for itself, or because it is almost easier to do with our current technology?

I think it has more to do with trends.

I think you could also say in the case of some of these, they're doing renderings for more commercial (standardized) projects, with clients that require specific types of renderings, images, etc. Sad, but it takes a lot of the interpretative art of the 'style' out, and pushes that cheesy people-and-plants SOM type rendering.

to change the subject for a bit...for those of you who interned there (silverlake, dierxap): how many hours was your typical work week?

probably worked daily from about 7 to 9 or so. but it was also because I had to drive up from San Clemente (yes..very far) and wanted to try and avoid the parking lot of the 405.

pretty intense...think I took saturday off every once in a while.

btw...Zaha is now using Maxwell for some of her renderings.

as always, the technology matters now, it's up to the artist to make a beautiful image.

I am sure they are realizing that time=money and that most people want to see the building, not a piece of abstract art.

I love the old days of paintings and ink on mylar, but them are gone.

i've read that they used to implement Strata3d and Electric image... but since I read that, I think they've gone onto other programs

dierxap,

can you tell me anything else about zaha's process? i like a lot of the renderings she's (they're) doing recently.

Do you know what software zaha's office models in?

how do you know they use maxwell?

if i was winston smith i would break out in a cold sweat from those morphosis renderings.

way back in the day, when I was there, they rendered with modelling paste, masking tape and aluminum powder...

i always expect them to do some animation to see how their building morphosize.

They use Maxwell now. My boy works there.

Bentley / Rhino / Max to model and Maxwell to render

btw, that was my 1000th post and it's a pretty bobo one at that...

"They use Maxwell now. My boy works there.

Bentley / Rhino / Max to model and Maxwell to render"

Can't image they use microstatiton to model their fly shapes. IS it true? Not rhino?